Robin Roberts Grills Carly Fiorina on 'Too Extreme' Sarah Palin
Apparently one of the most pressing issues in the California senatorial race is whether or not Sarah Palin is "too extreme." Good Morning America's Robin Roberts on Friday pressed Carly Fiorina twice on that issue, insisting on knowing why the former Alaska governor hasn't been campaigning for the Republican.
She demanded, "We know that Sarah Palin has visited California recently, but she was not campaigning for you. Why not Sarah Palin? Is she too extreme for you?" The co-host followed-up: "Down in Florida, Charlie Crist had an ad campaign saying Sarah Palin is just too extreme for some Republicans."
Barbara Boxer has not appeared on GMA during the 2010 campaign season, so there's been no opportunity for the show's host to grill the Senator on supporters such as director Rob Reiner, who recently compared the Tea Party to Nazis. [MP3 audio here.]
Video after the break.
Roberts also played a clip of Boxer attacking her Republican opponent, thus allowing the Democrat to essentially question Fiorina. The journalist introduced, "So, let's talk about your opponent, Barbara Boxer. We heard her on MSNBC. She said this about your track record as a CEO."
Fiorina's business background came under particular scrutiny: "You definitely bring a different skill set given your experience in the private sector. However, the $21 million severance package that you received, some people, they look at that as corporate excess."
A transcript of the October 29 segment, which aired at 7:10am EDT, follows:
ROBIN ROBERTS: South of you, a little bit calmer, Carly Fiorina, the Republican candidate for Senate in California is back on the campaign trail. That's after spending two days in the hospital for an infection related to reconstructive surgery after her successful treatment for breast cancer. Late yesterday, I had a chance to sit down with her as she prepared for her final days of the campaign. You were out a day and you're hitting the campaign trail. You were out a day and you're hitting the campaign trail. How are you feeling today?
CARLY FIORINA: I've been so touched by so many people's concern, but I feel fantastic. I'm happy to be back out on the campaign trail and looking forward to the next few days.
ROBERTS: It's so grueling. Did doctors give you any special request or advice to you?
FIORINA: Well, you know, of course, they said try and take it easy, which is impossible, but, you know, I had an infection which is pretty common when you go through the kind of reconstructive surgery I went through. So I'm on antibiotics and they dealt very well with the infection and here we go.
ROBERTS: All right. So, let's get down to business. Senator McCain recently speaking out on your behalf and was very strong in what he said about Barbara Boxer saying in part that "she wanted to wave the white flag of surrender in every military conflict." Do you agree with that?
FIORINA: Well, I think Barbara Boxer's track record on military security is quite clear and consistent. She has voted against appropriations for the military on many, many occasions.
ROBERTS: So you don't feel that Senator McCain went too far?
FIORINA: I think when you've been a career politician for 34 years you have to run on your record.
ROBERTS: We know that Sarah Palin has visited California recently, but she was not campaigning for you. Why not Sarah Palin? Is she too extreme for you?
FIORINA: Well, I don't know why you're asking about her in particular. I mean there are many people who have endorsed me that I agree with on some things and not others.
ROBERTS: I guess the reason that Sarah Palin's name continues to come up is that she's been very powerful and she's been very helpful to a number of different candidates across the country. Down in Florida, Charlie Crist had an ad campaign saying Sarah Palin is just too extreme for some Republicans.
FIORINA: Well, I don't agree with Sarah Palin on everything. As I say, I don't agree with many folks on absolutely everything.
ROBERTS: So, let's talk about your opponent, Barbara Boxer. We heard her on MSNBC. She said this about your track record as a CEO.
BARBARA BOXER: She was the head of Hewlett-Packard and it's her chance to bring her experience to Washington. What she leaves out of it is that she was fired from that job after she brought the stock down by more than 50 percent. She laid off 30,000 workers, shipped their jobs to China, other places. She was also named one of the worst CEOs of all times by five different publications.
ROBERTS: Your response to that comment?
FIORINA: Barbara Boxer has spent millions of dollars personally attacking me so I'll just tick through a couple items. I've also been named the best CEO by many publications. I doubled the size of the company from $44 billion to #88 billion, creating many jobs in the process. Our stock, yes, was down because I managed through the dot com bust, the worst technology recession in 25 years, but our stock outperformed the Technology Peer Index by 23 percent. And may I just say, it is the height of hypocrisy for Barbara Boxer to criticize me for having to downsize or outsource jobs when she takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaign contributions who have done exactly the same.
ROBERTS: You definitely bring a different skill set given your experience in the private sector. However, the $21 million severance package that you received, some people, they look at that as corporate excess.
FIORINA: I really believe that all CEO pay should be voted on by shareholders ahead of time. Mine was. I also am shocked that Barbara Boxer has become a multi multimillionaire while she's been a senator. She voted herself a 40 percent pay increase. You can only do that in Washington, D.C. I started out typing and filing and answering the phones for a nine-person company. I remember what it was like to not know whether I was going to have enough money to make it through the month and I also know from that experience that we can't get this economy going again unless we help small businesses and family owned businesses because they are where the majority of Americans get their start.
