Whitman for Governor: How Bad Could It Be?

Early reaction to the Meg Whitman for Governor story seems less than thrilled with the idea. Two early memes: One, she's an unknown. Two, she's known only for eBay, which is bad.

From BloggingStocks: Should Whitman take the plunge, the odds are against her. For one thing, no one outside of stock geeks and disgruntled eBay sellers knows her name. Of course, several million dollars worth of television advertising will take care of that.

From TechCrunch: Even though she left eBay a year ago, much of her appeal will be tied to the public’s perception of the company, which has seen better days. If eBay turns itself around and is once again seen as a success in two years, that will help her campaign. But if eBay sellers and buyers continue to flee from the service, that will hurt her. She cannot escape the eBay association.

Me: Is the assumption that Whitman's appeal is limited to a handful of eBay investors, sellers and techies a bit overblown? I mean, if Steve Ballmer quit Microsoft to run for office in Washington, would a faltering stock price and a tech-specific reputation keep anyone from thinking he just might be qualified for the job? And is she really less cut out to run a state than the Terminator? Discuss.