Carly Fiorina Isn't The GOP's Best Candidate

There's no argument that Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who announced her presidential bid early May, dominated last week's Republican "Happy Hour" forum. After her dominating performance, pundits speculated she would have been able to hold her own in the primetime debate against the top 10 Republican candidates. Fiorina certainly displayed more verbal and rhetorical prowess than others in her debate, but I'm not entirely sure she's the stand-out candidate she appeared to be last week. Fiorina is clearly sharp as a tack, but her policy ideas are no better or really any different from any of the other Republican candidates, which is why Fiorina isn't the best candidate for the GOP nomination.

It's true that none of the Republican candidates have platforms that are anything short of nightmarish, and I do admire Fiorina for more or less wiping the floor with her colleagues' unimpressive presentations. She does have a certain something about her that is respectable from a public image standpoint, but that doesn't make her presidential, nor does it make her a quality presidential candidate.

1. She Won't Support Working Mothers

The Huffington Post reports Afghanistan's current maternity leave laws allow for a guaranteed 13 weeks of paid time off following childbirth. On Monday, Fiorina told CNN she wouldn't make mandatory paid maternity leave a priority, stating, "I'm not saying I oppose paid maternity leave. What I'm saying is I oppose the federal government mandating paid maternity leave to every company out there." I'm not sure how else Fiorina thinks that fair maternity leave will be accomplished.

2. She Doesn't Support Raising The Minimum Wage

According to The New York Times, Fiorina has stated that raising the minimum wage "will hurt those who are looking for entry-level jobs." Small businesses claim they will have to cut staff in order to meet wage hike requirements, but that's why the government should step in and help facilitate the transition. And making more money would help anyone who is looking for a job...

3. She Wants To Repeal Roe V. Wade

In a 2010 debate for the California Senate, Fiorina stated that she wanted to repeal Roe v. Wade, which would make it totally illegal to have an abortion in the United States. Yes, Fiorina added she would make exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and cases where the mother's life is at risk (gee, thanks). But I don't know how many moderates or swing voters she'll likely woo with an abortion stance this rigid.

4. She Lacks Experience

The same can be said of Ben Carson and Donald Trump. While I think inexperience hurts all of them, Fiorina's seems to matter more right now because she still trails both Trump and Carson in the polls, even after her excellent debate performance.

5. She's No Friend To The Environment

Fiorina wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2014 arguing that "the goal of these activists [environmental groups] is to have business bow to their ideological will and reshape companies in their desired image. Their attacks on businesses' protected speech and political participation are intended to sideline the entrepreneurial perspective and silence the opportunity for nuanced policy discussions." Right, because their "desired image" is to create less carbon pollution. Seems like something anyone who breathes air should be happy to "bow."

Fiorina has the attitude and verbal skills to command an audience, and she's certainly clever and well-spoken. But these traits alone don't make her stand out among Trump, Bush, and Rubio in an already too-crowded field where 17 candidates are vying for the public's attention and trust (and funds...). I can see her being an influential Republican figure in some capacity following the election, but I don't suspect it will be as president of the United States.