Team Poizner Communications Director Jarrod Agen released the following statement today on Meg Whitman’s latest ad.

"Meg Whitman spent over $70 million dollars and a year and a half saying thousands of times that you can’t ‘boil the ocean’ by focusing on issues other than jobs, spending, and education. Well, it only took a couple of spots and plunging poll numbers for Meg to start ‘boiling the ocean’ and abandon her ’spine of steel.’ I guess Meg remodeled the three pillars of her campaign or just got rid of them altogether.  In her new 60-second TV spot, Meg Whitman waves the white flag and surrenders.  Now she’s working hard to defeat Barbara Boxer?  How so?  Meg Whitman has lost control of the race and this scared reading of the teleprompter is the best evidence of that.  The Whitman campaign will be studied for a long time as a cautionary tale in hubris."

Whitman Claims She Strongly Opposes Barbara Boxer; IN REALITY, Whitman Endorsed And Campaigned For Boxer In Her Last Election:

MEG-A-TALE: Whitman Claims She Strongly Opposes Sen. Barbara Boxer. WHITMAN: "I strongly oppose Barbara Boxer and am working hard to defeat her." (Meg Whitman For Governor 2010, "Tough Business," 5/14/10)

REALITY CHECK: During The 2004 Elections, Whitman Endorsed And Contributed To Boxer’s Re-Election Campaign. "Meg Whitman, the 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate already on the defensive for her embarrassingly poor voting record, once endorsed and actively supported Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, one of the most proudly liberal politicians in California." (Carla Marinucci, "Whitman Supported GOP Nemesis Boxer In ‘04," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/3/09)

• In Addition To Contributing The Maximum $4,000, Whitman Served On An "Exclusive Committee Of Technology Leaders" In Favor Of Boxer’s Campaign. "Whitman not only endorsed Boxer and donated the maximum $4,000 to the junior California senator’s 2004 re-election campaign, but the former eBay CEO also served on an exclusive committee of Technology Leaders for Boxer in her re-election battle against Republican California Secretary of State Bill Jones, according to election records obtained by The Chronicle." (Carla Marinucci, "Whitman Supported GOP Nemesis Boxer In ‘04," San Francisco Chronicle,10/3/09)

• Click Here To View The Press Release

REALITY CHECK: In An Open Letter Soliciting Support From Technology Leaders, Whitman Called Boxer A "Courageous Leader." "’Barbara Boxer is a courageous leader and friend of California’s technology industry,’ extolled the former eBay executive in a Friends of Boxer release issued in April 30, 2003. Her name was part of an open letter signed by various technology leaders." (Sandra Gonzales, "Whitman Called Democrat Boxer ‘Courageous Leader’ In 2004," The [San Jose] Mercury News, 10/3/09)

• Click Here To View The Letter

Whitman Claims She Will Be Tough On Immigration; IN REALITY, Whitman Supports Amnesty And Has Opposed The Arizona Law:

MEG-A-TALE: Whitman Claimed That She Is "Absolutely" Against Amnesty And Will Send The National Guard To The Border. WHITMAN: "On immigration, I will secure our border and I will send in the National Guard if necessary. I say no driver’s licenses, no sanctuary cities, and absolutely no amnesty. Period." (Meg Whitman For Governor 2010, "Tough Business," 5/14/10)

REALITY CHECK: Whitman: "Can We Get A Fair Program Where People Stand At The Back Of The Line, They Pay A Fine, They Do Some Things That Would Ultimately Allow A Path To Legalization?" "The candidate, 53, said the solution is to find a mechanism that allows them to live here legally. ‘Can we get a fair program where people stand at the back of the line, they pay a fine, they do some things that would ultimately allow a path to legalization?’ she asked." (Sandra Dibble, "Path To Legalization  Needed, GOP Candidate Whitman Says," The San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/29/09)

• Whitman Told KCAL In Los Angeles That She Supports An Immigration Reform Plan That Makes Illegal Immigrants Stand At The Back Of The Line And Pay A Fine. WHITMAN: "Nationwide there may be as many as 12 and a half million people who have come to this country illegally. And my view is that we have to – we simply cannot deport 12 and a half million people to their home country, it’s simply not practical. So what is the next best solution? In my view, the next best solution is can we get a fair program where people stand at the back of the line, they pay a fine." (KCAL’s "News," 10/28/09)

REALITY CHECK: Meg Whitman Has Criticized Steve Poizner’s Plan To Send The National Guard To The Border, Claiming That The Move May Not Be "Helpful." WHITMAN: "There’s been a lot of chatter, would you send the National Guard to the border, would you – I think Steve said I’ll send the Orange County Republicans to the border. Okay, the fact is, if we secure our border but Arizona does not, not helpful. Not helpful." (Meg Whitman, Interview At California Republican Convention, Santa Clara, CA, 3/12/10)

REALITY CHECK: Whitman Opposes The Arizona Law. "Whitman, in contrast, said she would oppose the Arizona law if an identical version came to her as governor." (Kevin Yamamura and Jack Chang, "Poizner, Whitman Clash Over Conservative Credentials In Final Debate," Sacramento Bee, 5/3/10)

Whitman Claims Steve Poizner Made A Mess; IN REALITY, Poizner Enacted Significant Budget Cuts:

MEG-A-TALE: Whitman Claims Steve Poizner Made A "Mess" In Sacramento. WHITMAN: "I’m running for governor to clean up the mess they made."

REALITY CHECK: Poizner Has Made Significant Budget Cuts At The Department Of Insurance. "Excluding parts of his budget predetermined by state law, Poizner has made significant cuts in his budget from the year he took office to the current year." (Amy Chance and Jack Chang, " Ad Watch: Whitman Misrepresents Poizner’s Department Spending Record," Sacramento Bee, 3/20/10)

Whitman Claims She Led EBay With "Conservative" Economic Principles; IN REALITY, Whitman Raised Fees On EBay Sellers Multiple Times:

MEG-A-TALE: Whitman Claims She Led EBay With "Conservative" Economic Principles. WHITMAN: "At eBay, I was successful because I led with conservative economic principles."

REALITY CHECK: Whitman Repeatedly Raised Fees On EBay Sellers, Which Proved To Be Unsustainable. "’For a long period of time, eBay generated revenue growth by raising fees on sellers,’ said Scot Wingo, the founder of Channel Advisor, which helps small businesses sell on the Internet. ‘Now everyone is starting to realize that was unsustainable.’" (Brad Stone, "Former Chief Of EBay Tries A New Bid," The New York Times, 2/22/09)

• Whitman’s Fee Increases "Raised The Ire Of Thousands Of Its Small Business Sellers." "Prices aren’t the only thing eBay (EBAY) raised when it announced changes to some online-auction services last month. It raised the ire of thousands of its small-business sellers, many of whom are threatening to ditch eBay when the price increases go into effect Feb. 18." (Jon Swartz, "Some EBay Sellers Are Going, Going, Gone," USA Today, 2/1/05)

• Whitman’s Fee Increases Hurt Small Business Owners That Used The Site. "Penny by penny, item by item, sellers say, those fees make it less profitable to do business as a store, where individual sellers offer many goods at fixed prices rather than put them up for auction. ‘I’m considering closing the store altogether,’ said Mark Erskine of Georgetown, who runs a vintage collectibles store on eBay with his wife Shelly. ‘I’ve taken 200 things off-line in the past two weeks because of this.’ For eBay buyers, the result could be higher prices as sellers attempt to pass on rising costs." (Eric Ruth, "New EBay Fees Leave Store Owners Seeing Red," The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 8/17/06)