Understanding Cruz-Carly 2016
Yesterday, it happened.
While I certainly wanted her to be our next President, I’m thrilled someone still in the race realized the potential and heart Carly Fiorina brings to the Republican party and the country as a whole.
That’s right, I’m talking about Sen. Ted Cruz’ announcement to name Fiorina has his VP should he receive the GOP nomination this summer. He no longer has a chance the obtain enough delegates pre-convention, so he’ll have to win in subsequent votes after the first ballot. (This is the same scenario needed for Gov. John Kasich.)
Now, many people see this move as a desperate “Hail Carly” move. And while it definitely changed the tune of this week’s news cycle, I feel like I owe it to Ms. Fiorina as a raving supporter to list out for my friends why this move makes sense now but also for the long haul.
Cruz’ Overall Likability
Sen. Cruz has a reputation on the Hill (and now around the country) for having few friends. He’s a bull in a china cabinet when it comes to his seemingly stubborn approach to politics. He debates well and catches the attention of the masses with swift strings of smooth talk and emotion, but this doesn’t always translate on the trail when making “everyday talk.”
Carly excels in this area. She’s a person who’s smart in any and all situations. She has the ear of many voting blocs in the GOP that tuned out Cruz months ago. They will hear Carly and believe her when she talks about how Cruz relates to his family, his staff, and his friends. She smooths over the edges by turning his weak points into positions of strength for the country.
“Bad for Women”
Many people say that a Cruz-Carly ticket is bad for women. Now, I won’t try to cover this statement from every angle, but I just don’t see how this can be so. For one, Carly is a woman who’s had a very successful career in business, telecomm, and the non-profit worlds. Additionally, Cruz’ wife Heidi served in Bush 43’s economic development office and now holds a managerial position at Goldman Sachs, and they have two young daughters together.
Right off the bat, it doesn’t seem like this ticket would do wrong by women. Sure, they may hold differing opinions from those held by women in the other party, but no one can say that this ticket would suppress the potential of women—they’ll promote it.
Why Carly?
Her own run for office means that she’s basically been vetted by the country already. She’s more known now than she was last year, and many have verified and validated her experience prior to her entrance to the country at large. She’s been through the ringer of a campaign already, and she’s proven she’s up for the challenge.
And the challenge for Ted Cruz is taking on Donald Trump. If you’ll recall, this is something Carly Fiorina basically wrote the book about last year during one of the early debates. She’s a firm defender of conservative principles, and she can debate anyone, anywhere, anytime. Ted Cruz needs someone like this badly on his team because he’s been and will continue to be hit from every angle until it’s over. He’s already exhausted every argument he could possibly make for himself, so he needs someone else to be the voice to naysayers—that’s Carly.
What about this so-called experience?
While Ms. Fiorina may have had to suspend her own presidential campaign, she didn’t go out without a fight. She even received a delegate after the Iowa caucus which is more than Gov. Christie and some other “also-rans” can say. She promoted many platform topics that would have fallen by the wayside had she not championed them every step of the way.
Some may say that she has no experience to fill this role either, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. She has immense knowledge and experience when it comes to business, technology, national security, foreign relations, education, and healthcare.
The positions she’s held may not scream “VP-material,” but they still provide her with the experience needed to take on the task. The “right looking resume” doesn’t necessarily mean someone has the right experience. Carly’s experience may be different, but it’s still valid and needed. (She’s chaired an advisory committee for the CIA and has held the highest security-clearance level ever given to civilians for crying out loud.)
Why now?
Sure, it’s unusual for an announcement like this to take place before the convention, especially from a candidate that’s not the frontrunner. As you know though, this isn’t a usual cycle for presidential politics.
The announcement needed to change the media tides after Tuesday’s Trump-sweepstakes, but more importantly, it needed to elevate the Cruz campaign and Carly’s role before voting in Indiana and California takes place.
Sure, folks can say that Carly isn’t well known in Indiana, but she does know how to deliver on “sports talk.” And after Cruz gaffe earlier this week, he needs a “retail politician” stronghold in the state to secure the win.
But more importantly, this more official role allows them to be one ticket in two places. Carly can rally the Midwestern crowd and then fly on her own to kickstart things in California, leaving Cruz to close the deal in Indiana.
Despite Carly’s own senatorial loss to Barbara Boxer six years ago, she’s still just the thing needed to sweep up votes in California. Again, she’s more relatable here because she understands people and the need for technology. She might not live in California anymore, but she’s still very much connected to the state and proved this morning that she knows how to strike a chord against the CA Dems. (Look up her response to Sen. Boxer’s tweet-storm.)
Unity now
Ultimately, this is a smart ticket. While I didn’t vote for Ted Cruz in the MS primary this spring, I’d certainly support this ticket should it be secured come convention. And as Meghan McCain said after Ms. Fiorina’s endorsement last month, Carly moves the needle towards Cruz in a way no one else ever could. She gives Cruz a second chance with many voting blocs.
Yes, there will still be people on both sides that dislike Sen. Cruz and/or Ms. Fiorina, but these two are stronger together. They complement each other better than any other pair in this year’s cycle. Cruz gives Carly a more substantial and specific platform to fight for, and Carly goes to bat for Cruz against every naysayer in town.
They’re grounded in the same principles, but Carly adds to the ticket because she’ll be able to further thread the need for unity among the various GOP pockets and then take that unity to the rest of the country.