Posted on 05/23/2011 6:30:49 AM PDT by Gargantua
While it is clear from the outset that a large percentage of lurkers and posters on FreeRepublic are staunch supporters of Sarah Palin, there are nonetheless a significant if considerably smaller number who avidly support Herman Cain. My curiosity piqued by this fact, I decided to watch Herman in his interview yesterday on “2012 One-on-One” with Chris Wallace, FOX NEWS Sunday.
As the show opened, Chris ran a videotape of Herman at a campaign stop where he commandeered the stage with an undeniable presence, arms spread expansively, and said “Once I am president, Americans will be able to say, “Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty we are once again free at last.”' Truly powerful stuff.
Wallace went on to query Cain in some detail about what he referred to as “The Cain Doctrine.” Chris first asked him, “Free from what?” I won't waste time by reciting a verbatim transcript of the back-and-forth between them, but I have supplied a link < http://video.foxnews.com/v/954878611001/ > which I encourage you to use to verify what I am reporting here. Cain listed those things from which Americans can expect to be freed by electing him president, and then he enumerated in detail the steps he would take as president to deliver us.
Wallace then “drilled deep,” asking pointed questions about the specific facets Cain had laid out, and brought up the fact that many of these suggestions Cain had listed, in fact, would not work given the current economic situation. Cain, in a surprise move, agreed, saying, “If they (Republicans) had seen these things coming, and done what I am suggesting a year ago, it could have worked. But no, it will not work now.”
Cain laid out his point-by-point plan for fixing America's problems, then admitted that the plan would not, could not work. I'm as stunned as I have ever been.
I understand how incongruous, unlikely, and absolutely contradictory this sounds. I implore you, go to the link I have provided and watch what I watched. It is astounding. At two minutes and 30 seconds into this 13 minute vid, just look at the expression on Herman's face as Wallace questions him. He looks like a student trying to come up with an excuse for why he hadn't read the chapter assigned to him the day before.
That said, please ignore the characterizations and opinions here, and watch the video. For any candidate to lay out in detail a plan for America's success, citing it as the reason why we all should vote for him, and then immediately follow up by admitting that his plan cannot work is pretty much the beginning and the end of his campaign. I understand the desire to field a Republican candidate who is a person of color, since that would remove from their quiver the Democrats’ predictable arrows and accusations of racism.
But just as my heart sank when Lt. Col. Allen West stated with finality that he would not be seeking the presidency in 2012, I realized that Herman Cain, whether or not he is capable of winning the primary (and given what we see here, that remains a very serious question), quite simply is not the one we need or should want leading this nation from the White House. There are times when he does say all the right things, and I do not question that his heart is in the right place. Well-written speeches and good intentions alone do not a great leader make. America needs a great leader.
It would be very easy, and I even fully expect, for many of Cain's most staunch supporters here on FreeRepublic to simply accuse me of having an agenda or to state factually that my allegiances lay elsewhere. While I do indeed have an agenda, and while it is true that I prefer another for the White House in 2012, those facts do not dismiss, explain, or forgive the unbridgeable gap between the promises held in Herman rhetoric and his own admission that his plan will never deliver them.
America needs a great leader, and that leader is not Herman Cain.
Before we go writing off Cain, may I remind everyone that the current president had no management or executive experience, never held a real job, never advanced up the corporate ladder, did lots of drugs as a youth, has hidden his academic transcript and writings, and was part of a radical leftist ‘church’.
Obama is the least qualified person to ever hold the office of president. Hell, he’s not even a natural born citizen.
Read Gargatua posting history.
This isn't a carefully thought out reasoned position, it is a Alinsky style personal attack because this poster is incapable of making a reasoned argument FOR Palin.
I like Herman Cain and believe that he is, indeed, a good man. However, I do not, think he has what is needed to be president of this nation at this particular juncture in history. His lack of understanding regarding the “right of return” was serious.
I am taking a much more in-depth look at Pawlenty right now.
Sadly, you’re wasting your time, FRiend.
"While I do indeed have an agenda, and while it is true that I prefer another for the White House in 2012, those facts do not dismiss, explain, or forgive the unbridgeable gap between the promises held in Herman's rhetoric and his own admission that his plan will never deliver them."
I make no bones about my support of Palin. Neither do I lie about it or try to deceive.
