New York Times Claims Fiorina Could Counter “War On Women” Narrative

New York Times: Fiorina Could “Counter The Perception That” Conservatives Are "Waging A 'War On Women.'" The New York Times reported in an August 12 article that Carly Fiorina's recent uptick of support in the primary could help Republicans' efforts to court female voters. Pointing to Fiorina's condemnation of Donald Trump's recent sexist comments against Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly, the article claimed Fiorina was uniquely qualified to help the GOP “counter the perception that it is waging a 'war on women'”:

In a crowded Republican field, Mrs. Fiorina has delivered the most forceful and succinct denunciation of Mr. Trump's comments, which sent a shudder through a party concerned that it would reinforce perceptions that it was increasingly out of touch with female voters.

Now, many Republicans, preparing to potentially confront Mrs. Clinton in a general election, are looking anew at Mrs. Fiorina, who rose from being a secretary to running the giant technology company HP, as the party's weapon to counter the perception that it is waging a “war on women.”

“People feel Carly has clearly demonstrated she is a very powerful operator, has a lot of strengths of conviction and is willing to take Hillary -- and now even Trump -- on very directly,” said Katie Packer Gage, a political strategist who focuses on helping Republicans connect with women. [The New York Times, 8/12/15]

But Fiorina Favors Policies That Are Harmful To Women

Fiorina Opposes A Paid Family Leave Mandate. Discussing Netflix's announcement that it would offer a year of paid parental leave to some employees on the August 9 edition of CNN's State of the Union, Fiorina voiced her opposition to federally mandated paid parental leave policies stating “I oppose the federal government mandating paid maternity leave to every company out there”:

JAKE TAPPER: There's been a lot of talk this week about maternity leave because Netflix is now offering paid maternity leave, a full year, for new mothers. You're opposed to any kind of mandated paid maternity leave. Why?

CARLY FIORINA: Well, when I was the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, we also offered paid maternity leave and paternity leave. The government -- for the government to tell others how to do things when the government hasn't gotten its basic house in order is not only ineffective, it's hypocritical.

TAPPER: What do you mean basic house in order? The government shouldn't tell anybody that they have to offer paid maternity leave?

FIORINA: I don't think it's the role of government to dictate to the private sector how to manage their businesses, especially when it's pretty clear that the private sector, like Netflix, like the example that you just gave, is doing the right thing because they know it helps them attract the right talent. What I mean by the federal government not having its house in order, the federal government is in a shambles right now.- it's inept. The night -- TSA fails 96% of the time. That's ineptitude.

TAPPER: I don't understand what that necessarily means about why you oppose paid maternity leave.

FIORINA: 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. [CNN, State of the Union, 8/9/15]

Fiorina Would Shut Down The Government To Defund Planned Parenthood. In an August 7 interview on Christian Broadcasting Network's The Brody File, Fiorina said that “if it came to that ”she would shut down the federal government in order to defund Planned Parenthood. Citing the Center for Medical Progress' series of deceptively-edited videos attempting to smear Planned Parenthood, which have been debunked as doctored and showing nothing illegal, Fiorina asked “if we are not prepared to stand up and fight over this, what are we prepared to stand up and fight over?” [Christian Broadcasting Network, The Brody File, 8/8/15]

Fiorina Opposed Policies To Address Gender Pay Gap. As ThinkProgress reported, “Though Fiorina has acknowledged the existence of the gender pay gap, she lays the blame for it on 'unions, government bureaucracies, the very constituencies that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party represent' and opposes the passage of legislation like the Paycheck Fairness Act that would make it easier for women to discover and challenge pay discrimination.” During a January 2015 segment on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Fiorina disputed the necessity of the Paycheck Fairness Act, claiming “laws exist on the books today” that are sufficient to help women facing discrimination. [ThinkProgress, 5/4/15; PunditFact, 1/22/15]

Fiorina Opposed Minimum Wage Increases That Would “Benefit Millions Of Working Women.” Fiorina has opposed raising the minimum wage, claiming it would “hurt those who are looking for entry-level jobs,” despite the fact that, as ThinkProgress reported, “a vast majority -- 80 percent -- of women favor such a pay hike,” that nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are estimated to be women, and that raising the minimum wage would “benefit millions of working women and help close the persistent gender pay gap.” [ThinkProgress, 5/4/15]

Fiorina Opposed Access To Reproductive Health Services. Fiorina has repeatedly spoken out against increased access to reproductive health services such as birth control and abortion. As ThinkProgress reported:

In speeches and appearances this year leading up to her campaign announcement, Fiorina has strongly opposed access to abortion and written off increasing restrictions on access to birth control. At CPAC, she told the crowd that the Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed employers to deny insurance coverage for contraception did not negatively impact women, despite evidence that the decision could severely impact the ability of low-income women workers to afford the reproductive health care they need. More than two-thirds of polled women voters, and a majority of Catholics, disagree with Fiorina, and say private corporations should not be allowed to deny their workers insurance that covers birth control. [ThinkProgress, 5/4/15]

Fiorina Opposed The Affordable Care Act, Which “Greatly Improves Women's Access” To Health Care. Fiorina has opposed the Affordable Care Act, claiming that it “does not solve problems -- it creates them.” But as NARAL Pro-Choice America notes, the health care law “greatly improves women's access to basic health care by ensuring coverage and affordability of maternity care, family-planning services, and other reproductive-health services.” [NARAL Pro-Choice America, Accessed 5/5/15]