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McCain's Economic Brain - Why Carly Fiorina is so important to his campaign
Newsweek ^ | May 15th, 2008 | Daniel Gross

Posted on 05/14/2008 9:25:23 PM PDT by The_Republican

One of the most important figures in the presidential campaign this fall is a controversial, hypercompetent blonde. She has blazed new paths, is always on message, and has written a best-selling memoir. Friends and foes alike refer to her by her first name only. And she'll play a significant role shoring up the bona fides of her party's candidate among a core constituency that might be wavering.

No, I'm not talking about the Democrats sending out Hillary Clinton on behalf of Barack Obama to reassure white working-class voters. I'm talking about Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, being sent out to reassure business-class voters on behalf of John McCain. Fiorina has emerged as the most prominent surrogate on economics issues in any of the major campaigns, and her alliance with McCain suggests both his strength and his weakness on the subject.

In July 1999, when Fiorina was named chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, she became the first woman to run one of the companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Her rocky, five-and-a-half-year tenure was full of drama: a big, ill-timed merger with Compaq in September 2001, the dot-com/tech meltdown, difficulty managing the board and other executives. When she resigned in February 2005 there was much speculation that the charismatic executive would pursue a career in public life. In March the Republican National Committee named her victory chairman, and she pledged to stump for McCain.

At first Fiorina seemed likely to perform the role that then-Goldman Sachs co-head Robert Rubin played for Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign. Democrats frequently need business surrogates and market whisperers, rich, successful people who can reassure the CEO class that the candidate won't threaten them much and that he understands the needs of business and the markets.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; carlyfiorina; fiorina; mccain; rino
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1 posted on 05/14/2008 9:25:23 PM PDT by The_Republican
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To: The_Republican

Oh, she did a real bang-up job at HP, that’s for sure.


2 posted on 05/14/2008 9:29:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE toll-free tip hotline—1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRget!!!)
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To: The_Republican

Carly Fiorina is one of the most insipid and least inspiring executives in the nation. Famously, when she was fired, spontaneous parties broke out throughout the HP labs in Cupertino.

Before Carly HP was a world class instrument maker and their brand was associated with bulletproof products. Post Carly they were famous for cheap but crappy printers and computers.

McCain: global warming baloney, corrupt CEO’s financing his campaign, amnesty for illegals... but the we have to vote for him, right?

I mean we have to, right? Hugh Hewitt says so! Everyone here says so. I mean he might apoint conservative judges, like Ruth Ginsberg who he voted for .. oh, wait, Ruth’s not a Conservative??

Never mind. Maybe he’ll put Hillary on the top court as a final “bipartisan maverick compromise, reaching across the aisle.. “


3 posted on 05/14/2008 9:29:49 PM PDT by Jack Black
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To: The_Republican
This can not be true.
If JM is having Carly as part of his campaign, the woman who single handily nearly destroyed one of the best companies ever as someone who is advising him on the economy - I am done - he will not get my vote ever.
It shows he is just as big a buffoon as Barry or Hillary.
4 posted on 05/14/2008 9:31:51 PM PDT by svcw (There is no plan B.)
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To: The_Republican
From the article:

Fiorina is also working as a McCain surrogate partly because she hasn't landed another executive job since she bounced from HP.

No need to rush into anything....

5 posted on 05/14/2008 9:33:11 PM PDT by aposiopetic
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To: The_Republican
Fiorina is also working as a McCain surrogate partly because she hasn't landed another executive job since she bounced from HP.

This article was a fairly typical pile of Newsweek garbage. He was bashing traditional conservative Republicans with his praise of Fiorina. But in the end he did let the cat out of the bag, and that is Fiorina is in it entirely for herself, and if she cannot get gainful employment, then she would rather spend her time unemployed time in the highest possible media profile which is bag girl for the RINO relic.

