Cain Says He Should Have Spoken Up For Gay Soldier

Associated Press ^ | October 2, 2011

[Baladas]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that he should not have stayed silent after the audience at a GOP debate booed a gay soldier serving in Iraq.

The Georgia businessman told ABC's "This Week" that it would have been "appropriate" for him to have defended the soldier. None of the candidates on stage at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the boos.

"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably — that would have been appropriate," Cain said, when asked if he should have asked the audience to respect the soldier.

Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."

The so-called don't ask, don't tell policy barring gays from serving openly in the military was officially lifted last month.

[montag813]

I noticed the same thing myself. It’s almost as if people were just waiting in the wings for an excuse to conveniently rid themselves of supporting Cain. The whole thing stinks. I guess if it smells like a fish...

Herman Cain was destroying Bill Clinton and Hillarycare on Nightline when Rick Perry was Ag Commissioner, Al Gore's former Texas Campaign Manager, and Republican of only 2 years, who had called Hillarycare "most commendable".

So show some f**king respect, PerryBots!

[Irenic]

But the “n” word apparently is just fine for Perry supporters.
**************************
No, the word is not just fine for Perry supporters and I think you know that. Play that game, it is on you.

Perry also commented.:

When asked last week, Perry said the word on the rock is an “offensive name that has no place in the modern world.”

[jimjohn]

My thoughts exactly. just pulled off the road for a bit and reading the threads on Cain, Perry, etc.

If Cain's answer will prevent conservatives from voting for him, then there really is no hope, is there?

The media will, without exception look to trap ANY GOP candidate into something, even if not deliberately. They don't know how to ask republicans questions any other way.

If you don't like how Cain responded this weekend, give him a mulligan. He's new at the national spotlight. In fact, I'd give the guy a break knowing what'll be coming at him if he wins one more straw poll, or showing up in the top two of another national poll. Let me say this clearly as a black conservative:

[shouting mode on]
YOU HAVEN'T SEEN RACISM IN FULL VIEW ON TV UNTIL YOU SEE CAIN GET ANYWHERE NEAR THAT NOMINATION - AND IT WONT BE COMING FROM THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE.
[shouting mode off]

You watch, by the time they are done with him, you will be shaking your heads on why any black person would vote democrat. You will head BLATANTLY racists comments coming from left-wing taking heads that won't even be questioned (e.g. Janeane Garofalo for example) But the power that be won't care. I know. I've seen this is action before. And if they can't destroy Cain in short order, and he start getting black folks to start listening (their greatest fear), they will either have to spend his entire campaign war chest on security, or yank Zero from the Dem ticket so fast it'll make your head spin.

Meanwhile, I will stand by my prediction of more than a year ago: A non-incumbent democrat will win the nomination for president in 2012.

PS: a message to all you Freepers with your GOP Flavors of the Week: These candidates are just GIVING this nomination to Sarah. Why do you think the big boys are trying to hard to get Christie in the race and move the primary dates up?

... think about it.

[Rudder]

The loss was due to a replacement: Rummy's old defense dept spokesman.

Despite your astute observations, Cain is not imploding.

[justsaynomore]

Oh, really? So why are they skewering Cain for saying that “niggerhead” is racially insensitive?

[Rudder]

Cain is still my number one choice.

And, for good reason.

[GBA]

How can a man accept a position with the Federal Reserve who claims to respect The Constitution?

That's an excellent question and I'd like to hear his answer. If I'm wrong about him, then now's the time to find that out.

I can't dismiss him outright because he was a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's board of directors in 1992 and then served as its chairman from January 1995 to August 1996 until I hear more about that experience from Herman Cain himself.

As a younger man, I would have been very impressed by that experience and what it said about his competence.

As I've gotten older, I began to question the legitimacy of and need for many of the institutions I've grown up with and taken for granted, such as the Federal Reserve.

[Happy Rain]

Well,I guess we are left with Santorum—he is the only conservative left.

[lonestar]

ALL black Americans (IMO) can be excused for "jumping to conslusions" about the N word. YES, they should look for "facts", context, what have you. But it would be intellectually dishonest for anyone to say that the N word isn't a "hot button" or a racist reference, per se.

I'm about as sick of the "N" word as the blacks are!

If they didn't use it so much themselves I might have more sympathy when the word is used but ...I don't ! I've come to the conclusin...because they use it so much themselves ...that is a control word.

I thought Cain was too smart to play into the race game, but apparentyly he isn't.

I'm surprised and disappointed in him.

[papertyger]

Who is the jackass advisor that’s torpedoing Cain’s run?

