Cain’s capitulation to the race-bating of the WaPo — coupled with his tacit agreement to mis-characterize the heckling of question as an anti-gay attack — suggests to me that Mr Cain is either listening to horrible advice from “seasoned” DC spin doctors, or else he’s doesn’t hold to the underlying principles of classical libreralism, making him just another candidate willing to allow electoral “pragmatism” carry him along the political jetstream.
Either way, it’s been a disappointing response to his sudden surge in the polls. To me, at least. Some in the GOP establishment likely find Cain more attractive as a candidate as a result both of such oblique pandering to the PC lobby, and a willingness to accept leftist framings as immutable forces of nature to be respected and feared rather than beaten back and repudiated.
I’m not interested in voting for Romney or Huntsman or Christie or anyone else who cedes institutional ground to leftism. And being black only buys you forgiveness from those who view your blackness as a marketing tool to begin with.
Sorry. But Herman’s got some backpedaling to do. Or else I’ll conclude that I now know all I really need to know about the guy, from the perspective of his political ambitions.
Yeah, me too. Kind of disappointing, if he doesn’t say “whoa, hold on…”
And I’ll only ever support Christie when he abruptly drops 80lbs in 60 days or something, and then appears on Oprah, grinning.
Has Cain said anything else about it except his response to a question on Fox? Is he “jumping” on Perry? One comment?
I say sit tight.
There’s plenty of time to reject Cain. We’ve got 13 months. I can give him a day to get the story straight.
Carin —
It’s a willingness to immediately accept the left media’s framing that concerns me.
he also talked to ABC the same day carin
Yea, well seeing as though I fell for the Media’s mischaracterization of Palin’s remarks … it happens. A comment is not a policy is not an agenda.
It’s funny, because did they ask any of the other candidates what they thought of the supposed Perry stone? no just ask the black guy.
Rush was just commenting about how these guys seem to shoot themselves in the foot the minute they become frontrunners. Perry did it. Cain’s doing that now, which is disappointing, as I do think he has alot to offer.
I can’t figure out what he thought he would gain by this. Democrat blacks will never vote for him and he is helping prop up the meme that republicans are inherently racist. I think this story is going to be way more damaging to Cain than to Perry.
Hard to say yet what the fallout is going to be. Depends on whether he doubles down (like Bachmann), pivots to attack the media for using him to further their malicious smear on Perry, or decides to hunker down and hopes it all goes away.
His reaction didn’t necessarily come from the goal of political gain. I mean, Oreo accusations aside, he is actually a black man. Faux racism is what conservatives are against, not actual racism. IF (as he may have thought) the story was true, it was appalling. Apparently the word was on the rock at one point and at issue is when it was painted over.
That issue (when it was painted over) is what he had yet to determine when he responded.
Cain certainly does ultimately succumb to Amanpour’s tendentious questioning (using false premisses) on the Don’t Ask,Don’t Tell booing after attempting to explain his own contemporaneous view of the situation, which happened to be in direct contradiction of Amanpour’s falsehoods:
Chris Christie in 2012!
TOO BIG TO FAIL!
How long till the MSM temporarily promotes Cain to an abosolute moral authority signifying that all “R”s are racists?
I’m just confused(not really). First I was a racist for not voting for and supporting Obama. Then I was a racist for having an interest in Cain as an “R” candidate. If Cain starts dropping, the next transmutation will be “R”s are racists because they are dropping Cain!
I think I have whiplash!
I have no problem with Cain’s response up there.
Cain: In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created, because of the different interpretations it could have had, yes, that probab– that would have been appropriate, but at the moment, it was not the focus of the people up there on that stage, I can assure you.
Amanpour: And what do you think when President Obama says “this is not the people we are. We are not so small as to boo anybody, much less a soldier serving and defending this country.”?
CAIN: I would agree with that statement.
He argues that that boo’d the question, most likely, and not the soldier. That if he could have avoided the entire controversy at the time by a comment – would have been good, no? The mischaracterization was a negative hit for conservatives with folks too stupid to dig behind the news.
As for agreeing with obama’s statement – we are not “too small” to boo soldiers, athough he could have taken the moment to criticize Obama’s interpretation of the issue. But, I suppose he wanted to get on point regarding Obama’s military cuts.
We parse every sentence, every word that comes out of their mouths. Not everyone can be as clear as jeff in every interview. They don’t have the luxury of editing the words once they leave their mouth.
Of course, if you guys would like to interpret my defense of Cain as REALLY REALLY NOT WANTING ROMNEY you won’t be very far off.
