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?
For me he is.
They were not involved in the conversation and one of them is no longer my friend due to something that happened off of FR.
Second, this got started between us over Perry, before I even decided to support Cain. I have spoken against the idea of a political savior several times, I don’t think Cain is it either, but I do think he is the best choice we have of the current list. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t support him.
So despite claiming to have posted his quote, you hadn’t. This is what I’ve been saying all along, and if you’re not playing dumb I don’t know how to account for it.
His actual quote differs from what you’ve accused him of. He says it’s a “game”. He says he’ll “play”. After he speaks, and includes Gingrich at least equally [Romney only qualifies if he changes; Cain likes Gingrich ‘as is’], he reiterates that it’s just a “game”.
You want to take this lighthearted moment at the end of the debate and turn it into a serious policy statement. Yes, that is anti-Cain, because it’s grossly misrepresentative of what he said. If you can’t see that, then it’s not Cain’s supporters who are looking in the wrong mirror.
Tigerseye, was Cain not head of the fed reserve branch in Kansas City? When asked about looking into the Fed’s activities, he seemed pretty cool to the idea...Or at least not too worried about keeping them in check...
Butter, if the 999 plan is the only tax, ok. But if it is an additional tax we are in for some major grief..
And I think Perry is the best from the current list.
And I think Perry can win the nomination. I don't think Cain can.
But I've been wrong before. Not often, but it has been known to happen.
FWIW in 2008 when McCain had run out of money and looked like he was finished, I predicted that he just might pull it off. When McCain was looking for a VP, I was one of the first on Free Republic to predict it would be Palin. I was also one of the first on Free Republic to say that Palin was definitely not running.
I have a pretty good track record on these predictions. I predict that the nomination will be a two man race at the end between Perry and Romney. I also predict that it will probably come down to the June Primary in California, which is an open primary. Unless the democrats field a primary candidate against Obama, the lefties will probably make the decision for Romney by all of them voting in the Republican primary.
Then, when Romney gets the nomination, the MSM will suddenly discover all kinds of weird racist things about the Mormon Church and with Romney running against a Black Man, the LDS Church History will be the clincher to move the middle back to Obama.
All I can say is that Perry had better have this thing wrapped up before June.
Cain supported Romney in 2008
P-Marlowe, you need to continue your statement for it to be factual. He supported Romney when there was McCain and Huckster left in the campaign. Many here including myself supported Romney to after ONLY 3 candidates were left. Once Fred Thompson dropped out, most here went to Romney......later on when the election was over and more crap came out about Romney then we all changed our views on Romney and won’t give him the time of day anymore because like Perry, he is liberal.
How much money did it take Cain to rise in the polls these last couple weeks?
Was it in the 2010 election where somebody didn’t even campaign but they won their position because they weren’t the incumbent? Was that in Indiana or somewhere around there? It sort of shook people up because it showed that it DOESN’T have to take tons of money, if people are already ready for what you offer.
Right now I think about all it would take is for somebody to spend lawyer’s fees to change their name to Mr. Anybody But Obama. lol
Anyone who didn't know Romney was a super liberal in 2008 is an idiot. Romney was the most liberal Governor in the United States. If you supported Romney over McCain or Huckabee, then you were an idiot. I'm glad you learned something over the last 4 years, but 4 years ago Romney had just come off of signing off on Romneycare.
Polls mean nothing at this point. These polls are taken of people who basically don't know anything about anything.
It is going to take a lot of money to defeat Romney. Cain doesn't have the money or the connections to get it. Perry does. So when the race actually begins, he with the most money wins.
There is a post up now from Google about Cain with no barf alert.
Google is as liberal as you can get.
I keep praying, “Lord, make my blunders wise.” But I wish I was more patient. My 11-year-old asked me if I ever used bad words and I told her I’ve used some bad words on the computer. She asked what and I had to tell her the sh word and some crude references. The look on her face at that makes me wish I was lots more patient. I want so badly to give the kids a future, and I have to remind myself that the future they will carry the closest to them for the rest of their lives is what they saw in me and my husband. It’s a humbling (and sometimes scary) thought.
So I just keep praying, “Lord, make my blunders wise, and use me in spite of my shortcomings, for Your sake and for my kids’ sake.”
If anything good comes from anything I do or say, it’s because He is honoring that prayer.
Sorry but this smear job by the Perry camp is going to bite Perry a whole lot hard then it will Cain. In 2008, Romney at least claimed to be pro gun, anti abortion Conservative. Perry endorsed a guy who could not even bring himself to do that.
Then, by your own standard, Perry was and even a bigger idiot then Cain because he backed uber Liberal Rudy Giuliani.
LJ, you need to factcheck what that poster tells you. That’s the big thing to take away from this thread. You can’t automatically trust what is said to be factual.
I believe Cain has said he is in favor of DOMA and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. There were links to his actual statements earlier in the thread.
I haven’t heard anything about him saying Romney would be his VP choice. Maybe this poster will provide a link to document the claim.
Hmm how much of Perry’s $17 million did Perry spend to take himself to distant 3rd in the Polls?
Perry made a mistake and Guliani isn't running or looking for a running mate. Romney is.
In the last election Romney was the most liberal candidate ever to run for the Republican Nomination. Romney was a used car salesman and Giuliani at least had principles. I didn't care for his politics, but at least he wasn't pretending to be something he wasn't.
You mean like claiming Cain was an idiot to support Romney in 2008 despite the fact your candidate Perry supported uber liberal Rudy Giuliani at that time?
That not just wrong, that being aggressively wrong.
You might want to seriously rethink your notions of infallibility.
Romney was a lot more liberal than Giuliani ever dreamed of being. And Romney is and always has been a fraud.
I am supporting Cain, but he obviously has a lot to learn. Two words, Herman, “Bully Pulpit.”
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