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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

The Packards Want Carly Fiorina to Pack It In

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  March 8th, 2010 at 05:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

“If Ms. Fiorina is what passes for conservative in Washington today, then the establishment has veered sadly to the left,” writes Arianna Packard, grand daughter of David Packard, the co-founder of HP, in a letter RedState has obtained a copy of.

Back at the turn of the 21st century, David Woodley Packard, the son of the founder, went to war against Carly Fiorina over the HP-Compaq merger. Vanity Fair documented the merger wars. It was not pretty. Both the Hewletts and the Packards opposed the merger.

The bitterness from the merger wars lingers on.

Ms. Packard’s letter, written to Senators Inhofe, Coburn, and Kyl relating to their endorsement of Carly Fiorina, makes for interesting reading and signals that the heirs of HP intend to take her down. They lost once and they don’t want to lose again.

“I know a little bit about Carly Fiorina, having watched her almost destroy the company my grandfather founded. So, allow me to disillusion you of a few of your stated reasons for supporting her,” Ms. Packard writes before detailing, rather unflatteringly, Carly Fiorina’s tenure at Hewlett-Packard.

You can read the whole letter here. Game on in California. This comes on the heels of Carly Fiorina losing the California Republican Assembly’s endorsement by a 2/3 vote despite receiving Coburn, Inhofe, and Kyl’s letter supporting her.

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COMMENTS

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  • http://www.BTWsociety.org racvt

    Now there’s an Arianna who knows how to “Huff” and puff.
    I expect she will blow the house down.

  • RedBeard

    Do Coburn, Inhofe, and Kyl actually believe that a conservative cannot win in California? Or are they just so insulated in the D.C. insider bubble that they can’t see what is happening out in the real world? I have to believe that they are upstanding men, not deliberately trying to mess things up, so those are the only two reasons that would explain their behavior.

    If the former is true, have they forgotten Ronald Reagan entirely? If the latter is true, the case is made for term limits.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Call it the lost decade if you will, but at the end of the day you can thank the Packard’s and their sniveling cohorts for destroying HP.

    When Carly succeeded Platt at HP the company was already well on it’s way to financial destruction. Many of the decisions to break up parts of HP were a fait accompli and frankly a result of poor mismanagement for years which took place under the Packard’s tutelage. Carly’s decision to merge with Compaq was probably one of the moves that saved HP from financial ruin and kept them relevant in the market.

    The first few years under Fiorina saw a drop in the stock price because of the drastic restructuring and positioning that was long overdue (with the Packard’s fighting all the way- I might add). By the time she left the company was recovering and has trended up since then without any fundamental change in strategy.

    We can argue (and we will) whether Fiorina is the right candidate for the role she currently seeks. But for the Packard’s to continue their fight for grandpappys inheritance vis a vis this campaign, as some type of conservative standard bearer is laughable and patently dishonest nonsense.

  • closetcon

    Arianna Packard for Senate!

    You go, girl.

  • archer52

    “Completely unqualified.” That is what my buddy said about her early on. When she was picked to head HP a good number of savvy observers were doing a Homer Simpson head slap.

    Seeing her in action with McCain and seeing her speak it becomes obvious she may be a nice person but she is farther left than she is letting on. When I hear her take a supposedly hard position on something obvious my impression of her is “squishy”. She’s the kind of person who will sell us down the river in a blink of an eye, like a female McCain. McCain had said he was looking for his replacement. Graham is obviously one, Fiorina is another. Great, they are reproducing like Gremlins. Sprinkle a little big government water on them and “bing, bing, bing,” you have a bucket load of little global warming loving, big government enacting, aisle crossing, MSM loving furry RINO’s running around!

    Great, like we don’t have enough trouble. I listened to Devore once and went “Now that guy gets it.” Sprinkle big government water on him and he’ll only get wet and probably pissed.

  • RedBeard

    Was she the cause of the incredible lapses in customer service, or did that decline start before her? I don’t know. But she apparently did nothing to fix the problems that drove us away.

