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Cain Catches Flak, but Will It Sink His Candidacy
Townhall.com ^ | November 3, 2011 | Michael Barone

Posted on 11/03/2011 5:16:57 AM PDT by Kaslin

Washington was all a-Twitter (literally) Monday over Politico's story about the sexual harassment charges against Herman Cain -- and about Cain's serial self-contradictions.

Faithful Fox News viewers saw him in the afternoon saying he didn't know the terms of a settlement reached with the complainants and then saw him tell Greta Van Susteren in the 10 p.m. hour that he did.

The Politico story, quoting no named sources, described Cain's alleged misconduct as "conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature" and "physical gestures that were not overtly sexual."

That sounds bad but not horrible. A lot worse was alleged against Bill Clinton, and he was defended by many feminists.

But we don't know all the relevant facts in this case -- the exact charges, the demeanor of the complainants, the conclusions of the National Restaurant Association counsel, the amount of the settlement made in return for the complainants dropping the case.

And while we know that some accusations of sexual harassment are false or exaggerated, we know that many others are true.

Many conservatives around the country see this as an attack by the liberal press on a prominent black conservative who is statistically tied for the lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

They're correct when they say that the liberal mainstream media seem much more interested in exhuming ancient Cain peccadilloes than it was in learning about John Edwards' extramarital affair and love child.

Or in doing any reporting on Barack Obama's college grades, terrorist friends, extremist pastor or dodgy real estate deal. Can't spoil his narrative.

But the Constitution guarantees us a free press, not a fair one. Republicans and conservatives start off with some disadvantages in our political world, including a mostly biased press; Democrats and liberals start off with others, like the unpopularity of some of their core convictions. Things seem to balance out over time.

And it has to be said that Cain and, even more, his campaign spokesmen were unprepared to deliver a single definitive response to a story that they had known was brewing for several days. Just as it has to be said that Rick Perry was unprepared to defend his record in Texas in his first three or four presidential debates.

Yes, sometimes we see unpreparedness in the White House. But a candidate who is similarly unprepared will have a hard time getting there.

Some in the liberal commentariat have opined that conservative voters are rallying to Cain because he is black. Maybe so. But most seem to back him because he seems conservative, articulate and likeable.

We don't have any significant polling to tell us whether the Politico story has cost Cain support. My hunch is that it hasn't -- at least not yet.

But that leaves the possibility that his support may evaporate when voters have to decide for real. Pollsters ask respondents whom they would vote for "if the election were held today." But one thing everyone knows is that it isn't being held today.

That won't be true when Iowa Republicans venture into precincts caucuses on Jan. 3, the ninth day of Christmas, which is the first real voting day, as it was four years ago.

Then they may respond as members of a Midwestern focus group did a couple of weeks ago, when pollster Peter Hart asked them to raise their hands if they thought Cain was prepared to be president. No one did; not even those who had been saying positive things about Cain.

We can get some sense of who voters think is prepared for the job from the weekly polls on general election preference conducted by Scott Rasmussen.

He finds that a generic Republican leads Barack Obama by a 47 percent to 42 percent margin. Obama's 42 percent tracks pretty well with his job approval in Rasmussen and other polls.

Rasmussen finds that Mitt Romney runs 3 points behind the generic Republican and 2 points ahead of Obama. He's the only Republican running ahead.

Cain and Perry run 9 points behind the generic Republican in Rasmussen's polls. Other candidates run 12 to 15 points behind.

Cain has been leading or tied for the lead for most of a month now, and he may hold that position for a while. But will his lead hold when voters vote for real?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: cain; frontrunner; herbcain; hermancain; lamestreammedia; mainstreammedia; smear
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1 posted on 11/03/2011 5:16:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
The MSM has high-tech lynching down to an art today.


2 posted on 11/03/2011 5:17:22 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Kaslin

When did Cain not know and when did he not know it? :-)

Dirty Politics Readiness 101 for the Non-Politician — if you’ve got a potential scandal in your past, have an account from a constant point of view (i.e. when it was all wrapped up in an agreement or whatever) to address it if it should come up — and don’t let them see you sweat and get mad at getting blindsided.

