Posted on 09/28/2011 7:22:46 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
The pundits busy divining the reasons Herman Cain won that Florida straw poll so handily can't be blamed—it was a compelling spectacle and a distinctly satisfying one as straw poll results go.To have listened to the candidate's prescriptions in his speech to the delegates Saturday was to see why. Everything he told the audience had been said, in one way or another, by most of the leading Republican candidates.
The difference here was -- is -- Mr. Cain's unfailing capacity to speak as though from a core of fire deep inside him. An irresistible strength -- as is the mordant humor he brings to the battle. ..So it happens that he can deliver a steely jibe about defense cuts ("You don't put a bulls-eye on the backs of our men and women in uniform") or the way America's wars must be fought ("the mission is victory . . . If we are not in it to win it, we will not be in it") and make audiences feel they'd never heard anything so bracing.
This is no small achievement. And it's why the conventional explanation of the straw poll results -- that it was all about the Republicans' dissatisfaction with the current crop of candidates -- seems inadequate.
It would be far closer to the truth to say that those straw poll delegates were responding to a voice whose fire had touched them, warmed them, spoken for them. An early response to the Florida poll results came from a friend, historian Alan C. Kors, who observed
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
A true Conservative understands, at the core of his being, what values he has. He knows that murder is wrong, that forcibly taking goods from one person who works - and then showering benefits upon someone who is too lazy to work actually benefits no one. He knows that we have a fundamental right to protect ourselves, that we are free to make decisions, even if those decisions are sometimes foolish. A conservative knows that we must, must, exercise personal responsibility and demand that others do as well. We each have a right to live our lives free from prosecution, and have the responsibility to extend this same right to others - even if we disagree with them philosophically.
These are inflexable rules, not governed by polls, whims or any target audience. They are part of who we are.
The RINOS on stage with him didn’t have a chance; for they share nothing in common with a true Conservative.
Cain is Able!
delegates were responding to a voice whose fire had touched them.............................................. That’s what I want to see. I’ve been saying it all along, we are stuck with too many Blaah candidates. Give me Fire, double barreled fire, Cain/Palin, or visa versa. Make the Libs run for cover this time around.
The reason why Cain is catching fire among grass-roots GOP activists is actually quite simple: he is the only active candidate to articulate consistently conservative ideas.
Well said and I agree
But, and I really hate to say this, the “them and us” attitude of the majority of Americans of African descent has appalled a number of otherwise colorblind voters. President Obama and his Marxist entourage have made it harder for Mr. Cain to get a fair chance at the presidency.
I would add that he is not a slick, dissembling, long-time politician who believes that looking and sounding presidential as well as flipping his message to meet the perceived desires a particular group. He is real, he has good ideas, he invites new ideas and does not promote a my way or the highway approach. I believe he genuinely cares about the country, the Constitution and the Republic and wants to save us from this nightmare that is destroying us.
But Cain did agree with TARP. I guess he knows more than I do.
Agreed.
Cain CAN!
Cain flunks the gun rights test.
Although Cain says he supports the Second Amendment, in the next breath he says he fully supports any and all state gun control/prohibitions.
That is like supporting federal rights for women and blacks, but allowing women and blacks to be slaves if the state laws permit them to be slaves.
I will not support any candidate who allows, and favors, individual states to outlaw guns, to take away womens voting rights, to allow slavery, to prohibit free speech.
http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/Cain/Gun-Control.php
RINOs are always forced to renounce conservatism in order to avoid being falsely charged with "extremism". As soon as they capitulate (and they always do), the Media/Progressive alliance then pivots on a dime, attacking them as unprincipled and hypocritical.
Only a resolute conservative, one who does not apologize but rather explains and proposes ideas, and who explicitly rejects those of his opponent can hope to overcome such treatment by appealing to a wide audience of people thirsty for truth and real hope- especially after the last three years.
Herman Cain’s appeal is not in appearances. It’s in substance.
If Cain performs like he did in FL this week, he has a chance. He has polished his skills and knowledge base and was on target in every area.... economic, foreign policy, conservatism, etc. He was great all along, but fell short in the early debates and events on specifics in foreign issues. He’s a fast study, for sure. A very bright man.
What voters from both sides of the political spectrum want to see in a candidate is not only the “right” position on the issues, they want to see vision and conviction. They want someone who won’t put in finger in the wind (Bill Clinton) when the going gets tough. Barry Goldwater had that conviction, and so did Ronald Reagan. Cain appears to have the vision and conviction.
In other words you do not support the main tenet of all conservatism - STATES RIGHTS!
That is what you are saying, and in doing so you are also misrepresenting Cain’s position on the second amendment. Cain was perfectly in line with his core beliefs in saying that any gun control legislation should be done at the state level as long as it is within the confines of the Second Amendment.
Cain is an ardent supporter of States Rights and this position is perfectly aligned with that.
In the long run, it would have been better to let the offending institutions fail, let the markets collapse, and rebuild. The short-term effect would have been massive economic dislocation, meaning Depression-level unemployment, huge financial losses, foreclosures, runs on banks, perhaps even violence.
The hard truth is that those things are still going to happen to some extent, no matter what. As Obama would have it: it's just "math". We just kicked the can down the road. But I'd far rather have a conservative President who understands that reducing taxes, ending regulatory fascism, policing our borders, and encouraging new American industry will help to greatly mitigate the effects of the international banking collapse (that will still happen).
I believe the current regime will use such a "crisis" instead to consolidate their power and control, and to complete their fundamental transformation of America into a liberal social democracy.
“But Cain did agree with TARP...”
There’s only one person who agrees with me 100% on every issue, and that’s me - and I ain’t runnin’.
I don’t expect Cain to be perfect, but he’s pretty darn good compared to the rest of the field, and in a completely different (and much better) universe compared to the moron currently in office.
Besides, wasn’t most of TARP paid back? It’s Stimulus I, II, etc. that was money almost entirely flushed down the toilet of donkey influence peddling.
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