Cain smoking ad brings flood of donations

The Hill ^ | 10/28/11 | Justin Sink

[freespirited]

While Herman Cain's viral Web ad — in which chief of staff Mark Block pointedly takes a drag from a cigarette after extolling the presidential candidate's virtues — might have raised eyebrows among political strategists and heckles in Internet comment sections, the ad seems to have also raised the rate at which the insurgent campaign is bringing in fundraising dollars.

Cain has brought in nearly $2 million within the last week alone, nearly doubling his weekly returns earlier this month, his campaign told The Wall Street Journal. By contrast, Cain only brought in $2.8 million over the entire third quarter.

"Our donations online have shot up a lot since that ad,” Block told the Journal. “The money we are getting is wildly beyond our expectations."

Cain's campaign has argued that the ad was a manifestation of a nontraditional, down-to-earth style that has caught the Republican zeitgeist. The polls seem to echo that analysis, with Cain leading Mitt Romney 24 percent to 20 in a Fox News survey released earlier this week.

The candidate said earlier this week that the ad "did a great job" and represented his grassroots message.

"We have a saying in my campaign — let Herman be Herman. This is the attitude that I have when I do debates. This is the attitude I have when I do interviews: Let Herman be Herman. Mark Block is my chief of staff. And we also say, 'Let Mark be Mark,' " Cain said on Fox News. "Mark happens to be a smoker. He knows it's a bad habit, but he smokes. And so we weren't trying to send any subliminal message whatsoever. Many of us found it hilarious, because we know Mark Block."

Block said the ad enforced the idea of Cain as a "different kind of presidential candidate."

“Yes, the smoking part of that ad was controversial — and I don’t in any way condone smoking — but the message that Herman Cain is a different kind of presidential candidate is certainly resonating across the country,” Block said.

[Balding_Eagle]

The bill passed Texas legislation by an unvetoable margin. PERIOD!!!!!!

Yes! That's what we need, a leader who capitulates in the face of the greatest invasion this country has ever seen. How Washingtonian of him.

Then he puts out enticements to invite even more to break into our country.

Just look at CA my friend. You're there in less than 10 years. You want to live in the hellhole of Mexico with a governor who designed it, that's your privilage I guess.

But we, as a country can't afford such a dangerous weakling in the WH.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I used to make sure I had PLENTY of butts on hand....God forbid I would run out. But now, I started buying what I believe would be “less” than I need to get me through.

If you get to the point of seriously trying to quit, my advice is to smoke yourself sick, the night before. One after the other, then even after you feel sick, more. Disgust yourself. Then more. Finally after you simply cannot stand it, smoke one more and throw out every single cigarette you have. All of them. If you hesitate for even a moment, smoke more. Make yourself absolutely disgusted with them. Then when there is no single part of you which wants to be near a cigarette for any reason, throw them ALL out. Proudly and with utter determination. That moment, decide to change your life, and get rid of them with singular purpose! Flush them down the toilet, whatever you need to do.

Then when you wake up to quit, you really won't want one right away.

It will get bad the first 3 days. Worse every minute. After 3 days, you have arrived at the worst, but it won't get easier for about a month. Don't quit. Don't expect it will be easy, but don't quit. Talk about quitting, so you can be encouraged when it is hard. But get mad, and be determined.

If you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up over it, prepare and do it again. As many times as necessary.

Think about the things you have done in life which were important. How many were easy?

Quitting smoking is not easy. It's quite challenging in fact. But it's worth it. You can. Seriously, you can.

[NoGrayZone]

I thought about the gum, but as you stated it is replacing one addiction for another.

And I’m also afraid of what it would do to my teeth and gums. So far, I’ve been lucky that my smoking hasn’t had much of an effect on them....yet.

Besides, I am NOT a gum chewer. I’d probably get addicted to the gum, lol.

[mombonn]

Sent him a contribution before "the ad". May send him another. I LOVED it!

Spoken by a non-smoker.

[CIBvet]

After many many years of a love-hate relationship with nicotine, and many failed attempts to quit, I finally began attending Narcotics Anonymous mtgs to deal with my addiction. Smartest move ever ... though I initially felt pretty stupid and out of place sitting in the midst of heroin addicts and people who told of breaking needles off in their arms ... some who'd woken up in the ER w/ a tag on their toe.

And then there was me ..."Hi, I'm << ....... >> ... and I'm addicted to cigarettes"

I had to find the courage to overcome the fear of making such a statement in such a group ... but I just told them straight up, I knew nicotine would destroy my life and dreams and kill me, just as certainly as drugs and alcohol will destroy the drug addict & alcoholic. God had blessed me w/ the gift/love of music ... and He'd made it possible against all odds, for me to make a living singing and playing gtr ... I was always aware that was a wonderful, beautiful gift. To take all that for granted was ... way beyond just sinful to me. Yet I couldn't find a way to stay quit.

