Think Progress

Fiorina: Palin is not qualified to run a major business.

Huffington Post reports that McCain spokeswoman and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, appearing on a St. Louis radio show today, said that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) was not qualified to run a major business — but that it didn’t matter:

QUESTION: Do you think [Sarah Palin] has the experience to run a major company, like Hewlett Packard?

FIORINA: No, I don’t. But you know what? That’s not what she’s running for. Running a corporation is a different set of things.

Listen here:

Yesterday, Fiorina declared that a Saturday Night Life spoof of Palin was “very dismissive of the substance” of Palin and thus “disrespectful in the extreme,” and “sexist.” “She has a lot of substance,” Fiorina said of Palin.



65 Responses to “Fiorina: Palin is not qualified to run a major business.”

  1. Shayne says:

    Apparently Fiorina isn’t qualified to run a major business either. The still struggling Hewlett Packard just announced another big layoff today. Her legacy remains. Now Fiorina wants to do for the country what she did for HP by pushing the totally incompetent Palin on the people.


  2. LiberalVoter says:

    Fiorina should know Palin is not qualified. She set the example.


  3. spencers mom says:

    Over the last several days, I’ve heard Fiorina catching herself, saying “I, er, Senator McCain believes…”

    She is now just expressing her own opinions as his in an attempt to lend McStain some level of credibility.

    Call me sexist, but Fiorina is a bimbo poser.

    PEACE


  4. DieNowForPeace says:

    Comedy : Regressives :: Latte : Cavemen


  5. upside99 says:

    I guess it takes on to know one.

    And, of course, running a major corporation into the ground is a lot harder than being the VPOTUS. At least the Repugs have a full quota of stoo-pid, arrogant females on their side. Maybe they think that will attract all those ex-Hillary supporters.

    HA!!!!!


  6. Badmoodman says:

    Do you think [Sarah Palin] has the experience to run a major company, like Hewlett Packard?

    – - C’mon Carly, she could run it into the ground like you did. HP announced yesterday they were laying off almost 25,000 workers.


  7. RantingTommy says:

    Fiorina has no standing to determine what it takes to successfully run a company.

    Fiorina has MAJOR standing to determine what it takes to successfully ruin a company.


  8. dasm says:

    So Palin isn’t even qualified to run a major business, but somehow, magically IS qualified to be VP, a job Palin admitted she knows nothing about?


  9. misshusseinmolly says:

    You don’t need to know how to run a major business to be President, or even Vice President. Just look at George W. Bush! Oh, wait…


  10. judyinnm says:

    I’m baffled that anyone thinks “Saturday Night Live” should change its entire format for Sarah Palin. I find it sexist that people expect special treatment for her, just because she’s a woman – attitudes like that are what have kept women down for far too long. She won’t speak to the press until they begin to show her the “deference” she deserves. Why does she be treated any differently from any other candidate for public office?


  11. miatch says:

    Carly, the woman who bought Compaq… Remember Compaq? that was supposed to put HP in a position to compete with Dell.

    Anyone here using a Compaq or HP PC? Anyone? Bueller?


  12. misshusseinmolly says:

    Hmmm…we all know that Palin doesn’t know what the veep job entails. But does Fiorina?


  13. mk3872 says:

    But she is 100% correct here. Since Carly also authorized deceitful tactics and spying on her own employees at HP, then she should know: Palin is 100% ready to be a top-of-the-ticket GOP candidate, no doubt about it.


  14. tom says:

    The still struggling Hewlett Packard just announced another big layoff today.

    In fairness, I think it is important to point out that the announced HP layoffs are related to the EDS acquisition that happened long after Fiorina was booted out of the CEO job.

    In all other respects, I agree with you post. She was a disaster as a CEO and has no credibility whatsoever to be commenting on economic policies, the cause of the current financial sector melt-down or Mrs. Palin’s qualifications.


  15. krazeeinjun says:

    Supremely ironic considering the Republicans were the ones crowing back in 2000 about how George W. Bush was “the MBA President” and he and Cheney were going to run America like a business.

    Someone should ask Fiorina — if Palin is unqualified to run one of America’s largest businesses, why would she be qualified to run the world’s biggest democracy and lone superpower?? In essence, America is the mother of all businesses is it not?

