Carly Fiorina As Vice President: A ‘Sexist’ Suggestion? GOP Candidate Responds

Carly Fiorina has certainly amped up her presence across the internet and U.S. at large after her dominant debate performance in the so-called “undercard” debate Thursday night.

The only Republican female in the pack spoke with authority and unchallenged-by-her-opponents leadership qualities that have many now considering her an early frontrunner for the vice president role to whichever candidate ends up winning the nomination.

To Greta van Susteren, such a suggestion while Fiorina is running for president is downright sexist, and she put that question to the candidate in a post-debate interview.

Here’s how she responded.

“Well, I don’t know. My guess is going forward it [VP suggestion] will get batted around less in that way. But I think to be President — and that’s what I’m running to be — requires an understanding of how the economy actually works — I do — an understanding of how the world works and who’s in it. I know more world leaders on the stage today than anyone running with the possible exception of Hillary Clinton, only I didn’t do photo ops with people. An understanding of how bureaucracies work because our government is one giant, bloated, powerful, corrupt, inept bureaucracy. And an understanding of technology, and most of all, an understanding of leadership, which is to challenge the status quo. I think all those qualities are absolutely necessary in the President of the United States in 2016. We’re at a pivotal point in this nation. Politics as usual will not do the job anymore.”

Even after stepping down from the debate stage, the answers that Carly Fiorina gave in that statement show she’s not even entertaining the possibility of vice president right now, nor is she going to start throwing around the word “sexist.”

This last part is particularly strategic since Democrats often peg the GOP as heading a “war on women.” By not agreeing to the sexist label, Fiorina seems to be denying that her party is capable of what Democrats often accuse them of, while also playing up her conservative leanings and bringing the discussion back to her goals and qualifications.

It was a measured and unflappable response that showed more polish than Republican frontrunner Donald Trump shows, but in Trump’s case, that lack of polish has helped his chances at the nomination more than it has hurt.

Still, Carly Fiorina has the business acumen and the “proper” posturing for the job, and that could make for a rather interesting debate once she steps onto the main stage — something most pundits agree she will soon be doing.

According to Fox News polling, she won the early debate with 81 percent of the vote. Liberal outlet MSNBC was even impressed.

Did you watch the GOP debate on Thursday night? What did you think of Carly Fiorina, and is it “sexist” to be discussing her as a VP candidate at this stage of the game?

[Image via Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com]