[Thorliveshere]

Nah, not really, this will all pass.

[GBA]

I have no doubt that those who say that the 2012 election will be the nastiest we've ever seen are underestimating their predictions. Even more so if Herman Cain gets the nomination. But...

If he's strong enough and good enough to stand up to what inevitably will come at him, and remain standing, then who's better to start healing the damage, racial and otherwise, obama and the demonrats have done?

The best antidote to an incompetent poser in chief who appears to be black could very well be Herman Cain.

[Irenic]

So does Cain think if we don’t believe in Global Warming, we are “a little bit out there”.....

“They don’t not believe global warming is a crisis or a threat,” Cain added. “Yes it might be a little bit out there, but they don’t see it as a crisis or a threat.”
http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/1011/Cain_Christie_too_liberal.html

[workerbee]

Do you even understand the word CONTEXT???

I thought Cain was too smart to play into the race game, but apparentyly he isn't.

HE hasn't, but you sure as hell seem to have. Keith Olbermann may well be calling you for an interview to give a "balanced" view of things. Have at it.

[o2bfree]

Longbow1969 is lying once again on FR. Here is what Cain said:

Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."

[LomanBill]

 I should maybe better check out his stand on social issues though.

====================

 

TP: Mr. Cain, you recently came under fire for your comments about the kind of people you would appoint to your cabinet. Would you be opposed to appointing an openly gay but qualified person to be in your cabinet?

CAIN: Nope, not at all. I wouldn’t have  a problem with that at all. I just want people who are qualified, I want them to believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. So yep, I don’t have  a problem with appointing an openly gay person. Because they’re not going to try to put sharia law in our laws.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=gsihc&cp=20&gs_id=25&xhr=t&q=Open+homosexual+Cain

=====================

 

HERMAN: What happens now?

Scott Toomey: Well, now, uh, Ken Mehlman, R. Clarke Cooper, Meghan McCain, Mary Cheney and I wait until nightfall, and then leap out of the log cabin, taking The Party(tm) by surprise -- not only by surprise, but totally unarmed!

HERMAN: Who leaps out?

Scott Toomey: Uh, Ken Mehlman,  R. Clarke Cooper, Meghan McCain, Mary Cheney and I. Uh, leap out of the log cabin, uh and uh....

HERMAN: Oh....

Scott Toomey: Oh.... Um, l-look, if we built this large wooden Rhinocerous -- [twong]

ALL:  Run away!  Run away!  Run away!  Run away!
      [splat]

 

 

[manc]

here we go again, another candidate pandering to the homosexual community.

I am so fed up of the GOP not standing up for morals, tradition, children and marriage plus our troops now who do not want openly serving homosexuals.

If he is now trying to say homosexuals can stay serving openly and he will not overturn this pathetic new law from zero then he will lose my vote and money.

Is it so hard to have a person standing on principle in the GOP and the ones that do get no where due to our pro queer, pro cross dressing media giving them no time.

[manc]

Funny how this pro queer media never ask the Dems these sort of questions.

Hey obama do you or do you not support the repeal of DOMA and do you think homosexual should be able to marry and disregard the states which have defined marriage?

[manc]

the likes of Rick S do not get air time because the pro queer media will not give him air time due to the fact they hate his message but his message is what the majority want and they know Rick S will not shy away from his conservatism and the overturn of this insane policy in the military now.

This is like Hunter who wanted the border closed and the pro queer media ignored him as they knew people will listen to him and vote for him.

I am sick and tired of the media picking who we should have and it doesn’t help with some on FOX who attack our base.

[Longbow1969]

Longbow1969 is lying once again on FR. Here is what Cain said:

Cain said it wasn't immediately clear to him what had drawn the audience's scorn, adding, "I happen to think that maybe they were booing the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal more so than booing that soldier."

Oh stop it, you know darn good and well that is not all he said. This is straight from the story at the Washington Post, but you can get the transcript anywhere:

The Georgia businessman told ABC’s “This Week” that it would have been “appropriate” for him to have defended the soldier. None of the candidates on stage at the Sept. 22 forum responded to the boos.

"In retrospect, because of the controversy it has created and because of the different interpretations that it could have had, yes, that probably -- that would have been appropriate," Cain said, when asked if he should have asked the audience to respect the soldier.

The correct answer was, no, this is a non issue. A few folks in a huge crowd cheered something or another, and the media is trying to make a big deal out of it. Instead of cowing to the MSM and seemingly criticizing a conservative audience, Cain should have just shot the topic down.