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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Herman Cain and the Big Picture

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  November 29th, 2011 at 04:45 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I would much rather talk about how Barack Obama is screwing the country with disastrous policies, but instead we are yet again forced to talk about who Herman Cain might have had sexual relations with.

Yet again his staff (pun alert!!!!) has let him down. His attorney’s statement reads like a non-denial denial, which would be fine for a Democrat, but after Bill Clinton the GOP tends to get held to a higher standard on these things, rightly or wrongly.

A woman claims that she and Herman Cain had a thirteen year affair — I’ve only been married eleven years. If the woman is to be believed, even while Herman Cain was battling Stage IV colon cancer, he was carrying on with her behind his wife’s back.

The woman — not a lady — claims it “wasn’t complicated.” She knew he was married and did it anyway.

As a personal aside, I know Dale Russell the reporter who broke the story. We don’t always see eye to eye or agree, but he is a sharp reporter who wouldn’t do a story like this if he did not believe Ms. White.

The phone number shown in the news story on Fox 5 Atlanta is Herman’s personal cell phone number. So this woman clearly did know Herman and have his personal number. Herman likes the Four Seasons restaurant on 14th Street in Atlanta. This lady clearly dined with him.

Whether Herman had an affair with this lady or not is largely besides the point at this point. For months I said Herman had no path to victory because of two things (1) money and (2) staff. When he found the money he got on a path to victory. But his staff knocked him off it.

The last time we saw the communications director refuse to issue a denial to Geraldo despite repeated attempts by Geraldo to get a denial and we saw the campaign manager making all sorts of baseless accusations.

This time, to his credit, Herman Cain told Wolf Blitzer he would wait until the story ran and all the facts were out there. It was a wise thing to do. But while Herman was on CNN saying that, his attorney issued his statement that all but admitted there’s a there there.

Herman Cain believed he could be President of the United States. For a time, I believed Herman Cain could be President of the United States. But I don’t know that much of Herman’s staff ever really thought he could. Too many never seemed in it to win it. They seemed in it to make some money off Herman’s run and a name for themselves. Well, they’ve sure made a name for themselves — “incompetent.”

Can we get back to taking the fight to Barack Obama?

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COMMENTS

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  • davesinsanantonio

    while gives a person an arrogance that says they can run the world. Or, at least the world’s (currently) leading country. Pride goeth before a fall. These would-be politicians should all take a lesson from Gary Hart. Sadly, most do not.

    I wonder if Cain’s arrogance will keep him in the race, hoping to be able to pull it off, or maybe just be a spoiler. Either way, he is hurting not only the Republican Party, but the conservative movement by staying in.

  • Tbone

    to his wife if she will have him.

    He is embarrassing himself, the Party, conservatives and particularly the dimwits who continue to support him in complete denial of his glaring lack of knowledge, integrity and common sense.

  • ohiohistorian

    Hurting himself and his wife, probably. But how is this hurting the country? If people are turned off by a candidate who has committed adultery, maybe Newt should also not be considered as I don’t believe that he is blameless in this arena (I don’t know if anyone talked yet/ It doesn’t belong in the campaigns, but the implication is there in his quick remarriages). If you are “religious right” and cannot abide a President who may be committing adultery, or who doesn’t see Jesus the same way as you do, then maybe you should be looking for a pastor, not a President.

    I agree with Erick. We need to take this back to Obama and focus like a laser (not an Obama-laser like he used on employment) to carry the message to the current President. Herman Cain has done a good job of carrying that message. Let’s give up the garbage that “he has to drop out now for the good of the party” and keep him in there. I don’t think we would know what Rick Perry’s campaign thinks about economics without Herman Cain having broached his plan.

    Does he appear arrogant? Not that I see. Is he probably embarrassed? I would be, and I think he is. I think you read him wrong. Arrogant is the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    Note to Cain: Erick is right about your staff. Get some control or have your chief of staff get some control. You need to get back on message, stay on message, and get the Obama air out of the room. In deference to the above poster, you also need to get the appearance of arrogance out of your behavior. Explain to people what you want to do; don’t sweep your behavior under the rug, but also don’t run out and apologize every time the media breaks a story. Also, if you have any more of these, you had better get them under control. Going into the White House with “bimbo eruptions” (Clinton’s words about his affairs, not my attitude on the lady at all) will not allow you to govern.

  • ohiohistorian

    I am beginning to wonder why I hang around this party if they cannot separate the message from the human frailty. Would you rather have a smart candidate like Mr. Cain OR Mr. Gingrich, or would you rather have Obama there for four more years?

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    It was Stage IV Colon Cancer [Liver Metastases].

  • nathanalbright

    …and clearly the Cain campaign is too busy dealing with endless ‘bimbo eruptions’ to manage that correctly.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …to the candidate who reflexly dissed Perry without knowing all the facts about the N-Rock.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …by the way you frame the question.

    The focus is not on a choice between the R’s and D’s, it is whether Cain merits being included among the R’s under consideration.

    As noted supra, Cain’s expressions of arrogance have become enhanced [until now] following his rise in the polls; what’s that advice again about not believing your notices?

  • iidvbii

    We have plenty of good people in the field without having to pick Newt or Cain. Cain has demonstrated three things that should even concern his most ardent supporters.
    1. A complete lack of understanding in regards to foreign policy.
    2. A complete failure to control his messaging and communications.
    3. Extremely poor judgment and an inability to select appropriate serogates to manage his vital operations.

    These three things feed into each other in a pretty alarming picture. His foreign policy ignorance (like most new presidents) necessitates he depend on established precedence as well as a core of credible advisors. His demonstrated failures in selecting successful candidates visa vie his campaign suggests this is a weak point in his judgement. Prehaps allowing past loyalties or other emotionally based criteria to interfere with ensuring he has the best possible team. Further his inability to control the messaging from his camp highlights the problems he will have marshalling support among the populace should circumstances require drastic action. It is easy to imagine the opposition and their minions in the press undermining and marginalizing him quite effectively. Perhaps its time Mr. Cain returns to Atlanta and spend some necessary time with his family.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    Cain is an embarrassment and, without appearing to pick over the body of a carcass, it’s not inappropriate to postulate who will benefit from his withdrawal from the race ["de facto" or "de jure"].

  • nathanalbright

    …which is why some (like “ohiohistorian”) appear to be anointing Newt as the next choice. I think that many of the more passionate Cain supporters will be very disappointed for a while, and probably upset at those of us who warned them that this was going to happen for weeks or months. But one fewer person competing for the ABR vote should be of benefit mainly to Newt and Perry, I would think.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …is that some pundits had touted his capacity to become a senatorial candidate.

    Instead, he has [probably] been disgraced.

    Remember he CELEBRATED his ignorance of foreign policy, and it’s clear he had no idea what the precedents actually were.

    The sooner he departs, the sooner the focus can return to ID’ing the true-conservative opponent to Mitt–[whose disingenuous "it's all about the economy" quote [using a clip of BHO...actually quoting McCain]–and, specifically, ensuring that The Newt’s history is widely disseminated.

    I usually distrust “Morning Joe,” but he just discussed his essay…which is enlightening:

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69231.html

    “Who is the real RINO?” is a 20-question quiz…which disses ALL of the pretenders [Romney, Newt, Huntsman].

    Which leaves that not-so-secret meeting last week in Iowa among social-conservatives….

  • btpull

    Perry did not benefit from Cain’s drop from the high 20′s to the high teens. So why would he benefit from a further Cain drop? Newt appears to be the natural second choice for Cain supports.

    This should solidify Newt’s front runner statuses for now. Romney might pick-up a few points as he appears to be the safest Viable candidate.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …assuming The Newt is quickly “outed” by his quotes, the conclusion can be another look @ Perry, who will be “On the Record” with Greta tonight.

    Consider:

    First, a key-quote during Morning Moe was from The Newt, as he was excusing [yesterday] his flip-flops [as opposed to those of Mitt] because only HIS were based on acquisition of new-data rather than reflecting any fundamental shift in political philosophy [to pander to a given electorate].

    Second, the twisted-narrative of the pro-Mitt press is now suggesting he was “forced” to downplay his True Conservatism when running for Mass. Governor…and that he has returned to his roots. This, of course, is a postulate that speaks more to the speaker than to the subject [lower-case "speaker"].

    Third, we haven’t heard from EE, although the key-components of the Thursday-noon “Horserace” column are being “leaked” by his interim-observations.

    The landscape appears to have been clarified by numerous commentators, now suggesting that The Newt will experience a “glass ceiling” that is lower than that of Mitt [but that will definitely emerge]; the rest of the restive electorate remains increasingly hungry for the horse that must be ridden to 1600 [past Mitt/Newt...and BHO].

  • bzip

    Its to easy talking about how bad Obama is. That is better for the general election to a degree. I don’t think we need to sell the primary voters on how bad Obama is.

    I would rather we spend our time focusing of viable candidates, their messages, policies and who is the better choice as the nominee.

    It is a shame we spend so much time on candidates that have no business running for the highest office when they themselves haven’t even held on elected office position in their life. We spend too much time on candidates sucking out all the oxygen that are clearly wrong:.

    From Cain’s walking gaffe machine, to his sex scandals, to his foreign policy disasters, to his new national sales tax. Cain should have been ruled out ages ago and more time spent on viable candidates.

    Just as Newt should have been rules out ages ago from his support of the mandate, his support of global warming, his ethics violation and the hundred or so other disasters that clearly make him not a viable candidate. If Newt is suppose to be the anti-Romney candidate someone explain to me where Newt is that much better or different, he surely flip-flops just as much as Romney and even more so.

    But we have to have the exercise to ensure we get the most liberal most flawed candidate out of the entire bunch. The year we should be electing the most conservative candidate which can be shown in their records and experienced candidate we seem bent on electing the worst.

    Is it any wonder why our country has fallen off a cliff, we are too busy looking at 30 second sound bytes as a means to elect our officials.

  • nathanalbright

    …when one of the ABR candidates goes down, so why should it start now. As for Perry gaining–that’s not hard to see at all, as Perry’s campaign remains very viable and is still in endorsement-gaining mode.

  • nathanalbright

    …there’s plenty of room for a Perry surge. I wonder why he didn’t give the horserace this past week, but I imagine he judged the situation as too fluid, which in retrospect appears like a wise move–eat some turkey and avoid calling it prematurely.

    I definitely think Newt’s comments and history will cause him to fall, and Perry’s continued viability (and the continued ire of the Rombots) signifies that Perry remains a very viable and attractive ABR now that he’s gotten his feet under him.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    Predictably, the pro/con Perry RS-electorate has quickly emerged.

    On the one hand, as noted elsewhere, it’s ideal for pundits to postulate how the race will continue to evolve…and to factor-in this event…while determining whether The Newt will truly consolidate the anti-Mitt electorate.

    On the other hand, “ptbull” bases his posting on thin logic…citing thinner data…and prompts more cogent analysis of the mega-forces at-pllay.

    For example, if Mitt remains stuck @ 25% and Paul @ 10%, the floating 65% remains up-for-grabs. The positive-press related to debate performance ["the only adult in the room"] was largely based on his having positioned himself as the unifier of the POTUS-GOP candidates against the big-bad MSM/LSM/ELM. This narrative has been played-out, and it’s time to get into the issues.

