Daenerys Targaryen vs. Katniss Everdeen for President
We could have two women leaders to choose between.
WITH TWO SIZZLING debate performances, Carly Fiorina has emerged as the It Girl of the Republican field, the only "girl" in a field that looks like Favorite Boss Day at a Mormon theme park.
(Byko Note: I use the word "girl" in a metaphorical way, not sexist. If I were to remark on her figure, that would be sexist.)
Her slim figure was pylon-straight when - offered a slow pitch by CNN's Jake Tapper to respond to Donald Trump's bald-faced comment - she eviscerated the Trump-et. Using one sentence as a left jab to set it up, she followed with a right cross of this simple declarative sentence: "I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said."
Her mouth was set in a grim line, appropriately. She was well-rehearsed and serious.
Hillary Clinton is the Democratic It Girl, the feminine flower among the male weeds.
The Democrats won't debate until Oct. 13 and - barring Clinton's arrest or deportation - she will be the candidate to beat.
Carly is Hillary's most ferocious critic, hitting her with the hardest shots, calling her a liar during the debate.
While the political chattering class saw that as a shocking breach of (nonexistent) debate etiquette, it's not such a stretch. In last month's Quinnipiac University word-association poll, "liar" was the word most often selected to describe Hillary, followed by "dishonest." For Trump, it was "arrogant" and "blowhard."
The Quinnipiac poll didn't play the word-association game with Carly because 57 percent couldn't pick her out of a lineup.
I would die for a Hillary/Carly matchup next year. Call it my girl-on-girl political fantasy.
It would guarantee our first woman president, so we'd finally get that monkey off our backs.
Let's look at their preliminary bouts.
In 2008, Hillary went into the presidential race as the sure winner, then was taken out by a Illinois candidate with no resume, but a great smile and speech.
In 2010, Carly challenged three-term California Sen. Barbara Boxer. She was beaten 52-42, with six points scattered among four independents.
In one sense, they're both losers, but in a greater sense, they have risen higher than most men. Hillary ran the State Department, Carly ran Hewlett-Packard. Each was criticized for her efforts.
To extract them from politics, I am casting them as literary figures. I thought about everything from Little Women to Nancy Drew to A Little Princess, looking for the right fit.
For me, Hillary is The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen. She has enemies, faces them with courage and seeks to dispatch them. Her independence lets her accept emotional unavailability from her male companion, but is there when he needs her. Or not.
A strong role model.
I picture Carly as Daenerys Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire a/k/a "Game of Thrones." Starting as a princess, Daenerys found herself positioned against the males who ruthlessly run the kingdoms. Over time, she acquired the ruthlessness to kill without remorse. Carly started as a secretary, but learned the art of firing thousands of employees to help keep stock value up.
Another strong role model.
If the presidential race turns out to be a female mano a mano, that should bench the tiresome "war on women" meme and we'll hear competing ideas on how to fix America from two strong, successful women.
I think we're ready for that.
Email: stubyko@phillynews.com
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