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Packard heir slams GOP Senate candidate, former Hewlett-Packard chief Fiorina
L.A. Times ^ | March 8, 2010 | Seema Mehta

Posted on 03/09/2010 10:19:40 AM PST by americanophile

Republican Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina touts her business resume, particularly her years as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, as the reason GOP voters should nominate her to face Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

But this morning, an heir to one of the company’s founders issued a slashing rebuttal, arguing that Fiorina nearly drove the technology firm into the ground.

“I know a little bit about Carly Fiorina, having watched her almost destroy the company my grandfather founded,” wrote Arianna Packard, the granddaughter of David Packard, in a letter posted on www.redstate.com.

Fiorina is in a tough three-way GOP race to take on Sen. Barbara Boxer. Her tenure at Hewlett-Packard was controversial, with Portfolio magazine crowning her one of the 20 worst American chief executives of all time.

Arianna Packard is the daughter of David Woodley Packard, who fought Fiorina when she engineered the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq, a decision that partly led to her firing by the board of directors in 2005. She is also a supporter of and donor to one of Fiorina’s rivals, Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore.

Her letter is a response to one penned by Fiorina backers Sens. James Inhofe, Tom Coburn and Jon Kyl. The three senators wrote, “We are proud to endorse her as a fellow conservative who has real-world business experience and the guts and moxie to take on Barbara Boxer and win. Carly is not a Washington insider. She is a proven business leader who understands the economy and advocates a strong national defense.”

Packard slammed their position, arguing that Fiorina is a failed businesswoman.

“ … allow me to disillusion you of a few of your stated reasons for supporting her,” she wrote.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: fiorina; hewlettpackard; nothanks; rino; senate
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To: americanophile

Inhofe and Kyl are wrong on this one. If someone’s running against her in a primary he deserves the support of anyone who’s paying attention.


21 posted on 03/09/2010 10:34:38 AM PST by OKSooner
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To: tje

Worked there just before she became CEO. Having met Hewlett and Packard and having about an hours conversation with them, they were both great men. Back then, HP was much more than it is today and considered their employees as their best asset - and really took care of us. Had I been there when Carly became CEO, I would have found another job.


22 posted on 03/09/2010 10:34:59 AM PST by illiac (If we don't change directions soon, we'll get where we're going)
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To: ari-freedom

“On the other hand, Corzine was a great CEO and ran NJ to the ground.”

Being a great CEO doesn’t necessarily mean you would be good in public service. But, being a terrible CEO, especially in the cut of Fiorina excludes you.


23 posted on 03/09/2010 10:36:26 AM PST by brownsfan (The average American: Uninformed, and unconcerned.)
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To: Nat Turner

I worked for AT&T/Lucent and saw my 401K dwindle to nothing and then she leaves.....would not vote for her EVER


24 posted on 03/09/2010 10:36:35 AM PST by NC Angeleyes
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To: illiac

“Back then, HP was much more than it is today and considered their employees as their best asset - and really took care of us. “

And the product reflected that. Back in those days, HP was a bit pricey for things, but you knew if you bought an HP device, it was top shelf, and quite durable.

Post Fiorina, HP products were crap. I think HP got bit by political correctness. They wanted to hire a WOMAN, not the best PERSON.


25 posted on 03/09/2010 10:39:22 AM PST by brownsfan (The average American: Uninformed, and unconcerned.)
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To: NC Angeleyes

You have my sympathies NC, as I personally knew many great former Lucent Technology people that got ROBBED when their 401K’s hit the skids also.


26 posted on 03/09/2010 10:40:00 AM PST by Nat Turner (Escaped from NY in 1983 and not ever going back....)
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To: Nat Turner
I used to work for Compaq just before the merger and hell yes she ran the company into the ground....

Were you DIGITAL before Compaq?

27 posted on 03/09/2010 10:41:22 AM PST by Just mythoughts
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To: ari-freedom
yeah, she’s a real winner huh?

Many CEOs have come into companies in the past and screwed them up. But this was Hewlett-Packard, one of the oldest and most beloved tech firms in the country. The garage where Bill & Dave started the company is even a state historical landmark. Worst, she trashed the "HP way" culture. Being a geek at heart, Bill & Dave are two of my heroes, and she tried to kill what made their baby great.

Basically, she hurt a lot of people not only in the pocketbook, but in the heart.

Maybe Carly is just relying on the fact that most politicians are clueless when it comes to technology and won't know what she's done.

28 posted on 03/09/2010 10:43:15 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: gitmogrunt

She sounds like our current boss man, Mark Hurd.


