After a disappointing loss in five states and blaming the media for Donald Trump's victories, Senator Ted Cruz has been struggling to save his campaign. In a rushed attempt to secure more votes before it is too late, Senator Cruz announced last week, "I have come to the conclusion that if I am nominated to be president of the United States that I will run on a ticket with my vice presidential nominee — Carly Fiorina." While it is no surprise that Senator Cruz selected Fiorina as his nominee considering she publicly endorsed him after suspending her own campaign — it is unlikely that a Cruz-Fiorina ticket will rejuvenate Senator Cruz's campaign enough to secure him the nomination. While Senator Cruz has been deemed too extreme and too disliked, it can be argued that he and Fiorina deserve each other in that respect. Both politicians have endured scrutiny from Donald Trump, as well as sharing an attraction to the revoking of women's reproductive rights. Nevertheless, if Senator Cruz is truly able to restore his campaign in time to seize enough voters - Carly Fiorina as Vice President only makes the idea of a Cruz presidency more terrifying. Here are six reminders why.
1. Fiorina's only accomplishment in her career was actually a disaster.
During Carly Fiorina's tenure at Hewlett-Packard from July 1999 to February 2005, stock prices fell 55%. While Fiorina and supporters claim this was due to a technology recession, it doesn't excuse the fact that due to a failed merger with Compaq, she under-performed for H.P. shareholders. For voters, this is the only experience she has to offer. Not to mention, she did not choose to leave the company — she was fired. Mrs. Fiorina has not held a full-time private sector job since departing from H.P.
2. Carly Fiorina cannot tell the truth — even if it's on national television.
As some may remember, during the GOP primary debate on September 16, 2015, Fiorina claimed to have seen a video that included "a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain." Despite a crucial investigation, the video described by Fiorina was nonexistent. Three days later, her super-PAC Carly For America released its own home-made version of the previously nonexistent video Fiorina described. As someone who has made it a priority to advocate against Planned Parenthood, you would think she would state credible facts at the least.
3. She thinks that taxpayers fund "virtually any" abortion.
As someone who was alive during the presidency of Bill Clinton, or as someone who worked for Hewlett-Packard and presumably had access to the internet — it is shocking that Fiorina never discovered the beauty that is The Hyde Amendment. Originally passed in 1976, and reformed by Bill Clinton in 1993, it prohibits using federal dollars to fund abortions, unless pregnancy arises from rape, incest, or the abortion is needed to save the life of the mother. By simply paying attention to politics, or making a simple search on Google, Fiorina would know that taxpayer money does not, nor has it ever funded just "virtually any" abortion.
4. Fiorina believes that the only reason you should be allowed to get married is if you can reproduce.
Last June when Fiorina visited the Western Conservative Summit, she stated, "Marriage is an institution grounded in spirituality between a man and woman that can bring forth life." While this statement was clearly made to justify her opposition to same-sex marriage, it still insinuates that couples who cannot bear a child or a couple that chooses to not bear children - should not worthy of marriage simply because they cannot "bring forth life." As someone who claims to be a devoted Christian, Fiorina should know that even though God declares children to be a blessing from 'Him', there is nothing in the Bible that requires married couples to bear children.
5. She referred to climate change as being "worried about the weather."
When running for Senator in 2010 for the state of California, Fiorina released a video attacking her Democratic opponent, Barbara Boxer. In the video, Fiorina criticizes Senator Boxer for believing that climate change is a national security threat. Fiorina then goes on to say, "Terrorism kills, and Barbara Boxer's worried about the weather." The fact that Fiorina dismisses the damage caused by climate change and essentially compares it to worrying about what the forecast for the week is going to look like - should disqualify her from ever holding office.
6. Fiorina will not admit she's lying — even when she's fact-checked.
At the third Republican Presidential debate on October 28, 2015 - Carly Fiorina stated, “92 percent of the jobs lost during Barack Obama’s first term belonged to women.” After a quick fact-check, this statement proved to be false. When confronted with her incorrect comment, Fiorina defended herself by saying, "The facts are clear". The only issue is that they aren't. The fact-check shows that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when Obama began his first term in January 2009 - 66.9 million women were employed. When his first term ended in February 2013, that number had increased to 67.1 million. While it is unfortunately not uncommon for politicians to use outdated facts, one should at least correct their mistakes when running for office.
While there is still a chance that Senator Cruz could not receive the nomination for the Republican Party, the idea of Carly Fiorina serving as Vice President makes the possibility of it even more terrifying. From lack of work experience to flawed statements made at debates, it will be interesting to see how Fiorina campaigns alongside Senator Cruz with only months to spare before the Republican National Convention. Whether or not a Cruz-Fiorina ticket is enough to revive the campaign of Senator Cruz, it appears that he has given the American people just one more reason to fear his nomination.
