Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fiorina: “GOP Needs to Reclaim Feminism”

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Carly Fiorina is causing a ruckus by bringing the word “feminism” into the limelight and challenging conservatives to reclaim it.

The Left is desperately scrambling to paint Fiorina and her campaign as “offensive to women.” But Fiorina remains fearless and steadfast against these attacks, continuing her push for conservatives to redefine and reclaim feminism.

Fiorina has discussed feminism in countless interviews and TV appearances over the past week, including during her appearance on the left-leaning show The View. But it all began when she made “feminism” the centerpiece of her speech at the Competitive Enterprise Institute dinner last week.

“Feminism began as a rallying cry to empower women — to vote, to get an education, to enter the workplace,” Fiorina said at the CEI dinner. “But over the years, feminism has devolved into a left-leaning political ideology where women are pitted against men and used as a political weapon to win elections.”

“It is important to have this conversation as conservatives. It is important to have this conversation as Republicans,” Fiorina continued. “[The Left’s] version of feminism isn’t working. It’s time for a new definition.”

For years, we’ve let the Left define the word “feminism.” They mention the word and we get defensive or change the subject.

Sound familiar? That’s because that’s exactly what happened with abortion back in 2012. Any time President Obama or any liberal brought up abortion — or any of the social issues for that matter — Romney and other GOP candidates would pivot away from the issue and change the subject. Guess what? We lost.

It’s time for us to unapologetically stand for and articulate what we believe. That’s what Carly Fiorina is doing with feminism and abortion, and I think we can learn from it.

If we let liberals define the issue and the argument, they win. It’s time for us to learn from Carly Fiorina and start playing offense again.

“A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses. We will have arrived when every woman can decide for herself how to best find and use her God-given gifts,” Fiorina said. “A woman may choose to have five children and home-school them. She may choose to become a CEO … or run for president.”

This is true feminism, as it should be defined. We’re reclaiming feminism and winning the argument, in large part thanks to Carly Fiorina.

Kate Bryan is the Director of Communications for American Principles in Action.

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