    I remember HP when the company was the gold standard of the industry. Sad to watch the fall.

  • cwilson

    HP’s reputation, and it happened under Fiorina’s watch (or close enough to Fiorina’s ouster that she got tarred with it too).

    The company concern over leaks from its board began while Fiorina was chief executive. She asked the Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to interview board members to discover the leak. But nothing came of that investigation. After Hurd succeeded Fiorina, the leaks stopped.

    Now, granted, Fiorina may have been the victim of the boardroom leaks. However, CEO Fiorina initiated an outside investigation, and (later) Chairwoman Dunn continued it. It was this second investigation — after Fiorina’s removal — that used unethical means (“pretexting” — awful close to identity theft) and led to the 2006 scandals.

    So, with regards to the spying scandal, Fiorina may have been more sinned-against than sinning, but…the fact that she was involved at all didn’t help her or HP.

  • cwilson

    My last two laptop computers have been Compaqs, and I’ve been pretty happy with them.

  • edintexas

    Marcus_Traianus wrote:

    “But for the Packard?s to continue their fight … as some type of conservative standard bearer…”

    I didn’t see this as Ms Packard, or any Packard not signing the letter, claiming to be a “conservative standard bearer”. Pointing out what one believes to be errors someone has made while supporting a candidate isn’t claiming to be a Conservative (or even being conservative).

    I don’t have the proverbial dog in this hunt, though you apparently do. It would be more helpful if you addressed those political issues (as opposed to business background at HP) you believe Ms. Packard had wrong (e.g. Fiorina’s voting record, or lack thereof, the alleged position on taxing the Internet, etc.). Or at least why we should believe Fiorina IS conservative. This letter may well be (make that probably is) a continuation of a business vendetta, but is it untruthful with respect to the politics involved?

  • erp617

    Wow.

    Presidential politics have fallen to a new low when corporate differences can be aired in our national deliberative body with heirs to fortunes making points in public against those they blame for the drop in the huge fortune left to them by their grandpa.

    Poor baby. This is disgraceful.

    Let the voters choose.

  • red_oakster

    Fiorina waged a highly divisive fight to get the merger through. She burned bridges and it cost her enough support to eventually force her out. But the deal itself, reinforced by excellent leadership from her successor Mark Hurd, revitalized HP.

    There are reasons to be critical of Fiorina, but this isn’t one of them.

    In the meantime, Devore is going nowhere. If he doesn’t turn it around soon, this will be a race between Fiorina and Campbell, who is an anti-Israel RINO. I for one will take Fiorina in a heartbeat over both Campbell and Boxer.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    and the allegations were against the Directors.

    I believe if you read what Fiorina has written, it may provide more balance. The people who largely opposed to Fiorina at the beginning both directly and indirectly tried to sabotaged her at the expense of the company.

    Certainly folks can and will argue about who did the most damage. But for the Packard’s to take their personal fight into the political arena, under the guise of being some contributory, conscionable action is mendacity of the highest degree.

    As an aside, she is not my choice in that race. But an honest reading of the facts will show the moves she made as CFO (and tried to make, some which were completed after her departure) were not responsible for the sad state HP was in.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Apparently, the Packard’s have a “dog in this hunt” and now are the political conscience in that race. Right. Their motivations are purely motivated by enriching the public good. That’s why they are trying to harpoon her candidacy and it has nothing to do with continuing their corporate grudge match. If you believe that, I have some vacation pictures I would like to share with you of me and a real Centaur.

    This is a perfect example of behavior that voters deplore and have come to expect from Democrats, courtesy of the Packard’s. They have now supplanted the liberal view with their own and did their dirty work. Congratulations.

    Frankly, this is exactly the type of behavior that has destroyed our party- dealing publicly in personal vendettas vis a vis third parties, disputed, alleged “facts” and other attempts to invoke death through salaciousness. It does zero to educate the voters.