Watch the video. Watch Herman admit that his plan, his reason why we should elect him... will not work. He admits it in his own words, John-boy.
;^\
There, fixed it.
I know little about Cain. I know more about the principles upon which this nation was created and to which it needs to be restored. Increase freedom. Decrease government. Give more power to the states and reduce the power of the federal government. Eliminate numerous departments. Stop giving money to foreign governments without quid pro quo that is verifiable. Let the free market determine what succeeds and what doesn’t. Keynesian economics must be put to death.
Sadly, too many people are too dependent on government. The education system is a complete joke. I believe we have reached and quite possibly exceeded the tipping point.
As far as Cain, Palin, Ryan, Bachmann or whoever is concerned the question is who will put our country first above all else. I want a patriot in the White House.
What about the part where he laid out his plan, his entire raison d'etre, and then admitted in the next breath that it won't work.
Perhaps you feel that a candidate who is "honest enough" to admit he has no plan should just be given the Oval Office based on that candor alone? LMAO
A lot of people saw Katie Couric interview Palin in 2008 and decided right then and there that Palin was an idiot. A few of her answers were less than stellar, therefore she was a blithering buffoon. I thought that was a ridiculous assessment.
In the same way, this interview with Cain may not have been everything one could have wished, but I still like the guy and I will not write him off on the basis of a chat with Chris Wallace.
> First you say we’ve already fallen off the cliff, then
> you say: “...but I think we’re going to fall first.”
I meant we are going to hit bottom first.
We haven’t hit bottom yet.
That will come. I don’t think there’s any turning back from that, short of Divine Intervention. And, considering the way this nation as a whole has no respect for God, I don’t expect any Divine help any time soon.
Oh, and be sure that our enemies will kick us again and again while we are down.
It’s going to get ugly.
Be prepared.
I had seen a couple of stories about it over the weekend, and had an immediate reaction that pretty much mirrors yours. I was frankly stunned that he would lay out his plan for America, then allow some leftstream media troll to make him admit that it won't work.
The question now becomes, so, Herman, if your plan won't work, why are you still running?
If he rolls that easily for a media schlub, what's he going to do when he has to confront the real sharks on Capitol Hill?
TELL ME what you think of his TIE!!!! Wasn't that just the coolest tie ever?!!!
I support the Liberal Sarah Palin. Notice my tagline, or were you still staring at THAT TIE!???!!!
Gee whizzolino, huh?
;-\
He is a breath of fresh air.
Is there anything to the statement that he said his ideas wouldn’t actually work or is the OP leaving out info?
I saw that too and was really disappointed. He first looked like he’d never heard of the issue at all, with a totally blank, deer in the headlights stare, and went on to discuss it without any appearance of real knowledge about the issue and what it means. He has a lot of studying to do before he makes another national appearance.
I think you missed Cain’s very good answer re: raisint the debt limit. He had made a statement which would have been valid when originally made, since that time nothing had been done on the spending side, and the same solution cannot be applied currently.
Think of it this way, If you are driving a car a 70mph and apporach a railroad crossing you apply the brakes to stop the car, if you are 100ft from the crossing the same approach will not work.
Cain instead of spinning like atypical pol does explained the difference between the time when the original commnet was made and now.
He did stumble on the specifics of right of return. NBD IMO, he has the right instincts on who are friends are and who the enemy is. The details will come. It is refreshing that he wanted to know the intel and situation in Afghanistan before committing to a course of action.
Read how he turned Godfather around, he spoke to the employees to understand the problem space before acting. This is what a skilled executive will do.
The issues with the economy is public record, Intel on Foreign policy in not in the public domain much is classified.
I sent him comments suggesting he have a ‘tough question of the week’ and ‘suggestion of the week’ for his blog site.
All he has to say is that at this point he is focusing on correcting problems in the U.S. and will work on foreign affairs shortly. But the U.S. has his priority right now.
What makes him a leader is not having the answers, but having the questions and being able to find the people who have the answers. That can be his separation from Obama.
His Achilles heel is his time spent with the Fed Reserve in Kansas. Is he part of the conspiracy to extract the wealth of equity in middle class homes by the banks? If he could find a couple of whistle blowers to undo the banksters, that would go a long way toward the label of problem solver.
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