    As discussed elsewhere on RS [and having been cross-posted on the UL-website below its endorsement], The Newt has major problems, justifiably. Just now, the JL-editor is defending this decision [Drew Cline] although, again, the fact that Perry was the #2 choice didn’t emerge from the discourse.

    *

    To recall:

    ?I analyzed the rationale for this endorsement?
    http://www.unionleader.com/article/20111127/NEWS/711279999
    ?and found it wanting.

    After having reviewed comments posted thereafter, I retain this perspective:

    *

    i parsed the criteria that had served as the basis for this decision:

    ?conservatives? ? he is an elitist/statist, never denying the intent to use Big Government to tinker.

    ?courage? ? judgment-call, but evacuated the House after ethics-violation cost him Speakership [and intransigence led to Clinton re-election].

    ?conviction? ? listen to wandering comments on Libya on FNC and note only one common-denominator: disagreement with whatever BHO was doing @ the time [even as it evolved]. Specifically, he predicated his flipped position regarding the military action against Libya on the flipped position of BHO ["once President Obama declared on March 3rd that ?Gaddafi has to go,? he put the prestige of the United States on the line"] without articulating his own posture regarding the need to adopt a policy-position regarding such conflicts, wherever they might arise [Central Africa, Syria]. Therefore, if he felt Libya constituted a ?strategic interest? of America, why didn?t he initially advocate an aggressive posture ["swift and decisive action"], if he felt Libya didn?t constitute a ?strategic interest? of America, why didn?t he explicitly state this observation and its rationale, and if he felt American lives were at-stake when functioning through NATO ["Obama ended up putting American troops in harm?s way under the auspices of a UN resolution for a chiefly humanitarian mission"], how could that have occurred when NATO commanded no American troops and no American lives were lost?

    ?independent-minded? ? one must differentiate the ?intellectual? mantle he has created for himself [manifest, in particular, during the debates] with the contents of his books. His support for the Individual Mandate is vigorously argued: Real Change [2008, page 227: "Everyone should be required to have coverage"] and Winning the Future [2005, page 116: "You have the right to be part of the lowest-cost insurance pool and you have a responsibility to buy insurance."].

    ?grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people? ? Regarding the Middle East, the essence of his position ["Israel will continue to receive a robust package of aid from the United States under a new merit-based approach to foreign aid"] is based on a viewpoint ["Israel is one of America?s closest friends and a key strategic ally in a dangerous part of the world"] that is vulnerable to attack by those Republican neo-isolationists who adamantly oppose the ?neo-con? approach to Foreign Policy. What is unstated is the specific criterion he would emphasize when justifying not only the continuation of prior commitments ["multi-year aid agreement"] but also whatever expansion thereof that might arise?such as the necessity to engage in military action against Iran.

    ?best-equipped for the job? ? All that insider-stuff [Freddie-Mac] justifying having made seven-digits due to the intent to function as a ?historian? ? does this rationalization pass the scratch/sniff test?

    *

    Concur with rationale to eschew Romney, but those who promote Huntsman must rationalize myriad postures/behaviors that contrast with GOP-Conservatism [notwithstanding his overt expression of scorn regarding the ethical expressions of evangelicals...claiming "science" solely to himself]. From enhanced interrogation to defense of articulation of BHO?s flawed China-policy? he lucidly demonstrates the danger of reliance upon ?moderation.? He?s the darling of Morning-Joe, an observation that speaks for itself when compared/contrasted with the GOP-electorate.

    *

    ALSO, regarding Newt?s prior conduct, I advised reviewing?.?Breach of Trust? by Sen. Tom Coburn.

    *

    Thus, the True Conservative movement–amplified by the TEA {Taxed Enough Already} Movement–will continue searching for the anti-Mitt/Newt.

  • supergirl2911

    Mt

  • http://www.AmericanThinker.com Hammer2008

    (Full disclosure: I “was a Herman Cain supporter” was a Herman Cain supporter. Drove two hours with my young daughter to witness his announcement and entry into the GOP race. Have done some volunteer work and made financial campaign contributions).

    Hermain Cain’s campaign is yet another one to be added to a future book on how not to win a primary (he’s quite successful at that!). File his under the Character Conflicts chapter. Whether it be the alleged sexual harrassment complaints or this now alleged 13-year affair, Herman Cain knew these all had the potential to come out. He should have innoculated himself early in the campaign by laying them out there for the press. He should have first consulted with his wife, telling her all about them and asking is she was ready to be in the spotlight when push comes to shove. Herman Cain was not ready.

    As Outside The Beltway’s “Doug Mataconis “ has written, “… we have a candidate who has surrounded himself with what appears at this point to be a bunch of amateurs who are headed by a charlatan.” Hermain Cain has repeatedly said that he would surround himself with the best advisers, especially regarding foreign policy. Based on his own standard, Herman Cain has failed Herman Cain.

    If Herman Cain will not listen the the rapid departure of his troops (I left effective 15 November following his Milwaukee Journal Sentinal hapless editorial board interview), his professional friends over the years (Neil Boortz, Erick Erickson), then one of the Koch brothers needs to give him a call, like now, before Herman Cain finds himself disinvited from ever speaking at another AFP/AFPF event.

    Herman Cain’s best exit would be to say he is withdrawing for personal reasons, congratulate the media for helping them destroy his candidacy, tout his 9-9-9 plan once more by blasting how the federal tax code is destroying the economy, then not endorse any of the candidates (it would be poisonous at this stage anyway). Afterwards, if he intends on ever running again, say maybe a 2014 primary challenge against Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Herman Cain needs to learn a bit from Newt Gingrich in humility, as he tends to his marriage.

    Lastly, as with McCain’s campaign Steve Schmidt and crew, Mark Block and company should never be hired again by another campaign. I would not doubt Mr. Block comes out afterwards and blames the candidate and eveyone else for the collapse of the campaign, inbetween smoke breaks of course.

  • redpenny

    just how much trouble one can get himself into when he starts thinking with the wrong head.I,of course,have no idea what Mr. Cain did or didn’t do in the tasteless world of adultery and really don’t care one way or the olther.Cain never really had a chance of gaining the nomination and at this point would be well served to fold his tent and go on home.

  • nathanalbright

    …and it seems you are taking this rather philosophically. It is to your credit.

  • iidvbii

    :)

  • ihateliberals

    But I also amy glad that Newt is the Front runner. while Newt has some problems he is our best Anti-Obama, Anti-Romney candidate. We all ready know about Newt’s past and frankly we are past it. The media can’t really make a big deal about it. Newt’s problem is he keeps putting his foot in his mouth with Healthcare and Amnesty. Even with these failings he is better Than Romney, Perry or Obama. I was behind him from the start and while I did get heart burn over his healthcare statements and then the Amnesty statements i think I am over the initial shock. The biggest thing is that he is the closest true conservative running tht hs a chance. The Party has beat down Michele so much just like Palin tht I don’t think she can pull it off. Of course there is that last minute thing that Palin could do tht would really rock the boat.

  • nathanalbright

    …and I am one who thinks that Newt’s rise is tenuous both because he has a tendency to make a lot of boneheaded moves and because his baggage isn’t so well known to the general populace until the real negative campaigning starts.

  • unitedwestand

    Yes, Herman’s team has fumbled the ball too many times. He’s obviously not ready to be POTUS.

    But once again, we have a woman who has filed sexual harassment charges before, has a stalking charge and a restraining order against her in another case, and she is broke and almost homeless. See a pattern here? And she claims Herman took her to dinner and a hotel in Atlanta? Where he lives and is VERY well known?

    The most worrisome angle to this whole story is that IF this is a planned attack to bring a candidate down, what’s next and with which candidate?

  • http://www.planettron.com NickDeringer

    Herman Cain lied through his teeth when he said “I have nothing to hide.” He soaked up 9 million in campaign donations. This was valuable cash that could have gone to a viable candidate.

    Erick can blame his staff if he wants, but it wasn’t his staff that got out there and said “I have nothing to hide.” Not ALL these women are liars.

    Here’s the good part: the Left will point to these scandals and say “The GOP establishment couldn’t stand the thought of nominating a Black man so they smeared him. This PROVES the GOP is racist.”

    Cain may pull the old “If I go down I’m taking everyone with me” gambit and become on those that accuses the GOP of racism.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …with these sentiments, amplified by awareness that EE “took off” the prior week as well; perhaps he’ll provide a triple-layer “horserace” column this week.

    What will it entail?

    First, notwithstanding noise from Johnson that he may run as a Libertarian, he and Rohmer [who continues to rail against $ in politics on MSNBC, extending his ads to accommodate the OWS-crowd..."embracing its spirit and its smell"] are not realistic alternatives when searching for the anti-Mitt/Newt.

    Second, it would seem that it’s too late for anyone else to enter the POTUS-GOP slate, even as rumors of drop-outs will grow in intensity during the upcoming two months.

    Third, anyone who thinks that The Newt con fill this vacuum need only consult his “answers” to his critics on his website…and note BOTH omissions and commissions; as noted on “Morning Joe,” he is a “conservative” and/or a “moderate” depending upon the environs [even as it was noted that Huntsman didn't depict himself as "conservative" during the first week of his campaign].

    Fourth, recognizing that we all know that–to some degree–we’re all “talking to each other” about data with which we are all intimately familiar, it is necessary to weigh the impetus to review again the alternatives: Perry, Bachmann, Santorum.

    Fifth, working backwards, knowing that Santroum has touted his having visited the 99 counties of Iowa, can any polling suggest this has mattered, thus far? Could he nevertheless be poised for a sudden-surge? Remembering that he has a h/o here in PA of being a big-spender who lost-big on the social issues [in particular] to Casey…choosing not to “out” his empty-suit opponent effectively…it would seem that his “stridency” during the debates would best be ascribed to attention-seeking-behavior. He says a lot of good stuff [particularly related to foreign policy], but has any of it adhered?

    Sixth, noting that Michele was superb before/during the ZOA Dinner last week [and that she maintains superb eye-contact when speaking at-length, both on fluff and on perceptions], she was viewed as having excelled during the foreign policy debate. She has her problematic quotes [and this Perry-supporter told her National Finance Chair--as a check was being written for $180--that the Gardisil-debacle remained grating]. And she inappropriately portrayed Perry’s “zero-based foreign-policy budgeting” approach [to Pakistan, in particular] as na?ve, despite the fact that Perry [1]–wisely noted that this is foundational [even when applied to Israel], [2]–presciently noted that this is not going to harm support for America’s pivotal ally [Israel], and [3]–noted pleasantly that his competitors overtly/covertly supported this general approach [except for Michele]. So, she’s “available,” but has defined-homework to tackle.

    Seventh, this leaves Rick Perry…and the discussion of Illegal Immigration must be analyzed. The Newt’s ideas are incorrect [creating 100% wall from Brownsville to San Diego, even within the Rio Grande?] when they aren’t unrealistic ["citizen boards" to determine if a given "undocumented alien" has met some floating-criteria regarding having sunk American roots...notwithstanding, for example, the arbitrariness of such a construct, let alone its questionable legality].

