McCain Defends Fiorina's Golden Parachute

This weekend, John McCain defended unhelpful surrogate Carly Fiorina's generous severance package from Hewlett Packard:

"I think she did a good job as CEO in many respects," McCain told "The Today Show's" Meredith Vieira when she pressed him on the matter in light of McCain's recent accusations of greed on Wall Street.

"I know that she was a very successful businesswoman. Started out as a part-time secretary and made her way to the top of the corporate ladder as one of the biggest CEOs in the United States of America," McCain said after noting that he was unaware of the specifics of her compensation package.

Fiorina received $21 million in severance pay when she was fired as CEO of Hewlett Packard in 2005. She received an additional $21 million when Hewlett Packard's board bought out her company stock options and pension benefits. Her compensation package sparked a lawsuit from shareholders.

McCain admitted, however, that he was not familiar with the details of Fiorina's payout:

McCAIN: I don't think so. ... Because I think she did a good job as CEO in many respects. I don't know the details of her compensation package. But she's one of many advisers that I have.

Q: But she did get a $45 million dollar golden parachute after being fired while 20,000 of her employees were laid off.

McCAIN: I have many of the people, but I do not know the details of what happened.

McCain has vowed to end "multimillion dollar payouts to CEO's who have broken the public trust."

Watch:

Comments

[VonneVA]

How come nobody's talking about the 3 HUGE reasons for the Wall street problem, all of whom took a huge golden parachute, cooked the books and god only knows what else, who are now employed by Obama? People hate the Bush/Rep Admin/Party so much, they turn a blind eye to the problems with the other candidates. I'm fed up too, but there are serious issues with the Dem also. No one wants to admit it, though.

[thepoliticalcat]

Mc Unstable thinks Carly did a great job?? Really? She nearly wrecked an old and well-established company that gave us much of the research on which today's Silicon Valley is based. Oh, wait. I forgot. Wrecking and destroying everything you get your hands on IS a good job, to Republicans. Just look at Senor Boosh.

[arvay]

McCain, as usual, is talking out of his cloaca. Here are the facts, check out the graphic of her performance and note how HP's performance picked up after she was booted.

http://www.236.com/news/2008/09/18/john_mccain_teaches_hp_how_to_8987.php

[Haditup2here]

George Bush, Sarah Palin, and Carly Fiorina --affirmative action at work for the rich, wealthy, and connected.

[Haditup2here]

"I know that she was a very successful businesswoman. Started out as a part-time secretary and made her way to the top of the corporate ladder as one of the biggest CEOs in the United States of America," McCain said after noting that he was unaware of the specifics of her compensation package.

. . . . . . .Talk about affirmative action

A "part-time" secretary that gets to be CEO with little experience and a PTA mom that gets to be mayor and governor --am I the only person who notices this.

[rshrink]

I think Haditup has it right. McCain is trying to come off as the common man while he is actually pulling for the very wealthy and powerful people. He is trying to have it both ways. He is over here talking to the working people like he is one of them, then over there making deals with the elites. No wonder he loves George Bush. Last night, we hear about how Palin has actually been groomed to become the next common woman to dupe the American people and take us for a ride for the next four years. She is the one who makes McCain look like he is for the common person, when in actuality, they are both out for themselves and the rich people they are or want to be connected with. This morning, I heard that McCain has a lead in Missouri. Wake up Missouri and we will have four more years of Misery.

[rshrink]

Meant to say wake up Missouri OR we will have at least four more years of misery.

[Whinger]

Lavish praise, then he admits he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Who gets fired for being successful, who gets praised for failure?

[Beowoof]

Yes, another slightly painful price to pay for pandering to women by using Fiorina as an example of someone who McCain so admires. Of all the accomplished women to choose from in order to sway disenfranchised Hillary voters, he had to put this one on the pedestal. Wouldn't it be nice to see her in charge of the treasury?

[Beowoof]

Actually I was wrong. McCain admires Meg Whitman. Don't put me in charge of anything either.

[chaselv]

Is this guy for real?? McCain is about as clueless as they come.
This is the best the Republicans can come with?? McCain-Palin? Are you kidding me???
Or is it Palin-McCain?
Pathetic.

[rshrink]

This seems to be yet another case where McCain justfies the unjustifiable by playing it off as if he is for the underdog, all the while hanging out with his own kind, which are certainly the haves, not the have nots. He doesn't even relate to the middle and lower economic groups. We are just here to serve him and his other entitled friends who have to have 7 houses and 13 cars to feel satisfied. They have to be in power to maintain the standard of living that they have become accustomed to.

[tel8034]

At the Saddleback (NON-CONE OF SILENCE) event, didn't McCain list CARLY FIORINA as one of the persons he most admires?

If she was on his MOST ADMIRED SHORT LIST at the Saddleback event, shouldn't he at least know her career history? ..........­.......... Shouldn't he know that she was FIRED from HP and given a 42 MILLION DOLLAR GOLDEN PARACHUTE JUST A FEW YEARS BACK, AND THAT SHE HAD LAID OFF 20,000 EMPLOYEES?.

McCAIN IS EITHER LYING, OR IS SUFFERING FROM OLD AGE OR BOTH.

[sheaintsayin]

Actually, he mentioned Meg Whitman(?) as one of the 3 he admired.

[blackmanhl]

The double talk express keep rolling.

[pillgirl]

each of those 20,000 laid off workers could have left with a $2250 bonus. i'm sure the smaller sum would have helped families affected by lay offs. what the heck is carly fiorina going to do with another $45 million?

[KathyIndiana]

Fiorina did such a good job she got fired from H-P, and McCain didn't know that? Makes you wonder how much he actually knew about Sarah Palin (Troopergate, pregnant daughter, etc.) before he picked her as VP. This man is scary!

[skepticalindenver]

No. I'll tell you what is scary. That anyone would consider voting for this man after all they have heard. Is half the country that stupid or afraid of a black man?

[JackND]

Taxpayers are supposed to pay for huge golden parachutes­...isn't that just the kind of wealth redistribution Republicans tend to rail against, only in reverse?

Steal from the poor and give to the rich, like a mirror universe Robin Hood?

[mykalimba]

McCAIN quoted: "I have many of the people, but I do not know the details of what happened."

WTF does that mean?! Just when you thought no one could come along and get tongue-twisted more than George W...

Obama/Biden '08