I think if examined, almost everything that Cain said can be borne out depending on the view at a particular point in the time line of the understandably distasteful experience.


3 posted on 11/03/2011 5:24:22 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (ya don't tug on Superman's cape/ya don't spit into the wind--and ya don't speak well of Mitt to Jim!)
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To: Kaslin

No.

Next question.


4 posted on 11/03/2011 5:24:45 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Kaslin
..one of the rare times I agree with Dick Morris (I can't believe I just said that)--TIME will make this go away, especially since nothing solid has come forth.

If Clinton can survive having committed several felonies, Mr. Cain can beat back the coordinated attack of his adversaries--the voting and TV watching public cannot concentrate long enough to carry this to Iowa and beyond IMO...

5 posted on 11/03/2011 5:26:56 AM PDT by WalterSkinner ( In Memory of My Father--WWII Vet and Patriot 1926-2007)
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To: Kaslin
Herman Cain

born December 13, 1945 in Memphis, TN (Meets the Jus Soli Requirement)

Parents were
Luther Cain Jr., born March 16, 1925 in TN, died March 29, 1982 in Atlanta, GA
Lenora Davis, born July 27, 1925 in GA, died August 20, 2005 in Atlanta, GA

Both parents were US Citizens at the time of his birth (Meets the Jus Sanguinis Requirement)

Herman Cain is a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN

”Herman

Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama ISN'T!

Click on the cane, (Go Cain.)

6 posted on 11/03/2011 5:28:00 AM PDT by ASA Vet (Natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. De Vattel)
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To: Kaslin
Alas! All is lost!!
7 posted on 11/03/2011 5:28:50 AM PDT by ozark hilljilly (Tagline typed on a closed keyboard. Do not attempt. Your mileage may vary.)
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To: Kaslin

I wonder if Cain plays golf....if so he will be compared to Tiger soon that is as a bimbo a day surfaces. To complete the analogy, does Cain’s ability to either get the GOP nomination or lead the Nation equal Tiger’s ability to play golf after the focus deflections caused by bimbo eruptions?

Unfortunately, I think we will not get to find that out as I fear this lynching has had its effect. I also think when the smoke clears, Newt will be the winner.


8 posted on 11/03/2011 5:29:00 AM PDT by Mouton (Voting is an opiate of the electorate. Nothing changes no matter who wins..)
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To: Travis McGee

If they could give truth serum to Bill Clinton, he might say something like “Herman, are you crazy? Women were about to fall all over you and you turned them away with some hush money? No Georgiacides? I don’t know what to make of these silly Republicans.”


9 posted on 11/03/2011 5:29:23 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (ya don't tug on Superman's cape/ya don't spit into the wind--and ya don't speak well of Mitt to Jim!)
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To: Kaslin
This election may be the last chance the public has of poking a stick into the eye of the iron-triangle ruling class; the MSM, Dems, and RINOs. The ruling class is already floating trial balloons about how much more "efficient" we would be with one party rule. We already have certain elites, like Thomas Friedman gushing about the efficiency of China.

One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century.

It's all eerily reminicient of leftists in this country who were enamoured of Hitler; that is up until he invaded the USSR and was suddenly a threat to their precious communists.

10 posted on 11/03/2011 5:31:56 AM PDT by 6SJ7 (I'm an AmeriCain!)
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To: Mouton

Alleged flirtations with the female help or no, I bet Newt wishes that’s all that’s going to be heard about him if he grabs a piece of the limelight.


11 posted on 11/03/2011 5:32:54 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (ya don't tug on Superman's cape/ya don't spit into the wind--and ya don't speak well of Mitt to Jim!)
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To: Kaslin

Will it sink his candidacy? Hard to say at this point, but the enemy will certainly keep the heat on. If this doesn’t knock him out, watch for the narrative to switch to his past bout with cancer... the “media” and their bosses in the DNC will attempt to paint a picture of undue risk surrounding the electability of someone “who could have a recurrence and die in office.”