What Limbaugh has asked isn’t unreasonable though Carin. Cain can know going into the interview (assuming, of course, that he chooses to go into the interview) that Christiane Amanpour has never asked a non-tendentious question of a Republican in her life, and that therefore Cain can be fairly certain he can truthfully oppose every such question to exit her mouth, on principle, so to speak. So, here, he starts down the right path, it seems to me, but yields ground where it isn’t necessary to do.
I’m happy to part of the “anybody to the right of Romney” club, Carin.
I know! Let’s let the media pick a candidate for us!
I do have a problem with “Cain’s response up there,” which validated the false narrative being promoted by the Liar in Chief. In 2008, the GOP gave us a nominee whose highest priority was demonstrating his self-righteous “decency” by accepting liberal libels and piling on conservatives.
I’m not up for a repeat.
It’s funny how some are suggesting I’m a Cain basher — even though I’ve been a rather vocal Cain advocate (if not an endorser), and even though it was I who called BS on Hugh Hewitt when he tried to argue that “second and third-tier” candidates like Cain be kept off the stage after the very first debate.
“I know! Let’s let the media pick a candidate for us!”
You know what would be great is an experienced politician that can give politic answers to a hostile press, not some rube that speaks from the heart.
Huntsman 2012!
I do have a problem with “Cain’s response up there,” which validated the false narrative being promoted by the Liar in Chief.
I suppose I should have said I disagree with PART of his response. He let the Obama dealo “slide” it would seem to move on to more important issues. SHe was trying to “get” Cain, imho.
But, I guess I do have a problem with folks ready to dismiss Cain (for who/what alternative?!) for a few comments.
I hope you don’t think I’m accusing you of that, Jeff.
This entire dealo smacks of a set-up.
It’s a problem if you heart is telling you that to win the GOP nomination, you have to pander to the PC crowd and accept their attempts to demonize Republicans as anti-gay racists — and that you’re happy to do so so long as they’ll grant that you are the exception.
Herman needs to say he’s sorry for insinuating that Mr. Governor Perry is an evil racist and promise to be more careful in the future
I don’t know /feel that is what he was doing Jeff.
Although the media would LOVE us to believe that.
It would appear to go against everything he’s said up to this point.
His rising popularity means he’s going to have more opportunities to make mistakes when talking to the press.
I’m waiting.
I’m mostly waiting (for Cain’s next appearance) because I have no where else to go at this point.
Meanwhile:
Well, at least schedule it in the Senate.
Hey! Harry!
Herman needs to say he’s sorry for
insinuating that Mr. Governor Perry is an evil racisttrusting the MSM’s investigative skills and promise to be more careful in the future.fxt
I’m holding to my Anyone But Romney (Except Huntsman, But Get Real Anyway) stand on the GOP nomination. Neither Perry’s debate gaffes nor Cain’s interview gaffe bother me enough to oppose either man.
If I wanted perfect I’d be running myself.
waiting (for Cain’s next appearance)
it might be could be he’ll time it for when the story seems to be fading so he can give his media friends a fresh angle and keep the story alive for awhile…
every second what passes without an apology makes this scenario more likely I think
I’m more concerned with Cain’s willingness to accept the left’s framing than I an with Perry’s gaffes. But I am concerned about Perry’s immigration positions.
Precisely.
On Twitter, was just asked, “do you want to be right or do you want to win?” My response, “I want to win by being right. Why isn’t that option on the table, is what we need to be asking ourselves.”
Let’s put it this way: my problem is, Cain ennabled.
Well, I consider myself a real conservative, and I’m not withdrawing my support of Cain over any of this.
I don’t see pandering, race baiting or demonizing of republicans from any of his statements, and I’m not going to accept the medias false framing that he is doing any of that.
I can see how the likelihood of having to vote for Romney in 2012 has gone up though. Those guys in the media are good at what they do.
I see what you did there.
I’m not withdrawing my support because of what he said. I’ll think about withdrawing my support if he doesn’t react to what he’s now learned in a way that tells me he’s actually willing to fight against the left.
I suspect he will. But it’s important he know why some of us are disappointed, don’t you think?
Trusting who though Carin? It could be that Cain knew next to nothing about the WaPo article at air-time Sunday, except that it fingered Perry with niggerhead-rock. Or, it could be (I don’t know) that Cain trusted an aide to present him with a accurate precis of the WaPo article, but that the trusted aide focused on the testimony of some anonymous Dallas resident who said he saw the niggerhead-rock in the ’90s (unbeknownst to Cain), when Cain had not read the article for himself prior to appearing on the Sunday morning talk shows. Or, it could be that Cain took time to read the whole article himself, though in a hurried manner, and came away with a stupid take on it. Or, it could be that Cain parsed the article as carefully as Rush Limbaugh would do by air-time Monday noon (and decided, cynically, to attack Perry on racial grounds he understood were false). Or some other possibilities I may have left out here, since I don’t know.
