Not What It Looks Like

The Republicans are often under siege for waging a war against women and are commonly on defense over gender equality. However, on appearances, the party has long been pegged as the party for old white men. In recent years though, the party has been trying to make strides to improve perceptions. Going back the past two election cycles, the GOP has featured candidates such as Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin (as Vice President). This specific cycle is teasing out the potential inclusion of Governor Nikki Haley on the GOP ticket.

That brings us to Carly Fiorina.

Ever since announcing her candidacy, she has endured a roller-coaster ride between the lower and middle tiers of the Republican field, made headline news feuding with Donald Trump, and has generally stood her ground on every matter that has crossed her. Yet, she hasn't been able to catch fire and make a sustained run at a top-tier position.

Now, we have a conundrum. The lower-tier candidates have begun dropping out post-poor performances at the Iowa Caucus, but there are too many candidates for the main stage and not enough for the lower card debate. What this now unfortunately means for Mrs. Fiorina is that she's left without a stage as the candidate currently at the low end of the totem pole.

Everyone involved is acting 100% in accordance with the rules of the debate stage, but one almost needs to pause to ask if this is truly the wisest move for the Republican party. While it's certainly 'not what it looks like', the appearance is that the GOP is kicking the only woman in the race in their party to the curb. Perhaps in other years it might not be such a faux pas, but when the leading candidate in the opposing party is a woman, it certainly hurts any bona fides the party might be trying to establish.

Mrs. Fiorina would make the eighth participant on the debate stage on Saturday night, and the GOP has certainly showcased more candidates than that in previous debates. Of course though, it is more than likely that even a strong performance on the debate stage this weekend would yield negligible positive results for her. That's not the point.

The GOP can't afford any slip-ups that leave voters seeing them as unfair to women, especially as the general election comes up and the Republican ticket is probably pitted against Hillary Clinton. The notable exclusion of Carly Fiorina is truly not so egregious, but it's but another nail in the fence that holds back a broader base of women's support to the GOP.

In an another election that is likely to be so close (based on current head to head polls), any actions to estrange a constituency is simply bad for business for the Republican party.

Ultimately, there is no blow-back on the GOP and it helps mend the current public scourges against the party for excluding the only woman in the race on this side. Putting her back on the stage takes away minimal air time from the more main-stream candidates and alleviates the distraction that could likely be a factor in the social media realm during the debate.

Narrowing it down a little further, this is the morally correct thing to do. For so many candidates, next Tuesday will be the end of the road and everyone deserves the chance to make a very public final pitch. To deny that opportunity is contrary to American democratic principles. The GOP's best move is to reverse course and allow Mrs. Fiorina to participate this weekend. It might be the only play.