    Ms. Fiorina is definitely not my candidate in that race for reasons which have zero to do with HP. So before being so presumptuous as to beclown yourself, it’s always good to operate from known facts, not emotions. That advise is free.

  • lockedandloaded

    Packard brings up two excellent points:

    1) It was intellectually dishonest of the senators to avoid mentioning that DeVore is a part of this race. I was immediately struck by this when I read their letter.

    2) Who knew that Infofe’s nephew was a part of the Fiorina campaign? This has the stench of nepotism mingled with the foul aroma of good-ole-boy backscratching, else we might have seen more senators signing their names to it.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Bottom line- HP would probably be a footnote in some business class if it wasn’t for Fiorina. That’s a business judgment based on over twenty years in the financial business. It has zero to do with her as a candidate and my personal feeling on her hair color and whether she offended my very fragile sensibilities.

    But let’s follow the Packard’s advice and beat up on Fiorina the candidate because it’s so righteous and has nothing to do with personalities! Sure.

  • larueladue

    Especially in Tom Coburn. I am not at all sure what motivated their letter. It doesn’t make any sense at all…

  • JoeG

    “Carly?s decision to merge with Compaq was probably one of the moves that saved HP from financial ruin and kept them relevant in the market. ”

    Printers made the bulk of the profit then and make the bulk of the profit now. Carly paid WAY to much for Compaq. She could have bought Lenovo for 1/5th the price paid for Compaq.

    One of her actions destroyed the pension for HP workers. Compaq employees were extended the HP pension, crediting all of the years they were with Compaq towards HP service years. She gave some people 100′s of thousands of dollars that they didn’t earn, and in the process broke the HP pension. With the over $1 billion in unfunded liabilities once it was extended to the Compaq employees, the program had to be cut, taking it away from the younger HP employees.

    Giving away other people’s money? Sounds like a liberal, huh?

  • JoeG

    Carly had nothing to do with the pre-texting scandal. That was Dunn.

    Other than that, she sucks…

  • hickorystick

    “Shares of Palo Alto-based HP rose nearly 7% after Fiorina’s dismissal was announced. They have fallen more than 50% since she was named CEO in July 1999.
    http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/10/business/fi-carly10

  • hickorystick

    “All of this might be forgivable if Ms. Fiorina had the proven record of
    conservatism on the issue that you attribute to her. Sadly she doesn’t.She can’t even say that she’s participated, having voted in only five of the last 18 elections in California, neve rvoted in New Jersey and never even registered in Maryland. In 2008, she went so far as to say,”I’ve not been politically active before. Never had an affiliation before.Didn’t even know the key issues.”
    Yah, thats what this country needs, another ignoramous in the Senate. Tom Campbell at least has spent time serving his State and country, rather than himself. I would love DeVore to win, but let’s dump Carly as an option first.

  • billbowen

    I’m glad Ms. Packard got this out in the open – anyone in the high-tech industry in Califronia knows the background of Carly’s tenure at HP (and Lucent before that). Personally I think Lew Platt should be hung up by his thumbs for selecting her to run HP – BTW, he once admitted in an interview that Carly was picked to run HP because she was a woman, NOT because she was the best qualified (which dovetails with her utterances on affirmative action).

    Carly’s track record in the private sector IS a valid issue to examine now that she wants a “promotion”. Does the Packard family have a few “axes to grind” – yep, but the facts are the facts.

    I was at the HP Roseville, CA campus the day Carly was fired. Two observations. The first thing I observed was in the lobby – a reproduction of the painting of HP’s founders Bill Hewitt & Dave Packard that hangs in the main lobby of HP’s HQ, but right next to that painting was one of overall equal size of Carly (which means the image of the person was larger since only one person is in the second picture). I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about the size of her ego.

    The second observation – when the announcement was made that Carly had been fired, nearly EVERYONE in the entire office stood up and LOUDLY cheered, including the front desk receptionist!! I’ll have to admit I joined in once I knew what the applause was about.

