Citizen Carly

Carly Fiorina, the fiery start-up Presidential candidate who
went from secretary to CEO; the lady who proved that a she can do just as
well—if not better—than a he in the White House; the defined and definite
woman who would comfort our good friend Bibi in Israel, and tell the Iranian
Ayatollahs that the Deal is off; the lady with quite a face, and a backbone
that would make Chris Christie look squishy (granted, that’s not the best
comparison); the woman who proved her own in under-card debates, unafraid to
compare herself to Dame Margaret “Iron Lady” Thatcher; who kafe-klatched with
the View, and kicked them in the teeth; who pushed her way onto an
eleven-candidate stage and stood her ground; this Carly has dropped out of the
Presidential race.

She had two dismal seventh place performances in Iowa and
New Hampshire. Of course, the second loss falls in part on the media who
refused her a place at the debate with Marco, Ted Cruz, and Jeb.

I wanted to vote for her. She was on my short-list of
candidates, just behind Cruz.

In fact, I had voted for her before. When Carly ran for US
Senate in California in 2010, I was hoping, as did many national and local
pundits, that she would unseat Batty Barbara Boxer, the same creepy liberal who
believed that a baby was not a baby until he exited the uterus, entered the
mother’s arms, and came home. To this day, those haunting views about life have
dogged her, but did not prevent her from reelection. At least she is finally
retiring, and Republican chances are looking better every day that we can take
back that seat.

As a US Senate Presidential Candidate, she ran on instead of
running away from conservative views. Pro-life and pro-marriage, she coalesced
the right balance of Tea Party principle with moderate pragmatism.

Yet she lost that race. She was ill-prepared for the camera
in those days. She made off-hand remarks, which the cameras caught and repeated
to her hurt. She talked about jobs, but not much else, while Boxer wanted to
fight about every divisive issue imaginable.

In those days, I thought she sucked. Yes, I admit that I
have written as much. Today, Fiorina proved herself, and proved how much one
person—one woman—can overcome. She did her best in California, but she improved
on past mistakes.

Today, I retract my criticisms of Carly. Today, Candidate
Carly would have been a great Chief Executive. I only wish that the Carly of
Election 2016 had shown her stuff in 2010.

This woman is more than capable. Her grasp of foreign policy
entailed so much more than seeing a foreign country from her house. She
understood that the media and the political class cards were lined up against
her. Those odds pushed her to fight even harder, and she beat them handily.

She is an incredible debater, too, unwilling to cede the
main stage to the boys just because of low numbers. She worked the media just
like Trump, but with more panache and flair, plus that special woman’s touch. Trump
is a vulgarian, as everyone knows. Carly is all class, and should have debated
in the last forum before New Hampshire.

I have read a number of times that she is seeking the Vice
Presidency. My answer? You Betcha. Palin pales, especially since she claims
that Donald Trump is The One, and Cruz is an Establishment Hack. And this point
brings out another one of Carly’s sterling traits: she never attacked people,
but would hammer bad ideas, held competitors accountable for holding those
ideas. That’s what leadership is all about.

For a long time, I had believed that the downfall and
selling off of Hewlett-Packard was all Carly’s fault. This “female Romney”
scuttled any decent chance of the US Senate seat because she hadn’t handled her
corporate past effectively. When she trotted out an apology from her former
employers this past year, I realized that I was wrong.

This go-around, she was prepared for the heavy-handed
attacks this time around. I wish that she had been ready in the past. Perhaps
as a successful US Senator, she could have sought the Presidency, with a
commensurate federal record as well as a more consistent national media
presence.

What else about this incredible leader and dynamic speaker
causes me to regret her sudden exit?

The principles, the vision, the broad, all-encompassing,
pro-America and pro-liberty agenda she promoted. She spoke boldly about our
godly, God-given Western heritage. She proudly defended life at all stages,
just as she had in California six years ago.

She raged against the crony corporate culture dominating
Washington and devouring the rest of the country. To her credit, she provided
solutions through free markets instead of more government

Consider her final remarks following the official suspension
of
her hard-fought campaign:

This campaign was
always about citizenship — taking back our country from a political class that
only serves the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected.
Election after election, the same empty promises are made and the same poll-tested
stump speeches are given, but nothing changes. I’ve said throughout this
campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I’m not going to start now.
While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and
fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a
status quo that no longer works for them.

Imagine that. Citizenship, the innate revelation that one of
us commands great respect and authority, regardless of our pedigree or
financial status. We are more than voters, but builders in this great American experiment,
and Fiorina wanted to affirm and enlarge this fundamental truth back into the public’s
consciousness, for boys and girls.

Thank you, Citizen Carly. Your fight is my fight, and I look
forward to seeing you taking on the Big Boys and the Mean Girls here and
abroad.