Carly Fiorina told the Tea Party Patriots Sunday that she too wants smaller, more responsive government, as she spoke and took questions from callers.
The grassroots conservative group has been hosting government officials and potential presidential candidates in its teleconferences. Fiorina, a former corporate executive, said she will “probably make a final decision and announcement within a month” on a White House bid. She stands to be the only major Republican woman in the race.
Sunday, she stressed her executive skills, criticizing both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations for being managers rather than leaders too often. The next president, Fiorina said, needs to “re-imagine government,” making it smaller and more responsive.
As an example of how she put her corporate skills to work, Fiorina said one way to help make the Department of Veterans Affairs more efficient would be to gather younger veterans and “ask how they’d like services delivered.” Too often, she said, the process is a maze of paperwork and ineffiency.
Fiorina took questions, and two involved how she’d handle illegal immigrants. She insisted the border be secure first. And, Fiorina said, “If you come here illegally and stayed here illegally you do not get to become a citizen.” But, she said, some “might be able to earn a legal status so they can work,” though they couldn’t become citizens.