ROBERTS: You're no stranger to public scrutiny but is there anything that has even surprised you in running for public office like this?
FIORINA: You know what surprised me honestly in a positive way, Robin, is the wonderful people you meet along the way. I mean, yes, politics is- it can be a full contact sport for sure and there are days when it gets pretty nasty out there. But, you know, I have met so many wonderful people along the way. I wouldn't trade a day of it, honestly.
ROBERTS: And she definitely wants to stay on message. Does not want the discussion to be anything about her health.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Not at all. She's trying for a comeback in these last four days.
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Comments
Atta girl, Robin...
Submitted by ThisnThat on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 12:48pm.
Going directly for the most pressing issues facing California and the nation, right? I guess this is what you do when your candidate has nothing -- absolutely nothing -- positive to run on, isn't it?
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
exact thoughts
Submitted by Iron Tigers Vet on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:03pm.
Roberts can't find anything else to say other than throwing Palin's name in the mix. Since when was she running for the Senate seat in Ca. ?
Not that there really is much to say about the liberals running the state other than they need to go.
Robin Roberts qualifications
Submitted by pickersenior on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:35pm.
Who the hell is Robin Roberts?????
Day dreaming
Submitted by American Delight on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 12:56pm.
Waiting for the media to ask Democrats why Pres. Obama hasn't campaigned in their district. "Is it because he's too extreme, Congressman?" Wouldn't that be delicious?
And what's with this TOO
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 12:59pm.
And what's with this TOO extreme???
Is there such a thing as "moderately" extreme or "acceptably" extreme?
Why, yes there is,
Submitted by UpNorth on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:04pm.
MB. It's being a deomcrat. When it's lefty extremism, it's all perfectly acceptable. It's only the Right that is "too extreme".
Roberts did a pretty good job
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 12:57pm.
Roberts did a pretty good job pounding the table there.
I'm sure for the citizens of California, the most important thing about Carly Fiorina is what she thinks of Sarah Palin.
I just wish she had added that her pay came out of company profits, not the pockets of the taxpayers, like Boxer's.
Better recalibrate that sarcasm metre, mb
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:11pm.
Not even a dumb troll would mistake your intent with that comment.
Your Palin remark was sheer genius.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Gosh, B...and there I was,
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 3:46pm.
Gosh, B...and there I was, wondering if I was being too subtle.....
So what is Cali going to do?
Submitted by Boudin on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 12:58pm.
Fiorina did very well in that interview. Boxer is a bum, and Fiorina makes that point without having to say it.
you elites keep using the
Submitted by jm1656 on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:37pm.
you elites keep using the word "extreme" and to quote Inigo Montoya - ' i do not think you know what that word means'
Let's give Inigo the proper respect...
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 3:48pm.
the correct quote is "I do not think it means what you think it means."
Who is Boxer to criticize business decisions?
Submitted by JakeMo on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:40pm.
Fiorina, the answer to the jobs question is:
"Yes. Due to the actions Boxer and the liberals in government have taken to destroy business and our economy, I had to make tough decisions.
By cutting costs, I was able to keep HP running so we could continue to employ 300 thousand employees and produce products that make America more efficient and competitive.
Unlike Boxer, HP didn't have the option of raising taxes to generate more revenue. We had to make cost cutting decisions.
If Barbara Boxer can name even one cost cutting or business decision she has ever made, her criticism might carry more weight."
OK, let's talk about Boxer's campaign violations.
Submitted by Gary Hall on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:40pm.
ROBERTS: So, let's talk about your opponent, Barbara Boxer...
Another possibility:
Fiorina: OK, let's talk. Let's talk about the news the past few days where Sen Boxer did direct mailer which encouraged Los Angeles teachers to offer their students extra credit if they volunteer for her campaign.
It’s far from unheard of that a teacher offers his or her students extra credit for visiting a campaign headquarters, but this letter, supposedly from the Boxer campaign, is not encouraging the teachers to give a hands on civics lesson. This passage is the giveaway: “As you may know, Senator Boxer is facing her toughest race yet. With only 19 days left until election day, it’s now or never.” No, this letter isn’t suggesting a unique educational opportunity for our youngest Americans, it’s a plea to help the Boxer campaign. Excerpted from here.
Roberts: That wasn't in the news.
Fiorina: Exactly. When Sen. Boxer apparently violates state campaign laws, it's not in the news. So can we talk about that?
Roberts: So you don't feel that Senator McCain went too far?
(;~/ gary
typical
Submitted by spepper on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 1:54pm.
typical-- the ABC mediabot Roberts attempting a "gotcha" against Fiorina-- go figure.
Palin still has the ball.
Submitted by vote24 on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 2:43pm.
Palin 2012. I care not for her detractors.
Go Fiorina!
Submitted by Rod Patrick on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 3:01pm.
PALIN 2012!
Extreme?
