Posted on 11/14/2011 2:37:38 PM PST by TitansAFC
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, in the midst of a Midwestern campaign swing, stumbled Monday when answering a question about whether he agreed or disagreed with President Barack Obama's approach to handling the Libyan crisis.
Meeting with Journal Sentinel reporters and editors before fundraising appearances in Milwaukee and Green Bay, Cain was discussing foreign policy in general when he was asked specifically about Obama's handling of Libya.
Cain began to answer the question, but wanted to clarify that Obama had supported the uprising. He paused twice, saying at one point that he had "All of this stuff twirling around in my head."
Said Cain: "I would have done a better job of determining who the opposition is. And I'm sure our intelligence people had some of that information. Based upon who made up that opposition… might have caused me to make some different decisions about how we participated. Secondly, no I did not agree with (Moammar) Gadhafi killing his citizens. Absolutely not. I would have supported many of the things that they did to help stop that."
Cain said the question of America's involvement in Libya was not a simple yes or no question. "I would have gone about assessing the situation differently. It might have caused us to end up in the same place."
On other issues, Cain said:
* He believes public employees should be allowed to bargain collectively on wages and other benefits as long as it does not create an undue burden on taxpayers.
* Said he would create "opportunity zones" including tax incentives that would assist poverty stricken areas of the country.
* Discussed the names of several people he said he admired whom he would consider bringing into a Cain administration if he is elected president.
* Said an independent inquiry into a Journal Sentinel report that payments by Americans for Prosperity - an influential conservative advocacy group - to a nonprofit headed by Cain's chief of staff would not find any major infractions. The Journal Sentinel had published internal financial documents by the nonprofit Prosperity USA that said it was owed about $40,000 by the Cain campaign.
* Welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review the health-care overhaul law.
On the issue of collective bargaining, Cain said he supported the right of public employees to bargain collectively.
"But not collective hijacking. What I mean by that, if they have gotten so much for so many years and it's going to bankrupt the state, I don't think that's good. It appears that in some instances, they really don't care."
Asked about last week's vote in Ohio, in which the state's new collective bargaining law was rejected by voters, Cain said that "maybe they tried to get too much and as a result it failed."
Asked if the Ohio Legislature had gone too far in stripping collective bargaining rights for public employees, including fire and police personnel, Cain said that Ohio legislators "may have tried to get too much in one bill."
Ohio's collective bargaining law differed from Wisconsin in at least one key aspect: Wisconsin exempted police and fire personnel from the law.
In an interview with the Journal Sentinel last month, Cain said that he was "right in the corner of Gov. Scott Walker 100%" in Walker's battle with public employee unions.
Cain also appeared to be unclear on the issue of collective bargaining as it involves federal employees. Asked if he thought federal employees should have the ability to bargain collectively, Cain said: "They already have it, don't they?"
Told they didn't, he said, "They have unions."
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 600,000 federal government workers in 65 agencies, says that most federal employees don't have collective bargaining over pay and benefits.
They do have collective bargaining rights over working conditions.
There are some exemptions to unions in federal government. Air traffic controllers can bargain over wages under a 1996 law that granted full bargaining rights to a number of federal workers covered under the Federal Aviation Administration. The U.S. Postal Service, which has hundreds of thousands of employees, has collective bargaining for pay and benefits. But the Postal Service is technically an independent agency of the U.S. government.
Asked about the economy, Cain said he supported what he called opportunity zones where there would be tax incentives to help the poor empower themselves.
He said his 9-9-9 tax plan allowed businesses to get tax deductions to help them rebuild the economy and create jobs. But in an opportunity zone, he said, businesses would get additional incentives.
Cain also talked about Americans he said he admired and who he said he would consider as members of his administration. He mentioned former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.); former Ambassador John Bolton; and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Cain singled out Ryan, saying he admired how Ryan put a Medicare reform plan on the table, knowing he would be criticized for it.
Asked which job Ryan would be considered for in a Cain administration, Cain declined to say.
"I don't want to pin it down. I don't want to get pigeonholed," Cain said.
On the issue surrounding Prosperity USA, Cain declined to name the law firm he said his campaign hired.
"If there is any wrongdoing, we will correct it. We happen to think, initially, they will not find any major infractions."
Cain also welcomed U.S. Supreme Court review of the health-care law. "I'm thrilled that they are going to look at it sooner than later," he said.
Where did the other thread go?
It was mine. It got pulled for some reason.
I heard it got pulled for an incorrect title - though the two sites have changed the titles of their own articles, so it may be a matter of timing.
