Politico's Martin Still Can't Explain Exactly What Herman Cain Did

RealClearPolitics ^ | November 6, 2011

[2ndDivisionVet]

(VIDEO AT LINK)

In an interview with Howard Kurtz on CNN, Politico's Jonathan Martin still can't explain what exactly it is that Herman Cain reportedly did to the women who received payouts from the National Restaurant Association. Mr. Martin's main argument is because the story hasn't been fully challenged, it must be true. Here's a partial transcript of the back-and-forth between Martin and Kurtz.

Howard Kurtz, CNN: "Jonathan Martin, let's talk about the first story last Sunday, you and three colleagues reported this and what it didn't contain in the way of details. Here's the language from the story. Sexually suggestive behavior that made the women angry and uncomfortable, descriptions of physical gestures, not always overtly sexual, innuendo, and in one case, an unwanted sexual advance at a hotel."

"Why publish the story then when you couldn't answer the essential question: What precisely is Herman Cain alleged to have done to these women?"

Jonathan Martin, Politico: "Howie, I think any journalist would find the, uh -- a report of two women got a five figure, each, cash payout after alleged sexual harassment against a CEO of a trade group that is now a major contender for president, newsworthy. And that's the story we had, and that's what we published."

[2ndDivisionVet]

Q: Would you have run this story if it was Mr. Obama, another Democrat or a RINO? A: Of course we wouldn't. Look how we buried the John Edwards scandal and JFK's shenanigans.

[FlingWingFlyer]

“Alleged sexual harassment” is not sexual harassment.

[GeronL]

Have we reached 11,000+ headlines on Google News yet?

Still no story to go along with the propaganda campaign by the Dem Media?

[xuberalles]

Politico ran 90 anti-Cain stories in 5 days: in 5 days! And over what? A gesture! Not a rape, an attack, or an affair with an intern in the Oval Office who isn't your wife...but a gesture! The left is terrified of Herman because he poses the biggest threat to Obama's voting base & socialist agenda. And how is it Politico failed to thoroughly cover the fact Obama snorted coke, smoked weed, was mentored by a self-confessed communist/wanted terrorist in Bill Ayers, & spent 20 years in a racist, anti-American church? Yet, they're talking about a GESTURE amidst this mountain of scandal & historic failures by this administration. Wake-up, America! Perspective, not propaganda!

[South40]

I think he should have to explain to his employer(s) why he thought running with this story was worth destroying what scant bit credibility Politico may have had.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Seems if it’s “good enough” to have an attorney for one of those “ladies” opine that whatever the act that wasn’t specified was, he believed it to be sexual harassment — well it ought to be good enough to ring up some defense attorneys in this field and have them vouch that this is a normal way to make garbage sexual harassment lawsuits go away.

[justsaynomore]

There are still people on FR defending this story (saying Cain still has to answer for something). How do you answer when you are not even sure what specifically you are accused of? It makes me SICK.

[Diogenesis]

Whenever Team Romney had rumors they wanted to start about other candidates,
Jonathan Martin has been their go-to guy to get those rumors in writing in front of a national audience.

“And The Most Irresponsible Journalist Award Goes to The Politico’s Jonathan Martin!
So tell me, how do you write a “news” story about an organization paying for a speaker when you don’t even know if the organization is paying for the speaker?
Ask “journalist” Jonathan Martin. He knows all about it.
You see, Jonny wrote a piss poor story the other day about how the Iowa Family Policy Center will be paying a large speaker fee if Sarah Palin comes to Iowa to keynote the IFPC’s fall funderaiser.
The only problem is that Jonny has no sources confirming that any exorbitant fee is being charged or paid.
Jonny also got some inside info from David Kochel, who was a top aide to former (and future) presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.
Hey Dave, didn’t I just read a story about how Mitt Romney tried to buy off the Iowa Christian Alliance?
I heard you helped facilitate that little scheme. And somehow you are shocked at the thought of a well-known political figure (who very likely isn’t running for president) getting paid a speaker’s fee for (gasp) a public speaking appearance? ..
and then we’ve got Tim Albrecht quoted. He was the Iowa spokesman for Romney’s 2008 caucus campaign.”
And it always seemed like, whenever the Romney people had rumors they wanted to start about other candidates,
Jonny was their go-to guy to get those rumors in writing in front of a national audience.

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign?
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

Who benefits most from Sanford meltdown? Californian (that's right) Mitt Romney

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---

[drierice]

That reporter Jonathan Martin is so nervous and defensive, you’d think he was the one accused of sexual harassment.

[RitaOK]

Yes, this Politico regular looked sour and quite uncomfortable this morning given that he and his whole gang are found not to be heroes after all, but caught instead with their britches around there ankles trying to defend a nasty case of smearing opposition research with no real there, there. Even that Kathleen Parker person redeemed herself slightly, by giving Martin flak. Rather enjoyable outcome all around wouldn’t you say? For once, no free pass on a cheap shot. Gotta be a FIRST.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I don’t see it so much here, but what gets me on other blogs is the people lamenting (or pretending to lament) that this scandal-ette (and there are plenty of women who vouch that Herman Cain behaved himself like no less than a gentlemen in their private presence) is going to turn the USSC over to progressives and oh woe the country is lost.

[Signalman]

"Mr. Cain, people want to know. When did you stop beating your wife?"

[Free Vulcan]

No There There bump...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Those are Perrywinkles and Romneybots, mostly.

[hinckley buzzard]

The best part about this shyster, Joel whatsisname, is that he admitted to WaPo that he doesn't have any records of the case, or even a copy of the confidentiality agreement. But he accurately "remembers" all these suggestive incriminating allegations from 12 or so years ago from a minor run-of-the mill scam-case, when Cain was not even a public figure. Right.

[mkjessup]

There are still people on FR defending this story (saying Cain still has to answer for something). How do you answer when you are not even sure what specifically you are accused of? It makes me SICK.

Too many people allow themselves to be led by the nose with 'breaking headlines' even when there is no story to back up the huge banners and exclamation points. Jonathan Martin is not a journalist, he is a bought and paid for sockpuppet for the 0bamunist regime, and anyone thinking that dirtbag is 'objective' or adheres to ANY sort of journalistic standards is just kidding themselves.

The leftists made a huge throw of the dice on this non-story, hoping that America would see lots of smoke (of the media's making) and not notice that there was no fire, and they didn't count on Herman Cain responding not in some slick, campaign manager's scripted and parsed answers, he answered from the gut, and if his responses didn't seem all polished and smooth, well that's a damn good thing because that alone proves that he was speaking the truth, and mostly spoke off the cuff, but Americans like that and they especially like the fact that Cain didn't back down.

Jonathan Martin is to REAL journalism what e.coli is to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Look up Wes Pruden's excellent article on this sorry affair in the Washington Times, it's worth the read, and he nails these sorry and pathetic b@stards to the wall.

[EDINVA]

Tell Jonathan to put some ice on it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Jesse Jackson is being sued for sexual harrassment by a man in Chicago, from what I am told.

Media has not reported it.

[Fantasywriter]

Are there still people on FR defending Politico/the sexual harassment non-story? I saw a few at first, but they got beat down pretty bad [or good, depending on your POV]. I thought the rest of the smear merchants crawled under a rock and stayed there. Am I mistaken?