Submitted by cestes on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 3:31pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVsr-_-v2sI
Ok, lets break this down. Like it or not we are a center right country and the networks are peddling a leftist agenda while labeling mainstream Americans as "extreme". If fiscal prudence, capitalism and constitutional adherence are "extreme", perhaps these people would be more at home in a dictatorship. They are free to move where they feel less threatened and more comfortable with fewer freedoms and higher taxes.
THE THREAT OF SENATOR BARBARA BOXER
Submitted by Brittanicus on Fri, 10/29/2010 - 4:08pm.
Some sober thinking if voting for Democrats is that in the first session of Congress, a Liberal Path to Citizenship or Amnesty will be instantly addressed by the Senate, and its main disciple Senator Harry Reid leading the pack. There has been no mention of costs of Amnesty to the taxpayer, from this administration or the radical progressive press, which remains silent. You need to Google--The Heritage foundation and learn of a sudden hike to come in your taxes, to pay the $2.6 Trillion dollars for all newly processed immigrant subsidies and settlement needs once legitimized. Barbara Boxer or any named incumbent has remained silent to the added abomination of giving these subsidies. This will be a new inventory of foreigners coming here that DEM’S have promised access to our Social Security. Full admission so those over the years who illegally worked here, can apply for their ill-gotten gains even after procuring or using fraudulent Social Security numbers.
Another reality is that any illegal alien can apply for Social Security, even though they never paid into the system. It’s beyond anybodies imagination that rewarding people who intentionally slipped into America, then gaining entrance to every kind of government benefit. Our country is slipping down a financial mountain of a $13 Trillion dollar debt and we want to make the 12 to 20 million illegal aliens feel at home? But then Gubernatorial Jerry Brown, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa have approved Sanctuary City policies and are tied to the same brush of most if not all Liberal politicians to pass AMNESTY. Sanctuary refuges have brought along with poor illegal aliens-- criminals of every persuasion, from the gutters of every cesspool of the world. Sen. Reid stated there are no illegal aliens in Nevada, so he must have been sequestered in his home in Searchlight prior to the construction boom in Nevada?
Every comment I have read says that the state is overrun with illegal aliens. As for California-- That place needs no explanation? There is a Liberal majority seated in Sacramento that keeps silent about the crammed schools full of the kids of foreign nationals, distressed emergency rooms and an uncomplimentary jail system full of alien criminals. But Sen. Boxer, have allowed the illegal population to propagate. Only patriotic citizens such as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, State Senator Russell Pierce, in Colorado Gubnatorial Candidate Tom Tancredo have seen the invasion for what it has become and not remaining silent about it. Too many other politicians will not speak out –as they have been intimidated by the Liberal extremist “Political correctness”. They slink around Washington or State Capitol areas, scared of their own shadow. In additionally all citizens and taxpayers must be on guard of foreign nationals, voting in any election, to save their Liberal progressive saviors from becoming a number at unemployment agencies. Special vigilance should be attributed to the Sanctuary state of California, as illegal aliens are in perfusion and wont hesitate to use the absentee ballots return the stagnant personages of Sen. Harry Reid, Boxer and all the other Pro-amnesty providers.
Our nation is being slowly Balkanized, by a mess of foreign languages and special disbursements by the Liberal open border zealots, to give away this nation to the worst of foreign nationals. The Tea Party political candidates will smoke out all foreign aliens, using such newly advanced tools as permanent E-Verify. Big Business will be held accountable with prison sentences for hiring illegal’s, and will not bow to either the Liberal progressives or the ideologies of the wealthy GOP. Remembering the new immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island and Galveston, Texas, during the 20th Century asked nothing, but acceptance. But the last decades have brought to this country monetary nationals who are demanding we knuckle down to their rules, demanding Amnesty, schools for their numerous children, free health care and public welfare. None of the richest countries in the world can afford this unnecessary fiscal strain; nether can we?
American taxpayers have nowhere to turn right now, with the repossession of their cars, the loss of their homes, failing health Care and a previous and post governments that have failed the people. IF AMERICAN PEOPLE GIVE INTO ANOTHER AMNESTY, IT WILL BE A SIGNAL TO EVERY POOR PERSON IT’S ALRIGHT TO BREAK THE LAW. THAT THIS NATION WILL WELCOME YOU AND PROFFER GOVERNMENT BENEFITS TO ANY LAWBREAKER. We need highly very skilled legal immigrant workers in our future and mandatory temporary workers for agriculture, but no more foreigners coming to pick our pockets.
I think Robin Roberts is a
Submitted by WarEagle66 on Sat, 10/30/2010 - 9:12am.
I think Robin Roberts is a POS.
I have had a healthy disdain for her since she was doing ESPN and she was giving a highlight of Danny Marino being run out of bounds then trying to jump over a bench.
He didn't make the hurdle and her response was.
"I guess white men can't jump."
She's another Liberal Jagoff.
I liked Robin Roberts SO much
Submitted by motherbelt on Sat, 10/30/2010 - 9:20am.
I liked Robin Roberts SO much better when she was demonstrating her Potato Chip Chicken recipe to Emeril.....
(the recipe looked good, too!)