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Path to the nomination: Did Cain’s end yesterday?
Washington Post ^ | 08:45 AM ET, 11/01/2011 | By Jennifer Rubin

Posted on 11/01/2011 7:09:51 AM PDT by DBCJR

Herman Cain was in the center of a firestorm, largely of his own making, yesterday. He knew before he entered the presidential race that he had a sexual harassment settlement in his past. He knew, ever since Politico started questioning his campaign, that a story was afoot. He knew he had to get the story out quickly and truthfully. And yet, by the end of the day, the business executive peddling his leadership skills and know-how looked somewhat like the hapless PBS executive who eventually got ousted for screwing up the Juan Williams firing.

...

Iowans don’t need to believe he is innocent of sexual harassment to vote for him. But they do need to trust him. Virtually everything that happened yesterday with regard to this issue served to damage his trustworthiness. Beyond the point of no return? We’ll find out.

This should serve as a warning to all the vanity candidates (i.e., those without experience who run essentially as celebrities) in this and future cycles: A presidential nomination process is brutal and serious stuff. If they think there is no downside to competing, they are wrong. They may, at the end, come out diminished people, less respected and liked than when they went in.

Some people call this unfair and harmful to our political process. I disagree. If unserious and ill-prepared candidates try to take the voters for a ride, don’t bother to understand the issues or even their own weaknesses, they pretty much get what they deserve. And if voters bury their heads in the sand and vote for them anyway, they deserve what follows as well.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: accordingtoplan; beltwaylogic; clarencethomas; hermancain; juanwilliams; knowitalls; pileon; romney; romneybotalert; romneydirtytricks
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To: Cringing Negativism Network; agrarianlady

Thank you both very much!


101 posted on 11/01/2011 8:40:06 AM PDT by sneakers (EAT YOUR PEAS!)
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To: SoJoCo

poor handling??? So you really want him to be hip slick and CLintonesque???

I think Herman answered just fine.

Now if the LSM would just quit yelping like a pack of wild hyenas, I would be grateful


102 posted on 11/01/2011 8:42:07 AM PDT by Nifster
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To: indianrightwinger; ken5050
You are really an awful person to be believing that only attractive woman deserve to be conservatives.

At every TEA party rally I've ever been to, we just separate the non-attractive people and shoot them.

When we attend the following TEA party rallies, there are just less ugly people to shoot.

103 posted on 11/01/2011 8:43:41 AM PDT by USS Alaska (Nuke the Terrorists Savages)
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To: DBCJR
The economy has crashed, the system is in shambles.
NASA is teaching Muslims to feel good.
Swat teams are being sent after Amish milkmen and the ex-husbands of student loan deadbeats.
Police in a major city march on the courthouse when caught red handed fixing tickets.

We need a rocket scientist.

Cain is the only one we've got right now.

104 posted on 11/01/2011 8:45:14 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: beaversmom
They were giddy with the possibility of a potential Cain meltdown

There were a couple of talking heads yakking about this on the radio this morning.

One asked, hypothetically, "What about the people who say this is politically motivated? That, if such accusations were made about Obama, that the news media would cover them up?"

The other replied, "Well, of course the media wouldn't cover anything of this magnitude up for Obama. It's just too good a story."

I had to turn the radio off, at that point. It's bad that the "press" was sitting there interviewing each other, it's worse that they were lying, but the thing that I couldn't stand is that they thought I was stupid enough to believe them.

105 posted on 11/01/2011 8:46:21 AM PDT by wbill
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To: Mouton

LOL! You’re right. I think something like that would have helped. And it would have been “early intervention.”


106 posted on 11/01/2011 9:26:57 AM PDT by livius
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To: left that other site

You are most welcome. We need to continue to call the Liberals on their hypocrisy. Once discovered the chains of slavery will be broken and more daring black men and women will throw off the oppression and rise as entrepreneurs in the capitalist free market place!


107 posted on 11/01/2011 9:57:09 AM PDT by DBCJR (What would you expect?)
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear

What has been seen, can not be unseen. Yikes!!


108 posted on 11/01/2011 10:00:27 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Send POLITICO a most potent message, in their face! Donate to both FR & Cain, citing POLITICO deeds)
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To: DBCJR

Whether a person supports Mr. Cain or not (I DO!), the hypocrisy of the left is so apparent that all right-thinking conservatives should stand with him on this. (Rush, Hannity, and Coulter have all expressed support for Cain on this issue)

It’s OK to vote for whomever they wish in the primaries, but this is a bigger issue. If this came from a rival Republican, I will never forgive or forget.


109 posted on 11/01/2011 10:07:04 AM PDT by left that other site (Psalm 122:6)
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To: Nifster
I think Herman answered just fine.

