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Posted on 10/07/2011 8:43:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Today, the Susan B. Anthony list and National Organization for marriage released a joint scorecard for the Republican candidates for President at the annual Values Voters Summit. Ordinarily, a release like this carries few surprises, and in this election cycle so dominated by fiscal issues, a scorecard devoted to gay marriage and abortion is unlikely to carry the same weight it would have in the past. However, what may surprise those perusing the score card this time around is the fact that one candidate – the one widely interpreted as the most conservative in the race – actually falls to the Left of most of his peers on both issues.
That candidate is Herman Cain. According to the scorecard, Cain, who many have interpreted as a Huckabee-style populist outsider, looks more like Ross Perot when social issues are discussed. On abortion, Cain is one of only two candidates who have refused to sign the Susan B. Anthony’s pro-Life pledge, a pledge which asks candidates to “commit to key pro-Life goals if elected to the Presidency in 2012.” The other candidate who has refused to sign is (unsurprisingly) former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, whose record on abortion is famously confused. However, Cain still ends up to the Right of Romney in the aggregate on the issue, given that Romney is the only candidate to refuse to make it a priority to appoint pro-Life appointees to Executive Branch offices if elected.
It is on gay marriage where Cain takes more liberties. In fact, on gay marriage, he appears indistinguishable from Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul. Cain has refused to sign the Pro-Marriage Pledge, refused to support the so-called Federal Marriage Amendment, and has “Unknown stances” on every other issue the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) scores, other than defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, which every GOP candidate is on record supporting. In contrast, candidates like Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and even Mitt Romney have openly said “Yes” to every question asked by NOM.
Given that Cain is perceived as the conservative standard bearer who has eclipsed more socially conventional candidates like Rick Perry, this raises an important question: Is Cain actually conservative enough for his support base, or are social issues actually in their twilight years?
There was nothing constitutionally correct about his objection to the word advance. It was a piddly, picayunish walk-back after he was excoriated by the conservative base.
I called it squishy. It is squishy. Some like Bachmann, Perry, and Santorum are extremely pro-life. Cain might make it to my conservative list, but right now I think he’s squishy on pro-life until I see him do something substantive to change his failure to sign the SBA pro-life pledge.
Why does it matter that I call him squishy on pro-life?
Please, the silliness of this statement is now obvious to anyone with a brain. It was tried on Bachmann, It was tried on Perry and now the same, old, tripe, crap is being tried on Cain. Give it up. No one is buying this garbage anymore. If you have a candidate to promote, promote them but get off this stupid conspiracy nonsense.
Mother Theresa is probably squishy too. Did she ever sign a pledge to advance pro-life bills?
I come out of this realizing that some of my fellow-soldiers are lilliputian. I pray that the Lord can use us anyway.
You have more patience and class than anyone I know of. I don’t know how you do it.
Money is the lifeblood of politics. That's a fact. The fact is that only Romney has a lot of East Coast money connections along with his own money and Perry has a few Oil Country money connections that will likely bring him in enough money to compete with Romney.
When it comes down to it, if you are going to win this race you need money. You can't buy air time with good looks or unique ideas. Cain does not have the political connections to last this race out and neither does Bachmann or Santorum. Gingrich may have a few chits out there that he can cash in, but I doubt if he has the clout he had before to generate any financial interest.
Ron Paul has enough true-believers to keep him in the race to the end, but he is not going to be getting any new converts. He has a following. They are loyal. They are insane.
This thread has done more to turn me off of Perry than anything I’ve seen so far.
Then don't vote for him. This thread has convinced me that Cain's supporters, like Bachmann's are a mile wide and an inch deep. He will stay in the race through the first or second primary and then he will run out of money. That is the way this system works.
I guess we could be "fair" and let the government fund all the campaigns. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Why does a retired chaplain have so little respect for truth, accuracy and honesty? :::shudders:::
Exactly right.
Now he is saying he could be VP for any of the Pubs except Perry. I can't help but wonder how deep his conservatism is, or political judgment. He seems to be a loose cannon, which is attractive until people start looking for thoughtful leadership. Another example of this is his comment about the Wall Street protesters. I agree with him, but it comes across as insensitive and will be used against him later.
Now that you have insulted the supporters of the only two, true conservatives in the race, it is obvious you must be supporting...let me guess...one of the non-conservatives.