    Eighth, listening to Ann Coulter twisting her credibility to support Mitt is truly fascinating. She correctly notes that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, but then she focuses on current positions [denying the potential for flip-flopping to recur]. She recalls her fealty to Chris Christie forlornly, without denying her current praise for Mitt’s current positions [for reasons summarized supra, rationalizing-away his evolution from postures advocated as Massachusetts Governor]. [She noted Newt's problems with Freddie Mac, Global Warming...not mentioning Ethanol.] After having cited The Buckley Law, she dissed Rick for having had poor debates [lumping together all his positives by referencing...obviously...the "oops"-moment]. She then noted the importance of the immigration issue, lumping together the “amnesty” postures of Perry/Newt; it is vital to recognize that Perry has said this cannot be discussed definitively until the border has been secured. [My idea, it may be recalled, is to legalize the "overseas Ellis Islands" concept, operationally.] So, at the end of the day, her logic [almost admittedly] fails, particularly when she predicts her predictions will appear to be discounted [justifiably] until 2012.

    Ninth, therefore, the opportunity for Rick Perry to mobilize his August-supporters emerges from the morass of Cain’s failure. Particularly when one returns to the “character” issue, notwithstanding Coulter’s denial that the “evolution” of a set of policies can make a decisive difference, Perry glistens. One can only postulate that the “secret” meeting in Iowa yielded some recognition/recollection of this key-criterion.

    Tenth, one can predict that the Individual Mandate issue will become front-and-center during imminent debates, and the problems experienced by Mitt/Newt in this particular realm will be easily correlated by Perry into the problems with big-government in D.C.; these other guys are STATISTS/ELITISTS, and they must be outed…as Rick emphasizes the theme of “Fed Up!”…the 10th Amendment!

    {Go Perry, GO!!!!}

  • streiff

    we could have a smart candidate like Bill Clinton, too.

    The fact is that if a man will cheat on the woman he has sworn before God to be faithful to for his entire life, what chance does the taxpayer have?

  • septembergurl

    of Scarborough’s excellent piece ‘Who is the Real RINO?” which does not, as you say, diss “ALL the pretenders (Romney, Newt, Huntsman)’.

    The point of the piece is that actual facts, quotes, policies and actions show that while Gingrich and Romney are indeed RINOS, Huntsman is a true conservative.

    I’m afraid you have failed reading comprehension, rsklaroff. There may be a make-up quiz later.

    The tipoff of course is that Scarborough has a serious man-crush on Huntsman. Even I’m a little embarrassed by it. But this piece is actually very good and worth reading. If you are one of those who wish to breach the conservative media wall of lies around Huntsman and get a true picture of just how conservative he is, this is a good place to start.

  • APA Guy

    …not an isolated instance. There is meat to this accuser’s story, unlike the others.

  • streiff

    We’re at that point with Cain — actually I was at that point with him quite a while ago.

    Why is Cain targeted by all these crazy women and not Rick Santorum or Jon Huntsman? The answer is pretty obvious: the man is a freakin lecher.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …so this hardly justifies the “lynching” characterization.

  • radicalrighty

    Some folks on here blaming the messingers, blaming the women, etc.

    I say thank the Lord these women came forward now, instead of later. What an October Suprise this would have been!

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …when a reporter used it, and then she showed she conversed with Cain in the middle of the night [per 'phone records].

    On CNN, Cain said he’d need documentation prior to responding {via his lawyer, who virtually confessed indiscretions]. Now he has it!

  • iidvbii

    Financial, personal and character traits of the many women in Cain’s ever growing mirriad of sex scandals do certainly demonstrate a pattern. Each also share another commonality, a provable relationship with Hermain Cain. As Cain himself is the only common denominator in all these flawed women it would appear that he seeks out this “pattern” amongst women, perhaps in an almost predatory fashion. It would seem this combination of character flaws and financial hardship provides the vulnerability Cain feeds on.

  • radicalrighty

    However, your “Note to Cain” is entertaining, to say the least, in a Betsy Wright sort of way . . .

  • gator_hoo

    Nt

  • gator_hoo

    Why the heck are all those other people on the stage at the debates?

  • radicalrighty

    a candidate who said, “I do,” and meant it, a candidate who walked the walk, on job creation, who thinks the Federal Government is too big, and needs to be scaled down, a candidate who wants to defang the EPA, and make the legislative branch work (and get paid) part-time, a candidate who has never cozied up on a couch with Nancy, or Hillary.

    It’s just too bad . . .

  • nathanalbright

    in the upcoming debates. Michelle has a lot of work to do, and her weakness in foreign policy was rather surprising, as she came off as almost as naive as Huntsman, which is very poor.

    It is clear that as debates move from foreign policy (which exposed Cain as an empty suit and exposed Michelle Bachmann’s weaknesses) to domestic policy (where Newt and Mitt’s history is full of flip -flops allowing Perry, Santorum, and Bachmann to skewer both with the same attacks and link the two as flip-flipping kin), that Newt and Mitt with both face major vulnerabilities with the Republican base in debates. I don’t think Santorum will be able to pick up steam given his lack of meat as a candidate. Bachmann can be trusted to be a bulldog against Newt (good) but will probably overreach and not help herself. That leaves Perry best positioned to draw contrasts between insider/outsider with Newt while maintaining a high road that is above personal attacks.

    Let’s see if he can pull it off. There are only a few zillion debates left before Iowa. :B

  • nathanalbright

    ….no comment needed. The response is too obvious.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …but I chose to make a different one [equating Mitt'Newt].

    All along, Huntsman has shown himself to be self-marginalized [as I have written elsewhere, on multiple occasions].

    It’s difficult to repeat everything, each time a point is made, and I’ve been typing rather lengthy notes this-a..m. already.

    So, rather than dispute your observation, I’ll start providing recompense…by citing two relevant articles:

    Byron York confirmed time-is-tight when seeking the anti-Mitt:

    http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/york-time-running-out-anti-romney-republicans?utm_source=Political%20Digest%20-%2011/29/2011&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Political%20Digest

    The UL [properly] equated the “amnesty” approaches of Mitt/Newt:

    http://www.unionleader.com/article/20111129/NEWS06/711299969/romney-8217-s-past-immigration-views-mirror-gingrich-8217-s&utm_source=newsletter20111129&utm_medium=email&utm_content=toparticle_morelink&utm_campaign=newsletter

    THANX for keeping me honest!!!

    ;-)

    ?

  • circlegranch

    Given the ire Perry’s ‘lazy’ ad caused amongst the Dem’s, including the prez, alot of people on the Left are not counting him out. A story talking about that ad appeared on the front pg of the NYT in the past few days. He has been feared before he ever announced. Team Romney/Bachmann continue to try and smack him down, obviously thinking he has potential to come back and ruin their chances.

    As for Herman, it would appear now that he knew this story was coming and perhaps it has been weighing on his mind which is why he drew a blank at the interview talking about Libya. Maybe that’s why he seemed very remorseful during the Thanksgiving Family Forum event; he was tearful not at having had cancer but that his wife stuck by him. He was saddened to think he’d not been around while his kids grew up and yet they never complained. It seems in recent weeks he’s had alot on his mind. This latest woman to come forward has evidence that they frequently exchanged phone calls. If we recall Bill Clinton’s escapade with Monica, he tried to convince us that they were attracted to each other but it wasn’t physical. Who knows what a person considers to be cheating but the Bible tells us lust in the heart is adultery. Maybe Herman didn’t have an affair in the way we think, but maybe he did have some feelings beyond friendship for this woman and that has weighed on his conscience.

    Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Two women were paid substantial sums of money to be quiet, leave their jobs at NRA and stop talking about Herman Cain’s so-called wandering eye and questionable humor. Another couple of women had complaints. Now the 5th has cell phone records and a claim that they were inappropriately close. Perhaps it depends on the definition of ‘inappropriate’, but still, there’s lots of signals that maybe things aren’t what they should be, whether fairly or not, questions about his character are not going away.

    I do not agree w/ EE’s notation that this latest person is a woman and not a lady, assuming he believes that by speaking up constitutes unladylike behavior. The focus should be on whether or not the man running for president, singing Amazing Grace at rallies is and always has been a gentleman around the opposite sex once he slipped a wedding ring on his finger. It takes two to tango and if he’s been dishonest about his past, that’s ungentlemanly behavior which is as big a problem as a woman being honest. If she’s telling the truth, how does that make her unlady-like? It also sounds like she contacted Cain or his attorney/campaign and said she would talk unless he did and in his typical arrogance, refused to come clean. Again, if he’d come out in front and said he’s got a female friend of many years; they’ve often dined together and talked on the phone alot but that’s the extent of it, people may have been more forgiving. Instead, he holds himself out as pure as wind-driven snow, time and again and it appears the public is through accommodating him and making excuses.

    To turn now to the next page, what will Newt say about all this? There’s not much he can say, right? He declared just a few weeks ago that he’d definitely consider Cain as his VP. Will Newt continue to entertain that possibility, especially given his own track record of infidelity? Beyond that, what will the Christian conservatives, the Evangelicals, think about the both of them? Newt has been able to escape the personal scrutiny thus far by glossing over it with soaring rhetoric and an incredible collection of historical facts and figures and dates. If the recall is quick enough and the words big enough, perhaps we won’t notice? At some point, does his past cause him the same trouble that Herman has experienced? After all, there are calls from the Right and the Left this morning, including here at RS for Cain to simply go away. Few have the stomach for a candidate with a controversial personal life, even if its all lies. Where does that leave Newt? Newt’s problems in his past are well documented and he’s admitted to them. Why should he, too, not go away?

    Will Cain drop out? Will he blame this latest accusation on Perry or go a step further and pin it on G.W. Bush? Will Newt continue to uplift Herman? Will there be calls for Newt to drop out because his personal life makes Cain’s look pretty good at this point? Will Christian conservatives stick to their guns and hold out for a man that has a solid personal story? Will Hannity and Rush run to Cain’s defense today or will they simply focus now non-stop on Newt as their new darling?

    The double standards and talking out of both sides of the mouth that the Republicans are becoming famous for are the impetus for a growing number of Independents in this country. A prime example of a psuedo-conservative making excuses and looking the other way for political expediency is Ann Coulter’s ridiculous revelation today on Morning Joe. When asked how she can tolerate the flips and flops of both Romney and Gingrich, she said what matters is what a person says today, not in the past. If that be so, Ms. Coulter spent alot of time writing and talking about Obama’s past. She never gave him the same pass–that what he said during the campaign mattered more than what he said or did in his past. The hypocrisy is stunning and to think it comes from our side is nothing short of sickening.

  • Scope

    leave Cain because of his extramarital affair, why would/should they go to another candidate who has had two extramarital affairs? If anything, this news brings extramarital affairs into the spotlight, and will remind many of Newt’s admitted infidelities.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Nobody does a better job of flaming our candidates then us. Nobody.

    But don’t worry it is all under the guise of “screening” our candidates and preparing them for the General. It has nothing to do with someone’s overzealous attempt to make their candidate the winner. Nor does it eventually lend credence to fallacy in the minds of other non-Republican voters.

    You want to know why nobody is discussing the issues and Obama’s dismal, destructive, non-leadership? I suggest quite a few people take a good hard look in the mirror.

  • nathanalbright

    …given his history.