Which version? The one where he condemned the story without denying it? Or when he denied it completely? Or when he denied knowing the details of the settlement? Or when he admitted knowing about one or not the other? He should have consulted with his staff and presented his side of the story once. That's not being hip slick and Clintonesque, because after all look what happened to him when he had to go the multiple story route?

110 posted on 11/01/2011 10:09:02 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: DBCJR
This should serve as a warning to all the vanity candidates (i.e., those without experience who run essentially as celebrities) in this and future cycles: A presidential nomination process is brutal and serious stuff. If they think there is no downside to competing, they are wrong. They may, at the end, come out diminished people, less respected and liked than when they went in.

In other words...VOTE FOR ROMNEY! PLEASE???

Seriously, there is truth to that, and Cain is slowly learning how to handle the media...but I fear, not fast enough. Each "bombshell" has been a nothingburger, but he's got to learn quickly to be ahead of the curve on these things.

111 posted on 11/01/2011 10:09:18 AM PDT by RockinRight (In under 13 months, we have an opportunity to take our nation back.)
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To: DBCJR

Yes, I did read your remarks. I did not disagree with your suspicion that this is a witch hunt, as in the case of Clarence Thomas. Without repeating what I said, I’ll just say that your remarks can be construed as saying that our candidates never have personal issues that make them less than the ideal candidate for our party so we should simply dismiss any accusation saying that they do.

For me, the candidate as a man (or as a woman) is very important. I was happy to support Bob Dole in 1996 and John McCain in 2008 because of who they were as men (and also because of Jack Kemp and Sarah Palin, with whom I agreed more on the policy issues).

PS I really like Herman Cain for who he is as a man, and I hope he pulls through this fine. He will be a better candidate for it. Not having the experience of Romney or Perry in politics, this is kind of his baptism under fire.


112 posted on 11/01/2011 10:10:43 AM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: rogue yam
What this whole thing boils down to now is Herman-haters saying "The story is bogus and inconsequential, and it has been comprehensively addressed by Herman Cain, but he disqualified himself by responding imperfectly during the first twelve hours after the bogus story appeared."

What it boils down to is Cain giving multiple versions of what happened and what he knew. His story kept changing, and something that should have been out of the news cycle by last night is now on its third day.

113 posted on 11/01/2011 10:12:30 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: MNJohnnie
Nope, they probably just guaranteed him the nomination.

I suppose we'll see.

114 posted on 11/01/2011 10:20:46 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: SoJoCo

Twelve hours. That’s what you are sobbing about. You look stupid talking about it now. Tomorrow even you won’t be talking about it.


115 posted on 11/01/2011 10:20:46 AM PDT by rogue yam
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To: MNJohnnie
Cain handled these fraudulent accusations masterfully.

Giving ever-changing answers to what happened in not masterful. It keeps prolonging the story because the media will continue to try and get Cain to give yet another version of what happened. If he had said from the beginning something like, "Yes, of the tens of thousands of men and women I have worked closely with at all levels of business over the years there have been only two claims of improper behavior made while I was with the restaurant association. I believed then, and I believe now, that I did not act in an improper manner and it was an unfortunate misunderstanding on the part of the individuals making the accusations. The matter was investigated by management and no evidence of improper behavior on my part was found. A settlement was reached with the two individuals and no admission of wrongdoing was made, because none happened. And that's the end of it."

That would have killed it in its tracks.

116 posted on 11/01/2011 10:31:39 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: rogue yam
Twelve hours.

Twelve hours? The first post on this subject was made here Sunday night. We're over the 40 hour mark, and it could have been avoided.

117 posted on 11/01/2011 10:41:10 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: Redmen4ever

That construction is tenuous, at best. You would need to apply that same inference to my Clinton reference, as well. My point is that the dual standard is evidence of a manipulative racism. We do not use that standard against white Clinton, but we do against black Thomas and Cain. Certainly, the facts against Clinton are much better documented. How else could we explain the difference in treatment?


118 posted on 11/01/2011 10:47:56 AM PDT by DBCJR (What would you expect?)
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To: SoJoCo
Wake up and smell the crap you are shoveling Rovebot. Find it odd you are posting word for word the same garbage response Rove and the rest of the GOP machine are spewing today.

Cain had his best fund raising day ever yesterday. Cain has everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Sean Hannity defending him

This slime bag attack blew up in the GOP machine's face. Don't double down on your stupidity by trying to continue the smear.

119 posted on 11/01/2011 10:48:44 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Giving more money to DC to fix the Debt is like giving free drugs to addicts think it will cure them)
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To: SoJoCo

You are saying stupid things. The period of time you are sobbing about ended when Cain appeared on Greta, if not before.


120 posted on 11/01/2011 11:01:37 AM PDT by rogue yam
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