I read somewhere Chuck Todd already dipped his foot in those waters.


12 posted on 11/03/2011 5:35:16 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Hurrah me boys, for FREEDOM! `Tis the risin` o` the moon!)
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To: ozark hilljilly

Does that mean you are throwing the towel in?


13 posted on 11/03/2011 5:35:21 AM PDT by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: 6SJ7

Two old-world lefties had a vicious cat fight. Who woulda ever thunk it.


14 posted on 11/03/2011 5:37:00 AM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (ya don't tug on Superman's cape/ya don't spit into the wind--and ya don't speak well of Mitt to Jim!)
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To: 6SJ7

OMG! That article was truly frightening!

What was worse were the comments:

“I wouldn’t want to live under a China-type autocracy, but lately I’ve been wondering if we’d have come out any worse had we remained with George III and England. All this ongoing talk, usually from conservatives, about the wisdom and foresight of the Founding Fathers is a bore. What kind of country did they leave behind when they died? We still had slavery, right? They hadn’t solved THAT, and the vote was still limited to white property-owning men.

Yes, George III was quite insane toward the end of his life, but, really, let’s give him another chance.”


15 posted on 11/03/2011 5:37:52 AM PDT by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
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To: WalterSkinner

I listen to Fox for 30 minutes when I come home Charles Krauthamer (sp) said he hoped as time progressed Republican voters would come to their senses and change their minds about Cain. I don’t think I will I love Cain.
What can you say about a channel that puts the Kardiashan (sp) on a news program ha ha ha
Melissa


16 posted on 11/03/2011 5:56:09 AM PDT by mel (There are only 2 races decent and undecent people)
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To: ScottinVA
The accusations wont but his accusations of Perry being the leaker will. He will not be able to play dumb.

being accused falsely by a woman and then falsely accusing a fellow Republican with no proof.

One thing I guess we're all sure of is Romney's hands are remarkably clean, nary an innuendo from Cain.

This is becoming very clear.

17 posted on 11/03/2011 6:02:16 AM PDT by normy (Don't take it personally, just take it seriously.)
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To: Kaslin

The ‘ready for the presidency’ is an interesting question. For one, NO ONE is ready for the presidency. Many different things can help a person be a prepared as possible. This could be previous elections, military experience, or private sector executive experience. It comes down to being able to make good decisions on the go. Cain has the decision making experience, but not the experience of dealing with a legislature or media. That said, he is a smart accomplished man who has succeeded overwhelmingly at everything he has done.

Secondly, being President is not that hard. It is challenging and stressful, but success simply requires a core set of principles and skills in making the right decisions. Also, selecting the right people around you to advise and help make the right decisions. We have overblown the difficulty of the position.


18 posted on 11/03/2011 6:04:53 AM PDT by ilgipper (Everything you get from the government was taken from someone else)
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To: Kaslin
Hell no!

Their craft and power are great
And armed with cruel hate!

but

WE SHALL OVERCOME!

A man who has OVERCOME cancer, poverty, racial discrimination, and the corporate world will OVERCOME this ANCIENT FOE!

HERMAN CAIN SHALL OVERCOME!

And save America in the process!


19 posted on 11/03/2011 6:06:02 AM PDT by Savage Beast (A backwoods southern lawyer is a safer trustee for your soul than a Washington politician.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Despite all else, my years of watching campaigns says that Cain has to stop the bleeding over this shortly. Another 2 weeks of continuous negative press, and his campaign is fatally injured.

His best bet, in my opinion, is to free up any of the females to speak openly provided they also offer up their identity.

In terms of foreign policy comments, everyone knows that’s an area he has to grow. I actually agree with him on US energy independence being a deterrant to Iranian agression, and I agree that a Naval task force or two has all kinds of possibilities in terms of overt and covert operations against Iran.


20 posted on 11/03/2011 6:09:49 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True Supporters of our Troops PRAY for their VICTORY!)
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