Republicans locked in fierce debate about allegations by Poizner

Image via Wikipedia

Anyone surprised?

Read Rest of Story Courtesy of Mercury News:

California Republicans are locked in a fierce debate over whether gubernatorial hopeful Steve Poizner this week made a fool of himself — or a name for himself.

But they agree on one thing: The GOP primary took a dramatic, critical turn Monday when Poizner publicly accused a top adviser to opponent Meg Whitman of trying to strong-arm him out of the race and offering him a political bribe.

Some GOP stalwarts said Tuesday that Poizner's performance at a Sacramento news conference — which some described as an embarrassing "meltdown" — spelled the end of his bid to become governor. Others said he came across as a scrappy and principled fighter who won't easily be squashed by the former eBay CEO's lavishly funded campaign.

"Steve now has an opportunity to play the victim and talk about being bullied," said Hoover Institution senior fellow Bill Whalen, former chief speechwriter for Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. "But it also starts the drumbeat about whether he should stay in the race."

Related articles by Zemanta

• Steve Poizner Accuses Meg Whitman Of 'Criminal' Campaign Tactics (huffingtonpost.com)