Herman Cain at the I Stand with Scott Walker rally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijx6ryJtvII
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijx6ryJtvII
Employee Free Choice Act is really forced unionization
The federal government impedes economic growth by interfering in the employer and employee relationship. While labor unions once provided a representative body to lobby for fair wages and safe working conditions, they now principally serve as a political mechanism for the Left. Forced unionization through the dishonestly named “Employee Free Choice Act,” or “card check,” would drive up the costs of goods & services, cause jobs to be lost and a more powerful system of liberal fundraising to be maintained.
Source: Campaign website, www.hermancain.com/ “Issues” , May 21, 2011
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Card-Check is union intimidation, not free choice
When someone takes the time to actually read the proposed “Card Check” legislation (H.R. 800), you will discover that many of the proponents of this legislation have lied.
Currently, the employees vote directly twice, one of which is the secret ballot, and a third time through their bargaining representatives. Under the proposed rules, the employees would sign a card and then they are totally out of the process from that point on. Proponents think that’s “free choice.”
Proponents have also alleged that employers intimidate employees into not joining a union. That’s ridiculous, because most employers work at trying to keep their workers happy for competitive reasons and because it enhances employee morale. I personally know of many more stories of union intimidation of employees than instances of employer intimidation.
Workers have every right to unionize if they choose to do so, but employers have some rights also. They have the right to simply shut the doors.
Source: Political column, THE New Voice, “Card Check Lies” , Feb 9, 2009
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Union Bosses Unleash On Herman Cain For Targeting Unions’ Sacred Cows
To qualify for zone status under Cain’s plan, a given jurisdiction will have to enact policies the unions consider anathema – such as the elimination of the minimum wage, the provision of school vouchers, or the declaration of a zone as a “right-to-work” area.
Leading figures in organized labor swiftly attacked the Cain proposal.
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa told Fox News in an emailed statement: “Herman Cain’s ‘Opportunity Zones’ appear to be an opportunity for corporate America to exploit workers and turn the United States into a third-world country.”
http://www.redstate.com/laborunionreport/2011/10/20/union-bosses-unleash-on-herman-cain-for-targeting-unions-sacred-cows/
It got pulled for the same reason this one will get pulled. Why are you reposting already pulled threads?
How many new jobs in US will be created with intimate knowledge of Libyan situation?
How does Libyan situation affect US Strategic interests?
Will Libya continue to sell oil regardless of who wins?
Does one need access to CIA and military intelligence to really know what is going on?
Why, exactly, do you think this thread should be pulled?
Remember the BS when they asked W who the President of Taiwan was, or other crap like that? They never ask those kind of questions to Rat candidates.
I am calling B.S. On the Urinal Seminal report, and would like to hear a tape. There is NO WAY Cain is in favor of collective bargaining. Americans for Prosperity is the primary force behind Scott Walker and they are supporting Cain.
PHILOSOPHIC QUESTION:
If government is so pure and altruistic so that it ALWAYS looks out for our best interests, why is a public employee union even necessary?
Herman lost my vote on that issue.
Why are you reposting pulled threads?
Cain either doesn’t think fast on his feet or he is not well informed on a few key conservative issues. Originally, I didn’t think his political inexperience would be a big deal, but I may rethink that position. I don’t give Perry a break on his poor debate prep and performance. And I’m not giving Cain a break on his repeated misstatements with follow-up clarifications.
What exeactly did he say wrong? He just took his time answering the question. Shame on him for having all the issues and answers in his head. If his Libya answer was on a teleprompter he would have done better I guess.
Undue burden? WTF? When the taxpayers are not represented at the table, how the heck is that "undue burden"?
Then again, this is a libturd rag, so I trust the reporting about as far as I can throw a fit.
The pulled thread said it got pulled for having the wrong title. This one seems to have the correct title.
I, for one, think that it is important for us to know what Cain’s position is in support of public unions. If he supports them, I will not support him, because nobody at the public union bargaining table will be there to support the taxpayer.
That’s strike two in my book, since Cain has already indicated that in his view, we don’t need to be worried about the Fed. (More bargains the Taxpayer is not allowed to be privy to...)
Cain is stumbling badly today. This is painful to watch.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68337.html
The previous thread was pulled for an incorrect title. WTH is wrong with posting it again with the correct title?
It’s a hit piece, which is why it was instantly reposted after getting pulled already. Tells you everything you need to know.
It’s The Urinal Sentinel! Wadda ya expect?
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