6 posted on 05/14/2008 9:33:37 PM PDT by Biblebelter (If the big blue states got to choose the Republican nominee, I say let them elect him in the fall)
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To: Jack Black
Boy you are correct about the parties. My husband sent me an email he got
“ding song the witch is dead”. The manager bought lunch for every one, it was a spontaneous celebration.
7 posted on 05/14/2008 9:34:55 PM PDT by svcw (There is no plan B.)
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To: Jack Black

Oh, yeah. I have a co-worker who was at one of them. He has a mini-scrapbook of Carly’s faces on the covers of the trades. Big Ron Paul guy - when I told him Carly was on McCain’s team he laughed at me until I thought he wuz gonna hurt himself. He’s working now because she screwed up his retirement, or so he says.


8 posted on 05/14/2008 9:38:57 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: The_Republican

Snicker!!!!


9 posted on 05/14/2008 9:40:56 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Isa.3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.)
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To: The_Republican

Just another nail in mcnutts campaign coffin.Pathetic.


10 posted on 05/14/2008 9:41:03 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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To: Billthedrill
Your friend is probably correct. We had two friends who retired, and had to go back to work after Carly because of stuff she implemented.
She is an idiot and I am sorry I have just insulted idiots.
11 posted on 05/14/2008 9:43:02 PM PDT by svcw (There is no plan B.)
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To: svcw

She’s an economic adviser and has been stumping for him on the campaign trail for a year now. Google it.

If I hear her use the word “incent” one more time, I’ll throw up.


12 posted on 05/14/2008 10:01:47 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: The_Republican
In her six years at HP, Carly's stock underperformed the SP500 by 30% and underperformed the Technology sector by almost 20%.

Newsweek calls Carly “hypercompetent.”

And, McCain hired her.

Three reasons to pray this woman does not end up as Secretary of the Treasury.

13 posted on 05/14/2008 10:02:20 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Jack Black
You nailed Carly's screw ups to a tea. I celebrated when she was canned as well. I don't think HP will ever recover from the damage she inflicted. McCain can't seem to keep his feet out of his mouth. The "cap and trade" speech in Oregon and now Carly Fiorina.
14 posted on 05/14/2008 10:03:35 PM PDT by Myrddin
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To: zeestephen
Three reasons to pray this woman does not end up as Secretary of the Treasury.

Obama will have William Jefferson (D), LA as Secretary of the Treasury. That man knows about "cold cash".

15 posted on 05/14/2008 10:06:20 PM PDT by Myrddin
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To: calcowgirl
Remember, Carly came out Lucent Technologies just as the DoJ started to come down on them for all sorts of financial malfeasance. Of all the places HP could have picked a CEO from, why did they choose that company? She was in the middle of all that crap.

If McCain has actually enlisted her as an economic advisor, then he's even dumber than I imagined.

16 posted on 05/14/2008 10:12:49 PM PDT by Cyropaedia ("Virtue cannot separate itself from reality without becoming a principal of evil...".)
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To: The_Republican
Carly Fiorina! First she ran Bell Labs into the ground, and then she ran HP into the ground. Who is McVain’s energy adviser going to be: Amory Lovins?
17 posted on 05/14/2008 10:24:30 PM PDT by BlazingArizona
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To: Cyropaedia

I find it kind of amusing that the woman who destroyed the company and was given $20+ million on her exit is on the stump for McCain while he rails on the outrageous pay of CEOs, LOL.

Fiorina’s name was being thrown around in GOP circles a year ago—as a potential gubernatorial contender. I think our local RINOs decided she could create a Republican resume by campaigning for McCain (despite no political experience or involvement prior to that). Our “purple party” leadership sure can pick ‘em! Arnie... then Carly? UGH!


18 posted on 05/14/2008 10:24:56 PM PDT by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: The_Republican

“McCain’s Economic Brain - Why Carly Fiorina is so important to his campaign”

So who is his brain on illegal immigration?


19 posted on 05/14/2008 10:43:26 PM PDT by Grunthor (Juan agrees with Ted Kennedy on Amnesty, Gore on GW & says Hillary'd be a good POTUS)
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To: NormsRevenge

They both use the “F” word freely and unashamedly, in business meetings and with mixed audiences, with nary a worry.


20 posted on 05/14/2008 11:03:19 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Your Free To Vote 4 McCain. I Won't. I Don't Want To Hear Your Gripes Thru His 4 Years of RINO-ism!)
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