    I think what makes the woman unladylike in the eyes of EE (and I am speculating a bit about his motives, so I hope he is not offended), and would also make her unladylike in mine, is her statement that she knew he was married and that it was an affair but was okay with it. Knowingly committing adultery is unladylike behavior, and I’m sufficiently old-fashioned in my own moral views to see that as such as well.

    I loathe the double standards about infidelity and about flip-flopping. If there is a genuine conversion from one political worldview (or, in the case of Perry, one party to the other) it would have an obvious point, and for Perry that occurred in 1989. It seems as if neither Mitt nor Newt have a defined conservative coversion narrative, just a bunch of contradictory opinions that are highly DC insider and statist in nature at their core, even while they mouth conservative platitudes. It is clear that the state of our nation does not allow for the DC insider solution, and that leaves precious few options left. Fortunately we have at least one very good one in Gov. Perry.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    This is a beautifully-written parallel-piece to my bullet-points.

    What continues to confound me is the behavior of those whom we have grown to trust [Rush/Hannity] as this scramble has developed. Perhaps they want to be perceived as “fair” to the R’s while defending them against the D’s and the MSM/LSM/ELM. Maybe they think their credibility would be enhanced [ultimately] after having provided a track-record of supporting multiple alternatives [along-the-way].

    In any case, Perry remains The Guy.

    http://www.saveardmorecoalition.org/node/5848/rick-perry-hes-guy

  • iidvbii

    :P

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …was to preclude [as much as possible] such postings as this one.

    “I hate liberals” should explain why all of Newt’s foibles still allow for him to be viewed as preferential to Perry’s populist “Main St.” message.

    ?Remember the Alamo [strikeover] JOBS/Jobs/JOBS!?

  • nathanalbright

    …so I can’t really start conversations in here. Care to be a bit more specific about who you’re talking about?

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …because we ARE discussing issues, even as we “process” interim events.

    Remember how the Foreign Policy debate was well-scrutinized last week?

    Recall how the Family Thanksgiving discussion was well-analyzed last week?

    This process of allowing people to expose their weaknesses is healthy; we should not fear vetting the best candidate to become the putative Leader of the Free World.

    As much as I was among those who wanted to anoint Perry, I’m glad he now has to struggle to emerge victorious. Note his ads [such as that which attacked BHO's "laziness" quotes]. Feel reassured that Rick’s running a positive and issues-oriented campaign?

  • Marcus_Traianus

    I thought folks these days cared more about the issues than someones personal life?

    I certainly don’t condone Newt’s multiple marriages. My bet is with a 50% divorce rate in this country there is a certain amount of apathy in the general electorate. But will that keep me from voting for him? Absolutely not. It is not for me to judge, nor is it a reasonable measure by which his potential performance as President can be estimated.

    Conversely, Perry has a very big problem to overcome. His perception as being inarticulate, real or not, gives the appearance he is superficial on the issues and will be unable to stand toe-to-toe with Obama. In my humble opinion that is partially due to Perry’s low-key nature which works well in Texas, but not on the national scene. I frankly don’t know how Perry solves that without putting together a string of aggressive, thoughtful public appearances which makes the electorate believe he has the capacity and issue depth to fight for them. One would think that wouldn’t be hard for a guy with his record…from Texas.

  • jgge

    among all candidates who are running for President. The man is a joke and a clown. His women problems aside, his utterly incompetent staff aside, who the hell would vote for someone like Cain? Seriously folks. The man has never been elected to any public office, he has zero governing record, he has never enacted any public policy, and he has never voted on any public issue. He is a master of gaffes, knows very little about the important subjects, and his 9-9-9 tax plan is one of the dumbest plans ever.

    His name to fame is that he is a great businessman because 15 years ago he was a CEO of a mediocre Pizza company. How does running a Pizza company qualify someone to be President of the USA the most powerful job in the world? The toughest decisions of a Pizza CEO is to open or close a Pizza joint here and there and to increase or decrease the price of Pizza. Most of the employees in his company are low skilled and paid low wages. This does not qualify him what so ever to become President. The President of the USA is by far the most powerful man in the world and his decisions would not only deeply affect our entire nation but in many cases the entire world and for certain a CEO of a mediocre company is not qualified for this job in any shape or form. And please do not give me the Obama qualifications BS before he became President because you can easily see the very bad results of when someone who is unqualified is elected President. We do not need an Obama of the Right to become President we can do much better than that.

  • nathanalbright

    …couldn’t win the pizza wars because he was too concerned about the mountains of Pennsylvania being too high for his trucks to cross to successfully invade Pizza Hut and Little Ceasar’s territory.

  • Common_Cents

    Cain’s stuff is new. Newt’s is old and everyone has talked about it for years. Name one supporter who hasn’t heard about the baggage less than 1000 times. The only thing that would damage Gingrich is some new allegations.

    I’ve even seen much resolution amongst evangelicals who are supporting Gingrich.

    At some point, voters will be sick and tired of this stuff and their eyes will glaze over on each consecutive accusation. People are getting media smear fatigue as it is already reaching diminishing returns for the left. That will especially be true w/ old rehashed stuff.

  • nathanalbright

    …unless Newt is found cheating on wife #3 and *new* allegations come out. I happen to think Newt’s substantive flip-flopping and general unethical behavior are a considerably bigger issue, given the lack of widespread knowledge of his post-Congressional behavior.

  • texanlady

    South Carolina is a must win for Perry and a new poll is out with him sitting at 4%. Newt is comfortably ahead in both Iowa and South Carolina. It is Romney or Newt.

  • nathanalbright

    ….see the RCP data here:

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/sc/south_carolina_republican_presidential_primary-1590.html

    There’s still time to turn it around. How about letting the campaign play itself out? After all, Cain’s numbers have to adjust again for the latest scandal.

  • jgge

    the conservative movement like Palin has done before him. The Cult faction would never learn. They are constantly looking for a Cult Leader to follow because they want him or her to throw the red meat BS that they crave like drug addicts.

  • jgge

    and he is by far the least qualified among all the other candidates to be President. Stop this BS.

  • texanlady

    Try to go with the freshest post debate polls rather than the averages.

  • jgge

    on foreign policy and many other important issue, he brags about his ignorance.

  • bzip

    There is a candidate like you describe, one who hates big gov’t has a record to verify that, has a record to verify job creation, has a book that clearly describes these exact things.

    The problem is people are looking for those ideal 30 second sound bytes from debates and using those to decide who should be the nominee rather then a record, experience with a consistent conservative record to back it up with.

    If you ever saw Rick Perry campaign you would know he is a strong campaigner that could beat Obama hands down.

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    These people haven’t behaved like candidates or even remotely like gentlemen. This primary season has raised Barack Obama’s standing int he polls by at least 5%.

  • jgge

    McCain in 2008 the way everyone did and announced that he primaries campaign was totally dead all the way until few days before the first vote was cast? I am sure you did.

  • erp617

    Given the gazillions of Soros et al. dollars at the disposal of the socialists, it’s hardly surprising that they can find women financially desperate and morally degenerate enough to come forward to accuse Cain and anybody else they want to take down of the kind of behavior that can neither be proved nor disproved.

    This latest one’s proof? She has his personal cell number on speed dial.

    To quote Limbaugh: Whoopsie Do.

  • Common_Cents

    Gingrich benefited from Cain declines before, nothing has changed and he should get even more support in SC and FL. His support has been growing with every new poll. Now w/ the UL endorsement, he represents a threat to some Romney support. Romney will have to attack gingrich soon, and at the next debate, Romney will receive his smackdown. Romney has shown he gets flustered in a confrontation.

    It’s getting late, people aren’t gonna play the roller coaster game much longer. They are resolving themselves to support someone.

    If Perry’s ground game is so good, why isn’t it showing up in the polls? You have to shake a lot of hands to replace poor/mediocre debates in front of millions.

    Perry supporters better get him to ToastMasters so he can learn how to sell his goods. He has to run the table on debates to overcome his very poor early impressions.

    PerryKrishnas here keep yelling about his record here. Everyone gets his record, Everyone. What is holding Perry back is his ability to sell his wares. We need a little more focus on that on how he can overcome that. Now that is progress.

  • Marcus_Traianus

    I would completely disagree.

    We spend more time on peripheral issues like who Cain may or may not have had an affair with, Newt’s marriages or Perry’s “link” to drug companies. The MSM places the meme out there and folks follow it like lemmings. In the meantime, Obama’s dismal handling on the most important issues stays out of the headlines.

    Beyond that we have fallacious nonsense where folks throw out stuff like Newt as a “lobbyist” something he never was, Romney as a “Wall Street” guy (I guess capitalism is derogatory, depending on the candidate), Perry as a supporter of “amnesty”, etc. as some type of creative response.

    That’s not constructive engagement. It is avoiding issue substance through use of ad hominems and prevarication and disguising it as honest character assessment.

  • streiff

    on this like he did on the last go round.

  • texanlady

    Think McCain and Newt are on a similar path.

  • texanlady

    Hope newt does not pick Palin.

  • nathanalbright

    Just so you know.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …which are issues-focused.

    [here and elsewhere]

  • kowalski

    .

  • jgge

    of the company were stagnant, if not reduced, during his tenure as CEO, he cut a big part of the “cheap” labor force, but apparently he made some profit for the company. However all this does not qualify him what so ever to become President, it is insulting to think otherwise.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    Do not equate Sarah with Cain!

  • jgge

    I know it is very unpopular to criticize Rush Limbaugh but he is really messing it up big in his defense of Herman Cain. The same goes for many other talk radio show hosts.

  • kowalski

    …male and female: “You’re going to meet someone who you’re trying to help to have a conversation….at a hotel? In a car? Or even at your private residence?

    If the relationship is truly platonic, make sure you have a chaperone present. The world is full of snakes. People who start out being nonsnakes have a way of transmuting themselves into snakes if they think you didn’t do what they think you had promised them. And sometimes they become snakes when you *did* do what you told them you wanted to do.

    Have a witness, have a chaperone, particularly if you intend one day to run for President. If you want to be President now, you have to think ahead.

  • septembergurl

    get off the cain Train. They have done lot of damage to our primary by insisting that our candidate needs to be a glorified talk show host who screams and rants at Obama 24/7., as opposed to wanting a principled conservative who will advance our agena.

    I stopped taking their political advice when they screamed that Romney was the real conservative in 2008. I still listen to Levin whenever I can because he’s brilliant.

  • jgge

    and that this time they would not be defending Cain again but we shall see. I have been very disappointed with our conservative radio folks lately.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …is that critique of others covertly recalls how Perry doesn’t have the same defect.

    You are correct regarding the rapidly-moving timeframe.

    Let’s see how Cain’s decline will interact with whatever the Iowa Conservatives may be brewing….

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …with the viewpoint that evangelicals are coalescing for The Newt…and that people are tiring of the “smear”-component of the campaign.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    …and you will see how his strident/low-key approach [including in his ads] can be conveyed.

    Remember his zero-based foreign-policy budgeting approach? Everyone else – except Michele – co-adopted it. Same with his “Mexican border = terrorism risk” observation.

    He has a tall-order, education-wise, noting his states’-rights political focus….

  • tyman

    Don’t reject the Christmas present because you may or may not like the wrapping paper. It’s what’s inside that counts!