    Coming from the depraved mindset that believes Phil Gramm would make a great Secretary of the Treasury, the answer to that question is certain to not make one iota of sense to those of us in the reality-based community.

    Just saying …


  16. DidHeJustSayThat says:

    This makes absolutely no sense. And when, or IF she is ever asked to explain these comments – she is surely going to come off of them – she will be permitted to spout an incoherent load of crap without pushback.

    Can somebody ask John McCain why he keeps blaming Barack Obama for the tenor of John McCain’s campaign. If Obama is responsible for the despicable tone of the McCain camp during the primary and its attacks against Romney (Romney debated him, so that can’t be it!).

    Someone needs to take offense to this excuse and ask for a clarification of exactly how Move On’s advertisments and Barack Obama wanting to run his own campaign have anything to do with the smears, lies and distortions McCain’s campaign is built on. The voters deserve to know.


  17. RantingTommy says:

    them_libs Says:

    Another out of the park home run for toilet paper. You got Palin now! This is sure to derail the McCain Palin ticket. These articles really show the ignorance of readers!

    So we are to assume that you don’t read?


  18. RantingTommy says:

    Why are you right wingers such scared little wimps?


  19. tom says:

    George W. Bush was “the MBA President” and he and Cheney were going to run America like a business.

    Judging from some of the recent company train-wrecks on Wall Street, perhaps GDumbya and Darth Cheney are running America like a business.


  20. misshusseinmolly says:

    Lemme get this straight. Palin has “more executive experience” than Obama, Biden, or even McCain. Yet she’s not qualified to be the chief executive of a corporation.

    How are we supposed to believe she’s qualified to be the chief executive of this country? And yes — the vice president’s job is to be ready to step into the big shoes if circumstances require it.

    I’d like to see this gaffe played on Obama ads. The people who are so mesmerized by Palin’s “babe”-ness need to envision her sitting in the Oval Office.


  21. po says:

    so does the McSame camp appreciate the irony of this woman, who appears to have helped run HP into the ground, stating that someone else isn’t qualified to run a company. Where did the McSame camp find these people?


  22. Evil Spaniard says:

    “Fiorina: Palin is not qualified to run a major business.”

    Pot… kettle…


  23. Marie says:

    The contradictions are non-stop at this point.
    Palin is incapable of running a corporation, but she is capable of running the government.
    These are the folks who say Obama is incapable of running the government (after 20 years of service, and running a remarkably successful campaign) because he never ran a business.
    They lie, exaggerate and contradict themselves, they are falling down all over their own words.
    As for Fiorina, they hated her at HP, she was horrible as she presided over the decline of the company which is still failing, unable to recover.
    McCain has this penchant for shoosing spokesmen who are incompetent and unfit as he is.


  24. Doc Rock says:

    Apparently Fiorina wasn’t well-qualified to run a business ethicswise and Palin seems to be similarly faulty.


  25. pete says:

    Unfortunately, the “substance” to which Ms. Fiorina refers is BS. About 110lbs of pure BS.


  26. Oval12345678 aka James K. Sayre says:

    From Wasilla PTA dictator to Wasilla Town Council dictator to State of Alaska dictator. Hold it right there, sister…


  27. misshusseinmolly says:

    them_libs Says
    September 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Another out of the park home run for toilet paper. You got Palin now! This is sure to derail the McCain Palin ticket. These articles really show the ignorance of your readers!
    _________________________________________________________

    Do you actually have anything insightful to add to the discussion? Any meaningful defense of Palin’s qualifications? Or Fiorina’s statement? Or why voting for McCain/Palin is best for this country?

    Of course not. All you have is playground taunts. Kind of sad, actually.


  28. upside99 says:

    misshusseinmolly Says:

    them_libs Says
    September 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Another out of the park home run for toilet paper. You got Palin now! This is sure to derail the McCain Palin ticket. These articles really show the ignorance of your readers!
    _________________________________________________________

    Do you actually have anything insightful to add to the discussion? Any meaningful defense of Palin’s qualifications? Or Fiorina’s statement? Or why voting for McCain/Palin is best for this country?

    Of course not. All you have is playground taunts. Kind of sad, actually.


  29. ralph the wonder llama says:

    Y’know… sometimes I get the feeling that the McSame campaign knows they’ve got it in the bag, what with their plans for Diebolding the election and all, so they’re just fu(king with the country. Saying any kind of stupid shit that pops into their heads, lying their asses off, choosing an insultingly unqualified candidate for VP, whatever they want.

