Whitman's Lack of Basic Humanity toward Her Maid Ought to Prevent Her from Being Elected Governor of the Great State of California

Meg Whitman claims to have unknowingly hired Ms. Santillan and employed her for nine years ... for NINE years. And then, when she found out she was an undocumented immigrant, Whitman insensitively fired her and threw her out of the house. Hiring an undocumented immigrant is not what is so revealing about Whitman. It is the inhumane manner in which she disposed of a nine year employee without ceremony or sensitivity to the human being who had worked satisfactorily in her employ for nine years. What kind of a human being disposes of another human like a used Kleenex when her status is discovered and Whitman’s fear for her reputation was foremost in her mind?

What does this firing reveal about what kind of a person Meg Whitman is? It reveals Whitman is a person who puts self-aggrandizement above personal relationships, even relationships of a nine year’s duration. The rapid and uncompromising firing of Nicandra Diaz-Santillan reflects very poorly on the kind of person Whitman is. Whitman’s attack on this maid is the classic corporatist’s attack that seeks to blame the victim and shoot the messenger. She makes ad hominem attacks against Allred and Brown and alleges Brown’s campaign manipulation, admittedly without proof (appeal to belief). She did not come to grips with her own error by taking responsibility and suppressed the event and circumstances from voters because “it never came up”. The whole affair is truly shameful and a revealing performance by the ethically impaired Whitman.

Now she wants to take a lie detector test which proves her campaign knows this event is potentially lethal – she looks like a naive hypocrite and has, perhaps mortally, offended Hispanics.


In a state in which 33% of the population and 20% of the registered voters are Hispanic, Whitman’s actions reveal a lack of astuteness to the reactions of Hispanics to her action. Whitman’s awkwardness, to use a kind word, in treating her maid shows the potential for awkwardness in dealing with other segments of the general population of California if elected Governor.

If Whitman did not know her maid was undocumented, she definitely should have known. Because a large segment of the voters will clearly focus on and analyze her personal behavior toward her maid, Whitman has demonstrated a high degree of insensitivity and a lack of political savvy toward this group. Whitman's behavior here is already dominating the election.

A person who is asking Californians to elect her governor, ought to definitely have the insight and perspicuity to know that treating her former employee like a piece of trash to be jettisoned at will to preserve her tough on immigration stance with the Far Right will definitely hurt her electability with the general population.

If she lacks this insight, if she lacks this political acumen, then she should definitely not be elected Governor. Whitman's lack of essential humanity ought to deny her the Governorship of the great state of California.