On radio Friday, Glenn declared Carly Fiorina the winner of Thursday's “second-tier” debate, calling her “wicked smart, really well put together and someone you could see in office.”
Joining him on air for an interview, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard took the opportunity to clarify her position on several issues, including one Glenn admitted he may have misjudged her on - big government.
Watch Fiona's comments and Glenn's reaction in the video below.
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it may contain errors.
GLENN: This audience is a little different than most audiences. They are -- they are very, very well read. They know what's going on. And they know what they believe. And what they don't believe in is giant progressive government. And there are progressives in both parties. It's not a liberal or conservative thing. Or a Democrat and Republican thing. It is a Constitution or this new idea of the progressives. And when I say new, I mean in the last hundred years. Where do you fall on that scale? Because I've seen some of -- you know, some of the things that you believe in, and you seem to be a little big government. Fair to say?
CARLY: Oh, my goodness. No. Not at all fair to say. Not at all fair to say. I'm sorry you feel that way. Let me try to clear that up for you and your listeners. Here's what happened. When big government gets bigger, only the big, the powerful, the wealthy, and the well connected can handle it. It's called crony capitalism. And you are right. Both Republicans and Democrats alike have created crony capitalism. Have furthered crony capitalism. It is what people who have been in the status quo, politics, all their lives do because that system, that status quo benefits them. The truth is, the only way you can level the playing field so that the small and the powerless can prosper is to reduce the power of government.
I started out as a secretary in a little nine-person real estate firm. My husband, Frank, started out driving a tow truck for a family-owned auto body shop. It's how most people start. And so when we have government crushing the potential of this nation -- and that's what we have. You know, you mentioned God. And I'm glad you did, and I know you're a man of great faith. And I'm a woman of faith. Jesus Christ has seen me through some very difficult times. But when I was a little girl, my mother said to me, what you are is God's gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God.
This, I believe, is the fight we must have. I as a conservative believe every one of us is gifted by God. No one of us is any better than any other one of us. Every one of us has the capacity and the desire to live a life of dignity and purpose and meaning. This government is now crushing the potential of this nation and too many people in it. And progressives honestly believe, it's okay to crush people's potential because progressives believe, some of us are smarter than others. Some of us are better than others. So some of us are going to take others. The core of conservatism is not just the value of life, but the gift in every life. And the core of progressivism is nah, actually some of us know better than the rest of you. That is why government has to get cut down to size. Because it is crushing the potential of this nation. And crushing the nation of too many Americans.
GLENN: Well, I'm comfortable with that answer.
Carly, I'm sorry. You know, I was gone for a month. And I know you came out and met with Dana. And was on Dana's show. And did a fantastic job. But I hope we have a chance to actually sit down, the two of us with our cameras and really kind of go over some things. Because I think you are a very smart woman. And you obviously handle yourself very, very well. And we are looking for fresh faces. And I hope we have that opportunity to do that again.
CARLY: Well, Glenn, I would be delighted. I will back through Texas in the not-too-distant future. And I would truly, truly love to do that.
GLENN: Well, that's good. We'll schedule it.
CARLY: We'll make sure that happens.
GLENN: Thank you very much, Carly. And congratulations last night.
CARLY: Thank you, Glenn. God bless.
GLENN: God bless. Carly Fiorina.
Every time she's on, I like her.
PAT: She is strong every time, man. This is her third time in the last six months or so?
GLENN: Yeah. Every time she's on, I like her.
PAT: She's on. And I keep hearing, well, don't be fooled by Carly Fiorina, she's a liberal. Well, I'm looking through all of the issues here and where she stands on them, I can't find where she's a liberal.
GLENN: It's so weird because the last time she was on, I thought we had done some more research and we had seen some things that we were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, big government here. And so if somebody can point this out or if we can go back and look at the research for about three or four months ago on her -- because when I said that, I couldn't remember what it was.
STU: Yeah.
PAT: But we knew there was something.
GLENN: We knew there was something.
Yeah. And she is a California. We have to be clear. But so was Ronald Reagan. So was Ronald Reagan.
PAT: Yeah.
STU: The one thing you get from her every time is her competence.
PAT: She's solid.
STU: She's just all over it.