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    provide instructions as to how to embed a video just as you have done here

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    provide instructions as to how to embed a video just as you have done here

  • Common_Cents

    They have different defects. It comes down to what people value more.

    The discussion on Gingrich/Perry is largely electability vs. record. Although, Gingrich has tremendous accomplishments that nobody is talking about. Gingrich does have solid specific plans that nobody is talking about.

    But perception is reality and It’s going to come down to what voters really value. Currently the polls are reflecting that people are getting more confident in Gingrich to smack down Obama.

    For many voters, its not the candidates record, or what they did, its HOW THEY MAKE YOU FEEL. Gop is continually the stupid party on this.

    Gingrich=makes people feel confident

    In the end, it all boils down into a very simple up or down feeling. That’s it.

    Dems are good at emotional appeal, hence, electing a blank slate prompter reader on hope and change. GOP could go far in this area to give some emotional appeal especially in reaching a broader audience.

  • bzip

    We all seem to agree that Romney has a limited line of support, he can’t get much above 25% and has even been going down in many polls.

    What if the race no longer is Romney and anti-Romney. I think it is very possible it could turn into a two anti-Romney candidate race. Does anyone else see this as a possibility?

    Okay I have made it clear I don’t support Newt, I find him more liberal then Romney and flip-flops on core issues such as the mandate and global warming. Having said that and knowing that could some one explain to me how Newt can hit Romney for flip-flopping and Romney care mandate when in fact Newt is just as bad. How can Newt go after Obama when in fact Newt supported the mandate and global warming? How can Newt really fight for conservatives against Obama when in fact Newt was for and supported these very issues we are fighting against. This is crazy. As much as people think Newt can debate and beat Obama I have a hard time figure out how knowing all of this.

    I have to wonder just why anyone would support Newt knowing his baggage and his flip-flopping? It worse then Romney.

    There is recent (this year) records of Newt’s flip-flopping and supporting the mandate.

    Gingrich Supports ‘Variation’ on Obamacare-Type Health Insurance Mandate
    http://youtu.be/ThwVp0cwOMA

    http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/gingrich-health-care-insurance/2011/05/15/id/396426

    And a long list;
    Is Newt Gingrich a Conservative? You decide
    http://www.westernjournalism.com/is-newt-gingrich-a-conservative-you-decide/

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    that can win.

  • Xasteius

    I thought conservatives were supposed to think through the issues. Now they’re showing that they are just as capable of irrational thought as the left.

  • bzip

    Okay for a YouTube video do the following:
    1)Start playing the youtube video that you want to “share”.

    2)Once the video has started you look down the screen on the bottom leftist side of the screen.

    3)You will see a “:share” button. Click on that “share” button.
    4)You will then see a box come yup that has a “link to this video” address. You can copy that “link to” address for only a link or you can:
    5)Look for the “Embed” button right below the “link to” address.
    6)Click on the “Embed” button and a box shows up with the embedding code.
    7)Copy that “embedding code” and paste it into this box here at Redstate for watching the video.

    I hope that is understandable. Good luck.

  • constitutional

    http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/11/29/examples-of-gingrich-comments-in-favor-of-federally-funded-abortion-stem-cell-research/

    “I do not support Ronald Reagan, because a very conservative Republican can not win.” – Gerald Ford.

  • http://www.planettron.com NickDeringer

    Conservatives need to stop choosing candidates by the tingle up their legs and start chosing by character, record of accomplishment and ability.

    Sarah Palin demonstrated the ease with which personality cults can rise up. Cain is the same. So is Donald Trump and Mike Huckleberry. And of course there’s the Grand Master of personality cults Ron Paul.

    Be careful, people. Be very careful.

  • bzip

    Given a Romney and Newt only race I think I would go with Romney at this point. I don’t think Newt has a chance against Obama with Newt’s support of global warming, the mandate, ethic violation, martial problems and the ever so long list. It becomes a matter of really holding your nose if it comes down to Newt and Romney.

  • tyman

    I heard Matt Towery on Boortz’s show mention this when Boortz brought up Gingrich throwing out Marco Rubio’s name yesterday.

    Towery said that at the end of the day, don’t rule out the prospect of a Gingrich/Romney ticket or vice versa. I’m not saying I agree or I think he’s right, but what a depressing thought.

    I think people are giving Perry a serious second look. I talked to someone the other day who felt this way.

    Who says Gingrich can win? Maybe on a debate stage, but I’ve said this over and over again: Gingrich looks like an old man and I’m not sure he can take the rigors of a national campaign. Didn’t we run an old, white guy against Obama last time?

    And thanks for the video, bzip, that makes a Gingrich/Romney ticket seem not so far out there, huh? All of us have a responsibility to pay for healthcare? Choices? It’s scary when you really listen to what he’s saying. What would the founding fathers say to this? I think they’d be appalled.

    Gingrich conservative? Maybe on some issues, but even a broke clock is right twice a day.

  • celador2

    Do not blame the staff for Cain’s past behavior whatever it was. The blame is on Cain. His attorney now has said the affair was consentual and private therefore off limits in a campaign.
    None of this disqualifies his being president in this day and age.

    Afterall, the new darling of the 2012 field is a former Speaker who resigned because he was in an affair with a twenties something Ag Com employee at time House was to begin impeaching Bill C for Monica.

    As US founders debated character they pondered did a private life matter and need it too be honorable for a public servant. Some like Dr Benjamin Rush thought so,

    Aparently not in the 2012 GOP primaryy field are honesty and character at all important anymore than is taking responsibility for one’s actions. Take it on the chin. The article is– incredibly— making a point the Cain staff did not cover up well enough and now Cain will not be president.

    .

  • bk

    It’s looking more and more like Cain blatantly lied to all of us with his talk of having done nothing “inappropriate” or “wrong”. We don’t need another candidate who forces us to parse every word, a la “It all depends on what the meaning of ‘inappropriate’ and ‘wrong’ are.”

    I liked Cain ever since seeing him at RS Gathering 2010. I was willing to forgive some of his early faux pas and had my doubts about the woman who came out with Gloria Allred. But the comments from him and his lawyer yesterday finished off what was left of him. Good riddance.

  • texasroots

    this video. Makes Hannity look so small next to Perry, especially now that he is such a Perry hater. Let’s keep showing it over and over! I have never stopped believing in Perry as my choice for president. Go, Perry, go.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Reagan was a great communicator. He could sell what he was offering. I don’t see any very conservative Reagans this go around, but maybe I missed someone.

  • johnt

    light on the anchovies, and leave the girl on the cash register alone.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Newt’s more conservative in my opinion. He’s balanced federal budgets before. He’s presided over federal budget surpluses. He’s pushed through welfare reform. I’ll go with the candidate that has actual experience balancing budgets and reducing handouts.

  • celador2

    Two peas in a pod are Gingrich and Romney but only Romney is an honorable man. Beltway darling, Gingrich is a snakeoil salesman, imo of course.

    There are four running who oppose funnymoney at Fed Res, deficit spending as now carried on and who would rock and shake the staus quo on fiscal policies and much else.

    Bachmann, Cain, Paul and Perry.

    Sher Joe A just endorsed Perry over Romney yesterday but that got little news.

  • celador2

    Rep and Chair Budget tCom John KAsich R-OH did much of the balanced budget deal , not teh loudmouth Speaker. Rep Bill Paxton was a compentent manager of legislation and had such a focused message that impressed me when i saw him on TV.

    These two men along with others deserved leadership credit for the reforms especially balanced budget in mid 1990s. Balanced Budget is John Kasich’s achiievement.

  • boats48

    I’ve been following Herman Cain for the past two years. His was a message that needed airing. At first, I thought he had fallen victim to the media’s smear machine, and in a way he has, but only in their propensity to dig for dirt. These last revelations of infidelity erase all doubt. At best Herman is a scalawag. How he ever thought he could run for president of this country with that kind of baggage is beyond me. It’s not even the sex, it’s the lies & cover-up. We already have a deceitful, arrogant, pol in the White House, why vote in another?
    Sorry, Herman. I’m unsubscribing to your newsletter and looking elsewhere for leadership. Best of Luck!

  • Xasteius

    no text

  • celador2

    Maybe Gingrich has changed his mind on free market solutions for pollution. But his backing cap and trade and EPA as the remedy fixer is a far cry from concervative principles!

    He made the Pelosi ad because he backed whatever they were pushing together 2008.

    He changed his tune in 2011 for obvious reasons,. He did not want to defend it to a hostile primary electorate.

    If elected will Newt back Cap and trade again? Will he be a cozy teamplayer with Pelosi?

  • Xasteius

    he gives me an impression of LBJ for some reason. Newt’s my second choice (after Perry , of course), but if it comes to Newt or Romney, I’ll have more enthusiasm for Newt.

  • tyman

    News of it came yesterday, but his statement was a little while ago.

    http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/11/arizona-sheriff-backs-perry-gop-race/4Hnn8d5lU7yL11hR9pjogK/index.html

    Granted, this will probably get buried by Herb’s story.

  • supergirl2911

    I hope newt picks noone

  • changeforrickperry

    When I heard about this new allegation last night, I thought, “Oh great, not another one–please be false, please please please.” Not only for Herman Cain’s sake, but for his family’s sake, and the sake of all those who had really respected him for a time–myself included. I really liked Herman Cain there for a while; I considered him one of the most conservative candidates in the field. Then…well, the rest is history.

    Unfortunately, the way Herman has handled this last story is very disappointing and damning (and I mean that in the truest sense, not in a curse-word-sense). I feel sorry for him and his family. But as many have said before me, I’m glad this is coming out now and not next year. It may be a blessing in disguise, because this would destroy him if he were the nominee.

    Genuinely sad over this. I may support Rick Perry but I can certainly sympathize with the other candidates and their families.

  • sunshinek67

    By an overwhelming majority they find Gingrich’s transgressions very problematic & withholding endorsement. I think Gingrich is going to have a harder time selling his credibility with this very significant bloc of the Republican base.

    They also think Perry’s candidacy is “toast” without any specific reason. The problem is, Perry can make a comeback. He has the record that Gingrich doesn’t. Persistence in the townhalls, meet n greets, more endorsements (hopefully Palin) will get him the free media that his campaign desperately needs.

  • sunshinek67

    iPhone online conservative activism challenged this a.m., my bad~

  • celador2

    The primary voters have decided the sole standard to pick a nominee is stage performance at media debates. Media are dedicated to the defeat of a Republican candidate but a majority of votes still prefer the passive role of TV spectator who listen to pundits tell us what we saw and heard.

    Media have rated Cain and Gingrich most relevant based on their media polls.

    However,

    Bachmann, Cain, Paul and Perry are the conservtives who are solid rock and fundamentally different than Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and Huntsman.

    I challenge the Newt for pres assumption that says he can win a debate with Obama. I do not know that as a fact and I do not use speaking skills as a high standard to rate my choice for president.

    While no fan of Thomas Jefferson he never made a glowing public speech in his life.

  • Tbone

    to a totally failed candidate.

    Is it your rightwing white guilt that compels you to apologize for a buffoon who if you put his anonymous resume on paper, inclusive of his campaign disasters, any thinking person would just laugh at?

    Herman Cain, the first black Pat Paulsen.

