https://redstate.com/erick/2011/10/17/herman-cain-singlehandedly-revives-an-old-stereotype/feed/Conservative News & Politicsen-usWed, 10 Jun 2026 17:48:34 -0400<![CDATA[The other day, Herman Cain said if he was in charge of defending our borders, he&#8217;d build a twenty foot high wall, put barbed wire on the top, electrify it, and put a big sign on it that read &#8220;if you touch this, you will die!&#8221;On Sunday, asked about it by the dimwit who replaced Tim Russert, Cain said he was joking.The media headline: &#8220;Cain Retreats From Hardline Immigration Position.&#8221;Herman Cain has done something we all owe him a debt of gratitude for doing. He has singlehandedly revived a stereotype many people thought had been forgotten — the humorless liberal.I was on CNN last night with a guy from New York who was just downright angry about Herman Cain&#8217;s statement. &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing funny&#8221; about the issue he said. Well, actually, there is a lot funny about it — a massive federal government capable of launching a stealth bomber from the heartland to drop bombs on Afghanistan is incapable of securing its own border.If we can&#8217;t laugh about it, we&#8217;d be crying about it. But Herman Cain is an optimist with a sense of humor. He&#8217;s not retreating from his positions. He&#8217;s laughing about the incompetence of both political parties letting a situation get so out of hand.Liberals don&#8217;t have one and many of us have forgotten it. They are starting to come back out of their caves and from under their bridges to be angry on TV about Herman Cain smiling.We should rejoice. Humorless liberals are our greatest PR advantage in 2012 with independents who just want something to smile about.By the way, at the RedState Gathering 2010 in Austin, Herman gave the more expanded immigration position:]]>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:22:11 -0400<![CDATA[Erick Erickson]]>https://redstate.com/erick/2011/10/17/herman-cain-singlehandedly-revives-an-old-stereotype-n40793