In a row of black suits and carefully chosen red and blue ties, Carly Fiorina seemed painfully different in her blue skirt and jacket as the GOP candidates lined the stage for the second debate.
It was a flawless illustration of the liberal characterization of the GOP as a male-dominated party that treats women as outsiders, second-class citizens, and even wages “war on women.” But the moment Fiorina opened her mouth ‘till the end of her surge in Twitter followers, she proved to be no second-class candidate and certainly no victim.
If her brilliant ad campaign “Faces” wasn’t a strong enough response to Trump’s comments about her appearance and apparently her correlating inability to lead the country, Fiorina’s refusal to play games with Trump showed a dignity that could prove indispensable to Republicans in November 2016.
It’s no secret that many women would vote for Hillary Clinton solely because she’s a woman. If faced with Fiorina, however, voters will have to make a choice. Clinton’s “female-minority-candidate card” will be null and void, and actual policies and principles will define the political arena.
This last GOP debate showed that Fiornia can bring the conversation back to policy, and her scathing attack on Planned Parenthood showed that she can to bring the policy back to principles. With faith in Clinton’s credibility rapidly fading, Fiorina is in a great position to highlight her own integrity, which is exactly why Democrats are attempting to portray her as a liar while Planned Parenthood scrambles to cover up the atrocities that Fiorina described during the debate.
On Thursday, Planned Parenthood spokesman Eric Ferrero released a memo responding to Fiorina’s description of a particularly gruesome video. “The video footage that she claims exists—and that she ‘dared’ people to watch—does not exist. We have a word for that: It’s a lie. And it’s not the first time Carly Fiorina has lied.”
What is the easiest way to determine who the real liar is? Watch the video, since it actually does exist.
The problem for pro-lifers pushing to defund Planned Parenthood is getting politicians and others to simply watch the videos. Unfortunately, all it takes is one dishonest news source and people will latch on, use it to distract from the real problem, and ease their consciences. Planned Parenthood pulled the same move with their “investigative report” just last month.
Fiorina’s strong debate performance, however, is helping to keep the videos in the spotlight and show America its real victims. When asked what woman she would put on the $10 bill, Fiorina did not try to set herself above the other candidates.
“What I would think is that we ought to recognize that women are not a special interest group,” she responded. “Women are the majority of this nation. We are half the potential of this nation, and this nation will be better off when every woman has the opportunity to live the life she chooses.”
Fiorina recognizes that true women’s equality begins by not treating them like a minority group deserving of special privileges. If she can show America how this is done while also giving unborn children the opportunity to live the life that they might choose, then Fiorina could be one of the most effective pro-life candidates we’ve had yet. Time will tell.
Anna Pfaff works for American Principles in Action.
