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Republican former California U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is back in the political mix, Tuesday named the new vice chair of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign — the fundraising and campaign organization that’s central to GOP efforts to take back control of the Senate in 2012.

The announcement was made this morning by Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who heads the key GOP group, which will be focusing on at least 10 highly competitive Senate races in 2012 around the nation.

“I’m pleased to welcome my friend Carly Fiorina to the NRSC team, where her many business and civic achievements will make her an invaluable leader and fundraiser during this critical election cycle,” Cornyn said in his release today. “I look forward to working with Carly to elect strong Republican Senators who will finally put a stop to President Obama’s failed tax-and-spend agenda, and instead promote the economic growth and job creation Americans so badly need.”

In her new role, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO will assist Cornyn and NRSC vice chair Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah to “amplify Senate Republicans’ focus on healing America’s troubled economy,” and to pump up fundraising as Republicans aim for a Senate majority, Cornyn said.

Of course, the Democrats have already attacked the choice as a millionaire yacht owner who sent jobs overseas, but this social class warfare is getting old. There is little question that Fiorina has business acumen, (been financially successful) and that the Democrats and the failed Obama Administration don’t.

The move to put Fiorina in a key fundraising role gives the GOP organization the advantage of having what it calls “one of the most recognized business executives in the world” at its helm in a year in which economic issues will lead the political agenda.

Fiorina is the only woman ever to run a Fortune 20 company, and raised $22 million in the primary and general election for her own campaign.

I am looking forward to seeing Carly on the stump again soon.

The Contra Costa Times reported last week that Fiorina is headed to Pleasanton on Friday, Nov. 6 to make a “very important” announcement to the Tri-Valley Business Council. Indeed, Council President and CEO Tobias Brink said today that it “would be my assumption” that Fiorina is planning an official Senate launch at the Pleasanton event. Brink said his group plans to showcase high-tech start-up companies at the event, give Fiorina the floor and then have a Q&A session.

Fiorina, however, has at least three other appearances planned for next week. She is the keynote speaker on Wednesday at the 2009 International Business Leadership Awards event in San Diego. She will speak at the Sacramento Regional Housing Forecast event on Thursday in Sacramento.

And she’s scheduled to appear Wednesday at Earth Friendly Products in Garden Grove, which the Orange County Business Journal today called “Carly’s Big Date” because it said “Fiorina is expected to announce her candidacy for Democrat Barbara Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat.”

Fiorina spokeswoman Beth Miller wouldn’t confirm which event, if any, is the official Fiorina launch. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Miller said.

Exit answer: Next week

• Carly Fiorina –  Voted in 5 of 18 elections, 2000-08

• Meg Whitman  – Voted in 6 of 13 elections, 2002-07

This failure to vote is a big deal for Flap and WILL be a vote breaker for Flap in a California GOP Primary election. Luckily, the GOP has other candidates in each race:

Steve Poizner who is the GOP California Insurance Commissioner and

Chuck DeVore who is a GOP California Assemblyman

The Chronicle points out that the Terminator turned governor has been tactful in his political allegiances. He campaigned for Sen. John McCain during the 2008 campaign and showed up last week with President Obama at a White House meeting on infrastructure.

The article points out his ambitious campaigning across the state for his new budget plan and notes that lately the governor has softened his tone on a political future.

“I have my hands full with all the stuff I’m doing now,” Schwarzenegger said earlier this month. “I’m concentrating on that and not what I’m going to do next,” he told the Chronicle reporter.

“You know,” he apparently added, “I’m not a politician. I’m a public servant.”

He and wife Maria Shriver are not strangers to Washington’s power circles.

Saturday night, Schwarzenegger brought down the house during his Republican “response” at Washington Gridiron Dinner. He laughed at the journalists’ apparent dumping by the president, who declined the invitationt to attend.

“You did such lovely work for [Obama],” the governor told Washington’s media elite. “You put your lives on hold to put him in the White House. Now you get all dressed up, the champagne’s on ice, and you find out he’s just not that into you,” he joked, according to the Washington Post.

But, Arnold is warring with the California GOP, has poor approval ratings as Governor in the latest polls and would have to run against a long-time incumbent U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, who has plenty of campaign cash.

Don’t look for Arnold to involve himself with a partisan primary election in which he will face another self-funded millionaire, Carly Fiorina and/or California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore who has gained the endorsements of most all of the elected members of the California GOP. More likely, Arnold will be appointed to some Obama Administration position or simply go back to Hollywood and make some movies.

Previous:

RINO California Governor Schwarzenegger Snubs California GOP Convention in Sacramento This Weekend

Chuck DeVore Preempts Arnold Schwarzenegger By Announcing California GOP Endorsements

• Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): “Well, my understanding is that Governor Palin’s town of Wasilla has I think 50 employees. We’ve got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. So I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the last couple of years.” (CNN’s “360 With Anderson Cooper,” 9/1/08). Update: The Video of Obama’s comment is here.
  

• Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH): “She’s been mayor of a city half the size of Blue Ash and governor of a state with half the population of Hamilton County. … John McCain failed in his first big decision as a potential president. He chose somebody with no experience to be a heartbeat away from being the U.S. president.” (Steve Kemme, “At Picnic, Brown Slams Palin,” The Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/2/08)

• Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE): Biden On Palin: “She’s Good Looking.” “‘From our perspective the whole deal is how does the government help you get back up without getting in the way?’ Biden asked. ‘There’s a gigantic – gigantic — difference between John McCain and Barack Obama, and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. And that is that –’ The crowd laughed. ‘Well there’s obvious differences,’ Biden said, beginning to ham it up. ‘She’s good looking,’ he said, laughing.” (Jake Tapper, “Oh, That Joe! (Number 4 In A Series) — Biden On Difference Between Him And Palin: ‘She’s Good Looking,’” ABC News’ “Political Punch” Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 8/31/08)

Would you call this belittling or patronizing? This belittlement of Sarah Palin is reminiscent of Obama and his campaign attacks on Hillary Clinton which pissed off a goodly number of Democrat women voters.

Team McCain responds:

RNC Victory 2008 Chair Carly Fiorina released the following statement today in response to Democrat attacks on Governor Sarah Palin:

“I am appalled by the Obama campaign’s attempts to belittle Governor Sarah Palin’s experience. The facts are that Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions as a Mayor and Governor than Barack Obama has made in his life. Because of Hillary Clinton’s historic run for the Presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms. They will not tolerate sexist treatment of Governor Palin.”

Sexism and patronizing women = Barack Obama and his campaign for the Presidency.