We don’t know these sorts of details underlying Cain’s talking Sunday. Yet, they too would seem to matter in reaching a judgment about his responses, though these are separable questions, I think, from questions about what Cain chooses to do a day later, after he’s had time to consider where he’s placing himself, whatever the state of his knowledge which had obtained on Sunday.
But hey, mightn’t Cain have simply called Perry up and asked him what the deal was, before offering an opinion on the subject?
I’m hoping this turns out merely to be a consequence of the fact he’s not a politician.
These days it often turns out that the candidates who most slickly avoid media traps are just slightly-more-cunning-than-average Establicans. While the dunderheads among them continue to pander to the cocktail-party set by dissing the rank and file, there are nevertheless some that have heeded the writing on the wall from 2010 just enough to know that the most important thing for a Team R candidate is Tea Party cred, and if you can fake that you’ve got it made.
It remains to be seen. Meanwhile, I can hope.
maybe Cain was stung by the backlash against his comments about how blacks are all brainwashed and thought this was a good was to shore up his identity politics street cred
As for it taking time for Herman to respond to more complete information, it’s worth remembering that Priority One for a serious candidate is not, nor ever should be, finding out what the other guy really said/did so I can spend all my TV face time responding to it. That’s the problem I had with whoever it was being asked about Perry on immigration: It’s not Candidate A’s job to help Kneepad Mediots keep the focus on Candidate B.
He’s got his own campaign going on and his own message to push. Being in the top tier now undoubtedly means he’s kinda busy.
Just got retweeted by DL Hughley. I wrote: “Hey, wasn’t Perry a Democrat in ’83? Maybe he had Robert Byrd over and they hunted Ice-T”
a good *way* to shore up I mean
You know what this sorta reminds me of? Perry’s responses on questions regarding his immigration policies.
Conservatives are constantly slammed as racist haters when they’re motivated by law and order concerns. Perry didn’t deal with those concerns seriously and instead went with the shitty narrative because it was useful to him in that instance.
Same here. Conservatives are constantly slammed as racist haters with little to no evidence. Cain didn’t present that as an immediate given but rather played along with the hypothetical instead of just saying “No, thanks. You’re fundamentally untrustworthy, media person.”
Neither instance is a dead girl or live boy but it’s certainly not what you’d hope for in either case. Both in terms of honest debate but also in terms of dealing with the media and the one billion dollars in false advertising coming down the road.
she’s a brick and I’m drowning slowly
“But it’s important he know why some of us are disappointed, don’t you think?”
Sure.
“his comments about how blacks are all brainwashed “
Liar. He said “some” blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat.
Trying to get a job at MSNBC happyfeet?
Apparently, the slogan was Dennis Miller’s idea, but somebody came up with a Cain vs. Unable picture. If they start making bumper stickers, I’m in.
ok all the Democrat ones I mean
Some, not all. Some.
Maybe try saying it out loud.
Let’s put it this way: my problem is, Cain ennabled.
Whazzis face who headed the RNC did the same thing. Maybe it’s reflexive if you’ve been raised to believe certain things.
“Maybe it’s reflexive if you’ve been raised to believe certain things.”
Or experienced certain things.
Seems like there’s a pretty simple solution. Send a Marine into one of Obama’s G&L Fundraisers and have him say “I’m a heterosexual Marine and I don’t want any faggoty faggots serving with me.” Then record the booing and the hissing and the rending of garments and see what kind of defense this particular CinC mounts on the Marine’s behalf.
I mean, if you’re a CinC, you’ve got to stick up for our soldiers, right. You only can talk about how they fire bomb villages, killing women and children, when you’re not CinC. Once you’re CinC, you gotta give mad respect, right?
Yep. The one thing I brought away from my experience running for public office was, stay on message. Whether it’s the national Kneepad Media or just the local newspaper, they all complain about candidates waging negative attacks on each other, but then they all turn around and encourage candidates to wage negative attacks on each other.
I think it’s time for serious candidates to learn a nice little mantra to use whenever a Kneepad Mediot pulls something like this:
Whatsisname in the debate should have said that when asked if Perry was soft on immigration, and Cain should have said it when asked about that damned rock.
Nice deb:
Speaking outside Trump Tower today, Herman Cain dismissed the idea that he was trying to paint Rick Perry as a racist by having called Perry “insensitive” yesterday when asked about the “[N-word]head” rock on property Perry had leased.
“All I said was the mere fact that that word was there was ‘insensitive.’” Cain responded. “That’s not playing the race card. I am not attacking Gov. Perry. Some people in the media want to attack him. I’m done with that issue!”