    They know they can’t lose no matter how bad a campaign they run, because they’ve got “the Math” and they’ve got the folks who count the votes.

    That’s why McSame even pulled a Reverse-Gore on us today with his “I invented the Blackberry” crap. He knows it just doesn’t matter.


  30. upside99 says:

    misshusseinmolly Says:

    them_libs Says
    September 16th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    _________________________________________________________

    Do you actually have anything insightful to add to the discussion? Any meaningful defense of Palin’s qualifications? Or Fiorina’s statement? Or why voting for McCain/Palin is best for this country?

    Of course not. All you have is playground taunts. Kind of sad, actually.

    Well Missmolly, he wanted to reply with more meat, but his 30 minutes on the public library PC ran out and he has to go back to work as the Assistant Manager of Fry cooks at the local Lickin’ McChicken.


  31. The Dogfather says:

    Here’s hoping that Fiorina invested her $20 million golden parachute from HP with Lehman Brothers…

    Then again, she probably holds the note on one or more of McSame’s nine houses; good investment potential there, dontcha know…


  32. tom says:

    Do you actually have anything insightful to add to the discussion? Any meaningful defense of Palin’s qualifications? Or Fiorina’s statement? Or why voting for McCain/Palin is best for this country?

    Be careful, there, missmolly. You might just push them_libs to sign in as his alter-ego, fredthedeadhead, and start a round of “troll triangulation” again.


  33. Marie says:

    OT topic, folks, but this needs to be said:

    Palin needs to have a pat down before her debate with Biden — INCLUDING HER SIMPSON HAIRDO — so she doesn’t carry any secret microphone through which she can receive the answers to questions.


  34. Dennis says:

    Give up. These attacks aren’t working.


  35. A Patriot Acting says:

    DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    I’ve been wondering the same thing. Whenever an interviewer asks McCain why their campaign is being so negative, McCain simply points out that, “if Obama had accepted his invitation for Town Hall meetings…”
    Why doesn’t ONE interviewer then ask him what the hell that has to do with anything and are you insinuating that this is somehow Obama’s fault that your campaign has become on of the lyingest, nastiest in recent history? I mean, if you expect to run the Country why can’t you at least take charge of your own campaign?
    It seems that John McCain has taken a back seat approach to his campaign and turned the reins over to his lobbyist and neocon handlers. Should we actually believe that he would suddenly take over the reins after the election?


  36. DieNowForPeace says:

    Hmm, how many log-ins do regressives need to post anonymously?

    Dennis????

    What chickenshit cowards – like the rest of the GOP.


  37. upside99 says:

    Marie Says:

    OT topic, folks, but this needs to be said:

    Palin needs to have a pat down before her debate with Biden — INCLUDING HER SIMPSON HAIRDO — so she doesn’t carry any secret microphone through which she can receive the answers to questions.

    You mean like Dubya did in his debates with Kerry?

    He had a hump on his upper ass under his coat bigger than a softball.


  38. Marie says:

    The National Organization for Women (NOW) said Tuesday it had been pushed by the Republicans pick of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee to back Democrat Barack Obama for the White House.

    “NOW is going to be endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket,” NOW head Kim Gandy told National Public Radio (NPR), referring to Obama and his running mate Joseph Biden.

    The 500,000-strong women’s movement, which “very, very rarely endorses in a general election”, broke with its tradition of neutrality.


  39. IgnoranceIsNotBliss says:

    After reading this, I’m convinced that if the McPalin ticket is the winner, that it will be Todd Palin and not Sarah Palin who will truly by the Veep.


  40. pete says:

    Stupid troll.

    Reporting the idiotic things people say and do is hardly an “attack”. And this weeks polls are showing that the “Palin bounce” has reached it’s zenith. Obama/Biden is back to gaining around 2% a day.

    Though I suppose that Senators Obama and Biden could probably take your advice. It appears as though the tactic of just letting Flippy and Chippy condemn themselves is working.


  41. Fred says:

    Dennis Says:
    Give up. These attacks aren’t working.

    Hate to tell ya denny, the blush is off the bloom. The bounce added by palen to mccains campaign has worn off. Down from a 17 point jump to a 1 point jump now that folks have seen just a little of what she has to say.