I finally had the thought that He gave those gifts, and if one doesn't respect the gifts they were given, those gifts could be taken away. That thought was beyond chilling ... beyond sobering.

While I don't believe in a vengeful God just waiting to thump me on my head for sliding into the ditch... one more time... I do believe that as any parent who truly loves their child understands, at some point real love must become 'Tough Love', if you truly love.

I will forever be grateful to NA and the other 12Step programs for helping me find a substantial measure of sanity and serenity in this life... now free from nicotine for a lot of real good years.

I hope this can be encouragement to others desperate to find a way out.

[NoGrayZone]

Thanks. I quit once for a week. It was that damn driving that made me swerve into a 7-11 parking lot on my way to work, bought a pack and smoked my brains out.

Although, I never considered smoking until it got me sick. Perhaps, once I have saved enough for cab fare for a month, I will do the smoke till your sick.

I believe I need several methods. My sister and I traveled into Stinken Island (Staten Island) to get that electronic zap in the ear.

“Worked” for her, not I. I put her worked in quotes because it was ALL her that got her to quit.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Just a disclaimer. These being litigious times and all.

I am not suggesting any reader to anything dangerous or harmful. Be aware of your own limits, and do what is right for yourself.

I’m just saying what worked for me.

Consult your physician first. :)

/disclaimer

[NoGrayZone]

They accepted you as just a smoker? Now that’s an avenue I’ve never thought of.

[goldstategop]

The Cigarette Smoking Man can tell you countless packs of cigarettes add up to a lot of tough decisions.

[NoGrayZone]

Why are you using a “disclaimer” on me? I am a loyal FReeper and would never THINK of such a thing!

This is a private site. Paid for and sustained by FReepers like you and I.

Sorry if I sound defensive, but I kinda am, and a tad ticked off you would do that to me.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Sorry. :)

Just being prudent.

Good luck. You can indeed quit smoking. You can.

[NoGrayZone]

Okay, I can understand you being “prudent”. Not ALL of us here are actual FReepers. I can see a troll using your own words against you (I hate them).

Thanks for your apology, but it is not needed. Once I thought about it (as I described above), I can understand where you’re coming from.

I’m a little defensive, if you couldn’t tell already. =)

[xrmusn]

Love the ‘in your face’ aspect of this ad.
NO PC for me....

I was 35 yr smoker, told myself one AM, NO MAS, that was in 1991, and haven’t picked one up since.
Stopped drinking in same time frame. Must have been a ‘real joy’ to have been around.

Now maybe (Hopefully) President Cain will stop the phony baloney White House ‘pardoning’ a Thanksgiving Turkey.

That would probably be the ONLY thing BO could do that may garner any ‘good’ feelings from me.

[who knows what evil?]

I can rest assured that Zero will be pardoning PLENTY of turkeys as his term comes to a conclusion...

[Cringing Negativism Network]

If you do decide to quit, guaranteed you’ll be more defensive and even cranky.

Might want to warn those you care about ahead of time.

You’ll irritate them, but they’ll support you even when you do.

Good luck.

[mcmuffin]

THREAD HIJACK OFF !

We now return to the subject of this thread...

Herman Cain Thank You For Smoking Campaign Ad

[NoGrayZone]

Great, even more cranky than I already am. Lord help me.

[CIBvet]

I am forever grateful to those folks for their compassion and acceptance.

A few yrs later I had a little farmhouse recording studio in OR and a gtr buddy I'd met in recovery mtgs came over to ck it out. He started to pull one out and light up, and I had to stop him ... asking not to smoke around my equip... but I'd go stand on the porch with him.

As we stood outside, I asked him why he was still smoking those things. I knew from mtgs how he had come through the '60's becoming addicted to pretty much everything in the process.

He held up that cigarette and told me, "I've been through heroin, methadone, coke, alcohol, pills, pot and managed to get out from under all of them. But nicotine ... this is the absolute hardest drug I've ever had to face !"

That statement just blew me away !! I'd always considered myself waaay too smart to ever get wrapped up with that mean stuff... so I couldn't be qualified as an addict... hmmm, but then I did smoke pot every day of my life for 10 straight yrs, and cigarettes for far far longer than that.

I then began to understand how and why my struggle over so many yrs had been so intense & tough. Those things were/are absolutely insidious. Culturally accepted back then. Pot was nothing to quit compared to nicotine.

[Yaelle]

It’s not the smoking. It’s the unashamed to be himself, to have his people be themselves.

Obama is so fake. He’s gay and hides it. He’s a commie and hides it. He has citizenship problems and hides it. He SMOKES and hides it!

[Yaelle]

I love his smile too! I want to see a picture of him when he was younger!