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Conservative group says Whitman, unlike Schwarzenegger, would not insult adversaries

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The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., an anti-tax group whose opinion is important to conservative voters in California, has given its endorsement to Republican Meg Whitman for governor. Its president, Jon Coupal, taped a radio ad for her.

Once upon a time, this same group gave its approval to another first-time Republican politician running as a fiscal conservative, one by the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But that was a long time ago, Coupal made clear Tuesday.

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‘I don’t think Meg is going to be the kind of person that is publicly going to be calling these [state legislators] girlie men or otherwise being dismissive or doing something over the top of a Hollywood nature,’ Coupal said. ‘She will simply bring a more businesslike -- and I don’t want to say adult-like -- but a more businesslike approach to governance. You don’t have to be insulting to your adversaries. In fact, in many respects that’s just counterproductive.’

(This may be one of the few areas where Coupal and legislative Democrats are in agreement.)

He was referring to Schwarzenegger’s irreverent -- and one would not want to call it mischievous, impish or mocking -- but irreverent sense of humor.

The anti-tax group was one of the most forceful opponents of last year’s slate of ballot measures pushed by Schwarzenegger, who for a time reversed his longstanding opposition to tax hikes. Five of the six measures failed.

Whitman’s Republican opponent, Steve Poizner, has been proposing to broadly cut taxes, while she has focused on targeted tax cuts and cutting spending. But Coupal made it clear that one of the more important differences between the two is Whitman’s commanding lead in the polls, and the likelihood that she will emerge as the Republican Party’s nominee against Jerry Brown.

‘The question is, who is in the better position right now to execute those policies,’ Coupal said. ‘I think she’s certainly got the momentum.’

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-- Michael Rothfeld in Sacramento

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