    It is working.


  42. McWars says:

    Dennis Says:
    Give up. These attacks aren’t working.

    Depends. American Idol voters (you included) base your vote on entertainment value. You can’t fix stupid.

    I’ll have you know that TP’s works don’t count as attacks. It’s a timely and well-compiled case against a religious nutjob who can’t answer in full sentences.

    Trolls like Dennis can’t compete in the marketplace of high-quality information, so they accuse those who can compete of doing exactly what they’re doing: attacking.


  43. km4 says:

    Fiorina hired plenty of unable Palins at HP and ran it into the ground before she was shown the exit door kicking and screaming.

    Fiorina ( while not as extreme ) is an simply an unable and incompetent executive just like Palin.

    note: I worked for a board member of HP

    Birds of the same feather flock together.


  44. pete says:

    Nicely done people! Gosh it must suck to be a troll. Or a sock puppet.


  45. Fred says:

    I buy all of my computers from HP just because they were smart enough to get rid of her.


  46. misshusseinmolly says:

    Yesterday, Fiorina declared that a Saturday Night Life spoof of Palin was “very dismissive of the substance” of Palin and thus “disrespectful in the extreme,” and “sexist.”
    ____________________________________________________________

    I’m surprised that Fiorina, a woman who has managed to make it to the top of a major corporation in a man’s world, is so clueless as to what constitutes sexism.

    Here’s an easy way to tell if something is sexist or not — imagine the object of the allegedly sexist remark is of the opposite gender. Would the remark be as appropriate? If not, it’s sexist.

    Take, for example, accusations that Palin is irresponsible because she is seeking this high office when she has five children, one of them with special needs. If she was a man, it’s doubtful that anyone would suggest he shouldn’t run for office if he had children at home, special needs or not. Therefore, this type of criticism is indeed sexist.

    On the other hand, if McCain had chosen a man as his running mate — one who had belonged to the PTA, had a child who played hockey, served as a city council member and mayor of a small town, and was only 20 months into his first term as governor, you can bet he would be the target of some rather pointed questions about his qualifications. Holding Palin to the same standard as a man in her position is NOT sexist. However, giving her a pass simply because she’s a woman IS.

    Oh, and if McCain’s veep pick was a man with the same amount of vacuousness, he would still have been skewered by SNL. That isn’t sexist.

    The term “sexist” (like “racist”) should be reserved for when it’s truly deserved. Otherwise the term gets cheapened and becomes meaningless.


  47. pete says:

    Marie:

    I think that the NOW recognizes that, should Ms. Palin get anywhere near a national office, she would be likely to undo every gain American Women have made in the last half century or so.

    Plus it’s insulting, to any thinking person, that a political party would advance such a fundamentally flawed candidate. Heck! If I were a woman I would be sorely tempted to track her down and give her a thrashing.


  48. McWars says:

    I see — big time executive experience is expected by the republican party of democratic candidates, yet by the own ideology of democratic party we don’t deal in strong executive powers. Therefore, why would we need their version of experience?

    Second, why is the party who can’t do the job arrogantly pushing the job requirements to serve in government?

    Hey Dennis, where is Palin’s knowledge of national issues?


  49. misshusseinmolly says:

    Dennis Says
    September 16th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    Give up. These attacks aren’t working.
    ____________________________________________________

    Um…actually, they are. Even the MSM is realizing that Palin is nothing more than a cardboard cutout, and they aren’t afraid to show that she’ll fall over in even a slight wind.


  50. IgnoranceIsNotBliss says:

    A Patriot Acting Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    I’ve been wondering the same thing. Whenever an interviewer asks McCain why their campaign is being so negative, McCain simply points out that, “if Obama had accepted his invitation for Town Hall meetings…”
    Why doesn’t ONE interviewer then ask him what the hell that has to do with anything and are you insinuating that this is somehow Obama’s fault that your campaign has become on of the lyingest, nastiest in recent history? I mean, if you expect to run the Country why can’t you at least take charge of your own campaign?
    It seems that John McCain has taken a back seat approach to his campaign and turned the reins over to his lobbyist and neocon handlers. Should we actually believe that he would suddenly take over the reins after the election?

