Debate beetween Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman
If you’re a Californian with over 20 years in the state, you don’t have to pay much attention to the video replays to know that Jerry Brown was light years ahead of Meg Whitman in Tuesday’s debate.
Simply put, Meg Whitman came off as a policy wonk with bad hair, whereas Jerry Brown appeared as an experienced elected official who knows how California works.
Take the exchange on the California Budget. Whitman talked about ideas, as in when she said that she would start the budget process earlier. But Brown talked specific actions beyond a start date.
Jerry said that he would have each legislator go through their budget and look for areas to cut. In short, former Governor Brown is more comfortable talking about how to make the California government work than Meg Whitman is.
On the subject of Illegal Immigration Meg Whitman’s problem of not understanding the system of California operation comes up again. Brown favors a path to legalization, whereas Meg Whitman does not.
- Brown and Whitman.
The old issue of a canal to bring water to Southern California reemerged in tonight’s debate.
Brown said he supports the idea of a peripheral canal to ship more water to Southern California but supports more water conservation.
He implied Southern Californians should pay for the new delivery system.
“The beneficiary has to pay, not the general taxpayer,” – Brown said.
Whitman said: “turning our backs on water is turning our backs on jobs.” She reiterated her support for the water bond that will go before voters in 2012.
KCRA’s Kevin Riggs asked about whether the candidates support a path to legalization for illegal immigrants living in the United States.
“I support a path to legalization” as part of comprehensive federal immigration reform,” – Brown said.
“We can’t round them up and deport them,” – he added. But for those in the country illegally who commit crimes, he said – “Let’s get them deported.”
Whitman said she opposes a path to legalization. She outlined a several-step approach that began with: “We have to secure the border of the United States of America.”
She pledged more resources for border patrol agents, more enforcement of businesses hiring illegal immigrants, a guest worker program for agriculture and cracking down on sanctuary cities.