Posted on 09/27/2011 4:45:38 AM PDT by Kaslin
Do not suppose for a minute that Herman Cain's victory in the Florida straw poll will alter the liberal narrative about the Tea Party and Republicans. No, we will continue to be instructed by the Congressional Black Caucus, the Today Show and The New York Times that the eruption of the Tea Parties is a reflection of the dark id of American conservatism; that it is primarily racist and xenophobic; and that the Tea Party movement is radical and extremist.
Waving the "bloody shirt" of racism has been the most reliable workhorse of Democratic politics for at least a generation. Remember the wall-to-wall coverage of the "epidemic" of black church fires in the 1990s? Remember George W. Bush's "insensitivity" regarding the ghastly lynching of James Byrd? The epidemic turned out to be imaginary and Bush was happy to sign the death warrant for one of Byrd's murderers, but the tactic is too precious for Democrats to abandon.
It will take some imagination to explain away Herman Cain's success. Among the very voters Democrats demonize, Cain achieved a resounding victory with 37.1 percent of the vote -- more than twice the percentage of his next, nearest competitor Rick Perry, who received 15.4 percent.
And it wasn't that Republicans and conservatives were acting upon an affirmative action spirit -- trying to prove that they too could pull the lever for a black guy. It's that Herman Cain delivers a great speech, is willing to propose solutions commensurate with our problems and is possessed of a remarkably sunny personality. As the Washington Examiner's Byron York reported, "It's not an exaggeration to say that his power as an orator sealed the deal for hundreds of delegates. They believed Cain was speaking to them from the heart, and they were carried away by it."
And it doesn't hurt that Cain embodies the Horatio Alger rise to success that liberals dismiss as myth but conservatives still believe.
Raised in pre-civil rights Georgia by working class parents (his mother was a maid and his father worked as a janitor, a barber and a chauffeur), Cain got a degree in mathematics from Morehouse College and then a master's in computer science at Purdue. While in school, he worked for the Navy in ballistics. Upon leaving the Navy, he entered the heart of corporate America, working first for the Coca-Cola Co., later for Pillsbury and then Burger King. The division of Burger King he headed went from the least profitable to the most profitable in three years. He performed similar magic for Godfather's Pizza, but in a shorter time, turning the company to profitability in a mere 14 months. He served as chairman and later CEO of the National Restaurant Association, and he also became chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, before achieving the true pinnacle of human achievement with a syndicated newspaper column.
Cain's proposal to reform Social Security along the lines that Chile and 36 other nations have adopted is the sanest entitlement policy prescription of the campaign thus far -- and with Mitt Romney playing it safe and Rick Perry having taken so much heat for the Ponzi scheme wording -- it is likely to remain so.
Cain's 999-tax plan is similarly refreshing. Our 11,045-page tax code, barnacled by layer after layer of complexity and special interest loopholes, is a drag on productivity and national sanity. A government watchdog agency estimates that Americans spend 6.1 billion hours annually complying with the code. Something like Cain's plan would cut the Gordian knot.
But as historian and political analyst Richard Brookhiser put it, in another year when the political world was rhapsodizing about some other newcomer (it may even have been Ross Perot), "The presidency is not an entry-level post." It isn't that Cain lacks the stature to be president, it's that he lacks the kind of experience the office requires. Though we perpetually disparage politicians in America (for good reasons much of the time), it cannot be denied that political skills are necessary in a political job. Beyond delivering a good speech, a successful president must know how to build coalitions, apply pressure to friends and foes alike, deal with a hostile press, appoint officials who won't embarrass the administration, handle ego and turf battles among his advisors and cabinet members, and know when to spend and when to husband political capital. And all of that is before he begins to deal with other nations.
Cain is a great American. His sudden rise in the presidential contest should (but won't) give pause to the bigots who have defamed conservatives and the Tea Party. But he is not our knight in shining armor. There may not be one. He'd make a heck of a Treasury Secretary though.
My question is,
will we be able to call anyone that criticizes President Cain a “racist”?
I'd vote for him but I'm a TEA party guy and morgan freeman told me I'm a racist, so there is no way I can vote for Herman.
It's too bad, since I think he'd be a good candidate.
Look at that picture of them. They are such a cute couple, and truly love each. She’s so petite and sweet! That’s not the reason I’d vote for him, but they sure sparkle over the muck in the WH. I’d vote for him on that speech alone, and the conservative bone that runs through him. God bless him, and I pray he really picks up in other polls.
I’ll take a Palin Cain ticket. I can’t wait to hear the hermanator tell maxine and the cbc types that their pro-slavery contract won’t be renewed.
*****But he is not our knight in shining armor.*****
No he is not. He is a down to earth, successful executive with an impressive resume and biography.
We need a citizen executive/legislator with practical, common sense solutions to fiscal and economic problems - i.e. those created by your ‘experienced’ government professional politicians.
You still want a ‘knight’ Mona? Sashay over to the Hollyweird camp. They have a huge selection of shiny suits, empty - but shiny.
I stopped going to the movies thirty years ago so I have always thought “Morgan Freeman” was some liberal white chick actress.
So when this wrinklebomb old geek looking like an explosion in a Brillo factory shows up on TV to call everybody racists, I was shocked and could only wonder whatever happened to Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte?
“Hollywood actor charges racism!” Dog bites man.
I agree with you that Hermans experience in business and at the Fed give him plenty of the skills the author says he lacks. Additionally, he may not have the attitude that the right legislation can fix any problem.
I don’t believe Cain can get the nomination, but I would be truly thrilled to be wrong! He’s certainly at the top of my list candidates for whom to vote and to which I will donate. He’s the only one who really has a plan to fix things. He is EXACTLY the man we need for President.
Hello Erik,
Like your signature, “Cain for President - Because I Like The Content of His Character!”
My husband and I will write-in Herman Cain’s name on the ballot if it is ‘accidentally’ left off.
After a 40 year career as a rocket scientist, Head of Data Systems for an mulitinational corporation, CEO of a major restaurant chain, and Chairman of the KC Federal Reserve Bank, Herman Cain retired.
He got bored (productive people do that). So, he became an ordained Baptist minister so he could minister in his church. He started to give speeches then write books on leadership. He started writing newspaper columns, then took a job as a talk radio host.
Herman Cain did more after he retired than most people do in their lifetime. And she’s making fun of him?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.