    Ever since I heard McCain say this at the Presidential Forum last week, my first thought was, “Ah, that’s what pissed you off and made you go negative to the extent you did.” I honestly believe it’s because Obama had the “nerve” to say no to McCain and that seriously pissed him off.


  51. Winski says:

    HA!!!! Neither is Carly!!!!

    L O S E R S !!!!!!


  52. Fred says:

    misshusseinmolly Says:
    The term “sexist” (like “racist”) should be reserved for when it’s truly deserved. Otherwise the term gets cheapened and becomes meaningless.

    And that is exactly why they use them the way they do.


  53. Fred says:

    IgnoranceIsNotBliss Says:
    Ever since I heard McCain say this at the Presidential Forum last week, my first thought was, “Ah, that’s what pissed you off and made you go negative to the extent you did.” I honestly believe it’s because Obama had the “nerve” to say no to McCain and that seriously pissed him off.

    I think so too. Although I believe that Obama would do fine in that situation I think Obama and mccain both know that mccain will not fare well in a real debate…..pissed the old coot off because he really has no choice.

    mccain will sink after the debates. What could he possibly say? Will he repeat his flip flops at a debate?


  54. Fred says:

    Winski Says:
    HA!!!! Neither is Carly!!!!

    Ok, I must have missed something, who is Carly?


  55. pbg says:

    Carly Fiorina has done more for Apple Computer than anyone outside of Steve Jobs.


  56. A Patriot Acting says:

    Is Palin qualified to run a major business? Hell, I don’t think she is qualified to change McCain’s diaper! Unless her man-mommy husband shows her how, of course!


  57. McWars says:

    Marie Says:
    The National Organization for Women (NOW) said Tuesday it had been pushed by the Republicans pick of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee to back Democrat Barack Obama for the White House.

    “NOW is going to be endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket,” NOW head Kim Gandy told National Public Radio (NPR), referring to Obama and his running mate Joseph Biden.

    The 500,000-strong women’s movement, which “very, very rarely endorses in a general election”, broke with its tradition of neutrality.

    Marie, this is wonderful news. Thanks so much for posting this development.


  58. Shayne says:

    McCain and Palin are both compaining about big payout to CEOs of failing corporations. Fiorina got at least $42 million that is reported are they going to make her give her’s back to the shareholders?


  59. Fred says:

    Oh, she’s got a first name…..I get it now.


  60. Hemlock for Gadflies says:

    Gosh, that’s strange. ‘Cause, um, haven’t Republicans been saying for decades that, ah, what we need to do is, um, run the government on sound business practices? Wasn’t that like one of the great “qualifications” of George W. Bush in 2000, that he had an M.B.A. and wasn’t a lawyer?

    Changing the rules mid-stream. Weird.


  61. Michael Lafferty says:

    Your comment is awaiting moderation. Huh?

    Must have been the reference to those ‘idiots…’

    And, I should make it clear here: I wasn’t speaking for Apple when I offered that observation. Carly Fiorina was speaking, however, for Senator McCain when she let loose her thoughts. With friends like Carly…


  62. Shayne says:

    ralph the wonder llama Says:

    Y’know… sometimes I get the feeling that the McSame campaign knows they’ve got it in the bag, what with their plans for Diebolding the election and all, so they’re just fu(king with the country.

    So the question is are we going to LET them do it again or are we going to take our country back? We need to start taking action but what?


  63. WaltTheMan says:

    Carly Fiorina was not a complete business failure. Her only mistake was believing that buying Compac would create the General Motors of personal computers. She wanted Compac to be the Chevrolet and HP the Cadillac in that business. Unfortunately, personal computers became a commodity at that exact juncture in time.
    She took the Kodak model in the printer business, sell the device at a loss, but recover that in the supplies and processing. That is what makes her a poor manager – she was a one act player.


  64. pete says:

    Two things we can do, Shayne.

    1. Expose every lie from the Flippy/Chippy/Jebus campaign and the GOP, no matter how trivial.
    2. Do everything within our means to get more people to vote. The bigger the turnout? The harder it is to defraud the results. And first time voters, plus those who only vote when they are angry, are polling VERY strongly (more than 2 to 1 in my state) in Obama’s favor.

    And, if you are a Believer, I don’t see how prayers would hurt.


  65. Max-1 says:

    .

    Is Carly Fiorina playing her sexist card?

    .



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