While 28-year Washington veteran Barbara Boxer may be leading Carly Fiorina in recent polls, her negatives remain high. No wonder independent voters are breaking for the challenger.
Last week, the Democratic-leaning editors at the San Francisco Chronicle refused to endorse the incumbent Senator, reminding Californians that “Barbara Boxer, has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 years in office. There is no reason to believe that another six-year term would bring anything but more of the same uninspired representation.”
They might not like her rival’s politics, but where impressed with her personal qualities, “Carly Fiorina, has campaigned with a vigor and directness that suggests she could be effective in Washington”.
While more appreciative of Fiorina’s politics than were their counterparts in San Francisco, the editors of the Los Angeles Daily News were also impressed with the challenger’s personal qualities and are backing her for Senate. Carly, they contend, understands what it takes to fix America’s fiscal problems:
One of Boxer’s main attacks on Fiorina has been that she cut thousands of jobs as CEO at HP, implying Fiorina only knows how to destroy jobs, rather than create them. In the long run, preserving the business preserves jobs. As any business person knows, a bankrupt company doesn’t equal any jobs at all.
In many ways, the federal government represents a troubled company teetering on the brink of financial ruin. . . . It has taken on more debt than it should have and has chosen to ignore the inevitable sinking.
Indeed, we see Fiorina’s business experience as exactly the right background for the newest senator from California.
Fiorina also has the right temperament. While Boxer is little more than a political follower in Washington, Fiorina is a leader of the charismatic sort found in many of the country’s greatest statesmen and women. When Fiorina met with the Daily News editorial board she impressed us all with her intelligence and understanding of the critical issues facing the country. She listened attentively and responded directly to even the toughest questions. Those may sound like minor things, but they speak deeply of her character and commitment.
You can support Carly here.
I don’t see how anybody can dismiss Carly Fiorina, even if Emily’s List keeps calling her an extremist.
This is October. Races tighten, voters waffle and the serious voters hunker down. I am always amused when the “talking heads” jabber about “internal polling.” Supposedly, there is external polling which is fairly free form and daffy and then there is “internal polling” which has the straight poop. Yeah, sure.
If Fiorina is within a “few points” she is still a threat. If she drops like a rock, she is in trouble. But if Boxer is not clearly rising and there is still a race, it is Boxer who must be watched. Incumbents who are just hanging on to their seats are not energizing either the voters nor can they count on their base. Boxer is the one with all the “could have voted, but didn’t bother” folks in her camp.
Coco, if a candidate has an (R) after her name, EMILY’s list calls he an extremist.
How may of those cut jobs were due to the merger with Compaq and were redundant?
Jay Nordlinger points out “Carly Fiorina” is an anagram for California with a couple letters in change.
What I find funny is that the SF Chronicle (Boxer’s hometown paper) did not endorse her and went on to say that she has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 yrs in office. Like any skeptic, I have reservations about Carly, but she is head and sholders and then some above ma’am.