By their posts you shall know them.
Compare how he views the role of government to what Herman Cain says below:
******************************************************
Herman Cain: “The role of government, in my view, is to maintain an equal balanced playing field for the citizens and for our society. Not to throw it out of balance.”
3:30 into discussion: Herman Cain on John Stossel Show, Fox News
What do I like about Cain?
1. Been a successful businessman and CEO.
2. Is good in front of a camera.
3. Speaks concisely, to the point, and with a touch of humor when necessary.
4. Is a past supporter of the fair tax
5. He appears to be a man of faith
What I don’t like about Cain?
1. His walk-back on the SBA pledge says he’s squishy on pro-life, the most important right God gave us.
2. He wants to implement a 9% sales tax BEFORE the income tax is repealed, and that will result in an additional tax. His plan to go to (1) get to a 9% income tax, and (2) get to the repeal of the income tax is: Persuasion. He will advance the cause of ridding ourselves of income taxes with a legislature that this historically has loved every tax it has ever seen, and loved raising them even more.
3. He is squishy of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, thinking that the states trump the 2nd Amendment. (Revealing again a faulty knowledge of the constitution.)
4. He has spoken in favor of a Palestinian “right to return.”
5. He has spoken in favor of quota-less affirmative action.
6. He’s spoken in favor of gay union/marriage.
7. He’s said Romney would be his choice for VP.
Every item on that (except the sales tax which he’s been very clear on) is squishy. He leaves you wondering what he means.
That’s why I say that maybe I’ll put him on my conservative list and maybe I won’t.
None of that is technically ‘advancing’. I think the problem here is you are using a popular definition of advancing, not a strict constitutional one.
Only Congress can advance legislation. POTUS can support, sign, and in other ways help the process along, but that isn’t legally advancing legislation.
Ping to my lawyer.
Shorter campaign period. There are now aeroplanes and trains and cars, not just horses.
If the campaign season was say 3 or 4 months, stuffed with debates, it wouldn’t cost so much money.
Do you understand what “advance” legislation means?
- - - -
Apparently he does not. You are completely correct.
I have never even discussed Class C anything, and if you can find a post in which I discuss it, then I will volutarily resign from Free Republic.
You are making stuff up, Nauti, and you shouldn’t be proud of it.
I said that Cain was the head of the Fed Bank in Kansas City or words to that effect. It’s in his own bio. Look it up for yourself.
I don’t even know what “class c” is.
6. He’s spoken in favor of gay union/marriage.
7. He’s said Romney would be his choice for VP.
He’s a “gay rights” guy???? And I had no idea he said Romney would be his VP choice.
That’s really vile.
And what law school did you flunk out of?
Congress advances legislation, Presidents SIGN it. Now, they can certainly support and encourage but that is not ‘advancing’ as MrR pointed out.
That is such utter nonsense it is hardly worth acknowledging. Cain wants to promote his agenda, but he can't advance it. He will support 999 (an absolutely insane idea BTW) but he can't advance it. He will reinstate DADT, but he won't advance it. I thought you were smarter than that reaganaut.
P-M, why are you so gung ho on attacking and lying about Cain, rather than supporting your own candidate, Perry?
I was considering Cain, but he has said some crazy things in the last week. And his excuse for not signing the pledge is idiotic.
I am convinced that Cain is going to crash and burn. On top of that, he will never be able to compete with Romney or Perry in the contribution area. He doesn't have the political connections to get the business donations that are the lifeblood of politics.
Cain may be a very nice guy and may be a staunch conservative, but he has said some really stupid things lately. When he pulled the race card on Perry, I realized that he was a loose cannon. Loose cannons don't win elections without a lot of money in their treasuries. Perot was a loose cannon and was relatively successful because he had enough of his own money to sell his image. He was just successful enough to make Clinton President for 8 years.
Do you know Cain's position on what to do with the 20 million illegal immigrants that live in the United States? Does he support limited amnesty like Palin? Does he support the right of Texas to give in-State tuition rates to the children of illegal aliens?
Do you even know his position on this (YOUR most important) subject?
In the last debate, he said if Romney would walk back his position on something or other (something finacial and not social), then Romney is his first choice for VP.
You are welcome. I like that site for quick reference and quotes.
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