The actual image the OC Register printed with her op-ed.
Ousted former HP executive, Carly Fiorina, announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California with an op-ed in the Orange County Register.
It would appear to be a shot across the bow to Chuck DeVore, an Orange County assemblyman that she will face for the nomination. Perhaps in light of this, the OC Register decided to incorporate a rather unflattering image of her with her op-ed.
Fiorina’s piece begins with, “Admittedly, I have not always been engaged in the electoral process…” so you know she’s off to a good start.
She continues: “Throughout my career I’ve brought people together…” (Hewlett Packard and Iran.) “… and I’ve solved problems.” (How do you illegally ship HP products to Iran?)
The greatest rhetorical flourish was Fiorina’s closing:
Today, I am asking all those who expect more from our government to join me in making a change for the better. Put me to work for you. Together we can turn things around. [emphasis added]
“Turn things around,” right. CNN reported in February 2005:
Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina, one of the most powerful women in corporate America, is leaving the troubled computer maker after being forced out by the company’s board.
Shares of HP (Research) jumped 6.9 percent in heavy trading on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday on the news. But at one point, the stock was up as much as 10.5 percent. [emphasis added]
Earlier in her piece, Fiorina remarked, “I believe big change is not impossible, but it does require leadership, innovative thinking, teamwork and tackling the most obvious and pressing problems first.”
Again, not convinced.
“The stock is up a bit on the fact that nobody liked Carly’s leadership all that much,” said Robert Cihra, an analyst with Fulcrum Global Partners. “The Street had lost all faith in her and the market’s hope is that anyone will be better.” [emphasis added]
Fiorina is all talk and failed action. CBS News provided a piece on Fiorina’s rise and fall at HP; emphasis on the “fall” part.
That “innovative thinking,” Fiorina wrote about? She failed at it miserably while leading HP.
HP dropped the ball when it came to innovation. Shortly after taking the helm, Fiorina changed HP’s slogan to “invent.” It’s a cool idea that reflected her continued support for R&D and HP’s terrific research staff, but whatever inventions HP came up with simply were not inspiring enough to change the company’s fate.
Fiorina lamented the current state of unemployment, and she knows a thing or two about that.
Still, there is plenty to criticize about Fiorina’s tenure at HP. At this point, the changes that Fiorina made didn’t turn out so well for the thousands of Hewlett Packard and Compaq employees that were laid off and the millions of HP stockholders who lost equity since she took over. HP stock is worth less today than it was in 1999. Dell and IBM stock has increased in value.
I guess the changes didn’t work out too well for Ms. Fiorina either. Though based on her $21 million severance package and her generous compensation while employed at HP, I doubt very much that she’s worried about making ends meet. [emphasis added]
It does seem rather odd that a former high-tech chief executive announced her candidacy via a dying medium such as newspapers. Her widely-mocked website continues to run the Flash animation suggestive of a candidacy rather than a rolled out campaign.
At the initial launch of her exploratory committee, Fiorina’s campaign sought cell phone numbers on a level equal to collecting e-mail addresses, the hallmark of a strong online operation. It struck me that Fiorina decided not to announce via text message, or even e-mail. Perhaps they didn’t collect many.
Updated David Dayen lays out the likelihood that the Tea Party purity tour may very well add California to their target list, in addition to the fact that Fiorina was the only person to be let go from the train wreck McCain campaign in the general election. Carly just cannot hold down a gig anywhere.
Updated Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik unloaded on Fiorina in his column on Thursday. A must-read.