  • clintonformccain

    can now jump into bed with Newt Gingrich!

  • Tbone

    Name a Speaker of the House in the last 40 years that you would have trusted to step into the Presidency.

    They got to that position like a girl sleeping with every guy in the fraternity.

  • celador2

    If the Cain accuser is a woman, not a lady does that not make Cain’s behavior all the more inappropriate? Lie down with dogs and get up with fleas.

    Did she seduce a gentleman?

    LOL no ROFLMAO

  • Tbone

    nt.

  • Scope

    They were both conducted by Insider Advantage, the Iowa poll was conducted for Newsmax, and the SC poll was conducted for The Augusta Chronicle. Not sure why a Georgia newspaper would request a poll on SC, but oh well. Here is some info. on the Insider Advantage polling organization. For what ever it’s worth, the current CEO of Insider Advantage, Matt Towery, is a former top strategist for Newt Gingrich. They have done a lot of polling for Politico, and I think they are the current polling outfit for CNN.

    First of all, both polls were done of Likely Voters, including Democrats and Independents. I believe that Iowa caucus goers must be registered with a party, but, it appears that the caucus goers can change their registration at the caucus location, and on the day of the caucus. Someone from Iowa can correct me if I am wrong about that. I don’t know if SC has closed primaries, and if one must be a registered Republican to vote in the Republican primary. Maybe someone can post that info.

    Here is the pdf file for the Iowa poll internals. Ron Paul is second in the Iowa polls, but, 26% of his support is coming from Democrats, and 29.5 % is coming from Independents. Gingrich is in the lead, with 30.9% of his votes coming from Republicans, but he comes in second with the Democrats with 10.9%, and Independents 24.9%. In Iowa, 16.8% of Republicans are still undecided.

    Here is the pdf file for the SC poll internals. What’s interesting in the SC poll is that most of Romney’s support there comes from the Democrats with 22%. He gets 17.3% from Republicans, and 9% from Independents. Romney is currently in second place in SC. Gingrich gets 39.3% from Republicans, 15.8% from Democrats, and 36.2% from Independents. In SC 14.6% of Republicans are still undecided. Cain is in third place, but of course the poll was done before the latest Cain news.

    So, all in all, I look at both these polls as being misleading, to say the least. Many have expressed fears of Democrats crossing over, and voting in the Republican primaries, I share that fear. By these two polls, which include Democrats, you get an indication of who they want to run against Obama. That would be Romney, Gingrich and Paul. When are the Republicans going to learn to close their primaries, and allow only those registered Republican, registered at least 30 days in advance of the elections, to choose the Republican nominee? It seems obvious that if only registered Republicans were included in these polls, the numbers would change greatly.

  • Tbone

    Bachmann, Paul, Huntsman, Santorum and Cain.

    Let’s get these 5 out of the race and then we can discuss the merits of the remaining 3.

  • radicalrighty

    I absolutely, hands down, believe Perry is the man to beat Obama, and, bring about a brighter future for our kids and grandkids.

  • annie54

    we all needed this shot in the arm. I have been in Perry’s corner ever since his “The Response” day of prayer and fasting Aug. 6. I streamed the whole day in and fasted and prayed along with the thousands in attendance.

    I have not wavered from supporting Perry. I still send him $$ and e-mails of encouragement. Most people haven’t seen the Perry shown here in this video. They’re in for a surprise!

    Perry has had some learnin’ to do as well as the Republican Party. Isn’t the next debate Dec. 10 in DesMoines? I saw this morning that ABC has cancelled their debate on Dec.19 and will be joining in with the one on Dec. 10 at Drake University.

    Let’s pray that Dec. 10 will be Governor Rick Perry’s coming out party!

  • celador2

    I appreciate that endorsement link and will read it. Romney got it over McCain in 2008.

  • circlegranch

    Will voters that are turned off by a candidate with alleged personal ethics issues end up supporting another candidate with exactly the same problem? Are they meeting behind closed doors now in prayer groups and Christian university president’s offices plotting how they will square their decision with their flocks?

    bzip is right: Wouldn’t it be great if we could FINALLY get serious about promoting the most conservative candidate with a PROVEN record of accmplishment? Imagine the result if the true conservatives in this country stopped hanging on the every word of Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Brit Hume, et al, and instead, fired up the tea kettle and asserted that We, the People, are taking charge of this nomination process! What if we got behind that most conservative candidate and as a result, his confidence grew, he found his voice and was able to speak boldly and without fear that one sentence would be enough to chase away his Party loyalists?

    America is in big trouble and thanks in large part to a spineless Republican Party.

  • acat

    So perhaps the Founding Fathers thought that would be a useful skill in a crisis….

    Mew

  • radicalrighty

    .

  • bzip

    It was obvious and thanks for the post radicalrighty it is just sometimes it seems we need to hit people in the head with a brick to get them to understand things :-) . I was just trying tio make it more obvious :-) .

  • acat

    Second look at Perry.

    If there were dirt of that sort, KBH and Rove would have found and published it by now.

    If it’s about the debates, all Perry has to do is to not have another brain fart, and to continue to hammer Romney.

    Mew

  • tracker
  • 1bunny

    I was thinking the same thing. These women have certain ‘problems’ in common and therefore this is the type he preys upon.

  • radicalrighty

    maybe another black, presidential candidate in ’12 wouldn’t either . . .

  • Scope

    interview with Blitzer I believe, he indicated that he will stay in the race as long as his wife backs him. He also said in the past that if his campaign affects his family negatively, he would get out, and I believe he indicated that same thing with Blitzer again last night. For his wife’s sake, and his whole family, he really needs to step aside, and stop the ongoing embarrassment he is causing all of them. Even if all of this affair news wasn’t out there, there are many other reasons for Cain to step aside, his foreign policy inexperience, and lack of knowledge only being one issue.

    I also started out liking Cain and sent him money early on. Now, as many times as I have tried to unsubscribe from his emails, I am still on the list, including him trying to fundraise with old poll numbers, and most recently pulling out the race card yet again.

  • Common_Cents

    If you were running a business and doing a sales/marketing campaign and you weren’t getting traction, would you blame the dumb customers for not buying your product?

    Reality is, you have to improve your sales/marketing message to get support for your brand.

    The world does not beat a path to your door if you have the better mouse trap. You gotta go out and sell it effectively.

  • sunshinek67

    nt

  • bzip

    Lets hope, have some faith and keep our fingers crossed for Rick Perry. The Sheriff Joe endorsement is a great thing for Perry and the upcoming debate will also aid Perry. Now if we could get the family group from Iowan and Steve Deaces on board Perry could take the nomination and the momentum would be with Perry.

    I’ll be with you on December 10 sending a prayer for Rick Perryu and our country,

  • Common_Cents

    Sadly Cain is done. Time will tell how much it is of his own doing.

    REP’s need to rehabilitate Cain. Cain has HUGE value. Not as President(he may be a future nominee if he becomes Governor for some experience) but rather as a link to the black community to shatter the myth that DEMS have helped anyone the past few decades.

    Cain has transformed race 10000000X more than Obama did. Cain reached success by the American Way, hard work. obama got advanced by lies (taking down opponents the chicago way) and affirmative action and guilt.

    If Cain is too tarnished he’ll be tossed to the trash heap. What a waste, because he has an incredible message and story to tell to give real inspiration and liberate the black community to do them the most good since MLK Jr.

  • bobguzzardi

    Sarah Palin defeated the Murkowski machine and governed Alaska for two years and is still one of Alaska’s key political powers.

    Sarah Palin is, perhaps, the most brilliant communicator in the country.

    Sarah Palin has been vetted by millions of emails, investigations and scrutiny and not one single hint of scandal.

    dr. bob is right. Palin is not Cain.

  • Common_Cents

    Guessing he’ll now drop out.

  • bobguzzardi

    The Republican Party and, in particular, conservatives and Tea Party have been successfully smeared as party of selfish, racist bigots and the coalition of Tax Takers, college professors, media and Hollywood, and Urban Blacks will not be voting for ANY Republican including Herman Cain.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    BREAKING NEWS
    Herman Cain Reassessing Whether He Will Remain in GOP Race

    http://abcnews.go.com/?nwltr=bn

  • carolynr

    what goes around comes around. He blamed Perry for the accusation…he blamed Perry for an area that had that name…probably while Perry was a kid…and yet…it was Perry’s fault. Well..now it has come around full circle. The statement by the attorney was all but an admission. It’s time for Cain to withdraw

  • bobguzzardi

    Rick Perry embodies the Texas Model of job growth based on energy business. This is key issue.

    A nuclear Iran is key foreign policy issue which means a close military alliance with Israel and with other anti-Iranian regimes like Saudi Arabia. Rick Perry has both. the oil lobby is the Saudi Lobby and the Saudi regime is focused on its own well being and blowing up Israel is only rhetorical ( although funding Wahhabism is a problem.)

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Instead of using a national showcase to collectively display how much better our ideas are and how destructive this President has been to our nation, we have engaged in fratricide that is killing the credibility of any candidate with an “R” following his name and increased the popularity of our worst President in history.

    “We” are for amnesty.
    ‘We” have poor personal character.
    “We are ex-lobbyists.
    “We” take all sides on every issue.
    “We” are in the pockets of “evil” Wall Streeters.
    and so on…

    This is the image of Republicans that non-party members are taking away from the Primary. No small wonder some of them believe Obama is the lesser of all evils.

  • bobguzzardi

    Tom Coburn’s Breach of Trust will remind us of Newt’s record of selling out.

  • CincoSolas_del_Bronx

    more times than there were respondents in the apparently-omniscient focus group. That’s not normally correlated with productive behavior in these parts.

    Besides, when I step out for a bit and return to find acat–in a matter of hours–serving both as Poster Child for the ickiness of literal belief in the Genesis Flood and then being attributed with infinite wisdom, I asks myself: “Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?” But it does not endear me to the positions of the attributers–one of whom has already been dispatched, apparently.

  • bobguzzardi

    Rick Perry has been vetted by the very hard ball Texas Bush machine. If there was dirt, we would have known about it a long time ago.

    Herman Cain is popular because he is conservative and Black and successful, not because he can govern America. He is not qualified as is plain to see.

    Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney…the real question is “How soon will they sell us out?”

    Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry can be relied on.

  • carolynr

    Great to see you on Politico …Doc…I need help there. This was a great article. While I much prefer Perry over Huntsman….I do believe that if you were to have a debate between Gingrich and Huntsman…the Great Debater…Gingrich would lose. Huntsman is no dummy. Furthermore…he is the person to take it to Romney and one can see… they don’t see eye to eye. So, yes…Huntsman’s policies did win acclaim while the other two are too convoluted..especially Romney’s.

    BTW…I read that Perry was UL second choice for endorsement. Can anyone confirm that further.

  • angryguy77

    I don’t know if he did it or not. But I will say that I believe conservatives need to realize people are human and will make mistakes. Just because a guy cheated on his wife years ago, doesn’t mean he isn’t a good person or isn’t capable of being a good president. It’s one thing to have made a grave mistake/s, its another thing if the person continues to make the same mistake.

    We are too quick to throw people out because they might have screwed up some years back. Not only that, we probably have scared good people out of running because they know our side will destroy anyone who may have slipped up.

