Cruz-Fiorina Alliance Shows Desperation

Senator Ted Cruz announced that if he is the Republican presidential candidate, his running mate would be Carly Fiorina, a former candidate herself. Photo by Michael Conroy/Associated Press

A days earlier announcement of Cruz-Kasich alliance to stay out of each other’s way in upcoming primaries as a way of challenging Trump faltered straightaway – Kasich urging supporters to stick with him.

Trump called their gambit “pathetic,” a desperation move. In response to Cruz naming Carly Fiorina his running mate, he posted an earlier TV clip on his Twitter page of her calling Cruz a politician who “says whatever he needs to say to get elected.”

Don’t they all!! Promises are made to be broken. Obama broke every major one he made.

Separately, Trump mocked the move, saying “Cruz can’t win. What’s he doing picking vice presidents? He’s mathematically eliminated.”

“He is the first presidential candidate in the history of this country who’s mathematically eliminated from becoming president who chose a vice presidential candidate.”

True though not the first presidential candidate to choose a running mate before winning his party’s nomination. In 1976, Ronald Reagan chose Sen. Richard Schweiker. Gerald Ford defeated his challenge to become GOP standard bearer, losing to Jimmy Carter in November.

Fiorina suspended her presidential campaign in February for lack of support. Her worldview matches Hillary Clinton’s – pro-war, pro-Wall Street, anti-populist, one-sidedly pro-Israel, militantly anti-Russia and Iran.

She’s a failed corporate CEO. Her dismal record got her sacked. Hewlett-Packard’s stock lost half its value while most other blue-chips rose sharply.

More than 30,000 H-P employees lost jobs on her watch. It included what some market watchers called “the dumbest deal of the decade.” A risky mega-merger with Compaq failed.

She blamed the dot.com bust, sexism and board member ineffectiveness for her own shortcomings. She made a once Silicon Valley pioneer into a shadow of its former self.

Naming her his running mate isn’t likely to help Cruz’s flagging presidential bid. It followed Trump sweeping all five Tuesday GOP primaries, eliminating his first-round nomination chance – perhaps making it impossible to stop his main rival from clinching things.

No matter who wins their party nominations and succeeds Obama next year, the vast majority of Americans lose.

Governance of, by and for its privileged few remains official US policy. Farcical elections offer no hope for responsible change.