Tag Archives: Herman Cain
Herman Cain: The Black Walnut Cracked
It was going to happen sooner or later. His campaign ended on a scandalous note, which is just pathetic to me.
Ginger White claimed to have had a 13-year affair with Cain. Then Lin Wood, Cain’s attorney issues a statement about it:
…Rather, this appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults – a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public. No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life. The public’s right to know and the media’s right to report has boundaries and most certainly those boundaries end outside of one’s bedroom door.
Mr. Cain has alerted his wife to this new accusation and discussed it with her. He has no obligation to discuss these types of accusations publicly with the media and he will not do so even if his principled position is viewed unfavorably by members of the media.
Um. Not exactly a denial. Soon after, he stated he was going to “reassess” his campaign. And then after “prayer and soul searching” he drops out of the race.
Did he really believe that people would buy that he was just helping out Ginger White financially? Why did she tell the world about it? The story was going to be leaked. Better to get your side of the story first out there. And the sexual harassment accusations and settlements? OK, one could be suspect. But four? Four, to me, is a pattern.
I’m glad he’s out of the race, but this isn’t the last we’ve seen of him. He said it himself:
“I am not going away. I will continue to be a voice for the people.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if he is being considered as a running mate. And he’s going to be throwing his support behind “someone” soon. And he’s still hocking his book.
Let’s find the bright side. No more 9-9-9. Simple joys.
From Tours to Turkeys
Nothing like a trip abroad to remind you that the U.S. isn’t the center of the universe. And then I come back the week of the most American holiday next to the 4th of July. Thanksgiving. My favorite.
Belize was really crazy. I “visited” the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave. “Visiting” entails an hour hike through the jungle, sloshing through the river 3 different times, to reach the cave. Then, you swim through the mouth of the cave and begin exploring on foot, sloshing again through it and climbing rocks, for about a mile. You have a hard hat complete with headlamp. It is pitch black inside. I got to see stalagmites and bats. My main reason to visit the cave was because it was a site for Mayan human sacrifices. There were skulls and bones and pots used in those sacrifices. The pièce de résistance was seeing the crystal maiden – the fully intact remains of a teenage girl. She looks sparkly because of the minerals that have formed on her over the last 1000 years or so. 
I still can’t believe I did that. I am seriously not a hiker, climber, whatever. I am not athletic. This was some straight Indiana Jones crap. I was cursing my existence – well, more than usual – the whole time. I wore pants and a long shirt because the rocks were slippery and sharp. I walked and climbed through the cave, soaked from swimming. I held on to the guide and various people on the tour. I still slipped from time to time, and I have bruises all over my legs. It was awesome to see the artifacts and remains though. Back at the office, the tour operator who assured me that it wasn’t that bad asked me what I thought of it. “Amazing, but not something I’d repeat.” He told me he gets that a lot, and that’s why it’s described as a once in a lifetime experience.
I was able to do a day trip into Guatemala to see the Disneyland of Mayan ruins – Tikal. Amazing place. They are huge, but I really didn’t realize how huge until I saw them for myself. I had qualms about going because of the crime in Guatemala, but there was nothing to fear. They have military checkpoints now, and the tour guide and driver weren’t armed. I think things are getting much better.
Coming back was interesting too. I landed in Houston a half hour early. Thank God. There was a long, snaking line at customs and 6 windows open. One guy asked an employee, “Why aren’t there more agents?” The lady said, “Budget cuts. Washington.” I laughed to myself. That “big government” isn’t so bad when you’re trying to make your connecting flight. After, I raced through, grabbed my luggage to check for my connecting flight. I was able to try out the radiation refrigerator in security. It was very high-tech. I got to the gate as the plane was boarding. Thank the Lord. I was tired and really didn’t want to stay in Houston overnight.
After landing at SFO, I was already thinking about Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday. I love it. It’s all about feasting and being grateful for what you have. How cool is that? Anyway, since it’s my favorite, I do most of the cooking. Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing – all on me. I pulled it off. Save for my sister’s delicious green beans and garlic mashed potatoes, this spread was my creation. I make a mean Thanksgiving dinner, if I do say so myself: 
I survived Black Friday by staying at home. Why risk getting pepper sprayed in the face for an Xbox? And I survived Cyber Monday. I must admit that I did indulge. Damn that Kate Spade Sample Sale. But hey, I did stimulate the economy.
I think it’s back to business as usual. A full inbox greeted me at work. And then I see politically seductive headlines like “Coulter Calls McCain a ‘Douchebag,’ Gets Bleeped by MSNBC” and “Herman Cain Considers Dropping his Presidential Bid”
It’s good to be home.
