There’s a smart, strong, and successful woman running for president, and she’s nothing like Hillary Clinton. Way back when she was a little girl she attended Cayuga Heights Elementary School for a few years. She was known then as Carleton Sneed—now, she is Carly Fiorina. She is poised, articulate, smart, and calm under pressure. It’s easier to criticize her face than to criticize her ideas.
When Donald Trump criticized her looks: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” Carly did not fire a remark back about his own appearance (despite loads of ammunition, for example, his toupee). Demonstrating her poise, Carly turned the remark around, later saying, “This is the face of a 61-year-old woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.” When asked to respond to Trump in a debate about his remark, she said, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”
Even the liberal, female hosts on the talk show The View attacked Carly’s appearance at a recent debate, saying that her smile looked “demented” and like a “Halloween mask.” When defending her comments as “comedy,” Whoopi Goldberg asked Carly how she would “get a thicker skin to accept some of the humorous things people say about” her. “Well, hey, if you meant your comment about my face being “demented” and a “Halloween mask” as humorous, so be it,” Carly coolly responded. But she recalled their indignation at Trump’s sexist comments and added, “I guess you misinterpreted Donald Trump’s comments about my face and thought those weren’t humorous.” In sync, the hosts demonstrated their own “thick” skins and yelled a cacophony of defenses at her. Not once did Carly lose her temper. If that is not poise, I don’t know what is.
Carly has also been framed by the defenders of Planned Parenthood as a liar when she misdescribed an image of a baby in an undercover expose of Planned Parenthood, saying, “Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.” In this case, Carly was misreferencing another video released by CBR and Gregg Cunningham in which that did happen. The most Carly can be accurately accused of is misspeaking. But as her defenders point out, Carly did describe Planned Parenthood’s controversial harvesting of fetal tissues, albeit not from live, kicking babies, which Planned Parenthood has been forced to acknowledge.
As she is from the business world, Carly knows how to interact with people and negotiate important deals with them. After graduating from Stanford University, she worked hard to get from secretary to CEO. Along the way, she achieved two master’s degrees, including one from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In 1998, Fortune Magazine named her the “most powerful woman in American business.” Recruiters, including some from Hewlett-Packard, began calling her after the story in Fortune. In July 1999, HP hired her as chief executive officer.
Recent polls show that Americans believe that the biggest problem with America is our own government. Carly said, “More than 80 percent of Americans believe we have a professional political class that cares more about its position and privilege than solving issues.” This political class isn’t made up of people who really understand the needs of the average American citizen.
Carly’s experiences have given her an important and unique experience with other cultures. She has lived in an Islamic community in Africa, taught English in Italy, and while acting as a technology advisor for the CIA, the Pentagon, and the National Security Agency, Carly traveled around the world meeting the leaders of America’s allies and rivals. Carly has a stronger grasp of foreign policy than most candidates.
Carly believes that the United States is not served by a president who protects the status quo of large government bureaucracy and crony capitalism at the expense of its citizens. Carly also understands that freedom and prosperity do not come from socialism but from the individual. Carly doesn’t stoop to false promises such as “free college” to attract the attention of the debt-burdened millennials. Instead, she relies on innovative solutions that stem from her diverse background in the real world. This unique method of problem solving makes Carly Fiorina a valuable 2016 presidential candidate.
“Presidential Candidates” is a recurring column that anyone can write. Please contact opinion@ihstattler.com if you are interested.