    Of the 4 possibilities in the Senate race out here this year Carly would be my second to last choice (Boxer’s re-election being the worst possible outcome). I’m no fan of Campbell (since he is an anti-Israel RINO) and DeVore, even though he is right on the issues, is running a very poor campaign. I would have been much happier if the Senators would have just stayed out (same with Palin and McCain). Outsiders should stay out of contested primaries.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    In 1999 when Fiorina took over HP was the number 5 computer maker (barely). When she left in 2005 they were number 2 and had gained something close to 17% market share over the previous year.

    Remember by the late 1990′s when she took over relatively “new” guys like Dell were hitting an innovative stride and grabbing huge chunks of market share. Old timers like the Packard’s were on the verge of becoming dinosaurs due to their “milk the same old paradigm” strategy. By the way, I don’t fault old man Packard for that lack of vision. It was the bunch of stiffs running the company into the ground for years. I remember making bets before Fiorina took over how long HP would last before they went under or were bought. When she came in and bought Compaq I thought- wow, she has some stones- it was a gutsy move that ensured the companies survival. By the way, on that subject- where are all the people who were crying Carly “bought” shareholder votes to get the merger approved?….That’s what I thought.

    Again, Carly is not my top candidate in that race. But we could fence all day on the business judgment which I personally believe works in Carly’s favor.

    Come to think of it, Arianna should shut up. Carly is the only reason she still has a trust fund.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Do you really think a company can survive solely on the basis of printers? Do you seriously think diversifying a companies P&L (especially in that business) is short-sighted? If yes, apparently, HP doesn’t agree with you since they continue to do things like acquire 3com.

    Did you know that by 2003 they trimmed something like $3 billion in operating costs? How about considering the monumental changes in their peer group and market trends which Carly had to bring the insane corporate clown posse at HP screaming into.

    Did you know that by 2006 HP’s PSG earned higher net revenue than ISG? Or how about that TSG earned higher than both? Obviously you don’t. Otherwise you would not make such silly, false statements.

    Insider? Brohahahaha. I already said she in not my preferred candidate (even though we may end up dealing with her irrespective). However, I can operate in the securities/credit markets and perform simple tasks like reading a balance sheet and analyzing industry trends. So business wise, she has some compelling traits- candidate-wise- not so much.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Arianna neglected to tell you she directly contributed to Chuck Devore’s campaign. But really, she is just trying to address her personal concerns.

    By the way, irrespective of the uninformed posters in this thread, I like Chuck and have no issue with her contribution. It’s the rampant cannibalism that seems especially misguided.

    As an aside, she also contributed heavily to McCain. Is that her kind of “conservative”- just askin?

  • hickorystick

    comes from printer ink and medical devices, as compared to computer sales? what beside printer ink did she sell to Iran? GE made a lot of dough selling to Iraq, including wires for anti-aircraft missiles, between the wars.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Is that in line with conservative ideals that Ms. Packard proposed to be speaking of?

    http://www.packard.org/categoryDetails.aspx?RootCatID=3&CategoryID=307

  • hickorystick

    I like what you have to write in general, I just cannot stand Carly Fiorina. She is an unqualified, backstabbing, newbie Republican. She will probably endorse Boxer when she has to leave the race, and trash the Republicans. She is already calling a fellow republican soft on terror, and anti-Israel.
    Dont take it personally. This is the perfect time to weed out RINO’s; early in the primary. In the letter, Arianna states Carly’s new found awareness of politics. If she has been drawn into the R’s by McCain, you have to wonder which side of him was appealing to her. Personally, i think McCain offered his support to her if she would come in and help bailout Palin. She arrived because of feminism if my guess is correct, which is fine, unless thats all she’s got.

  • Sean Davis

    Under Fiorina’s leadership, HP underperformed the market by 50%. Since her firing, the company has outperformed the market by 150%. Those numbers are remarkable. It’s no accident that the company lost 60% of its value under her watch, or that the stock immediately rallied when her firing was announced. Fiorina’s record is one of massive destruction of economic value. She’ll be a perfect fit in the U.S. Senate.

