Ex-computer honcho backs McCain

A former computer company executive who’s a potential Republican vice presidential choice, Carly Fiorina, said Thursday that too many barriers remain in the business world for women and other minorities.
Fiorina, 53, said that her rise to the chairmanship of Hewlett Packard was possible because she had mentors pushing her and others “who took a chance on me” during her rise from receptionist to the boardroom.
But, she said during a phone interview with The Bristol Press, the fact that only 16 percent of senior corporate officials in America today are women means that “clearly we have a long way to go. There are barriers still. It is still different for women.”
Fiorina said that one reason she strongly backs Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is that he understands the need for open doors and open trade.
Because “the company with the best brainpower wins” in today’s world, she said, “if we don’t let more women play a role, we’re not going to continue to be the leading economic power in the world.”
Fiorina said that he has “great empathy” for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid on the Democratic side. She said she is “proud that a woman can run for president” and she “feels for what she’s going through” on the campaign trail.
But, she said, McCain’s the better choice to lead the nation.
“We will arrive when we are a meritocracy and the best person for the job gets it,” Fiorina said, whether in politics or business.
Fiorina, who lost her post during a shakeup at Hewlett-Packard in 2005, said that McCain “knows what job creation is all about” and is keenly aware of the importance of innovation.
Though the Arizona senator touts his military and foreign policy knowledge, Fiorina said he also knows more than he gives himself credit for about the economy. “He understands how the world works,” she said.
“John McCain is a humble man who is always willing to learn,” she said, adding that he is also “an incredibly authentic leader of character and courage.”
Fiorina said that she got to know McCain eight years ago when he won the backing of many in Silicon Valley for his stance against taxing the internet and mobile technology. She said he wants to ensure that people can keep innovating and coming up with new ideas.
She said that McCain, unlike Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama, would not raise the capital gains tax, a move she said would have a chilling effect on technology companies. Obama’s position “would kill the golden goose” of innovation by gutting the value of the stock options that have helped tech companies soar.
Fiorina said that McCain is fun to be around.
She said he has a ton of energy. “You gotta eat your Wheaties to keep up with him,” she said. “By the end of the day, I’ve seen him put younger guys under the table.”
“I’m impressed with his intellect and his energy as well as his warmth and approachability,” Fiorina said.
“He’s the same with everyone, whether he’s talking to a senator or a hotel doorman. He treats everyone with respect and shows a genuine interest in them,” she said.
McCain “doesn’t put on airs. And he’s funny,” Fiorina said.
Fiorina said that a McCain presidency would be quite different than the Republican leadership the country has seen for the past eight years.
She said McCain hasn’t hesitated to take stands that his party doesn’t like. For instance, Fiorina said, McCain is concerned about global warming and convinced “we must embrace green technology” and nuclear power.
McCain would also push worker retraining programs, she said, to keep America’s workforce top notch. He also knows that education is crucial, Fiorina said.
McCain “is a different man with different points of view” than President George W. Bush, she said.
One area that McCain and Bush agree on is the need for free trade, Fiorina said, and it is vital the nation back the idea.
“The protectionist rhetoric coming out of the Democratic Party is very alarming,” she said, and would undermine a range of American companies if lowering trade barriers ceased to be a priority.
She said that whether the Democratic candidates believe what they’re saying about trade policy on the campaign trail doesn’t really matter.
“If you say something long enough, you’re stuck with it,” Fiorina said.

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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com