    Again, this isn’t a defense of Cain because if he did do it, it means he lied about it. My comments are more of a generality.

  • bobguzzardi

    America did elect a slick talker and see what happened.

    Rick Perry is what he says he is. You can feel him.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    Despite the efforts of some to paint supporters of Cain as suffering from “white guilt”, I personally had an opportunity to sway voters toward conservatism simply because of Cain’s story. It had nothing to do with any white guilt on my part (there is none), but was about pushing the narrative you outline. It may be a very long time before such an opportunity comes our way again, but hopefully more men like Allen West, Tim Scott and Michael Williams will be the voices we need to get the conservative message out to black voters just as Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz can for Hispanic voters.

  • clowngirl

    Even though I have some concerns about his electability and his preparedness for debates. I’m impressed with his record in Texas, appreciative of his service to our country in uniform and out of it and it would be an honor to support him as our nominee.

    I’d support Governor Perry fully even though I don’t think he’s the best man for the job. Along the same lines, I would hope that if Governor Perry doesn’t make a comeback and winds up eventually dropping out and endorsing Gingrich, his supporters would energetically support Newt over Romney and then over Obama.

    I get that Perry is still in the race — and could now pick up some of Cain’s support and use his famed skill at retail politics to pull out a surprise win in Iowa – or to at least exceed expectations. And I get that some supporters find it useful to get negative about other candidates to try and increase support for their own. But some of the attacks on Newt – particularly from you bzip have been so nasty that I wonder if you’ll be able to let it go if he’s our nominee.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    http://abcnews.go.com/?nwltr=bn

    Herman Cain?s chief of staff Mark Block confirmed to ABC News that the candidate told his senior staff this morning he?s reassessing whether to stay in the race, as reported by the National Review.

    Cain said that he?ll make his final decision ?over the next several days,? according to the National Review.

    Cain?s deputy campaign manager, Linda Hansen, told ABC News that on the conference call Tuesday morning, ?Mr. Cain told staff simply that, just as every time significant events occur, a reassessment is prudent.?

    ?A good businessman looks at the entire landscape before making decisions,? Hansen said. ?He is, and has been, committed to promoting the issues and solutions that will make this nation stronger. Nothing about that has changed.?

    On Monday, a Georgia woman said she had a 13-year long affair with the former chief executive of Godfather?s Pizza. Cain denied the affair, saying that Ginger White was a friend that he was helping financially but he did not have an extramarital affair with her.

    ?Now with this latest one we have to do an assessment as to whether or not this is going to create too much of a cloud in some peoples? minds as to whether or not they should support us going forward,? Cain told about 90 people on the conference call, the Des Moines Register reported.

    Cain has been dogged by reports of sexual harassment in recent weeks.
    Two other women have publicly accused Cain of sexual harassment when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990?s.

  • SoFiMil

    When someone commits adultery, he or she not just shows utter disrespect for one’s spouse, but also abuses the spouse.

  • Tbone

    The Founders would have had Nancy Pelosi shot.

  • Tbone

    looks like they are coming out a leaf blower.

  • Scope

    polls to come out, after this news has been digested, and he will look at how his fundraising is going. If they both drop off even more than they have, he will bow out because of the stress this is causing his wife and family. I really do feel sorry for his wife, as Ginger White apparently has phone records and emails proving what she is saying. She said that Cain flew her around the country, and bought her gifts. She said the affair just ended when he decided to run for the presidency. I’m sure that airline tickets, from more recent dates could be verified, much easier than hotel registrations and restaurant receipts from 13 years ago as one of the accusers charged.

    I give Cain a week to 10 days, and he will bow out to spend more time with the family. Just to acknowledge that the campaign is reassessing I would think would dry up the majority of donations.

  • JSobieski

    Newt was the 2nd most successful conservative leader since 1980.

    1994-1996 is second only to 1981-84 as conservative high points in my lifetime.

    People can argue about Newt’s lack of executive experience, but Newt has already had a larger impact on US policy than any living Republican.

  • Scope

    going to give his foreign policy speech this afternoon. Hmmmm.

  • Scope

    on CNN with the editorial board editor of the UL on Sunday morning, he was asked who came in as their second choice, and he said Perry.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    [read last 'graph]

    http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/cain-reassessing-candidacy-as-new-allegations-emerge/?partner=rss&emc=rss

    November 29, 2011, 11:53 AM
    Cain Reassessing Candidacy Amid New Allegations

    By JEFF ZELENY

    Herman Cain told members of his campaign staff on Tuesday that he was reassessing whether to proceed with his presidential campaign, an aide confirmed, a day after an Atlanta woman disclosed details of what she said was a 13-year affair with him.

    In a morning conference call with his advisers, Mr. Cain said that he would make a decision in the coming days about whether to stay in the race after his campaign was rocked by another round of allegations about his sexual conduct.

    The call, which was first reported by National Review, came as Mr. Cain was heading to Michigan for a campaign stop on Tuesday evening. He said that he was discussing the future of his campaign with his family and was considering his options.

    ?This is cause for reassessment,? Mr. Cain said, according to one participant on the call who spoke on condition of anonymity. ?During the summer we had to make some reassessments based on our financial situation. We were able to hang in there.?

    Mr. Cain denied the accusations from the Atlanta woman, Ginger White. But he acknowledged that the latest report of sexual misconduct might be more difficult to overcome, considering that the first voting is set to take place in five weeks at the Iowa caucuses. He said that he had not lost his enthusiasm to run, but suggested it was a distraction that could be difficult to recover from.

    ?With this latest one, we have to do an assessment as to whether or not this is going to create too much of a cloud in some peoples? minds as to whether or not they should support us going forward,? Mr. Cain said, according to the participant on the call.

    Mr. Cain, whose unconventional and anti-Washington sentiment captured the imagination of Republican voters, has seen his standing in the polls fall over the last month after accusations of sexual harassment surfaced from his time leading the National Restaurant Association. He has denied those allegations, which have been made by at least four women who worked for him.

    In an interview broadcast Monday by Fox 5 Atlanta, Ms. White detailed what she said was a 13-year affair with Mr. Cain.

    ?It was pretty simple,? Ms. White said in the interview. ?It wasn?t complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship.?

    The station said that Ms. White produced cellphone bills that included 61 phone calls or text messages to and from a number she said was for Mr. Cain?s private cellphone. When the station sent a text message to the number, Mr. Cain called back and acknowledged knowing Ms. White.

    Mr. Cain sought to get ahead of Ms. White?s allegation by making a pre-emptive appearance Monday afternoon on CNN, where he pledged to ?stay focused on this campaign.? But several supporters said that they did not see how he could proceed.

    ?There is no realistic path forward,? said one Republican supporter.

    The sentiment on the conference call suggested that Mr. Cain was aware of the gravity of the challenges facing his candidacy. He said that he would wait to see the reaction from his supporters before making a final decision.

    ?It?s also taken a toll on my wife and family, as you would imagine,? Mr. Cain said at the end of the call, according to National Review. He added, ?For some people, you?re guilty until proven innocent. And so, the public will have to decide whether they believe her or whether they believe me. That?s why we?re going to give it time, to see what type of response we get from our supporters.?

    Mr. Cain said that he would press ahead with his public schedule, including the speech Tuesday night in Michigan.

    As Mr. Cain?s candidacy has floundered, Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, has seen his prospects rise in recent weeks. If Mr. Cain decides to leave the race, several of his supporters have said that they are likely to support Mr. Gingrich. But with five weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the race remains remarkably unsettled and fluid, making predictions difficult.

  • donald_24

    Sarah Palin’s has virtually no influence in Alaska politics today. Her endorsed candidate, Joe Miller, lost to a write in. Under her watch, one of Alaska’s 2 Senate seats flipped from Red to Blue.

  • carolynr

    Folks…I blog on this. However, more importantly, they have put together a question and answer on all the candidates. You have to look for it…but it is very interesting. I will tell you this. Perry has answered all the questions…whereas, Bachmann, Santorum, Gingrich and Mitty have not….the latter two the most often. So…see if you can find this….it is most interesting…along with Huntsman’s stand also. I am a Perry supporter..that’s it.

    Concerning your remarks about Coulter…this is part of the Fox blackout and mis-characterization of Perry. They omit the complete information, thus leaving the audience, who barely follows the news to come to one conclusion. Perry must overcome this with decisive rhetoric that cannot be misconstrued.
    On Hannity’s radio yesterday “oh…did I leave anyone out…oh…Governor Perry…that’s right”.

    So…these supposed bastions of Conservatism have been outed. Their interest is beating Obama…even if they put a person in office with the exact policies…all to the peril of the people.

  • Scope

    Larry Sabato was on Fox yesterday, and he was asked about the significance of the Gingrich endorsement by the UL. He said that it was certainly helpful for Gingrich, but also added that the UL is particularly harsh with their criticisms against the candidates that they haven’t endorsed. He said that was already seen with their underhanded slap at Romney in the endorsement. He said that they will get much worse over time against everyone not named Gingrich. I don’t read the UL, but maybe someone that does can verify if that’s true.

  • oldlady

    That’s interesting because in part of the interview with the woman that CNN ran she said that Cain is extremely arrogant and that ”Herman is very concerned with Herman”. That with him ”it’s all about Herman”. She isn’t the first person who has known him in his past who has said this. If I remember correctly the other woman who came forward with Gloria Allred said the very same thing about him.

  • donald_24

    Mark Block is quite possibly the worst campaign manager I have ever seen. It is as if he is secretly on the payroll of another campaugn with the job of destroying the Cain campaign. Wasn’t Block kicked out of Wisconsin politics for breaking the law? That’s not the type of person Cain should have hired.

  • donald_24

    So what if Herman Cain took her to a hotel in Atlanta? When he was the head of the NRA, I doubt anyone in Atlanta knew who the heck he was. Did you know who Herman Cain was? I work in NYC and, if the CEO of Goldman Sachs got onto a crowded subway train, nobody would pay him any attention or know who the heck he is.

