This past Sunday’s Meet the Press episode presented an excellent “showdown” between Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and California Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Carly Fiorina (for transcript, click here). Though Schultz is not running against Fiorina, this Democratic attack dog took every opportunity to assail Fiorina, who held up well with a clear and consistent message, while Schultz spouted off talking points and harped on about “values.” What Schultz calls values are anything but, as I don’t think she understands the difference between values and political pandering, the latter of which is most excellent at emoting. But then again, that’s par for the Democratic Party so not unexpected.
David Gregory queried the guests about this being a potential “year of the woman” in comparison to the year 1992 when Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer won the two California Senate seats. Fiorina’s response was that this year we are seeing the diversity of America being reflected, as well as “outsiders” making their mark in an anti-incumbency political climate. Here is Schultz’s jaded response to “the year of the woman,” as she couldn’t resist taking a shot at Republicans:
The underlying problem here is that across the board, particularly with Republicans, it isn’t the year of the woman. We have 104 members that the NRCC–a 104 races that the NRCC has put on their “young guns” watch list. Of those–and they had a much ballyhooed aggressive attempt to recruit top female candidates–they have seven women out of 104 on that list. I mean, this is a party that has a brand that women simply don’t want to run with and that women don’t want to vote for because they don’t share the values that women care about.
So how does Schwartz know that women don’t want to run with and vote for the Republican Party? Does she have any statistics to support her claim? Many women are running on Republican tickets across the nation at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as doing a high degree of paid and volunteer work in support of Republican campaigns. The involvement of conservative women in the Republican party is strong, and they are a true force in the Republican Party. But of course, Schwartz couldn’t resist taking a swipe with stale Democratic talking points targeted at a candidate she’s not even running against. Following is an exchange between Gregory and Fiorina:
MR. GREGORY: Carly Fiorina, this is something you told The New Yorker in June about the political parties. “So what I sense is a lot of frustration with a government they view as out of touch, distant, arrogant, maybe corrupt–and it’s a fatigue with professional politicians, of both parties.” As a Senate candidate in the Republican Party, can we expect you to buck your party? And what issue that Republicans hold near and dear is something that you would find yourself parting company with?
MS. FIORINA: Well, let me first say that I’ve never been in politics before. I’ve never run for office. But I think our Founding Fathers intended this to be a citizen government. It’s what, “of, by and for the people” means. And what I sense in the state of California is a lot of people agree with me. And they think that the lessons we learn in the real world would help in Washington. You know, common sense, problem-solving ability, actions speak louder that words, results count. Those are things that people want to see more of in Washington. If I am fortunate enough to win this seat in November, it will be because the people of California send me to Washington, not the Republican Party. I am my own person…
MR. GREGORY: Right.
MS. FIORINA: …and I will continue to be my own person.
MR. GREGORY: I have to say that sounds a little Schwarzeneggeresque. Are you a Schwarzenegger Republican?
MS. FIORINA: I have very different core values than Arnold Schwarzenegger ran on. But I believe that this election is going to be about jobs. We are destroying jobs in California through bad government policy. Since the institution of the stimulus package, our unemployment picture has deteriorated substantially. And this election is about out-of-control government that is taxing too much, spending too much and borrowing too much.
Fiorina is clear about her values, has a fresh perspective, and stays on message. She knows what this election is about. But Schultz then chimes in with this:
You’ll note that Carly didn’t mention anything that she disagrees with the Republican Party because she essentially doesn’t. She’s pro-gun, she’s anti-choice, she supports expanded offshore oil drilling as a solution to our energy problems. She has literally bought into the entire agenda lock, stock and barrel and continues to want to push this–the United States towards private industry away from balance…
And here is where we see Schultz’s skewed idea of values. First, what is wrong with being pro-gun in order to protect one’s family and property? It is a Second Amendment right, so we see here that Schultz is not someone who respects the Constitution that she has made an oath to uphold and protect. On offshore drilling, to my knowledge, Schwartz drives her car to wherever she needs to go at home in Florida, takes a plane to Washington, DC, and enjoys limousine service while there. So why would she be against the energy exploration we need to drive our economy and create good paying jobs? Or does she want to import all of our energy from foreign countries and put people out of work? If she has no viable alternatives to put forward, I would suggest she ride a bike. Sadly, she has no alternatives and generates nothing more than hot air. Finally, when it comes to “anti-choice,” Schultz’s “values” really shine. “Anti-choice” means Fiorina is against the taking of innocent human life, which has no voice of its own and can’t defend itself, while the “pro-choice” Schultz has no problem with a woman taking the life of a defenseless, unborn fetus. It’s one thing to simply support a woman having a right to abortion as a practical matter, but to champion this view as a “value” is an entirely different animal. So Schwartz, if you have a problem with Fiorina’s values, it is because you are bereft of them. Round 1 to Fiorina.
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