Is Cain Able? (refreshingly honest about not knowing but..)

HeyMiller ^ | Monday June 6, 2011 | John Miller

[Bigtigermike]

So is Cain’s familiarity with any number of issues — not just the fine points of negotiations in the Middle East. What does he think of Bush’s immigration proposals? “I don’t recall what was in it.” How about the free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea — negotiated by the Bush administration and possibly going before Congress soon? “I don’t know the details.” Not even on the pact with South Korea which, if approved, would become America’s largest trade deal since the passage of NAFTA? “I can’t say whether I’d vote yes or no.”

There’s a refreshing honesty to some of this — but too much of it begins to appear amateurish. How would Cain have handled the crisis in Libya this spring? “I would have had a plan before it erupted.” What would that plan have looked like? “Not knowing what we knew, it’s difficult to say how I would have reacted.” He means that without access to classified intelligence, he’s reluctant to say more. But knowing what he knows now, would he have dropped bombs? “Don’t quote me saying I would have gone to war. I don’t have enough of the facts.”

He’s similarly elusive on Afghanistan — he won’t say what the United States should do there. “My foreign policy is not an instant-grits policy,” he says. “As a successful businessman, I make decisions based on getting as many of the facts and as much of the advice as I can. Based on the input I receive, I’ll make a decision. Right now, without all of the facts, it’s irresponsible to announce a Cain plan.”

[RockinRight]

Yet the CDS’ers never propose a better alternative in someone who actually has the answers that Cain is honest in saying he doesn’t have.

[kingattax]

for anyone who is interested, Mr. Cain has outlined his fundamental positions on a host of important issues which can be found at his website. there will come many appropriate times when he can articulate more detailed positions.

his work right now is to get voters acquainted with who he is and establish an organization. he has been smart enough to essentially avoid the gotcha questions being asked in interviews.

http://www.hermancain.com

[truthfreedom]

Cain hasn’t earned the right to have “Derangement Syndrome” after his name. There is no Cain Derangement Syndrome. Unless you think it’s deranged to have no idea who Herman Cain is, in which case, it’s common.

Bush Derangement Syndrome - check
Palin Derangement Syndrome - check

An article pointing out that Cain answers questions by saying that he’d look at the facts, which he doesn’t have, is not deranged at all, it’s pretty reasonable for anyone who is interested in finding out which way Cain was at least leaning in these cases. Certainly it benefits Cain by allowing him to avoid alienating people on either side of an issue. It’s not deranged to point this out.

[PieterCasparzen]

I can research and come up with questions that Cain or any other candidate doesn’t know the answer to all day long, as can most everyone.

[American Dream 246]

Like not knowing what is the right of return? My dog knows what it is. I agree and it is a fact that Cain did not make his homework before running or since he is on the trail. It is obvious. Like several of you said, America is in too much of a bad shape to test another “no experience” one. No time to learn on the job this time. That’s our last chance to save America. Let’s not get caught again with nice talks and no proof of walk the walk.

[Sun]

I like Cain, but this bothers me:

“What does he think of Bush’s immigration proposals? “I don’t recall what was in it.””

Couldn’t he at least have winged that one?

[conservativebuckeye]

I’ve been leaning strongly towards Cain for the past few weeks, but this is a bit troubling.

[unseen1]

Cain is a lightweight. I liked him at first until I understood he was simply copying talking points. The man is unformed, unschooled and starting to look like a con artist. how anyone could consider him a serious candidate at this point is beyond me. He was also a major lobbyist in DC while he acts like a big outsider. I would hope people could see the difference between a real candidate and a con man. All that being said I would vote for him before Mitt.

[conservativebuckeye]

Gingrich is the only one running who could possibly be considered a world history scholar, and he clearly isn’t the answer. I don’t think Palin, Romney, Pawlenty, or Bachmann have extensive knowledge of world history, either.

[unseen1]

I agree. and from his comment about Bachmann and Timmy this weekend his political skills are also very weak.

Accusing Christians of pandering because they gave a paryer? I'm not a fan of either Bachmann or timmy but that line was just below the belt by cain.

[unseen1]

I agree. and from his comment about Bachmann and Timmy this weekend his political skills are also very weak.