29 posted on 03/09/2010 10:43:52 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Looking for our Sam Adams)
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To: americanophile

Her letter is a response to one penned by Fiorina backers Sens. James Inhofe, Tom Coburn and Jon Kyl. The three senators wrote, “We are proud to endorse her as a fellow conservative who has real-world business experience and the guts and moxie to take on Barbara Boxer and win. Carly is not a Washington insider. She is a proven business leader who understands the economy and advocates a strong national defense.”
- - - - - -
I just lost a lot of respect for those three senators, at least two of the three I had considered rock solid conservatives. There is only one conservative in the race for senator in CA, and that’s Chuck De Vore. Fiorina is a liberal Republican and also was a poor CEO at HP. She has no political experience and questionable leadership experience.

What she does have is access to more money than the other candidates unless you count the grass roots dollars that De Vore should be able to access.


30 posted on 03/09/2010 10:44:21 AM PST by excopconservative
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To: illiac
considered their employees as their best asset

...those days are long gone.

31 posted on 03/09/2010 10:45:27 AM PST by snippy_about_it (Looking for our Sam Adams)
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To: americanophile

Good. David Packard was a Repub and a good man. HP was probably one of the greatest American companies ever created. Carly treated Bill Hewlett’s son like garbage and almost wrecked HP.


32 posted on 03/09/2010 10:47:03 AM PST by Frantzie (TV - sending Americans towards Islamic serfdom - Cancel TV service NOW)
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To: excopconservative
"unless you count the grass roots dollars that De Vore should be able to access."

I wonder this year, with the economy the way it is.

33 posted on 03/09/2010 10:47:15 AM PST by americanophile
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To: Vigilanteman
Very true, but she's still not quite as dumb as Barbara Boxer. Don't you think that's a winning slogan? < / sarcasm >

And Arnold COULDN'T be as bad as Bray Davis. /s

Amazing VM, that we still get that kind of crap here. It's as if they think we don't have memories and can be whipped into line one more time. They've been pulling that line since at least the beginnings of the progressive movement.

34 posted on 03/09/2010 10:49:32 AM PST by Carry_Okie (Grovelnator Schwarzenkaiser, fashionable fascism one charade at a time.)
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To: Just mythoughts

Post Digital, we were the group that got the old BellSouth subcontract to support their residential DSL service


35 posted on 03/09/2010 10:50:35 AM PST by Nat Turner (Escaped from NY in 1983 and not ever going back....)
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To: illiac
Had I been there when Carly became CEO, I would have found another job.

Good bet. She never understood the rules that brought the best talent to HP and created great products:

  1. We have trust and respect for individuals.
  2. We focus on a high level of achievement and contribution.
  3. We conduct our business with uncompromising integrity.
  4. We achieve our common objectives through teamwork.
  5. We encourage flexibility and innovation.
She had more of an 80s corporate raider mentality, how to make money without actually creating anything of value, employees are bought at the lowest price, and are expendable.
36 posted on 03/09/2010 10:52:13 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: autumnraine

Carly ran out of Lucent just before a serious bogus sales scam. Lucent was booking phantom sales. It was a big deal.


37 posted on 03/09/2010 10:55:11 AM PST by Frantzie (TV - sending Americans towards Islamic serfdom - Cancel TV service NOW)
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To: excopconservative

Bush - Riordan

Bush, Santorum - Specter

Inhofe, Coburn, Kyl - Fiorina

The parties don’t care about “we the people” anymore.

Republicans just can’t wait to get back to business as usual and their own sweetheart backroom deals. They’ll kick the Tea Partiers to the curb once they’re returned to power.

Classic Lucy and Charlie Brown football scenario.


38 posted on 03/09/2010 10:56:09 AM PST by streetpreacher (Arminian by birth, Calvinist by the grace of God)
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To: tje

For those who never had to endure Carly as CEO these words are true and worthy. One imagines that such an office requires some significant skill and understanding. Yet nothing about her personally or professionally qualifies. In fact everything about her promotion defied common sense and logic. Think of it in these terms...her being a creditable CEO is like O being a credible pres. Does that help you understand? Now consider her as senator. Then again the voters of CA have given us a delightful basket of fruits and nuts over the years. In that regard Carly fits right in.


39 posted on 03/09/2010 10:59:09 AM PST by 556x45
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To: Salo

THAT WAS IT! I knew it wasn’t something really shady and sleazy.


40 posted on 03/09/2010 11:07:27 AM PST by autumnraine (You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out!)
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