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GOP Debate – Fiorina, De Vore and Campbell fight to the Death

Posted by: Lez Get Real on March 6, 2010.

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By Melanie Nathan 3-6-10. The Barbara Boxer for Senate Campaign has provided this information:

At high noon on Friday, Republican candidates Tom Campbell, Chuck DeVore, and Carly Fiorina squared off in the first debate of their primary campaign for U.S. Senate here in California — and it sure didn’t take long for the gloves to come off.

The LA Times called it “a tense first debate” as the trio “traded foreign policy insults” amidst a flurry of harsh charges and counter charges. By attempting to outdo each other in their strident efforts to woo the extreme right-wing voters who have a critical role in selecting the Republican nominee, each of the threesome proved to be out of touch with mainstream California values and priorities.

Of course this was just a preview of the aggressive, negative attacks that our Republican opponents will continue to hurl at Barbara Boxer and her record of accomplishment for California. Clearly, whichever GOP candidate wins in June will be coming after Barbara Boxer hard all summer and through Election Day.

Among the specific charges from the debate, Campbell was called “a friend to our enemies” by DeVore, while Fiorina implied that Campbell is anti-Israel.

Fiorina was pressed to defend her various explanations of HP’s involvement with Iran, “specifically the actions of a Hewlett-Packard subsidiary that sold printers to Iran, which is subject to a trade embargo,” the LA Times reported. According to the Times, “Hewlett-Packard cut off ties to the United Arab Emirates-based subsidiary after reports came out about the sales in 2009, four years after she was fired from the company.”

The Fox and Hounds blog concluded that Fiorina “managed the terrible trick of managing to sound defensive even when she was attacking” and declared DeVore the “clear winner of the encounter.”

Well, if this is how our Republican opponents campaign against members of their own party in a primary, we can only imagine how the ultimate GOP nominee will ratchet up their attacks on Barbara, said the Campaign.

I am hoping the Senator will do something meaningful soon, to bolster her popularity with the LGBT community and bring us back to what has felt like a very empty table. I for one would be really angry of the Senator fell foul to our disappointment with the current Democratic dilatory performance, for LGBT equality legislation. With great promise fueling our efforts, we did a lot to get President Obama elected. Our influence has been prevalent in the Senator’s previous campaigns. I attended one of the first ever campaign fundraisers for Senator Boxer, in Los Angeles, when she was first elected to the Senate. The group consisted of mostly lesbians.

Now we are tired and something extraordinary must happen for us. We are calling out for some leadership from Senator Boxer. Indeed the Senator has always been a great supporter for all our legislation and her record is stellar. However we need a champion in the Senate, like Jerold Nadler in the house. Now is the time for one to emerge and I hereby offer you, Senator, the coveted role. I say Senator Boxer; we will vote for you anyway, no matter what. We love you and always will. However if you want our money, a lot of it and extra thousands of new votes yet to be reached, then come out with a big ‘RAH RAH RAH’ for UAFA* – or something!

How about Respect for marriage Act – a Senate version of such leadership. Repeal of DOMA.

*Uniting American Families Act.