Sarah Palin, WaPo op-ed, December 9, 2009:

Meeting [carbon reduction] targets would require Congress to pass its cap-and-tax plans, which will result in job losses and higher energy costs… The last thing America needs is misguided legislation that will raise taxes and cost jobs.

Meg Whitman, San Jose Mercury News op-ed, September 16, 2009:

In January, the first AB 32 mandates take effect and will lead to higher energy costs at a time when we can least afford them. They will discourage job creation and could kill any recovery.

Notice the similar phrasing here: “higher energy costs,” “cost jobs/discourage job creation.”

It’s not just similar phrasing that Whitman and Palin share: it’s similar policies. Palin’s op-ed was written to attack the Copenhagen climate summit and to oppose the Congressional cap-and-trade bill. Whitman’s op-ed was written to attack AB 32, which she said she would order suspended indefinitely as her very first act as governor.

Earlier today in Copenhagen, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slammed Sarah Palin’s climate stance:

“You have to ask: what was she trying to accomplish?” he told the Financial Times. “Is she really interested in this subject or is she interested in her career and in winning the [Republican] nomination [for president]? You have to take all these things with a grain of salt.”…

“I think there are people that just don’t believe in fixing and working on the environment. They don’t believe there is such a thing as global warming, they’re still living in the Stone Age, which is OK, we need people like that, too,” he said.

But will Arnold say similar things about Meg Whitman, who shares Sarah Palin’s attitude about global warming legislation?

The Courage Campaign isn’t going to wait to find out. That’s why we are going to produce and air a radio ad that will broadcast on stations across California later this week. The ad will explain to the listener that Palin and Whitman share the same views on the climate crisis – views that are NOT shared by President Obama, Governor Schwarzenegger, and most Californians.

We’re a small organization and can’t simply cut and air the ad ourselves. We need your help to get this on the air. Please click here to kick in $25 to get this ad produced and aired.

Why a radio ad? Well, as you probably know, Whitman has launched a big radio ad buy in recent weeks. Whitman’s ads are designed to raise her name identification with voters and boost her poll numbers by presenting herself as a friendly moderate who wants to help fix our broken state.

The Courage Campaign thinks that the public needs to hear the truth about Whitman’s stand on global warming, which is why we’re going to the radio airwaves. Will you join us? Donate now!

Once the ad is ready to be aired, I’ll be sure to post it here so you can listen. Over the flip is the email we sent to our members today launching this campaign.

note: I’m the Public Policy Director for the Courage Campaign

Dear friend —

Have you heard Sarah Palin’s, er, I mean Meg Whitman’s radio ads?

Almost every time I turn on my radio, I hear one of Meg Whitman’s “A Better California” campaign ads. Whitman — who wants to be Governor and strongly supported the McCain/Palin campaign — has just launched a huge radio ad buy across California.

I have to admit, they’re good ads. Whitman’s ads are designed to raise her name identification with voters and boost her poll numbers by presenting herself as a friendly moderate who wants to help fix our broken state.

What Whitman doesn’t say is that, when it comes to global warming, she’s another Sarah Palin.

It’s time to hold Meg Whitman accountable. That’s why, with your help, the Courage Campaign is going to produce and air a radio ad of our own, pointing out that Whitman and Palin have the same “wait and see” approach to our planet’s climate crisis (read on below to see what we mean).

We’re calling our radio ad “California’s Sarah Palin” and we want to get it up on the air against Whitman’s ads before the Copenhagen summit ends on Friday. Will you help us produce and air it across California — and even in Copenhagen? Click here now to contribute $25 or more and kick off this campaign. DEADLINE: Thursday 9 AM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org…

Our current governor, Arnold Schwarzengger, is speaking at the Copenhagen summit on global warming this week. And President Obama is speaking on Friday.

While Gov. Schwarzenegger is there, he’ll show how California has taken the lead in reducing carbon emissions through a law passed in 2006 — Assembly Bill 32. As many Democrats and Republicans agree, AB 32 is a model for Congress and the Copenhagen summit.

But Meg Whitman agrees with Sarah Palin, who claims that bills like AB 32 are harmful. In fact, Whitman has pledged that the first thing she would do as governor is suspend AB 32 indefinitely, and order California to stop taking action to deal with global warming.

Californians need to hear the truth about Meg Whitman — California’s Sarah Palin. Please contribute now to help us produce this ad and put it on the air across California. If we raise enough, we’ll even air it in Copenhagen before the summit ends on Friday. DEADLINE: Thursday 9 AM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org…

“California’s Sarah Palin” is just the beginning. Please help the Courage Campaign hold Meg Whitman and others accountable when they threaten the progressive principles Californians share.

Thanks for helping us kick off this accountability campaign today.

Rick Jacobs

Chair, Courage Campaign