Former EBay CEO Meg Whitman isn't the first business tycoon to "try his or her hand at politics," said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. "Yet even among such dilettantes, the abruptness of Whitman's conversion" from businesswoman to candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination stands out. That's one reason it's troubling that Whitman didn't register to vote until she was 46, and didn't bother to cast a ballot in such crucial elections as the 2000 "nailbiter" between George W. Bush and Al Gore, or the 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis that swept Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to power.
Sure, Whitman's voting record looks bad, said Christopher Beam in Slate, but "many economists have long argued that voting is, on the individual level, irrational. The main reason: Your vote does not matter"—statistically speaking, you're more likely to win the lottery thousands of times than swing an election. Whitman has apologized profusely, but she should "save her breath."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why ghost guns are so easy to make — and so dangerousThe Explainer Untraceable, DIY firearms are a growing public health and safety hazard
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulusPuzzles and Quizzes
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