Accusing Christians of pandering because they gave a paryer? I'm not a fan of either Bachmann or timmy but that line was just below the belt by cain.

[alstewartfan]

Cain is not going to win. He has no chance. It’s hard not to like him, but he doesn’t exude political savvy and decisiveness like the best of our conservatives, Palin, Ryan, Bachmann and West.

[unseen1]

Palin makes Cain look like a little child.

[conservativebuckeye]

People need to be aware that you are a big Palin supporter. I like Palin because she has the right enemies, but I’m not sure she can win and am not positive she’s Presidential material. This might sound petty, but her attending five different colleges bothers me. As someone who spent 7 years at one college, it strikes me as odd. It also makes her come across as flighty and indecisive.

[conservativebuckeye]

Not quite. Nevermind that Cain is 20 years older, I’d argue that he has the most private sector success of anyone running, including Romney. He turned around Godfather’s Pizza. He turned around Burger King in the Philadelphia area and was also a mathematician in ballistics for the United States Navy. I don’t think Palin, Romney, Bachmann, or Pawlenty could be mathematicians. This guy has an incredible background, except for his role as an advisor for Dole/Kemp. Also, having a conservative black guy from the deep south defeat the first black President would be one of the great American stories.

[PieterCasparzen]

Like not knowing what is the right of return? My dog knows what it is. I agree and it is a fact that Cain did not make his homework before running or since he is on the trail. It is obvious. Like several of you said, America is in too much of a bad shape to test another “no experience” one. No time to learn on the job this time. That’s our last chance to save America. Let’s not get caught again with nice talks and no proof of walk the walk.

I'm glad you brought that up.

I was watching Mr. Cain's response. He was confused by exactly the same thing I was as the question was being asked.

The smarta$$ chris wallace simply asked "right of return", leaving out whether he was referring to Jews returning to Israel or muslims returning to where they used to live under the Ottoman Empire. I was sure that there was some issue of the Jewish diaspora having a right to return to Israel, and of course I knew that the muslims keep crowing about returning to the lands of the now non-existent Ottoman Empire, but I didn't know which one he was asking about.

The smarta$$ made sure to wait just a few seconds to capture a video bite of his adversary, Mr. Cain, hesitating, as Mr. Cain went through the exact same thought process I did - since both of us haven't had a need to keep track of muslim propaganda on the subject of the State of Israel, since it was legitimately created, end of story. Having obtained his precious few seconds of video, chris wallace then coyly helps Mr. Cain by offering up that he's talking about the muslims so-called right of return.

Since Mr. Cain is not privy to negotiations between Israel and the U.S. on these matters, he really could not know what the exact current stance of both states was, since Israel often comes across with various concessions, and the beltway today spews all sorts of hot air on any given day which panders to muslims at the expense of American, and really all nations' sovereignty. So he took the most common sense stance and deferred to the State of Israel to make it's own decisions about it's border security and it's right to negotiate for itself, i.e., Mr. Cain does not feel that the U.S. or any other state has a right to dictate to Israel on this or any other issue.

So the big question - I just looked it up. Yes, the Law of Return is Israeli legislation passed in 1950 which gives those of Jewish ancestry and their spouses anywhere in the world the right to return to Israel. Of course, the history of Israel goes back to the British mandate and before that, the Ottomans, and, to dot the i's and cross the t's on one's knowledge, one would have to study quite a bit of history to be able to thoroughly exposit the reasoning behind well-formed opinions. But to rightly discern this issue for modern times, the logic is fairly straightforward: no one complained when being ruled by the Ottomans for hundreds of years, so any talk of "palestinian" statehood is balderdash.

Had Mr. Cain assumed that smarta$$ was asking about the muslim "right of return" and expressed any negative sentiment surrounding it in an attempt to show support for Israel, prior to the coy clarification, the smarta$$ could have clarified the other way and said he was referring to the Jewish right of return, and then gotten a video clip that the left could circulate and use against Mr. Cain, repeating over and over to American Jews, "he's against the Jewish right of return". Of course, if Mr. Cain assumed that smarta$$ was asking about the Jewish right of return and expressed support for it, the left would circulate the video clip as much as possible saying that he was "supporting" the muslim "right of return". Either way, smarta$$ gets a video clip to use.

