Why send a boy to do a man's job when you can send Carly instead? While nearly all the male candidates have flailed around trying to find their footing against Donald Trump, many
GOP observers hope Carly Fiorina can manage to land some blows Wednesday that finally stick to Teflon Trump.
“Instead of shutting him down, there’s a way to pat poor Donald, the chauvinistic pig, on the head,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist in Sacramento.
Trump reportedly plans to concentrate on substance. Heh. That's news. Apparently, he's satisfied with his
earlier jabs about Fiorina's looks.
Mr. Trump said he was preparing to criticize the record — and not the appearance — of Mrs. Fiorina, who was fired as the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard and, like Mr. Trump, has never held elected office.
“I want to talk about her corporate history, her failures at Hewlett-Packard,” Mr. Trump said. “And that will be damaging enough to her.”
Also news that The Donald's actually prepping for a debate. Wow, almost like a real candidate.
The usual rules of decorum have so far not applied to Mr. Trump, whose standing in the polls has only increased after incendiary comments about women, immigrants and Senator John McCain’s war record. But while his derision of two opponents — Jeb Bush (“low energy”) and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin (“failed governor”) — has coincided with their decline in the polls, Mrs. Fiorina has gained ground as Mr. Trump has showered insults on her.
In that respect, Fiorina has faired better than Megyn Kelly, who's net favorability rating among Republicans
took a hit after her run-in with Trump during the first debate. How dare Kelly ask Trump about his nasty misogynistic comments demeaning women as "fat pigs"?
But in this instance, Trump will be face-to-face with the very recipient of his insults—not delivering obsessive below-the-belt jabs in the wee hours of the night from the safety of his Twitter account. It may be a first for him, but it's likely not the first time Fiorina has stood toe-to-toe with a man who's taken gender-based shots at her.
What is more than clear is that Megyn Kelly got under The Donald's skin more than any other single person during the first debate. That gives Fiorina an opening. Can she exploit it?