On Wednesday, February 12th Republican presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina, announced the suspension of her presidential campaign. While she no longer has the potential to be in the White House in 2017, there are several important leadership lessons we can learn from her campaign.
- Attack Ideas, not People: In a culture when ad hominem attacks are commonplace, Carly Fiorina encourages us to boldly disagree with ideas that are contrary to our own, but to never attack the people who say them.
When hosts of the View attacked Carly Fiorina for her appearance, she kindly responded in a way that turned the conversation back to the issues, and away from her appearance. Carly points out that there is a sharp distinction between arguing political views and personal character.
- To be pro-life is to be pro-women: Carly Fiorina persistently and boldly fought for the rights of the unborn, and did not cower to the Left’s rhetoric that claims that women need abortion. She affirmed the value and dignity of both the unborn and their mothers. At the 43rd annual March for Life in Washington D.C., Carly Fiorina was the only presidential candidate to make an appearance.
She said in her speech, “You know, Planned Parenthood actually shows up at my events. So let me say this to the Planned Parenthood supporters: You can scream and throw condoms at me all day long. You won’t silence me. You don’t scare me. I have battled breast cancer. I have buried a child. I have read the bible. I know the value of life.”
- Aspire for female leadership, but not for its own sake: Carly Fiorina’s concept of female leadership contrasts starkly with that of Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton’s femininity is a critical factor of her campaign, whereas Carly Fiorina does not want the American public to vote for her merely because she is a woman.
In an October debate, Hillary Clinton answered the question of how her presidency would differ from that of President Obama, saying that she would be the first woman president.
Carly Fiorina’s response, when asked a similar question was drastically different. When the debate moderators asked Mrs. Fiorina which woman should be put on the $10 bill, she intelligently responded:
“I wouldn’t change the $10 bill or the $20 bill. I think honestly it’s a gesture. Don’t think it helps to change our history. What I would think is we ought to recognize that women are not a special interest group,” Fiorina said. “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.”
Carly Fiorina teaches us that female leadership is critical and women have the potential to be excellent leaders, but choosing women for leadership roles (or to be put on the $10 bill) for the sake of placating women, like they are a special interest group is not an appropriate way to achieve gender equality.
As Carly Fiorina announced that she was suspending her presidency she said: “Do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.”
Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign may not lead to her becoming the first female president, but she did secure her position as leader of nonconforming, conservative feminists in the process. She represents women who believe that the modern feminist movement has abandoned them. Those who believe that the rights of women and the rights of the unborn are not mutually exclusive, those who do not buy into the “litany of the left”, and those who enjoy intellectual diversity can appreciate the campaign that Carly Fiorina led.
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