And this is why I refer to smarta$$ as smarta$$: because it is very telling that he specifically left out which "right of return" he was asking about. He was not asking questions which would reveal knowledge or opinions, his only goal was to get the interviewee to say something embarassing. And that demonstrates - on video - his bias, since he has never in his entire career tried to embarass a liberal or left-winger. This proves that smarta$$ is not a journalist but a liberal propagandist, which means he is simply a very subtle, useful tool of left-wing propagandists, an "advance party" if you will.

He goes about feigning reporting while couching all his words with the syrupy sweet but dangerously flawed logic of the suburban liberal.

Would Mr. Cain have been hailed a hero by the right if he flat-out but politely called the smarta$$ on his trick immediately during the faux interview ? Absolutely - and he undoubtedly will, since he certainly has had his share of verbal confrontations that he handily won. But I am calling him out on his mistake of not calling out smarta$$ with authority. Just like I'd call out any other good conservative candidate. It was less than a great response, and that's the standard to shoot for.

I'd also like to consider, however, what he did say in that interview. Despite the pressure of the trick question, he expressed clear support of Israel, a historic and important ally of the U.S., and his confusion actually demonstrated that he was aware of the concept of the Jewish right of return - and his hesitation indicates a clear support of that right.

Far too many voters do not remember, or perhaps never knew or understood, the dark spectre of worldwide hatred of Jews during WWII. I consider it Providential, though a sad commentary, that free and Democratic nations - because of the horror they had witnessed - felt the need to allow that one future escape, from perhaps even their own countrymen's mindless hatred, that one possible State of refuge. It is heartening to know that some of us, even when confused and under pressure, instinctively know that such refuge must remain.

[BenKenobi]

Thank you. Don’t know an answer? Admit you don’t know, then find out so that the next time you get that question you do have a plan in front of you.

Better to look like a fool by admitting ignorance than to remain a fool by feigning competence.

I like that Cain tells me, “I want to see the specifics of it before I comment on whether I am for or against this.”

We know where he stands on all the big deals. Why not on the little ones too? When I ran I got peppered by questions on an oil pipeline that I had never heard about at all. My response, “let me read up on the pipeline.” Next time I got that question, I could reply that I had read the particulars, knew the information and thought that the plan in place was solid.

[erlayman]

I didn’t realize Cain was coming from a lobbyist background. The Fair Tax gimmick that he has peddled for years isn’t going anywhere but it would certainly take power away from both the politicians and pawnbrokers. He defends it in terms of consumer protection which only makes sense if it saves billions on lobbyists whose job it is to help rewrite the tax code and get rid of loopholes that currently pave the way for corporate tax dodging. Because it isn’t as if companies are passing along taxes in the form of higher prices when so much is being bypassed on the front end.

[Kartographer]

Clearly the Palin supporters have taken up the use of the very tricks that the left have used and continue to use against Palin.

They have become worse than the Paulist in the rude trash talk. Does anyone think that by brow beating, belittling and besmirching others and their candidate that they can win support for their own? The Paulist have tried this tactic for years and where has that gotten them?

I’ve seen any number of post on Herman Cain threads here on FR on which Cain has been declared a Palin Spoiler, a FED Plant and everything in between including per one of our fellow FReeper that he ‘smelled like Obama’ and yet I have never see even on Cain supporter go on a Palin thread and talk trash not even once.

Now I like Sarah and with no buts and if she gets in then I will cross that bridge then, but I like to ask a question; With Sarah not having declared as of yet what kind of person who is confident enough in themselves and their skills and abilities to run for and hold the office of POTUS would wait around to see if another candidate is going to run or not? I’ll tell what kind the kind that doesn’t deserve the office. If you plan to run you run! A person who plans to hold the office of POTUS waits on no one!

[unseen1]

Turned around Godfather's pizza? You might want to check your facts....Godfather's pizza's yearly sales fell under Cain. He left it to pursue a career as a lobbyist in DC.

Palin was CEO of 25,000 employees and left her state with a $12 billion surplus. Cain left Godfather's pizza in massive leveraged debt.

As far as being a mathematician,,Carter was a nuclear engineer. how did that work out?

It's nice you like Cain and defend him but any search into his record shows that he isn't prepared to be a candidate let alone the POTUS.

And I don't vote for someone based on his race. I could care less if he was orange.