One of my first vivid memories of school is from when I was five years old and my Kindergarten teacher broke the news to me that there had never been a female President. I remember having a hard time understanding this statement. I also remember being frustrated.
Over a decade later, my frustration for this country's inability to elect a female Commander in Chief still stands. It seemed ridiculous when I was 5 and it seems even more ridiculous now. I want a woman to run our country so badly. But that woman should not be Carly Fiorina.
After last week's CNN Republican Debate, many people are buzzing about Fiorina. She emerged from the first debate's "JV Table" for this most recent debate, presenting herself as a strong woman who had no problem holding her own on a stage surrounded by male colleagues. I do admire her for that.
I do not, however, admire her for her anti-woman policies, especially when it comes to her ruthless hatred for Planned Parenthood.
"Watch 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," she stated in reference to the recently leaked Planned Parenthood videos.
After the debate, this statement was fact-checked and it was found that this gruesome scene described by Fiorina was not found in any of the videos.
But this whole discrepancy is not the sole reason I am unsure of Fiorina. It's so much bigger than just that.
So, please allow me to elaborate:
The Planned Parenthood debate is incredibly sensitive - I'm not denying that. Sure, I don't agree that Fiorina's anti-choice agenda is what is right for America, but I am not going to base my entire opinion of her on that small fact alone.
But look at the bigger picture: Fiorina lacks the ability to step back and critically analyze the Conservative agenda.
I don't expect her to support Planned Parenthood or become pro-choice just because she's a woman, but I was hopeful that she would ask more questions. Why are there so many discrepancies when it comes to Planned Parenthood? Why don't we open further investigations? If the government stops subsidizing Planned Parenthood (essentially shutting it down), how can the government make sure that women - especially in low-income areas - receive the treatment and care they need to be healthy? What will happen to the general health of women in American if Planned Parenthood downsizes?
Fiorina is a feminist, which I really do appreciate and respect. But I wish that women's issues were higher of a priority for her. She has the platform and the power to really call attention to issues like equal pay and mistreatment of women in the workplace, but she (and all other Republican candidates) spend the majority of their time complaining about Hillary Clinton and discrediting the Iranian Nuclear Deal.
There are aspects of Fiorina's personality that I observe and respect, but at the end of the day, it's important to ask this question: Will women in America truly be better off with Fiorina as President? And so far, I don't believe she has proven to us that we will.
Other important contextual links to research and consider:
https://carlyforpresident.com/meet-carly
https://www.carlyforpresident.com/answers/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/0...
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-i...
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/0...
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/0...
