Pander "Girl"

She has done it again. Last month, Abby Johnston of Bustle observed

When Carly Fiorina entered the race for the Republican nomination, it seemed that the only platform she had was not playing the "gender card" and despising the other woman gunning for the highest office in the land. Her major talking points included hating Hillary Clinton and criticizing her for daring to mention that she is a woman. Admittedly, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO has developed a few other positions since then. But during the fifth GOP debate, Fiorina pulled the dreaded gender card, betraying her previous claim that she never would. Rather than making her relatable to female voters, this exposed her blatant hypocrisy to liberals who have been taking note and conservatives who trusted her to deliver on her promise.

As recently as last month, Fiorina was ripping Clinton on The View for what she perceived as using her gender as a basis for her candidacy:

"I think Hillary Clinton has made a case for her candidacy based on being the first woman president. On the other hand, I would never ask people to vote for me just because I’m a woman."

This is a talking point that Fiorina has parroted repeatedly throughout her campaign — that Clinton's recognition of the fact that she is a woman is somehow indicative of her running on her vagina. So it was surprising, then, that Fiorina's debate strategy seemed to have turned right from her opening statement:

"I have been tested. I have beaten breast cancer. I have buried a child. I have started as a secretary. I fought my way to the top of corporate America while being called every B-word in the book. I fought my way into this election."

Only one of those things is truly gendered, and I'd give you two guesses if I thought you actually needed them. I'm honestly scratching my head on how you could fill a whole book full of B-words, but there are two that come to mind fairly immediately which would certainly never be used to describe a male. Fiorina knows that, and bringing it up is putting an inherently feminine spin on herself.

But that wasn't the last time that Fiorina would allude to her lady bits. After listening to her male counterparts stumble over strategies to stop international terrorism, Fiorina offered a Margaret Thatcher quote as her qualification for stopping ISIS and the like: "If you want something talked about, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman."

That's a good burn as the only woman on a stage full of men. But it's also a pretty telling as to what you want everyone else to recognize sets you apart from the crowd.

None of this would actually be a problem if Fiorina hadn't vehemently sworn up, down, and sideways that she would never even think about being a woman whilst running for president. Rejecting femininity completely is saying that the unique perspective a woman holds has no value in the Oval Office. But that spark of newness, of possibility, is certainly something which people appreciate about Clinton (even though it's certainly not the limit of her qualifications, as Fiorina alleges). Assuming that a woman running for president is no different than a man is also assuming that sexism doesn't exist.

So Fiorina already had demonstrated hypocrisy reaching nearly the level of Donald Trump when he tries to make hay out of past WJ Clnton sexual practices.  Then on New Years Day, prior to the Rose Bowl matchup between Iowa and the Stanford Cardinal, Fiorina tweeted "Love my alma mater, but rooting for a Hawkeyes win today."










Two days after Stanford, at which Fiorina received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976, defeated the University of Iowa 45-16, Fiorina appeared on CNN's State of the Union and complained

Oh, for heaven's sakes, Dana- for heaven's sakes, can't a girl ever have a little bit of fun? That was a tongue-in-cheek tweet, which the people of Iowa understand, because I was asked over and over again in Iowa, having attended a Hawkeye tailgate. I  was asked. They knew that my heart was torn.

Then she blamed Barack Obama. And the media.

Can't a girl ever have a little bit of fun was classic Fiorina, who denies playing the "gender card," then uses it whenever she sees an opening.  It's the give me a break, I'm the weaker sex card.  It's no more qualifying for the office of the Presidency to be one of "us girls" than it is to be one of "us boys."

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a tweet is just a tweet, and Fiorina is just being Fiorina.

And have I mentioned how loathsome Carly Fiorina is?

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