Dear Jerry Brown: Silence Isn’t Golden

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In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama scolded members of Congress for creating an atmosphere in which “every day is Election Day” – where politicians’ perpetual campaign to get re-elected has been steadily interfering with that pesky task of actual governing. But here in California, we seem to have precisely the opposite problem: a contest to lead the state in which one of the main contenders refuses to acknowledge whether he’s in the race.

Back in September, the American Prospect used a “Fight Club” analogy to describe Brown’s strategy: “The first rule of Jerry Brown’s campaign for governor is that he doesn’t talk about his campaign for governor.” That was five months ago, and Brown’s continued silence grows more bizarre by the day. Brown himself has lightheartedly suggested in the past that he’d get official with his campaign “when the snows fall in the Sierras,” and yet here we are, with white condensation piled for weeks, spring around the corner, and only a coy attorney general who has yet to comment on his next step.

Meanwhile, Brown’s would-be Republican opponents are beating each other up trying to deem themselves worthy of running against him. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, a candidate for the GOP nomination, has chided fellow candidate Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, for refusing to square off against him in a debate. Poizner’s campaign sent out a fiery press release saying, “The Republican nominee will need to be tested and stand toe to toe with Jerry Brown in a debate.  A candidate who is unwilling to debate, unwilling to answer questions from the press, and unwilling to be unscripted will stand no chance against Jerry Brown.”

Whitman, too, has accepted the inevitability of running against Brown if she becomes the Republicans’ choice. Her campaign recently issued a plea for donations from former Gov. Pete Wilson, telling supporters – despite any word from Brown himself – that “Jerry Brown and his allies are beginning the General Election today. We must respond.”

Absent action from the man himself, Democrats are starting to move on Brown’s behalf. Three independent campaign committees were set in motion this week to collect funds for him – a step seen as crucial to combat the large personal fortunes of both Whitman and Poizner.

Many Californians have lamented the fact that with prospective candidates Antonio Villaraigosa and Gavin Newsom out of the race, seemingly no alternative to Brown exists – an unwelcome prospect to those who don’t foresee innovation and ingenue coming from a septuagenarian career politician who’s already been governor once before. But even if we accept our fate and come to terms with the fact that we’re “stuck” with Brown, a more fundamental question exists: Given the extraordinary challenges our next governor will face, don’t we deserve to hear from the person who presumes he’s worthy of the task? Keeping quiet might be good politics – Brown remains the front-runner in many polls, although Whitman appears to be closing the gap the longer he stays on the sideline . Whitman has said she’s prepared to spend upwards of $100 million on her campaign, and she’s already started a barrage of radio and TV ads. No matter how stellar a reputation or resume Brown arguably has to back him, fond  memories and silence alone aren’t likely to compel voters when they actually get to the booth.