Posted on 10/31/2011 6:33:03 PM PDT by markomalley
Not many presidential candidates would break into a gospel song of forgiveness and redemption for a packed room of reporters who have spent the day doggedly inquiring about allegations of sexual harassment.
But not many candidates are Herman Cain.
The Republican presidential contender spent a whirlwind Monday grappling with potentially devastating reports that he behaved in an inappropriate sexual manner toward two women who worked for him when he was president of the National Restaurant Association. Both women were reportedly offered, and accepted, settlement proposals that included five-figure payouts and confidentiality agreements, according to reports.
But that news, which would send some candidates underground, seemed to embolden Cain, who spent the day passionately denying the charges with his trademark forthrightness.
The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO began his morning with what was supposed to be a sleepy economic analysis of his 9-9-9 economic plan at the American Enterprise Institute. But at the event, which was not sold out as of late last week, Cain found a gaggle of camera crews staking out the parking garage and members from nearly every major media outlet camped in the audience.
Attendees seemed surprised by the commotion, with many learning of Cain’s alleged harassment for the first time over a breakfast spread of fruit and croissants.
Organizers begged the audience to keep questions related to Cain’s economic proposals, at one point cutting off the microphone of ABC News’s Jonathan Karl, who began to ask the former businessman about the brewing scandal.
“I’m going by the ground rules that my host has set,” Cain said, conceding that he would “take all of the arrows later.”
But as the hour of economic analysis and policy discussion concluded, Cain seemed to sense a palpable desire that he address the allegations that threatened to upend his candidacy. Leaving the dais, Cain stopped briefly and addressed the assembled crowd.
“Yes, I do have a sense of humor. Some people have a problem with that,” Cain said. Then, smiling, Cain added: “Herman be Herman, and Herman is gonna stay Herman.”
That philosophy — one of unafraid, possibly even impolitic conviction and moral certainty — has won Cain favor in a Republican field where voters are hesitant to embrace the more polished and experienced Mitt Romney.
And it was the philosophy Cain relied upon for the remainder of the day, deciding to take the issue on directly in the hope that voters might appreciate his candor.
From the panel at AEI, Cain was rushed past reporters into an SUV and ushered to the Fox News studios, where he planned to address the controversy for the first time.
But even the scene at Fox was unusual, as a power outage in the building left hallways and offices dark.
Just outside the pitch-black green room before his Halloween appearance, Cain adamantly denied the charges to Fox reporters. He was defiant and jovial, sternly answering questions while cracking jokes to lighten the mood. As he headed for his TV hit, his chief of staff, Mark Block, and others wandered out to the newsroom, powered by a generator, to watch Cain’s appearance.
Cain flatly denied the allegations during his interview, saying that while incidents had been investigated during his time as president of the National Restaurant Association, the accusations were “absolutely false” and “baseless.” Cain did acknowledge that the association might have authorized settlement payments to his accusers, but said he had no knowledge of it doing so.
He also explained the absence of his wife.
“It was a conscious decision, because my adult daughter, with her kids, she has a life, my son, he has children, they have a life and my wife represents that calm and tranquility that I look forward to seeing when I get home,” Cain said. “We are running an unconventional campaign and the involvement of my family is also going to be unconventional, although you will see them on a selected basis.”
Following the Fox interview, Cain answered more questions, telling The Hill that he sees some similarities between his situation and the controversy that dominated Justice Clarence Thomas’s confirmation hearings in 1991.
He also acknowledged that the charges will cost him “a few votes.”
“I don’t think it’s going to cost us a lot, because I believe people who have connected with me and my message — they have also looked at my record and they, you know, see me as a person of integrity and character,” Cain said.
From Fox, Cain and his team headed back across the city toward the National Press Club, where reporters had camped out since the early morning in anticipation of his remarks. Cain was quickly ushered upstairs for a meeting with advisers, with cameras tracking him even as he walked down a glass-enclosed hallway visible from the club’s foyer.
Block, who lingered in the hallway, was swarmed by reporters who asked the chief of staff to confirm whether the campaign had been given the name of the women who accused Cain of inappropriate behavior. On Fox News, Cain had said that part of the reason the campaign had not prepared a response was that it did not want to validate anonymous reports.
From there, reporters rushed to nab a spot within the ballroom, quickly filling not just the main floor, but an auxiliary balcony for overflow crowds. Some reporters attempted to argue and barter with the unrelenting Press Club staff manning the door while others shrugged and headed to the bar, where the C-SPAN stream of the event was being carried.
Cain spoke at length about how his executive experience would inform a Cain presidency, at one point chronicling how Godfather’s Pizza was expanding quickly, “trying to do too much with too little too fast” — a charge that might be leveled at the Cain campaign, struggling even before Monday with the weight of high expectations. But he seemed ready to engage the press on what he acknowledged without prompting was “today’s news story,” telling the assembled crowd he was “delighted to clear the air.”
Again, Cain seemed upbeat and affable. And while the candidate did not put all issues to rest — the extent to which he genuinely was unaware of his accusers and how the association had addressed their complaints is still unknown — he seemed generally willing to engage the press corps in hopes of putting the issue to bed.
