Brown And Whitman Roll Up Sleeves In Campaign

While Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman used a visit to a Culver City beverage maker today to again accuse her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown of supporting tax increases, Brown began broadcasting two commercials accusing her of lying and received the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton.

“He has supported tax increases in every single job that he has held in public service,” Whitman said at Function Drinks, which produces 10 types of beverages that can be found at various high-end retailers.

Sterling Clifford of the Brown campaign told City News Service “Jerry Brown’s record is clear — he cut taxes as governor. The Los Angeles Times says it, the Mercury News says it, Factcheck.org says it and so does the Department of Finance. The only one standing behind her sad lies about Jerry’s record is Meg Whitman herself.

“In the space of four days, Whitman has been caught in three enormous lies — about Brown’s record on taxes, his record controlling spending and her own expansion of the PayPal building,” Clifford said. “There is no doubt Whitman can’t be trusted.”

The Brown campaign began broadcasting its second and third television commercials today, both accusing Whitman of lying about his record on cutting taxes and job creation when he was governor from 1975-83.

Both commercials compare Whitman to Pinocchio, the wooden puppet that wanted to be a boy and whose nose would grow when he told a lie — using animation to depict her nose growing.

“Early on, Meg Whitman’s army of highly paid consultants and handlers made the decision the only way they can win is to put her opponents through the wood chipper, truth be damned,” Brown campaign manager Steve Glazer said.

“We won’t be pushed around,” he said. “Meg Whitman has been called out for her falsehoods, her misleading ads, her cynical double talk again and again and again. Enough is enough.”

Whitman aide Andrea Jones Rivera said Brown “is doing exactly what a 40- year career politician would do — run from his real record and launch character attacks.”

“His record is undisputed. Jerry Brown left California in a fiscal disaster with record unemployment and turned a $6 billion surplus into a $1 billion deficit,” Rivera said. “Jerry Brown has been an advocate for higher taxes his entire career, including last year when he supported what would have been the largest tax increase in California history.”

Brown entered office when the nation was in a recession. There was another recession between July 1981 and November 1982, near the end of his second term.

Brown also received Clinton’s endorsement, a day after a video surfaced of Brown saying he liked Clinton, “but who ever said he always told the truth,” and echoed Clinton’s famous “I did not have sex with that woman,” comment by saying, “I did not have taxes with this state.”

Clinton said “I strongly support Jerry Brown for governor because I believe he was a fine mayor of Oakland, he’s been a very good attorney general and he would be an excellent governor at a time when California needs his creativity and fiscal prudence.”

Clinton endorsed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for governor on Sept. 15, 2009, about six weeks before he withdrew for the race. Newsom is the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

Brown said he was “deeply honored to have been endorsed by former President Bill Clinton, who after his accomplishment-rich presidency, continues to demonstrate his commitment to bettering our state, our nation and our world, each and every day.”

Rivera said the Whitman campaign has “always expected this and we also expect President Clinton to endorse the entire Democratic ticket.”