The CBS GOP Debate: Because Millions will Tune in on a Saturday Night
Um, yeah. Whose genius idea was this? Many of us were watching the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. CBS expected so many to tune in that many of their affiliates cut coverage of the last 30 minutes. I guess we know how important foreign policy is to the networks. If that isn’t disturbing enough, this is the second debate where I found myself agreeing with Ron Paul. Way more than is healthy. Anyway, enjoy! 🙂
Michele Bachmann
1. Obama is not a friend to Israel. Bachmann and Israel are and will forever be BFFs. Manischewitz for everyone!
2. Waterboarding is the best. Maybe I could try doing it to someone.
3. Even though we’re talking about foreign policy, I’ll sneak in Obamacare. Then I can say how I will repeal it. Again.
Herman Cain
1. Having good people from my cabinet to generals will help me make critical decisions. Which means no Muslims.
2. Torture schmorture. Waterboarding is cool!
3. I love torture so much, Gitmo should stay open. Hey, maybe I can get live feed.
Newt Gingrich
1. Any one of these ideas on dealing with Iran is better than whatever the hell Obama is doing now.
2. I’m with Goodhair. Foreign aid starts at zero. If you want it, tell us how you will use it to help us.
2. If we don’t overhaul everything from rules of engagement to intelligence, we’re all going to die. And Pakistan will pull the trigger.
Jon Huntsman
1. Nation building. How about we concentrate on ours?
2. I am so lonely. Oh thanks for asking me something! Waterboarding is torture. Torture is wrong.
3. The Ryan Plan is the best! See? If you give me a chance, I can show you I can scare Liberals too.
Ron Paul
1. It’s not worth going to war with Iran. This is smelling a lot like Iraq.
2. Waterboarding is torture. And torture is ineffective and un-American.
3. Self-determination. Stay the hell out of their business and attend to ours.
Rick Perry
1. I don’t know why Pakistan is being two-faced, so I’ll just say what everyone loves. NO foreign aid! Even Israel. Well, almost everyone. Sorry Michele.
2. My advisors were right! Make fun of myself and my Department of Energy boo boo, and the audience will love me!
3. Everything Chinese will end up in an ash heap. Except shrimp fried rice because that would be a shame.
Mitt Romney
1. Why not go to war to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon? I mean we’re in two already. What’s one more?
2. We’re allowing those Chinese run over us. I will stand up to them. What do you mean remember what happened in Tiannamen Square?
3. I will get rid of the National Endowment of Arts and NPR because you know they eat as much of the budget as defense.
Rick Santorum
1. We have to be friends with Pakistan because they have nuclear weapons.
2. We should stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons at any cost. Yes, even going to war. Not like we haven’t done it before.
3. I will make sure Gitmo will stay open forever. Torture works!
The CNBC GOP Debate: As Crazy as Jim Cramer
I sat through 90 minutes of mind-numbingly repetitive GOP talking points and an irritating scrolling stock ticker. That’s the type of sacrifice I make for the people I love. Enjoy! 😛
Michele Bachmann
1. Everyone can sacrifice a couple Happy Meals for the good of the country. Even the ones who have budgeted down to the penny and can’t afford a couple Happy Meals.
2. Dodd Frank. I will not rest until they die. The act, I mean.
3. Payroll tax cuts should expire. The working and middle class don’t need a break. But the top 1% do.
Herman Cain
1. I just called the House Minority Leader, “Princess Pelosi.” Someone please check my brake lines.
2. Every time I say 9-9-9, the scandal dies a little.
3. The problem with Dodd Frank? Dodd and Frank. Man, I’m good. Listen to that applause.
Newt Gingrich
1. Ya damn skippy I took money from Freddie Mac! It’s called consulting. Have you seen Callista’s Tiffany bill?
2. I still hate the media. You suck because you don’t tell people how the economy works. Even though it’s not your job.
3. 30 seconds to answer your stupid ass question? Don’t get snippy with me, young lady, or I’ll beat you with an iron lung.
Jon Huntsman
1. I’m lonely over here. Ask me something.
2. Our relationship with China is complicated. I don’t want a trade war like trigger happy Romney over there.
3. I realize fixing the economy is not as simple as everyone says it is. I’m the one who is making sense, but no one pays attention to me. I need a sex scandal.
Ron Paul
1. The government sucks! The free market rules! Ya get it now? If you haven’t, you probably had an education post- Department of Education.
2. We can fix health care by instituting medical savings accounts. Pre-tax income deduction. Don’t have an income? That’s the breaks, kid.
3. Department of Education? Gone. Federal student loans? Gone. Higher education might be more inaccessible to the poor. That’s the breaks, kid.
Rick Perry
1. Oil and a flag that says “Open for Business Again.” That’s my economic solution. And that flat tax thingy.
2. I want to slash and burn the Department of Education, Commerce, and um, um…crap. I don’t remember. Ron help me out here. The EPA? No that’s not it. Maybe keeping the Department of Education would be a good idea.