Perhaps the most meaningful — certainly the most notable — moment came at the end of the event, when Cain was jokingly asked if he would treat the crowd to a few bars from his now-famous rendition of “Imagine There’s No Pizza,” a send-up of the John Lennon classic, “Imagine.” Cain declined that offer, but said that the request presented an “opportunity for me to share a little bit of my faith,” breaking into a soulful rendition of Dottie Rambo’s “He Looked Beyond My Faults.”
“I’ll never know why Jesus came to love me so,” Cain sang. “He looked beyond all my faults and saw my needs.”
There: I said it.
Cain is an amazing man, and this whole incident has made me love him all the more.
Go Cain!
Cain will be just fine. Strange how every misstep of outside of the beltway conservative is considered lethal but a rich White Rhino can flip six ways from Sunday and he’s the ‘frontrunner’. It’s a game folks. This time the American people aren’t playing and its driving those who believe THEY should be the kingmakers crazy. I don’t believe this is just liberal media. This is too very much like some of the attacks on Fred Thompson. Remember the lazy theme? The not serious theme? The one that really sticks in my mind is the one dropped by Politico claiming he was quitting just before the Iowa Caucuses which Robert Novak said was tied to the Romney camp. Same guys involved too.
I personally don’t find it inept to get the facts before responding, I find it refreshing.
Politicians have pat answers for every occasion, I’m glad Cain is not like that.
Even bob beckel says this is outrageous on the part of politico. Pigs are flying.
Do they hate Herman because he has a lot of fun and is not afraid to laugh?
Politico should be sued. Big time. Time to go offense. Ready the F-22 Raptors from their hangars for those bastards. They will pay. Make it serve as a lesson to any other journolists between now and election day, they are not going to get away with smears. That is all they have, and we must take even THAT away from them, so they have absolutely nothing to stand on going into Obama’s reelection campaign.
Isaiah 54:17
'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me, Says the LORD.'
I’ve been solidly on the Cain train since I heard him speak at the Wisconsin State House last winter. Two anonymous accusers do nothing but reinforce my support of Cain; because, like many here on FR, I’ve been expecting just this sort of attack for six months now.
In fact, the *only* thing that could have caused me some suspicion of Cain, would have been had this attack *not* happened. Now that this predictable (and quite lame) smear is here, it serves only to confirm that Cain is the real deal, folks. The Establishment (Rats and Pubes alike) are obviously terrified of the man.
Me either! If only the Cain campain hadn't denied the story before admitting that they knew about it and then saying it had no basis. Straight out of the Cliton playbook, but then a lot of smart people call Bill the greatest politician they've ever seen. My point was that the Republican nomination is either going to go to Romney, or the strongest alternative to Romeny. If that's Cain, so be it, but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Republicans it be giving some of the others a second look. My candidate has always been Rick Santorm, but I'm not delusional about his chances.
The only problem with Newt is Newt. He has did much better than I imagined not because I did not believe he was smart just he has not always been wise. Don’t worry Newt will also get a full investigative layout of how he met his current wife. We must be careful. I would gladly vote for Newt but I’ll not dellude myself in thinking he would be a sure thing. The only sure thing is we need to fight. Cain I believe will survive. Decade old allegations that went no where are hardly the stuff that spell campaign doom. Nor is questions about $40,000 the later which can easily be fixed and those behaving as if it wasn’t an easy mistake haven’t seen the campaign regs. He does need to get better at clarity but the level of scrutiny he is getting especially from those like Rove and Rubin and the establishment crowd. When you ask them to shine the light on Prince Romney they act like you’ve pulled out a crucifix they recoil so readily.
This is the same game they played with Angle, and O’Donnell but Cain isn’t either of them he is much more of a threat. He has a very compelling story. He when he is on a roll knows how to get people to like him and his ideas. They fear what he could become just as they feared Palin. The powerbrokers like candidates that they can control. Cain isn’t one of them.
You lied when you said the Cain campaign denied the story. You outright lied here.
They fear what he could become just as they feared Palin. The powerbrokers like candidates that they can control. Cain isn’t one of them.
A Lot of people on this website are confused about how the left views Sarah Palin. They didn't fear her, they never bothered to get to know her. The saw more of Tina Fey's impersonations of her than they did the genuine article. They were convinced that she was a complete idiot, a bigger idiot than they believed George W Bush was -all conservatives are either puppets or puppet masters to a liberal's eyes. What they feared was the fact that she could be elected president, as idiots like Bush and Reagan had been before her, not any dangerous ideas that she herself had. They fear Gingrich, because they understand that he is brilliant. No one is going to control Gingrich, and they know it. It is for that reason that he occasionally comes up with a position that leaves conservatives scratching their heads, but he is his own man, and we be certain that that position originated between his own ears, not between Carl Rove's or one of the Koch brothers. Let me address A lot of people on this website are confused about how
To me, the fact that he would actively sing the praises of Jesus Christ and EVANGILIZE journalists is enough to get my vote. A man with that much courage and conviction has true mettle.
It has become a familiar pattern on this website, that whenever some posts something less than flattering about a particular candidate, a least one wingnut goes man and the boat overboard defending him (or her). Personally, I look forward to voting Cain, if he ends up presenting as the viable alternative to Romney. I'm waiting to be convinced that that is what ends up happening.
www.google.com
A Cain vs. Obama campaign will not be permitted to happen at all cost..This is not rocket science.
Professing his faith unashamedly shows the courage of Herman Cain. We Christians have accepted being beaten down for far too long!
Cain/Gingrich 2012 !!!!!!!!!!!
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