WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Neither Republican John McCain, Democrat Barack Obama or his vice presidential running mate Joe Biden have what it takes to run a major corporation, McCain’s top economic advisor said on Tuesday.
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina gave her opinion in defense of an earlier comment she made on a radio show that McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, was not qualified to run a major company.
Fiorina had been asked about the Alaska governor’s executive experience.
Later on MSNBC, Fiorina gave her opinion on the executive qualifications of the other three candidates.
“Well, I don’t think John McCain could run a major corporation; I don’t think Barack Obama could run a major corporation; I don’t think Joe Biden could run a major corporation,” Fiorina said.
“But, on the other hand, running a major corporation is not the same as being the president or the vice president of the United States. It is a fallacy to suggest that the country is like a company,” Fiorina explained.
The Obama camp saw an opening and ran with it.
“If John McCain’s top economic advisor doesn’t think he can run a corporation, how on earth can he run the largest economy in the world in the midst of a financial crisis?” Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.
The statement includes a link to YouTube video that uses only part of Fiorina’s quote, ending with her reference to McCain.
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19 comments so far
The Obama camp is very good at cutting out parts of a video to demean a person or issue falsehoods.
- Posted by nightsObama seems to best;
(1)- steer clear of his wife and children on trips where the crowd is majority white.I think the man actually considers them too dark for political gain, and there fore he considers them a burden.
(2)- Refuse to answer questions concering his past accomplishments of which there are none. In every interview he refers to what he’s ging to do, (as does his advisers when interviewed.
(3)-Be scared of Palin to the point he’s begging Operah to not allow her on her show.
(4)-Not take federal funding of which he would have to account for. It’s obvious Obama is spending billions from special interests groups probly of a foreign nature not millions he collected from local contributors.
(5)- Hide his own lack of experience in both business and government. In the money earning department he is actually the Todd Palin of his family and his wife is probly much beter qualified to run a governemnt or business than himself. His state and congressional records show he simply voted the democratic left on every issue he volted on. He skipped most votes.
Interesting….I remember when G W Bush was running in 2000, much hype was made about his having an MBA instead of a Law degree, that most Presidents have had.
I remember when he was Inaugurated, the MSM was hyping that this was the first MBA president ever.
See what that did….he could not run a business before and he could not run a country either. And neither can the Naval Academy graduate who graduated 5th from the bottom of his class and never learned how to use the “eject” button on his jets and neither can the governor from Alaska, aka hockey mom, who needs her husband to shadow her administrative duties, see new findings about his role in her “government”.
That leaves two intelligent, well educated men who are knowledgeable about law, Constitutional Law, civil rights, legislation, foreign affairs and who have a temperament suited for government
- Posted by nanaFormer Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina leaves out the most important fact in her life’s success.
- Posted by nightsShe was paid as are most CEO or other top execs. entirelly too much for the little work performed and is infact herself partially responsible for the conditions today.
Carly Fiorina forgets that once she herself was in practualy the same position as is Sarah Palin today. Sarah faces not only male opposition due to her sex only but female as well. Carly Fiorina was the token female executive when it was required there should be one and in her life has influenced this country much more than has Palin so far. Now the It’s past time to have female representation in the white house, and Sarah fits the bill better than anyone ms, Fiorina has ever met and should be given the same consideration from the general business repts as Carly Fiorina expected in her younger days or interence into the world of business.
In todays world there is litle difference in the influence huge corporations expand than there is in government.
Certainly Barack Obama has the intelligence and temperment to run a large corporation. His campaign is a multi-million dollar venture, and is well run.
- Posted by Herman Krieger1. America will not buy the idea that a company is harder to run than the whole country.
2. Since Ms. Fiorina works for the McCain-Palin campaign, her afterthought to add more candidates to the list has zero effect on her original assertion that neither Palin nor McCain is qualified to run a company.
- Posted by DoTheMathFiorina should know, even SHE couldn’t run Hewlett Packard, that’s why she got fired. And that’s pretty bad, because American business is successful in spite of itself, not because it’s so smart. Think ENRON. Think LEHMAN. Think.
- Posted by sfroseI’ve imagined the transcript of the little double-minded dialog that must have been going on in Fiorina’s head at the moment she was asked the question by Andrea Mitchell:
Carly’s Ego: “Must be loyal & Republican, even if lying is required ….”
Carly’s Id: “Wait! I was CEO of HP, and was dumped by a board that deemed *me* unqualified. Does that make me unqualified to say that Sarah’s qualified? Damn, better just say no, but Geez, my head hurts.”
Carly’s Ego: “Must … stick … to … talking points ….”
Carly’s Id: “Damn, a woman asked me this question? That ain’t supposed to happen. Andrea, you really expect me to say that Sarah’s more qualified for my old CEO job than I was??? Cannot … not wired for this ….”