The Perry campaign says that the rock was painted over years ago.
Cain asked reporters to focus on “what’s important to the American people” rather than “beat this distraction to death about a word that appeared on a rock.”
“I really don’t care about that word,” Cain added. “They painted over it. End of story! I accept Gov. Perry’s response on that.”
After meeting with Donald Trump, Cain come out and talked to the media again, saying he had “very much enjoyed” the con
I like that.
#58.
Good for Cain.
Cain is scheduled to be on Hannity’s show later today. Hannity, good
Yankee-loving moronsalesman that he is, hasn’t specified when exactly.#58: Good. Of course the Cain-phobes won’t be satisfied, but they’re just scared.
so Cain is thus far refusing to apologize?
OK, #58 gives me back some hope. Thanks for that.
He should apologize for what you think of him happyfeet, no matter what he thinks he was actually doing.
so Cain is thus far refusing to apologize?
who cares?
If anyone should apologize, it’s the media for the story.
he’s still trying to keep the issue alive – he’s not saying he looked at the facts and found the story silly beyond words… he’s doing the smarmy “I accept Perry’s response” thing – I’m done with “that issue” … meaning it’s still an issue in his mind (or he wants it to be on in yours)… just not an “issue” he needs to spend any further time on
but he hasn’t done a darn thing to disarm the sleazy race grenade he so recklessly hurled yesterday
what a cock
he wants it to be *one* in yours I mean
Exactly. You alone have the truth happyfeet, no matter what Cain thinks.
Mr. sdferr he should apologize for insinuating on national tv that Mr. Governor Perry is an insensitive racist. It would just be good manners.
yay! Amanda is free free free to scamper like a bunny in the meadow!
With not even a Clintonian *depending on what the meaning of is is*? Everyone likes the absence of that distinction much more better, certainly.
Satan worshipping sex fiend acquited on appeal. Ann Coulter hardest hit!
I’m not saying I wouldn’t happily vote for him I just think he’s of lesser character than I did a few days ago. Just like I think his demagoguery about the itinerant mexican peoples is not a little odious.
I’ll happily vote for anyone except Miss Mittens. Even lard-butt.
Very frustrating, jumping up and down on your cock to slow down the huge momentum shift headed your way. 24 hours to win or lose, and he should be singing hosannas for Andrew and Amanda.
I don’t think Ann appreciates how cute-as-a-button Amanda is.
“sleazy race grenade he so recklessly hurled yesterday”
you’re heartless
I’m just sayin
for old times sake how about a snowhoochie rant
Couldn’t agree with you more. I resent the way Perry equated belief in law and order with heartlessness.
I’m not feeling it Mr. newrouter in fact if it comes to pass, as looks increasingly likely, that this “snowhoochie,” as you say, has come to realize that her path is one what leads away from the presidency rather than towards it then I shall have to give her credit for her insightfulness, and perhaps rethink my feelings about her generally.
McGehee posted on 10/3 @ 1:19 pm
Or better yet: “I’m not here to talk about ( candidate blank), I’m here to talk about (my policy positions).”
I think Ann appreciates Amanda’s Littlest Pet Shop pet qualities even more than you ‘feets.
she’s just darling
“rethink feelings?” Hmmm. I think I see the problem.
“Mr. sdferr he should apologize for insinuating on national tv that Mr. Governor Perry is an insensitive racist. “
I think what he insinuated was that painting nigger on a rock is insensitive to black people. Gov Perry agrees. So, no problem.
“Since Gov. Perry has been going there for years to hunt, I think that it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”
“They painted over it. End of story! I accept Gov. Perry’s response on that.”
I love a happy ending, and probably the rock even got a new coat of paint!
You’re quote seems to be missing a word.
What’s that Ernst?
That was for 87 Lee, you got in ahead of me.
an eric erikson pikachu
she looks like magda apanowicz I think
Imagine how much trouble she’d be in today if she looked like Lotte Lenya?
That’s specific, but I think mine conveys better the contempt for the Mediots’ “let’s you and him fight” crapola.
Besides, sometimes Candidate A is there to talk about Candidate B. He just needs to tell the Mediots to shut up and back off.
That, or scurvy. Or some of them brain worms.
That is what primaries are at least in good part about, why you should nominate me and not that guy or the other guy.
Exactly, Pablo — on his own schedule and for his own reasons.
[…] for Cain’s refusal to give Perry a pass (which he deserved, by the way, having been faultness in yet another manufactured “scandal” aimed at a conservative […]
[…] that when Cain accepted the left’s framing of the Perry “Niggerhead” story, I was quite hard on him — and for precisely the same reason I’ve been defending Cain against thinkly-sourced […]