Carly Fiorina: Women are "Coming of Political Age"
Speaking to CBS News' John Dickerson, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard said, "Washington could do some things that could help private-sector job creation, like cutting key taxes for small businesses, but the stimulus has clearly been a failure in terms of job creation."
"That's the only way we're going to get our debt under control; to grow the economy and cut federal spending," she added.
Fiorina had harsh words for Washington, arguing that "we have become accustomed to a level of incompetence and a lack of accountability in Washington, DC that we wouldn't accept anywhere else in our nation."
Speaking about the rise of women in politics, she told Dickerson, "Women are coming of political age."
"Women are not single-issue voters," she said. "Women, like me, have a wide variety of views. Some of us, like me, are pro-life but all of us are worried about our children's futures. All of us are worried that we're not creating enough jobs. All of us are worried about the level of debt that we're piling on our children and grand children and all of us are worried about an unaccountable, out-of-touch, out-of-control government in Washington, DC and that's why I'm running."
Asked how she would address deficit and debt issues while also spurring economic growth, Fiorina proposed giving new businesses "a five-year tax holiday if they invest capital and equipment and hire American workers instead of going somewhere else around the globe where they will face a friendlier business climate and a lower tax structure."
Fiorina applauded the $20 billion BP compensation fund to address the Gulf oil spill.
"I think the president did the right thing. I think BP did the right thing," she said. "I think having an independent administrator administer that money is the right thing to do. I disagree strenuously with the administration's decision to, in essence, ban offshore drilling for 6 months."
Watch Monday's Washington Unplugged above, also featuring former FBI operative Eric O'Neill, who helped capture Russian spy Robert Hanssen, on what we've learned from the Russian spy story.
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