Republican presidential candidate and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina seemed to have come out of nowhere in the 2016 race for the White House. Just like in the first Republican presidential debate last month, she made quite an impact on American viewers during the second GOP debate last Wednesday when she dared President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to watch the sting videos on Planned Parenthood.
"I would like to link these two issues, both of which are incredibly important, Iran and Planned Parenthood," she said, according to Life Site News. "One has something to do with the defence of the security of this nation. The other has something to do with the defence of the character of this nation."
"As regards Planned Parenthood, anyone who has watched this videotape—I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes," Fiorina said. "Watch a fully formed foetus on the table, it's heart beating, it's legs kicking while someone says, 'We have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.'"
Fiorina was referring to the seventh sting video that was released by the Center for Medical Progress on Aug. 19. In it, former StemExpress procurement technician Holly O'Donnell shares that she saw an aborted baby's heart still beating after its abortion, but her trainer harvested the baby's brain nonetheless and even cut the face with a pair of scissors.
Fiorina supported calls for defunding Planned Parenthood, urging Congress to risk even a government shutdown just to put a stop to the practices being carried out by Planned Parenthood.
"If we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us," she said.
Business tycoon Donald Trump and former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson are the candidates to beat in the Republican presidential race. But Fiorina's ratings continue to rise, now coming close to the two leaders after starting at the bottom of the pack. She all the more impressed viewers when she held her ground and lectured Trump regarding the US Constitution, Charisma News reported.
"Carly won it [the debate]," said John Feehery, a Republican strategist in Washington. "She was passionate and tough."
Other Republican strategists such as Brian Walsh observed that Trump "showed he has little real grasp of foreign and domestic policy," and because of this, he might lose some voters to Fiorina, who impressed people with her knowledge on policy issues.
Walsh said Trump's supposed voters, who were impressed by his outspokenness but had apprehensions about his ability to win a general election, might flock to Fiorina after this debate.
