Barbara Boxer in 2010 California Senate Debates


On Jobs: TV ad: Fiorina fired thousands and moved their jobs to China

Boxer and Fiorina both began airing new ads this week in their hard-fought contest. Boxer's ad is the latest in a series of spots critical of layoffs and the relocation of jobs overseas during Fiorina's tenure as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

The new ad features four workers who say they were fired from H-P while Fiorina earned millions of dollars in compensation. One former employee says some of the American jobs eliminated were moved to China: "We even had to train our replacements."

"Fiorina never cared about our jobs--not then and not now," one of the workers says in conclusion.

A spokeswoman for Fiorina described the accusations in the ad as "outlandish, hypocritical" and "completely illogical," and questioned whether the workers featured in the ad had traveled overseas to train their replacements. In light of Boxer's criticisms, Fiorina has also suggested that Boxer return contributions from companies that have laid off workers or moved American jobs overseas.

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Oct 20, 2010

On Energy & Oil: Work with China on global warming, but California leads

Fiorina: I believe AB 32 [funding green energy R&D] is a bad idea because to deal with global warming requires a serious global solution. Scientists agree that a single state--or a single nation--acting alone can have no impact on global warming. I would immediately engage in serious bilateral discussions with China, a nation that uses more coal than we do, but also that researches more into clean coal.

Q: Senator Boxer, you said that if California doesn't take the lead, then China and others will. But doesn't Ms. Fiorina have a point when she says that the global approach would be more effective?

Boxer: Our president has met with China; they've reached some tentative agreements. The fact is, we have to act. California is not a state that sits around and lets anybody else lead. That's why I so strongly oppose Prop 23 [which would block AB 32]. It is shocking to me to see someone try to get to the US Senate from California, who would turn her back on the environment.

Source: 2010 CA Senate general election Debate on KPCC Sep 29, 2010

On Abortion: Don't go back to criminalizing women and doctors

One of the sharpest exchanges occurred when the candidates were asked about abortion. "If my opponent's views prevailed, women and doctors would be criminals, they would go to jail. Women would die, like they did before Roe v. Wade," said Boxer, a fierce critic of restrictions on existing abortion rights.

Fiorina reiterated her support for overturning the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, but said, "The most important issue right now in this election is the creation of jobs."

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

On Civil Rights: Full equality only with same-sex marriage

Fiorina said she opposes same-sex marriage, and supports civil unions and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Boxer, who also favors the repeal of the strictures against gays and lesbians in the military, said homosexual couples would gain full equality only when same-sex marriage was recognized. "The only way to get the rights that married couples have is to go for marriage equality," she said. "I'm glad to say I believe people are coming around to see it."

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

On Education: $1.2 billion to save the jobs of 16,500 California teachers

Much of the debate focused on the economy and illustrated the clear choice for voters between Boxer's call for greater government intervention and Fiorina's advocacy of a bevy of tax cuts that she said would give businesses more freedom to hire and expand.

Boxer accused Fiorina of opposing every recent job-creation effort in the Senate, including an education bill that provided California with $1.2 billion to save the jobs of 16,500 teachers, and a bill that would increase access to credit and extended tax breaks for small businesses. "Every time you really get past the surface, you see my opponent fighting for billionaires, for millionaires, for companies that shipped jobs overseas," Boxer said.

Fiorina said that the key to economic recovery was less government, taxation and regulation. "To create jobs, we need to make sure in particular our small businesses are freed from strangling regulation and freed from taxation," Fiorina said.

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

On Energy & Oil: Prop. 23: California clean energy policy creates jobs here

Fiorina criticized Boxer's efforts to pass federal legislation that would have cut greenhouse gas emissions through a program of emission permits. Boxer's bill, Fiorina said, "was completely the wrong track" and would have cost "trillions of dollars in lost economic output [and] millions of jobs."

But Fiorina declined to take a position on Proposition 23, the November ballot measure that would suspend California's landmark global warming law until unemployment drops to 5.5% or lower for four consecutive quarters.

Boxer seized on her opponent's reticence, using it as an excuse to return to Fiorina's record at HP: "If you can't take a stand on Prop. 23 I don't know what you will take a stand on," Boxer said. "If we overturn California's clean energy policies that's going to mean that China takes the lead away from us with solar, that Germany takes the lead away from us with wind. I want those jobs created here in America."

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

On Gun Control: Assault weapon ban has kept people safe

Fiorina restated her opposition to the federal assault weapons ban, saying the law is vague and ineffective. "We have loads of laws, and most of the time, criminals are breaking those laws and we are curtailing citizens' lawful rights to carry guns," she said. "The assault weapons ban is extremely arbitrary about what qualifies as an assault weapon."

Boxer countered that such bans have kept people safe. "To go back to that dangerous yesterday makes no sense," she said. "It has bipartisan support."

Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

On Immigration: Cosponsored DREAM Act: legal status from college or military

The candidates sparred over immigration. Fiorina reiterated her objections to comprehensive immigration reform. But in a nod to the importance of Latino voters, who make up 18% of the state's likely voters, Fiorina said for the first time Wednesday night that she would support the so-called DREAM Act, which would allow certain undocumented youths to earn legal status by attending college or serving in the military. It was a rare moment of agreement: Boxer is a co-sponsor of that bill.
Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate Sep 2, 2010

The above quotations are from 2010 California Senate Debates.
Click here for other excerpts from 2010 California Senate Debates.
Click here for other excerpts by Barbara Boxer.
Click here for a profile of Barbara Boxer.
Barbara Boxer on other issues:
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Jobs
Principles
Social Security
Tax Reform
Technology
War/Peace
Welfare
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Page last updated: Dec 02, 2018