3. The Department of Energy! That’s it! How the hell could I have forgotten that considering my whole economic plan is based on oil? Ugh, nice going Goodhair.
Mitt Romney
1. Let every home foreclose. Thus saieth Joseph Smith.
2. Obama sucks. He cares more about his re-election than working on the economy. What jobs bill?
3. I hate everything Chinese. Even those tasty egg rolls. Bunch of currency-manipulating, intellectual property-stealing cheats.
Rick Santorum
1. Why didn’t you ask me about the housing crisis? Hello. I’m still in the race.
2. Let me say, again, that I didn’t support TARP. But a certain three on this panel did. Romney, Cain, Perry *cough* Losers *cough*
3. Partisan politics? Democrats love me. Ask one of them. Not that one.
Herman Cain’s Sexual Harassment Scandal
I really didn’t want my first post back from out-of-it land to be about this. Media coverage has been 24/7. But it’s a trainwreck. I can’t help but watch and weigh in.
When it is one woman alleging harassment, you could argue that maybe it didn’t happen, and the settlement was just to make the case go away. But four??? Sorry, but a single accusation is one thing, but four accusations point to a pattern to me.
The way he handled this whole thing was a hot mess from the get-go:
1. Blast the report.
2. Deny, deny, deny.
3. Mention settlement with accuser and how you forgot even signing the agreeement.
4. Sing gospel song. Yeah, I don’t get this and didn’t believe it until I saw it.
5. When more women come out, hold press conference and emphatically deny.
Needless to say, my BS detector went off like crazy.
Sidebar: I hope there aren’t really sick details à la Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas and Coke cans. If there are, I hope they don’t *ever* surface.
A local liberal radio talk show host, Karel, said that he doesn’t care about this scandal. What really disturbs him is Cain’s platforms like abortion. Today, Cain thinks abortion should be illegal.
Karel has a point, but the fact that four women have come forward is another reason why I do not trust this man. The fact that he feels he can do this and not pay for it (other than financial settlements) bothers me. Does he believe that because he is rich and powerful, he is above the law? Or shouldn’t be held accountable? If that is true, he is someone who definitely should not have any political power – let alone the Presidency.
I don’t believe Cain has a Slurpee’s chance in hell to win the GOP nomination. However, the fact that he’s polling so well despite these allegations disturbs me. Actually, everything about this scandal disturbs me. This scandal will be played out by the media until the bitter end. Until that time comes, I will probably pay attention when I hear news bits and pieces.
Yeah, I already know I need help.
Real Time with Bill Maher: New Rules 11/4/11
😆 @ Jersey. I am disappointed in you, Chanel. 😉 Enjoy!
Vodpod videos no longer available.
New Rules 11/4/11 231, posted with vodpod
Herman Cain Has His Very Own Marlboro Man!
I guess that’s what you get someone who has everything for Christmas.
His strange ad has been all over:
The fact that his campaign manager Mark Block is smoking doesn’t faze me. It was the placement. The sequence seems off too:
1. Talk up Cain as the best thing since the pizza wheel.
2. Take a drag.
3. Cue chick singing “I Am America.”
4. Enter Cain smiling the “vote for me, I’m presidential” smile.
It didn’t really make sense to me. I could understand it if Block and some constituents were sitting around, smoking, and chatting about the candidates. Then, Block pushes how wonderful Pizza Man is.
Anyway, the explanation for the ad was equally strange:
“There was no subliminal message,” Block said. “In fact, I personally would encourage people not to smoke. It’s just that I’m a smoker. A lot of the people on the staff said ‘Just let Block be Block.’ That’s what it was all about.”
Hmm. The only message I got is to make sure you look past the smoke and see exactly what it is he stands for:
When the smoke finally clears, it’s obvious that his bizarre ad is the least disturbing.
The CNN GOP Debate: Vegas, Baby!
The best prize fights are held in Vegas. I caught the Hopkins-Mosley fight at Mandalay Bay a few years back. Anyway, the GOP Debate at the Venetian tonight resembled one, but there were a lot of low blows and Anderson Cooper wasn’t the best referee. My “favorite” GOP candidate, Jon Huntsman, decided to boycott the debate and held a town hall in New Hampshire instead. I also found myself agreeing with Ron Paul a lot tonight. 😯 Because of all that, my head’s spinning again. I’m going to wrap a hot towel around it and lie down, so please enjoy the highlights:
Michele Bachmann
1. Obama’s aunt and uncle are illegals! Which is why I will build a double fence and drown anchor babies.
2. Hang on, mommies. I will save your homes by turning the economy around. It will be too late by then, though, so start feathering other nests now.
3. Ahmadinejad, your ass is mine. I got your back, King Abdullah.
Herman Cain
1. All y’all on this stage don’t understand crap about 9-9-9 because oranges aren’t apples.
2. I’m not going to apologize for wanting an electrified border fence. The one who promises to zap the most illegals wins.
