Fiorina, Whitman Hold Their Tea Parties in Private

by Mike Hall, Sep 10, 2010

California Republican candidates Meg Whitman, for governor, and Carly Fiorina, for the U.S. Senate, share many traits. They are both mega-wealthy CEOs with job-killing records. While they portray themselves as competent, sensible and reasonable business women, both are really anti-worker corporate cutthroats who embrace the extreme right-wing agenda that’s taking over the Republican Party this fall.

Another thing they share: concerted efforts to keep their connections and meetings with the radical Tea Party out of the public eye—especially the eyes of moderate voters. But thanks to Joe Garofoli at the San Francisco Chronicle, California voters know with whom and where they are sipping the Tea Party’s Kool-Aid.

Today in Mill Valley, Fiorina is set to meet with Bay Area Patriots and the San Francisco Tea Party and other Republican groups. Writes Garofoli:

We’d love to tell you about it, but it is billed as “open to the public—closed to the press.” What’s up with that? Not very transparent, which is what the TP wants of government, no?

The TP-GOP link is interesting given that, statewide, the California Republicans seem to have an ignore/love/ignore relationship with the Tea crew. First, they blew them off at their first big time rally, in Sacramento, in April 2009. Then, earlier this year, they sucked up to them at their state convention—and even let them stage musical numbers there.

Says California Labor Federation spokesman Steve Smith:

Carly Fiorina’s decision to embrace a radical right-wing fringe group speaks volumes about how out of touch she is with California voters.

Meanwhile, the Redlands Daily Facts reports that workers for the Whitman campaign would not address a meeting of 200 Redlands Tea Party Patriots last week until reporters left. Even the Tea Partiers were surprised about the Whitman campaign’s reluctance to be connected.  Tea party cabinet member Sandy Ziegler told the paper the refusal to speak with reporters

”seemed odd” but she would not speculate on what the refusal might mean about Whitman’s willingness to run an open and transparent campaign.

“I would say that it gives the appearance of a lack of transparency but I don’t have all of the facts.”

The fact is that Whitman and Fiorina want to keep their Tea Party dalliances in a backroom and out of sight.

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