Fiorina faces the D.C. press corps, but offers few specifics
Fiorina faces the D.C. press corps, but offers few specifics
WASHINGTON — It was meet the press time for Carly Fiorina on Wednesday. But, judging from her responses to many questions, it was not time for this rookie candidate to let the press pin her down. In a question-and-answer session with reporters, the just-announced Republican candidate for U.S. Senate and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard straddled the fence on issues ranging from climate change to immigration, refusing to give specific answers on the most controversial aspects of those debates. She deemed climate change a "serious issue" but at the same time suggested the science surrounding global warming is less than conclusive. She said she supports "controlling the border" against illegal immigration and establishing a better temporary worker program, but she declined to say whether she would vote to create a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants now in the country. "I think it's very unproductive to talk about single issues in isolation or to answer hypothetical questions," Fiorina said when pressed by a reporter about her views on immigration. "I'm not trying to dodge your question." Aiming to unseat three-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer next fall, Fiorina also held forth on some political questions — albeit with similar vagueness — ranging from how she intends to finance her campaign to whether she would seek Sarah Palin's support. Fiorina, who received a $21 million severance package after she was fired by HP in 2005, said, "I don't have millions of dollars to put into the campaign." But she did not rule out spending a smaller amount of her personal wealth. The 40-minute session underscored the balancing act that the political newcomer is attempting to pull off over the next year. At a time when Republicans across the country are battling over whether to take the party in a more pragmatic or ideologically pure direction, Fiorina will need to ward off a popular figure among grass-roots conservatives, state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, in the June Republican primary. But if she tacks too far to the right to win the primary, Fiorina could damage her chances in the general election, given the leftward tilt of the California electorate. A poll conducted last month for the Los Angeles Times and the University of Southern California had Fiorina and DeVore locked in a dead heat. That survey was conducted before Fiorina kicked off her campaign two weeks ago, but it nevertheless indicated that the primary may not be a cakewalk for her. In an interview, DeVore accused Fiorina of offering "platitudes without specifics" and predicted that primary voters would demand more from her. One of Fiorina's main apparent advantages over DeVore, political analysts say, is money. But Fiorina's reluctance or inability to bring her own wealth to bear in the race could erode some of that edge, said Republican pollster Adam Probolsky of Orange County, suggesting to donors that she is not fully committed to her candidacy. "If you're viewed as being wealthy, you're expected to commit some of your personal wealth to your campaign," Probolsky said. But Fiorina, who was in Washington for a fundraising event for her campaign Tuesday evening, did leave herself wiggle room on the money front. She said she has loaned her campaign a sum she wouldn't disclose, and, she added, "time will tell" how much more, if any, she spends on her bid. Although Fiorina is by all indications a multimillionaire, her wealth does not apparently approach that of Meg Whitman or Steve Poizner, the former business executives who are spending millions of dollars of their personal fortunes running for governor. Fiorina faced several questions about climate change, an issue in which Boxer is deeply involved. The Republican said that global warming demands a serious response, but when asked whether she would back mandatory caps on carbon emissions, Fiorina said she would not comment on a bill she hasn't read. As for what course of action she believes the government should take, Fiorina suggested engaging in bilateral talks with China to curb greenhouse gases, and easing regulations for alternative energy companies to build manufacturing plants. When a reporter followed up by asking whether she believes in global warming, Fiorina said, "I think we should have the courage to examine the science on an ongoing basis." On some other issues, Fiorina was more direct. She came out squarely against health care reform legislation pending in Congress, and she said she backs the so-called Stupak amendment, which would severely restrict access to abortion for those who enroll in a government-run insurance plan or who receive federal subsidies to buy private insurance. Fiorina was asked a few times whether she would reach out to two celebrity Republicans, Schwarzenegger and Palin, to back her bid. But Fiorina, a celebrity in her own right in the business world, turned the queries aside. In response to a question about her interest in a Palin endorsement, Fiorina responded: "I think what's most important right now is for me to spend time with the people of California and with people in California who voters respect and understand." http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_13818721 |
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