Fiorina 'seriously considering' bid for Senate
WASHINGTON--In the realm of technology policy, Carly Fiorina has worn many hats--something other leaders may want to consider, she says.
She has held influence as a chief executive of a major company and as an economic adviser for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during his 2008 presidential bid. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO is now chairing the board of the Technology Policy Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank--a role that won't preclude a potential political bid of her own.
(Credit:
Carly Fiorina Enterprises)
"I am seriously considering a (Senate) race in California," she said, during a roundtable interview at the think tank here Tuesday. "I hope I can add value and make a difference...irrespective of what my decision will be in California."
Her varied experiences, Fiorina said, would be an asset if she were to pursue political office, though she declined to say when she may come to a decision about her potential Senate run.
"I have learned over the last several years that the opportunity to be involved in the political community, the policy making community, and the business community is in many ways a great advantage," she said. "Over time it may become more of a necessity for people to understand all of those realms because of the impact they have on one another."
"Increasingly, none of (the country's) challenges can be solved without an understanding of the political impact, the policy reality, how the business community will react," she continued. "I find I have a perspective in all those camps."
An understanding of policy, politics, and business will be increasingly important with respect to technology as Barack Obama's presidency and policy prescriptions continue to put the use of technology front and center, she said.
"Barack Obama used technology brilliantly during his campaign and put technology into the center of virtually every American's life, even if they didn't quite understand it," she said. "His administration has also put technology at the center of the agenda," making it a part of health care reform, investments in energy, and other major initiatives.
The use of technology can be "both sexy and scary" for those who do not think about it every day, Fiorina said, and without tempered recommendations from nonpartisan groups, politicians can get swept up in the emotional aspect of tech policy.
"When there are government programs focused on technology spending, people can get very excited on the broad strokes, but without paying attention to the facts and the details, the broad strokes can lead you astray," Fiorina said. "Technology is a place where the details matter."
Emotions can easily trump facts in discussions about immigration, for instance. The Technology Policy Institute released a report (PDF) earlier this month showing that immigration--including high-skilled immigration and otherwise--has a positive effect on the federal budget.
The group also recently produced policy recommendations (PDF) for ICANN, the nonprofit organization that governs the Internet domain system. While ICANN may not be regular table talk in Washington, the organization's move toward independence from the United States could have profound implications, Fiorina said.
"For a lot of people who care about technology deployment, the organization that sits at the heart of that is pretty important," she said. "It's a classic example of where the details matter."
An interest in technological solutions for issues such as health care and education reform is nothing new in Washington, Fiorina said. However, as the climate in Washington makes these goals more realistic, the details become more important, she said.
"Everyone agrees health care needs to be reformed, and everyone believes technology is part of the solution," she said, "(but) we know from fact and experience simply throwing money at technology doesn't work."
Stephanie Condon is a staff writer for CNET News focused on the intersection of technology and politics. She is based in Washington, D.C. E-mail Stephanie. 
She has, after all, experience in illegal snooping.
Carly Fiorina is not smart, not even remotely. She is talented, but her primary talent is self-promotion. She was not a technology expert, as many of her supporters claim (ok, John McCain probably thought she was an expert on technology, but then he knows nothing about technology, and he even said hat Sarah Palin knows more about energy that anybody in the nation) and she did almost destroy HP. She is a parasitic, Bush-endorsing, saleswoman who was willing to replace HP's engineering capabilities with slogans and celebrity endorsements. She has absolutely no ability to make decisions that require more than a superficial knowledge of any issue. I know she is qualified to be a politician, but we deserve better than that.
And George Marenco above is right, Whitman needs to stay away also. Fortunately, the Republican party is so far to the right and delusional, that neither woman stands a chance of winning the Republican primary.
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Doubt Nothing Question Everything for nothing is simple and little is true
- by April 1, 2009 8:53 PM PDT
- This is funny. To be a politician you at least have to be able to fool most of the people some of the time. Carly doesn't come close. She's hated with a passion by everybody I know who lived through her tyranny at HP. Her image is that of a blood sucking harpy not the kind of person you'd trust running your state!
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(17 Comments)Does she think that screwing up one of the valleys beloved companies, getting kicked out by the board and then being mixed up in illegal spying scandal is a ticket she can ride into office?
Does this woman's delusion know no bounds?
She might be able to stand up and talk at the same time, which puts her ahead of most of the people in her party but for pete's sake there's no way she is seen as a trusted leader...
Give it up Carly.. Take the millions you carried out of HP as they kicked your ass to the curb and retire somewhere where you're not going to be seen as a failure AGAIN.