Cain Says His Deadly Fence Plan Was 'a Joke'

The New York Times ^ | Sunday, October 16, 2011 | Susan Saulny

[kristinn]

At two campaign rallies in Tennessee on Saturday night, the Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said that part of his immigration policy would be to build an electrified fence on the country’s border with Mexico that could kill people trying to enter the country illegally.

But by Sunday morning, in a dramatic change of tone, Mr. Cain, a former restaurant executive, said he was only kidding.

“That’s a joke,” Mr. Cain told the journalist David Gregory during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he was asked about the electrified fence. “That’s not a serious plan. I’ve also said America needs to get a sense of humor.”

Mr. Cain’s attempt to pass off incendiary comments as nothing but a joke may take more effort, however. In making the initial remarks about an electrified fence killing illegal immigrants, Mr. Cain was detailed and repetitive. He did not introduce his thoughts as anything but serious commentary, beginning with the words, “We have a crisis of illegal immigration.”

And the crowds responded with cheers, not laughs.

[LomanBill]

>>So just which campaign are you actually working for Billy?

 

The American one...

 

 

 

...ain't you?

 

"I KNOW BUT ONE CODE OF MORALITY FOR MEN WHETHER ACTING SINGLY OR COLLECTIVELY"

--Thomas Jefferson

 

Got Natural Law?  Evidently not.

It's quite revealing, though, that you think Scott Toomey and his homosexual agenda are trash.  Trash you'd find nonetheless acceptable administrating the White Hut.

 

Got any other revealing conspiracy theories you'd like to toss out from within the Cainwreck's caboose closet?

 

[LyinLibs]

Cain should keep saying curious things, b/c he gets free press that way.

He doesn’t have the campaign cash to advertise all day like RINO Romney.

Thus, Cain needs to stay in the headlines as much as possible. Otherwise, he’s toast.

I don’t think conservatives are going to get “angry” he talked of an electrified fence. Hell, if I thought it would work, I’d support it, but it wouldn’t work.

[federal__reserve]

If there is a big sign on fence saying it is electrified, and you still try to climb over it, you deserve to get a jolt to discourage you. Obviously you can't read or are bent on entering illegally.

[alicewonders]

Even worse, I suspect that much of this dislike is for southerners in general and Texas in particular (at least one Freeper has remarked how happy she is that she doesn’t have to live in Texas—and I’m sure the feeling is mutual). Sometimes I think the civil war is about to be fought all over again. :(

I think something like that is coming our way. People are worked up to a frenzy and frustrated about their future. These are anxious times - we need calm, REAL leadership right now - not clowns like Obama and others that throw juicy soundbites out there to rev people up & get media attention so they can have free airtime to say they were joking and "here's my real plan".

That is not leadership. I pray to GOD every day to send us a real leader that will work to do GOD's will - I really don't think that leader will be a jokin' flame-thrower.

[LyinLibs]

Also, the MSM didn’t have any problem with Omoslem joking about “moats and alligators” along the border.

I guess being a real black man isn’t enough. You also need to be half white, and a huge moslem, and a Marxist.

[MNJohnnie]

Sorry Romneybot, your posting history betrays you.

[altura]

You have no idea what Cain is going to do. You have nothing to go on except his words, which he quickly takes back if they prove unpopular.

I think a lot of Cain supporters like him because he is a blank slate. Except for stories about his struggles and his success, we know little about him.

We certainly don’t know how he would vote or how he would govern. He’s never even been on a school board as far as I know.

What about being a state official first, or a congressman?

Then he might have some sort of record we could use to judge him.

But no, suddenly he’s entitled to be president? President, for gosh sakes with zero experience or record.

People have chosen this blank canvass to paint all their hopes and dreams on and I think it’s a little weird.

[hellbender]

Every conservative should check out the website NumbersUSA. It rates the candidates on their positions re illegal immigration. Ricardo Perry gets a D-, which is as close to 0bama (F-) as it is to Michele Bachman (B-). Cain has the next best score (C-).

If you look at their ratings of Congresscritters, you can see that good ratings on immigration correlate strongly with conservative positions on other issues. Demonrats are almost entirely weak on immigration.

No one should be elected POTUS who is weak on this issue, because continued Third World immigration (now running at roughly a million a year) is going to transform the U.S. into a socialist country very quickly. It has already made Calif. a safe state for the Left.