3. Sure, I’d trade some al Qaeda prisoners for an American hostage. Wait. No one else likes that idea? Then I will never negotiate with terrorists.
Newt Gingrich
1. Individual mandates? It wasn’t my plan. It was The Heritage Foundation’s. Well, yeah, and mine too. Back off. I was saving this country from Hillarycare.
2. Mormons? It’s the Atheists that suck. I don’t trust a President who doesn’t pray to their Creator Who endowed us with our rights. Because we’re a Christian nation. But then we get back to that whole Mormon vs. Christian thing. Forget it. Have I mentioned Obama sucks?
3. I hate you, Anderson Cooper, and the rest of the media sponsoring these debates. We should duke it out without a moderator. Get your tickets at newt.org.
Ron Paul
1. I wouldn’t even keep the pre-existing condition clause in Obamacare. Anyone with chronic illnesses has my best wishes.
2. Don’t blame the protesters, Cain! They were the victims of the Federal Reserve. Wall Street got bailed out. The middle class got sold out. Why does that sound familiar? Bottom line. The government sucks.
3. Foreign aid. Gone. Yes. Even Israel. I think Michele’s head just exploded.
Rick Perry
1. Governor Goodhair is back in the game! I’ll interrupt Romney constantly. That irritates the crap out of him, and he gets rattled.
2. The only 9% I am concerned with is the 9% unemployment rate. That was good, huh? Oh, I forgot. Go OIL.
3. Romney is the real magnet when it comes to illegal aliens. Because of his guy with the leaf blower. Hypocrite.
Mitt Romney
1. If you shut your pie hole, Santorum, I can tell you and everyone else again that Obamacare was not based on my plan.
2. Poor Perry has had a rough couple of debates, which is why he’s pissy tonight. Calling me a failure and an illegal alien lover is better known as projection.
3. Let all homes foreclose and watch the economy grow. Or something like that.
Rick Santorum
1. You wrecked MA with Romneycare, which was the model for Obamacare. You’re all about socialized medicine.
2. Perry wrote a letter begging Congress to pass TARP. I saw it, liar! And you people call Romney a flip flopper?
3. I can beat Obama. I’m 3 and 0 when it comes to beating Democrats. I got the swinger vote too.
Herman Cain: Just Another Koch Whore?
Long Ties to Koch Brothers Key to Cain’s Campaign
The title actually made me picture Cain as a marionette, with the brothers as the “manipulators.” Looks like that picture isn’t too far fetched.
His ties come from his involvement with the Koch brothers’ group, Americans for Prosperity. 9-9-9 is actually Rich Lowrie’s plan. He just happened to serve on Americans for Prosperity’s advisory board.
Cain’s campaign manager, Mark Block, lead the Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity. Block was involved in a political scandal where he illegally worked with a group to get a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice re-elected. The lawsuit against him was settled. He paid a fine and agreed to stay out of politics for 3 years. Hmm. Interesting character to have as your campaign manager.
This is why I wish corporate money was kept out of politics completely. I don’t like that there are corporations behind politicians – Republicans or Democrats. It’s obvious why. If someone gave you a ton of money for your campaign, wouldn’t you feel indebted to them? They might be even more direct: “I will give you a bajillion dollars if you can introduce a bill, vote this way, etc. if/when you’re elected.”
That’s just messed up. Are we hearing their opinion or the opinion of the people who are bankrolling them? Without the money, it will be a lot easier to figure out what the candidate’s opinions are. Can we get the money out of politics?
The group Get Money Out is leading the effort! I learned about this group on through Larry of woodsgateview on lobotero’s site, Info Ink. Get Money Out wants a Constitutional amendment to simply, get the money out of politics. Right now, they’re gathering signatures for a petition and working on the amendment. Here are their two drafts of a Constitutional amendment:
1. “No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office.”
2. “No non-citizen shall contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office. United States citizens shall be free to contribute no more than the equivalent of $100 to any federal candidate during any election cycle. Notwithstanding the limits construed to be part of the First Amendment, Congress shall have the power to limit, but not ban, independent political expenditures, so long as such limits are content and viewpoint neutral. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office.”
I like and lean toward #1. A corporation could give $100 to a whole bunch of people to contribute and have them tell the candidate what they (the corporation) wants.
Maybe there should be a limit to how much a candidate can spend on a campaign. It should be an amount that many people wouldn’t have trouble raising on their own. Newspapers and news channels could give them each equal time and space to “sell” themselves. No frills. Just what they stand for and we can decide.
Which draft do you like? Let Get the Money Out know. They have a debate going on, and you can leave a comment. You can also sign their petition.
Maybe something can change. It’s a long shot, but at least Get the Money Out, with our help, is taking it.
Spin the Globe
Spinny Liberal 