  • RedBeard

    It’s Fiorina’s political agenda.

  • wygk

    Fiorina’s tenure at HP is regarded as an absolute failure by business analists and by HP employees.

    Please take the time to read what HP employees and alumi who worked under Fiorina have to say about her:

    http://www.carly-fiorina.com

  • hickorystick

    and I would like to know what that is, before she is allowed to continue trashing other Republicans.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    As you can tell, I really don’t care for Carly as a candidate either. But I am also resigned to the facts;
    - She may be the eventual candidate
    - HP as a diversified company is better off today because of her tenure, irrespective of the personality differences
    - Using her tenure at HP as some type of negative candidates proxy is foolish and destructive in an economy where people with business experience (mostly) can be strong leaders
    - This tactic of destroying candidates with questionable attacks that don’t reveal all the facts ticks voters off, especially independents

    We should keep the pressure up on Fiorina to support our agenda. But frankly, having some neophyte with a vendetta to pursue is not the way to go.

  • Menlo

    She should go with the rest of the HP decision-makers to see the conditions of the Chinese slaves who injure themselves for 10 cents an hour to make the cheap junk they sell over here.

  • BA Cyclone

    The more subscribers we get to the politics of the prevailing wisdom…hitch our wagons to the least-offensive moderate…the more we get the least common denominator for a candidate.

    We do not need “purity” in all things right-wing, but on some things there can be little compromise.

    Particularly in these days, I would hope we cannot compromise on fiscal conservativism, if not outright fiscal constraint…even fiscal revolution (of budgets).

  • allergic2libspin

    Earlier youtube videos, news articles and public statements made by Fiorina clearly indicate she is NOT conservative. She only changed course once she realized Chuck DeVore is a true threat to her perceived entitlement of holding the next Senate seat.

    When she says she is “personally” pro-life, what’s that all about? Not exactly an answer of clarity or conviction for a woman who is no longer in her childbearing years. Yeah, so, she wouldn’t personally have an abortion but she would consider pro-choice for others?

    Fiorina supports “net neutrality” under the guise of protecting women and children. Give me a break. Perhaps Fiorina hasn’t considered PERSONAL AND PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY. What a concept.

    She may or may not be business savvy, but I would venture to say she lacks the understanding of the fundamental principles this great nation was founded on. To have no public service record, and to have only VOTED in elections 5 times in the last 20+ years hardly reflects a commitment to Congressional business and protecting the Constitution.

    As a woman, I find her extremely offensive to even suggest “only a woman can beat Barbara Boxer”. Perhaps Carly would like to seek an endorsement from N.O.W.

    Chuck DeVore (the REAL CANDIDATE) is an intelligent, articulate and principled candidate with a well rounded background in the military, private sector and public sector.

    Please consider supporting Chuck:
    https://chuckdevore.com/donate/?ref=6beccm

  • cwilson

    “It was this second investigation ? after Fiorina?s removal ? that used unethical means”

    “Fiorina may have been more sinned-against than sinning”

    …but, ask my only-somewhat-tuned-in Dad about “that female ex-CEO of HP that’s running for Senate in California” and you get “wasn’t there something about corporate spying?”

    So…”close enough to Fiorina?s ouster that she got tarred with it too”. Sure, it’s not fair that her reputation and political fortunes are affected by something OTHER people did, sometime around the era she ran HP. But life isn’t fair, and she DID get tarred with it, fair or not.

    However, it’s entirely fair that Fiorina’s left-wing stands are hurting her in the Republican primary. (To me, the funniest thing about the demonsheep ad was the fact that it played MUCH better if turned around; Carly is the “real” liberal-in-conservative-clothing)

  • http://www.voteforteri2010.com teridavisnewman

    You know why HP paid millions to get rid of Carly Fiorina?
    IT WAS WORTH IT!!!!

    Go Chuck Go!!

  • JSobieski

    I wouldn’t vote for her in the primary under any scenario, and in November, I would require a clothspin on the nose.