[MizSterious]

You are not representative of all Texans, I can assure you of that. I live next door in Oklahoma—we love Texas, except when our Sooners have to go down and beat them at football—and see much to admire in Perry. The Freeper in question was most definitely a northeasterner, and considers southerners and Texans substandard in intelligence and many other things. It’s an attitude I’ve seen before, and loathe.

[Netizen]

See #75

[BobL]

“Cain should keep saying curious things, b/c he gets free press that way. He doesn’t have the campaign cash to advertise all day like RINO Romney.”

I was thinking that too...he’s definitely running an unconventional shoe-string campaign.

“Thus, Cain needs to stay in the headlines as much as possible. Otherwise, he’s toast.”

Yep.

“I don’t think conservatives are going to get “angry” he talked of an electrified fence. Hell, if I thought it would work, I’d support it, but it wouldn’t work.”

I can PROMISE you that the people I work with will be fired up as all heck tomorrow.

[C. Edmund Wright]

>>> And you got all upset about a rock. Where was that great sense of humor then? >>>

That’s a hilariously childish attempt: - with two massive problems:
A: Cain did not “get all upset about a rock” - he answered a question about it from a main stream reporter in a very measured way.
B; No one ever said the rock was meant as a joke.

Nice try. actually, not such a nice try.

[alicewonders]

I really wish Jim would just remove the whole thread.

ME TOO! People are going to have a field day posting clips from that thread. I was shocked reading some of that stuff.

[altura]

Yes, Israel does make good fences and Perry actually went over to confer with them about it.

Perry is a big Israel supporter by the way.

But I guess it’s easier just to make grandiose statements about a border you’ve never seen and obviously know little about.

[lonestar]

What can we expect from a poster dumb enough to pimp for Romney elitists Bill Kristol and the NYT? You are in with the elitists...not me!

Among those who Perry would consider for VP...you won't find Romney or Cain!

Are you so stupid that you actually think Perry is in cahoots with the Romney people who hate him? You have to be completely nuts!

Whether you can admit it or not...Romney and Cain are joined at the hip!

Quoting Kristol and NYT beats all..unless you're pimping for Romney, which is obvious!

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>Since you ducked out yesterday on the thread..

I accomplished my objective. I exposed the nativist idiots that dwell on this forum and there are a bunch. That includes YOU!

>>>>>>There are people here arguing that it is somehow wrong to kill invaders in defense of our border.

What an idiotic remark. Border security conservatives like myself don't believe electrified fences, land mines and machine guns on the border is a wise decision. I'd say most Americans don't agree with that strategy either. Border security conservatives support boots on the ground, more BP agents, TNG if necessary, the best high tech surveillance hardware money can buy and fencing and walls constructed where it will work. Border security conservatives don't support infringing on private property rights of Texans. Besides, its the job of the federal govt to secure the Tex-Mex border. Its not a states rights issue. Although it should be.

>>>>>>Now I invite you anti-fencers and pro-Perry apologists to address the issues I have presented here and prove them wrong.

Perry wants the Tex-Mex border secured. Period. You obviously want to kill illegal border crossers for a misdemeanor charge. I think we know why.

[Netizen]

It was more of a clarification.

American laws in American courts, not Shariah
Q: You recently said you would not appoint a Muslim to your Cabinet, expressing concern that “a lot of Muslims are not totally dedicated to this country.”

A: First, the statement was would I be COMFORTABLE with a Muslim in my administration, not that I wouldn’t appoint one. I would not be comfortable because you have peaceful Muslims and then you have militant Muslims, those that are trying to kill us. And so, when I said I wouldn’t be comfortable, I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kil us. Second, yes, I do not believe in Sharia law in American courts. I believe in American laws in American courts, period.

Q: So, a purity test or a loyalty test? Ask a Muslim a few questions that you wouldn’t ask of a Christian or Jew?

CAIN: Sorry. No, you are restating something I did not say, When you interview a person for a job, you are able to get a feeling for how committed that person is to the Constitution, in order for them to work effectively in the administration.
Source: 2011 GOP primary debate in Manchester NH , Jun 13, 2011

[digital-olive]

This should be a label for the lib bias of the “media.”

The way they skew this shows who they are.

[central_va]

As much as I detest Obama, he doesn’t make any bones about being a bleeding heart liberal. Unlike some RINOS’s I could name.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

You should go to Cavuto’s website and check out the last in-depth interview he did with Cain. They spoke for several minutes. He’s on Cavuto’s show often, where they talk about the economic specifics of his campaign, as well as the latest news about his campaign.