Less than a day after winning the Republican primary in California's senate race, Carly Fiorina is doing damage control — apologizing for a "catty" swipe she took at her opponent Barbara Boxer's coiffure while waiting for an interview to begin, and unaware that her microphone was live. "God, what is that hair," the former Hewlett Packard CEO said, apparently repeating a friend's comment. "Soooo yesterday." Fiorina also disparaged Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's decision to appear on Sean Hannity's Fox News show: "I think it's a very bad choice, actually. You know what he's like." Fiorina has since apologized to Hannity, but not to Boxer. "What is this, middle school?" asks Ruth Marcus at The Washington Post. "The point of having women in politics [is] not to produce a Mean Girls sequel in the form of the California Senate race." There's a lesson here for candidates of both sexes, says Steve Benen at Washington Monthly. "One day, politicians will learn that when they're wearing a microphone, and are speaking in front of a camera, they should proceed with caution." Watch Fiorina's gaffe:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spiesSpeed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
