Carly Fiorina: Big government is crushing Americans

DANIEL SATO/THE NEWS JOURNAL

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina told delegates Saturday at the Delaware GOP convention in Wilmington that Washington needs more leaders, not managers.

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina told a packed audience that a huge, complex and sometimes corrupt government was "crushing the potential" of Americans.

"That is not hyperbole," she said. "That is fact."

When democracy becomes so big and powerful, and so costly and complex, Fiorina said, only the big, powerful, wealthy and well-connected can handle it.

"The small and the powerless get crushed," she said.

At the Delaware GOP convention in Wilmington on Saturday morning, Fiorina came out strong against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, questioning why the former U.S. secretary of state has answered so few on-the-record questions.

"Since I declared my candidacy about three weeks ago, I've answered maybe 500 on-the-record questions," Fiorina said. "Hilary has answered maybe 20 ... that's maybe a generous estimate."

Fiorina called on Clinton to explain why the Clinton Foundation received tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments while Clinton was secretary of state.

In her travels since announcing her candidacy, Fiorina said she's discovered a disquiet among the general public. The disquiet is not partisan or political, it is across generations and across ethic groups, she said.

"It is a disquiet, I think, that comes from a fear that they are losing something," Fiorina said. "I think what people feel we are losing is the sense of limitless possibility that has always defined this nation."

DANIEL SATO/THE NEWS JOURNAL

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina speaks to delegates at the Delaware GOP convention in Wilmington on Saturday.

Fiorina said Washington needs more leaders, not managers. Managers are happy to go along and exist within the status quo while leaders take risks, she said.

The former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina said she has the expertise as a leader to be president. The country is at a pivotal point in its history where strong leadership is needed, she said.

While on the campaign trail, Fiorina said she's often asked why she's so critical of Clinton.

"It has nothing to do with the fact that either one of us are women. It has to do with this fact: 82 percent of the American people now believe that we have a professional political class that is more focused on preserving its power and privilege than it is on doing the people's work," she said.

"Bill and Hillary Clinton are the personification of the professional political class," she said.

Contact Jon Offredo at (302) 678-4271, on Twitter @JonOffredo or joffredo@