Carly’s Super-Ego (as referee): “Damn McCain — didn’t somebody tell him that I’m more qualified to be Veep than Sarah? Fine! She’s qualified to run HP! Let her have it! I’m the better VP anyway! Why can’t you people see it?”
Then after all the damage was done, surely this: “Why couldn’t I ever get Cindy’s Botox guy? All I needed was to *look* like I was maintaining my composure.”
- Posted by EveryWordAhh… the McCain truth squad strikes again?
- Posted by lindsayFiorina is much like Sara Palin. Fiorina got to where she is by using her looks and ‘femenino’.
- Posted by El Mugroso-Her jobs typical jobs were as secretary and receptionist at AT&T, and there married an older executive who retired right away.
-She lucked-out with the Luscent issue and immediately went to H.P., where she dove the company out of whack, and dragged the stock value.
-Immediately when she was fired from Hewlett-Packard, the stock rose 7%.
-She is not qualified Hewlett Packard for sure, and does have ambitions to run for “higher offices”.
-Dumb, self-promoting comments that this lady ‘Forina’ put out, disclosing HER OWN FALLACIES.
Why are people, particularly the journalist type who are presumably well-informed, arguing about a no-brainer like this “news”? When was the last time a major US corporation hired a well-known politician as its CEO? Not in this century! That ought to answer how the vast majority of the board members at major US corporations feel about letting politicians run their companies. Ms. Fiorina is merely expressing their sentiment, and I applaud her honesty.
- Posted by George S.Barack Obama and Joe Biden are not going to run a corporation. They are going to run the United States government and from all that I know about Obama’s abilities and education and Joe’s experience and brashness the first thing that they will do is get Warren Buffet and Robert Rubin on board to help with the financial crisis. They will chose the very best people for all of the cabinet and advisor positions. The honesty and forth-rightness of Barack will continue right into his administration. I don’t know how we Americans are going to be able to once again trust our leaders!
- Posted by Evelyn HObama is running a campaign that has millions of dollars in revenue a month, a paid staff the size of a small cap, and total workforce the size of mid-cap.
He seems to be doing OK running that!
I also found it pretty funny that the top female rep for McCain’s campaign doesn’t understand what the job of president of the U.S.A. entails…and I certainly don’t think it unreasonable or unfair that the ad edited her remark!
- Posted by CF in Naples, FLYah, just what I want anyway … a person running the country and our economy with the same qualifications as the Enron, AIG, WaMu, Merrill, etc, etc, etc, CEO’s
- Posted by bill batemanNeither has Ms. Fiorina what it takes to run a major corporation as she failed at the HP, and no other company has been willing to hire her. She is not in position to judge one’s executive capability because she does not have it herself.
- Posted by AlRunning a presidential campaign is a major $$$ million business, and Obama proved he can do it successfully. Let alone, he made these $$$ millions, and she lost $$$ millions.
Fiorina is an intelligent woman who has had the courage to speak her mind. She\’s right, governing a people and running a business are not the same. And, although there is a skills overlap, there is not necessarily a vision or temperament overlap.
- Posted by SEenaNeither of the candidates are qualified to run a newspaper route. So they certainly could not operate a real business. They are both POLITICIANS and therefore only know how to spend other people’s money.
They both blow so much hot air that they alone could relieve us from our energy crisis by talking into a thousand square mile wind farm.
A real businessman and a true Republican was robbed of his chances by McAmnesty and Huckaboom in South Carolina!
Mitt Romney, I will be writing in your name on my ballot.
- Posted by SteveBlah blah blah - All I hear is blame blame blame. Finger pointing and no acceptance of responsibility. I am disgusted to be part of this garbage in America.
- Posted by JonathanA socialist running for president who happens to be black…If you don’t vote for him you are a racist…NOPE. Just don’t like socialism. LESS GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN MY PERSONAL LIFE. THEY HAVE SCREWED IT ENOUGH!
I do not know what it is with the Republicans, they tend to call themselves what they are not and market it like they are.
Be it Fox news (fair and balanced)
Rush limbaug (Excelence in broadcasting)
Fox (Election HQ)
Only a donkey praises its own tail.
Another question baffles me, Are we American stupid? I draw reference from the fact that they elected Bush a second time and to think we will McBush for the third.
What a sorry state of affair. The thought of having a hillbilly Palin as possible VP just gives me the creeps.
Just tells me Republican have election above country. Prying on the weak/clueless women who think this is empowering. Put a women who is powerful and not any women.
- Posted by SAHe picks a self serving HP CEO who was booted from the company for nearly driving it to the brink as his adviser - I told you he was senile. Fiorina is nuts too, maybe McCain has an predilection towards nut bag women.
- Posted by tuptoWho the hell is she to talk, she couldn’t run a big company either. What a tool. This whole campaign is becoming a mockery of the process.