WHO WILL LEAD CALIFORNIA INTO THE FUTURE ? THE FIRST BROWN-WHITMAN DEBATE FOR GOVERNOR..........

After more than a year of anticipation, advertising, personal and political posturing, and a media campaign that even for California has been record shattering in the magnitude of money spent,  the serious, homestretch effort  to determine who will be elected the next Governor of California, either forty year politician Jerry Brown, former 2 term Governor, Mayor of Oakland, and current Attorney General; or Meg Whitman, former CEO of E-Bay, and FTD, and independently wealthy, $1.3 billionaire political neophyte.  Meg Whitman proved to be a smooth presenter, perpetually smiling, but spoke in only general terms about her plans to govern California and arrest the major fiscal crisis facing the present and future, other than applying the Silicon Valley approach to state government to create jobs.  She did not explain how she would cut as many as 40,000 state employees from the payroll without impacting both the Sacramento economy adversely, but provide the level of services to California citizens those jobs currently represent.  As for changing the state pension system into a 401 K style offering instead of direct pension benefits, she failed to explain why police and fire employees would the exception to her proposal.  Jerry Brown was his usual frenetic self, thinking and speaking longer than time permitted, but seeming to want to explain his positions past and present in a substantive way, namely in his response to the question on carrying out the death penalty, which for more than fifty years, dating back to his father's Governorship, has been a contentious issue in California.  His response to the current budget deficit crisis starting with cutting state spending by 15%;  including in the Governor's Office; and requesting the same of the Legislature and State Agencies, immediately after the election, is a specific, hands on, pro-active, policy proposal that seriously begins to address the structural and political realities of dealing with the issue.  Pundits are asking and answering, Who won the debate ?  Depending on how you judge victory, colors that perspective.  If style and concerted effort to be perceived as a leader is the criteria, Whitman could be viewed as eeking out a win of sorts, striving to be congenial yet agressive.  If substance and experience in doing and getting the job done are the primary concern, then Brown prevailed in arguing his past and present record and his ability to get the job done in the future.   After seven years of taking a chance on a celebrity superman, with independent wealth and the desire to lead, but without any proven track record of government service, and the result being almost total failure to accomplish anything but  deeper problems for California, the challenge voters face on Nov. 2, is do Californians want to take that chance all over again, with a billionaire business woman, who has been far less involved in the process, until now than the current failed Governor was before assuming office ?  Or does a man whose public service record of forty years provide the insight and experience necessary at this critical juncture in the history of California to step up to the plate again and effectively address the crisis we are in ?  With five weeks left in this campaign, will Meg Whitman's record setting $119 million plus spending, or Jerry Brown's forty year public service record, be the more successful path to winning the Governorship of California this year ?..........Fr.  Troy