Republicans who've tried to smear Barack Obama as an illegal immigrant and illegitimate president, without a shred of proof, will probably feel no shame if they throw their support full-bore into the quest of billionairess Meg Whitman to become governor of California.
Ordinarily, a political party would be embarrassed by Whitmans' past and reluctant to endorse her. Turns out that for most of her adult life, Whitman not only hasn't been a registered voter, but after registering, apparently has been a no-show at the voting booth.
No matter. As an emerging darling of GOP conservatives, even mentioned for John McCain's running mate, and with billions to help the party, odds are Whitman will be excused by conservatives for not taking advantage of what even she belatedly calls "a precious gift (voting) handed down by generations of Americans."
Whitman became a billionairess as the first chief executive of eBay and by taking the online marketplace public. Though that achievement might cause hearts to race of those who measure citizenship by wealth, others who expect more of a candidate will be repelled by her willingness to skip voting.
Credit The Sacramento Bee newspaper for digging out her non-voting record.
Whitman became eligible to vote in 1974 as an 18-year-old. Tracking her path as a student and businesswoman through Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Rhode Island and California, the Bee found no record of Whitman voting.
However, in 2002, she registered in San Mateo County, Calif., 28 years after becoming eligible. Even then, she didn't vote in the 2003 election that swept Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger into the governor's office.
When her astonishing no-vote record was disclosed, she tried being slippery. She lied. She first told reporters she'd registered somewhere at some time and told them "to find it," then lied again, declaring that she'd once been a "decline-to-state" party registrant. Later, one of her hired hands declared she "misspoke."
At 53 years old, and with utterly no record of participating in the fundamental rite of democracy, Whitman now declares she's entitled to be handed control of a state and the well-being of its 36 million citizens and an economy ($1.8 trillion) that's 13 percent of the U.S. GDP and larger than all but eight countries in the world.
With no evidence of participating in the machinery of democracy, Whitman also has promised she knows how to cut 40,000 jobs from the state payroll and slash billions in spending.
Specifics? Later, says she. Like voting, Whitman can't be bothered with details.
