Carly Fiorina, slated to be the Republican party’s
2016’s “pit bull” and “mama grizzly” presidential candidate who can
attack former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with impunity because
she also has ovaries, set the stage for making it all about her girlness
by using Alicia Keys’ “This Girl is On Fire” as she exited the stage
Saturday.
Fiorina was speaking at the First in the Nation
Republican Leadership Summit in New Hampshire. She hasn’t yet officially
entered the Republican primary race. In an interview, she told the interviewer
that she was “not from the political class” but she does understand how
the economy works. She also touted her understanding of “executive
decision making” which is “making tough calls” during tough times with
high stakes.
“Not being of the political class” is a pretty
obvious attempt to try to diminish Hillary Clinton’s vast experience in
international diplomacy as well as being a part of two administrations
during which we actually added record making jobs. Fiorina is an
infamous job-killer, so this is a topic she needs to gloss over quickly.
Republicans keep citing “business” experience as a
qualification for being president, but if we look around at Republican
governors implementing “business” expertise, it’s not looking so
applicable to the economy– especially when Republicans are forced by the
big money controlling the party to tout policies that don’t add up, and
would thus be unlikely to be utilized by a successful business.
Fiorina tried to pull a Palin by condescendingly
saying that she knew more world leaders than anyone on the presidential
stage with the exception of Hillary Clinton, “But I didn’t do photo ops
with them, I actually did something with them.”
This attempt at nasty fell flat. Maybe it was the
lack of an audience, but she doesn’t have Palin’s presence or stunningly
gluttonous appetite for cruelty. Fiorina is not a Mama Grizzly and the
base requires blood lust to get fired up. She will be a boring poster
“girl” for anti-feminism, but Republicans have to take what they can get
these days.
There is no word yet on whether 2008 and 2012
President Obama supporter Alicia Keys gave the okay for her song to be
used by the Republican, but Republicans have made a habit of abusing
artists by co-opting their populist messages as cover for a distinctly
pro-1% policy party.
And that is the point here. Because Republicans
believe that they need to find someone of “color” to attack someone else
of “color” in order to avoid being called “racists”. They use women the
same way. For Republicans, it is always made personal in order to avoid
discussing policy.
So Carly Fiorina is the “girl” on board, who will be
used to lob sexist attacks at Hilary Clinton, demonstrating yet again
that Republicans don’t understand what sexism is. Fiorina is going to be
the “Republican feminist”. You know, the feminist who doesn’t believe
in policies that support the feminist agenda. Yeah, that feminist.
All of this will greatly annoy voters who want to
discuss things like why women don’t have equal pay yet, but when they
ask that question they will be painted as tiresome and angry women who
can’t get along with men and aren’t successful. Look, Carly did it, so
stop being a loser, ladies! You shouldn’t ask the government to save
you! (Republicans – and some Democrats – are too busy using government
to save Big Oil to help actual voters.) Rinse, repeat.
Republicans need to come up with new game because
this game is beyond rancid. Hillary Clinton is going populist
gangbusters, hiring former Wall Street cop Gary Gensler as her CFO.
Clinton is going to discuss policies for the middle and working
classes. And they will listen to her because she has consistently polled
as a most liked political figure.
All of the Carly Fiorina attacks in the world can’t
stop Hillary Clinton from explaining that when women are paid equally,
it will help middle and working class families. As to the tired
Republican talking point that there is no need to regulate equal pay, if
that were the case, it would no longer be a problem. But like trickle
down, women are still waiting for the promised rain.
If there is a “girl” on fire in this picture, it is not Carly Fiorina.
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