  • nhbuckeye

    All this affair/sexual harassment stuff is a sideline. The real story is that Cain is as politically savvy as Obama, meaning they are BOTH amateurs. I’m sure Cain is really good at running businesses, and Obama is really good at…whatever Obama is really good at. Both of these men are simply not presidential material because they lack the depth of knowledge and true interest in foreign policy. A president MUST have some savvy in this arena to be competent. Newt Gingrich, who I’m not so thrilled with, is definitely the foreign policy guy in the crowd. The other thing about Cain, in regards to his inexperience, is that he will be easily swayed to and fro because he isn’t politically hardened in his set of values. Obama is just like this: his Progressive friends are so angry at him because he had all the “correct” and lofty ideas before he was elected, but once he was confronted with reality he ended up picking up just where Bush left off. Why? Because he didn’t have the right stand from the beginning because he was (and continues to be) an amateur. And here we are with another amateur in Cain. He doesn’t even know enough about what is going on to have ANY real convictions on many important issues such as border patrol and immigration, what to do about Iran and Syria, how to navigate our relationship with China. He shouldn’t need experts, he should have a natural interest in these topics and already know a lot on his own. I have more conviction on what to do than he does because I read. I know a lot more about foreign policy than he does because I think it is really important. Shouldn’t the person running have more information and conviction than a stay-at-home mom who will never run for president? Why do I even have to ask that question?! You don’t just surround yourself with lots of smart people, you have to be smart too. You have to be able to pull the right answer out of the din of advice, and you can’t do that if you don’t already know what is going on for yourself. Cain is not the guy. Bachmann is not the guy (lady). Perry is not the guy. None of these people have the deep conviction and knowledge about foreign policy that we need. They are all conservatives, they all think along the right lines, but none of them is ready to be the leader we need in office. Cain never will be, and Bachmann and Perry need more experience. Ron Paul’s foreign policy has some good things about it and some really not so good things. He also cannot beat Obama because while Paul is strong on principles he is not so great at the application of those principles. I think Romney is deep-down a Progressive, “government is the answer.” He says the right things, but does he have the backbone to do the right things? I’m not convinced at all. The guy was elected in Massachusetts, how can he be a conservative? I wouldn’t even live in Massachusetts, instead I chose to commute from NH. He chose to live there under Kennedy, under the likes of Barney Frank. He chose not only to live there but to become a part of the corrupt liberal MA government. You could say, “See, he is a real fighting conservative!” But I say real fighting conservatives don’t get elected in Massachusetts. Duh. Gingrich probably is the best of the bunch, and there are some pretty serious issues with Gingrich in terms of his gut instincts – i.e. sitting on the couch with Pelosi, that ridiculous endorsement of the democrat pretending to be a Republican in NY, and throwing Paul Ryan under the bus last Spring. Do I care that he cheated on his wives? Pretty much yes, I care about the CHARACTER of the President of the United States of America. It looks as though he has made personal advancements in this arena, so it’s not so big an issue. Yet his judgment is missing the mark. In the end, though, I will probably vote for him, albeit begrudgingly.

    Argh. There is nothing easy about this primary.

  • supergirl2911

    There are no Perry stories, per Se , but I wanted to comment. Their campaign messaging in communication gets an A+ from me. They send out a comprehensive email each day showing where Perry is in the news. I am comparing the campaign communication to Bush and McCain primarily although for a time I heard from Thompson(2007) Cain and Bachman (2011).

  • omegamale

    How is Herman Cain’s behavior any different than Newt Gingrich’s?

    And yes, this sort of stuff will greatly overshadow EVERYTHING if we pick a nominee that has a messy personal life. That should be common sense, instead of talking about Obama’s failure, we’re going to be looking at hotel and cell phone receipts.

    Newt is also going to have to answer for his behavior, and it will not play well with Middle America all of his mistresses/wives. How do you think most Americans will feel about his current wife ( a potential First Lady) being an intern home wrecker? Basically, Newt married his Monica Lewinsky while simultaneously blasting Clinton for his affair.

    The GOP has to nominate squeaky clean individuals if we want to win, we can’t have any distractions that takes the focus off of Obama.

  • tnguy

    Newt may very well be on McCain’s path. Right down to getting smashed by Obama in the general.

    Lots of conservatives – like myself – won’t be able to pull the lever for Newt. He’s an untrustworthy Washington insider who has repeatedly reached across the aisle to Nancy Pelosi-types. His wives couldn’t trust him, and his short time in power in the 90s and his actions since have proven that we can’t trust him either. Frankly, I don’t see how any conservative can watch him sit on a park bench with Nancy Pelosi then go and pull the lever for him. Newt – like Romney – is nothing more than a path to defeat.

  • oldlady

    very and was ousted by his own people in the House. As well as, I might add, being ousted in disgrace with ethical charges hanging over him. So it this the type of Executive we want in the White House??

  • circlegranch

    so he’s considering his options before he loses all credibility and cannot deliver any votes to Romney. His chances of getting a call to serve as someone’s VP are probably dimming, however.

    Cain and Bachmann have hovered under the protective wing of Romney for some time. Once a candidate announces they are considering whether or not to stay in, it likely means they will not stay in. Bachmann will jump at the chance to try and scoop up his supporters, as HER chances of still being Romney’s VP remain viable. She can take over the job of bringing the tea party vote to Romney and in return, get her campaign debt satisfied, plus a nice appointment of one kind or another for her trouble. (I wonder if Bachmann still maintains that Pakistan should automatically get American tax payer dollars without precondition since we’ve learned that Pakistan fired first on NATO forces? Even O’Reilly was disagreeing with her on that last night. I didn’t catch his entire segment as I don’t watch him much at all anymore, so I don’t know if he credited Perry for his position or if Bill simply took that idea and and ran with it on his own.)

    Meanwhile, nobody is challenging Romney or questions why he can’t bring the other 75% of the vote to his door. Newt remains unscathed by his own personal problems. In order to be a frontrunner these days, one must have a long and storied history of flip flop’s and policy changes. Go figure.

    The Blaze is reporting Ann Coulter’s vulgar description of John McCain this morning on Morning Joe. I noticed as I watched there were audio problems but assumed it was my TV. It was Ann being Ann. She called McCain a name beneath her standing as a so-called conservative expert and Constitutional lawyer. I don’t have any affection for McCain but the man served his country well as a soldier and was a prisoner of war. That doesn’t exempt him from criticism but cheap shots and disgusting terms such as Coulter used today are entirely uncalled for. Will she apologize? Of course not. She was desperately trying to defend her guy Romney’s flip flop’s and lack of conservative spine by trying to launch an attack on McCain for the very same qualities. Wouldn’t it be fun if polling entities called us about people like Coulter so we could rank them like we do candidates?

    Speaking of apologies, has anyone heard one uttered from Mike Huckabee for his disgusting comment about Rick Perry? Again, he made a statement that is totally out of character for a pastor and a former governor. Any man that wants to be held in a position of respect would not have said what he said. It was made even worse when the video of a dummy being doused with gas and set on fire in Pakistan has been shown over and over on Fox News. Huckabee should apologize if he has not done so. Same with Coulter. Both comments are damaging to the conservative cause and right about now, I’m ashamed to have either of them still clamouring to be kept in the fold. If you can’t exercise your First Amendment right with some basic civility and humanity, then be quiet. Emotions are running high, but there remains a line that should not be crossed.

  • annie54

    you are soooooo COY.

    We have the candidate in question, don’t we? Now, we just have to wake up the people to the fact that he has been under the Grand Old Party’s noses all of the time.

    (You wrote that well, by the way.)

  • carolynr

    I agree with you concerning what Perry needs to do. However, we, the people that do follow political news and dig into the facts can help…because this is our life also. Perry led the CNN debate…it just was not reported. Want to know where Perry stands on ALL the issues…Go to the DesMoines Register and you will see.

    I send out what is called my underground e-mail system. People…resend it to their friends and black out the names…in other words…bcc goes to a group of people called “undisclosed” and the e-mail is sent to aa@aa.com….it comes back undeliverable…but the bcc’s go. When I get info on Perry…I send it out…I make my argument and ask them if they care about this stuff. I can’t change the media…but so far…Obama has not gotten hold of the Internet. Get this information out there…write back to Perry’s camp and give them suggestions. Staff people are not the only ones with good ideas…we have them too.

    If Perry survives…and we need to give him help….I get my blog after the first of the year. I plan on making it national.

  • donald_24

    Now that I think about it, is Romney really unelectale in the general? If he was, then why did the DNC spend the time and money on that 4 mnute commercial against him? If Romney is so unelectable, then they would have never made that web video. As far back as 2008, Axelroad, Howard Dean, and Daivd Plouffe said that the 2 GOP candidates they feared in a general election the most were Romney and Huntsman. Obama neutralized Huntsman by shipping him off to China. Now he is trying to do the same with Romney by running all of the flip-flop videos. And after the flip flop videos come the even bigger attacks, which will be against his record while at Bain.

  • oldlady

    Go figure! But then who would ever have thought that conservatives would donate millions to Cain during the time when he was being accused of sexual harrassment?? Not only that, but many conservative leaders were busy smearing the women ala the Clinton defenders.

  • Tbone

    I will assume he is at least smart enough to recognize what little support he had just left.

    OTH, he does seem a rather stupid fellow.

  • westcoastpatriette

    are a minor distraction that should be overlooked in light of the brilliant man we will get in return. At least, that’s my take on how he rationalizes or justifies expecting voters to consider him for the Presidency.

  • Jack_Savage

    It is mildly irritating that Cain knew all this would come out, and wasted our time anyway. Black guys only get away with this if their name is King or Jackson and they are Democrats, Herman. We don’t have the career path option of banging someone other than our wives, then becoming a rock star in our party.

    This is why I attach bumper stickers to flat magnets, then attach the magnet to the car during primaries.

  • gekster

    the Morning Briefing is an open thread, where you can post anything you want,
    albeit within the posting rules.

  • donald_24

    The thing about candiates who have cheated on their wives MULTIPLE times is how do we know they won’t do it again? If they are president and they cheat again, their mistress can now blackmail them and have them do things they otherwise would not do as president,

    If someone cheated once, fine. But twice is becoming a pattern.

  • carolynr

    You need to look into her record. One she does not have the experience to be president. She has made misleading statements about Perry concerning Gardasil….and as a female…she worked the naive crowd..i.e., poor little innocent girls. What Perry needed to say is that these girls need the vaccination before they are sexually active…but his Christian background probably would not have allowed those words to be uttered…and the LSM would have called him a pervert. Furthermore…Ms. Bachmann…voted for the vaccine in her own state. Furthermore…again…furthermore…she contradicts a person that is CIC concerning Afghanistan/Texas National Guard…when Perry has direct contact…and she sits on some committee…which, btw….it most of the problem…GET CONGRESS OUT OF THE WARS…either win them or get out..but get CONGRESS out of them. Does Michelle know anything about the military by way of serving? NO. But Perry does.

    Look…this woman hid in a trailer in Iowa when Perry came to town. She clearly does not like the man…and quite frankly…Bachmann has another very annoying habit…voicing the obvious PAST facts…WITHOUT ANY VISION OF THE FUTURE. Doubt me…go look at the DesMoines Register and See how many candidates skipped answering policies questions.

    The only one that answered all…PERRY. Oh…and his financials are out there. And Bob…if that were not enough…I DON’T WANT FEDERAL DOLLARS GOING TO HUBBY’S HOMO CLINIC.

  • oldlady

    was hilarious. She said that his successful election tactics in the far left Massachusetts proved that he could bend his campaign promises in such a way that liberals across the country would vote for him now in the General Election. In other words….. the guy has NO core beliefs. But is capable of saying whatever is required to get elected. What a great endorsement by Ann Coulter!

  • Common_Cents

    We’ve had a rapid decline since then, full of endless spending, market bubbles and rampant liberalism.

  • carolynr

    Just reported on CNN

  • westcoastpatriette

    And I am sorry for all of his supporters who are feeling betrayed and let down one more time by someone they wanted to believe in.

  • sunshinek67

    wait in the dr’s office for a simple cold. Guess I got lost in the hoopla of Iowa evangelicism. Please forgive, just wanted input :)

  • oldlady

    make him the kind of a man who works well with others. His past history shows that if he won the Presidency his temperment would render him insufferable. The White House, indeed Washington DC, would be in constant chaos.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    I know that’s hard for you to accept, but Perry’s been stuck in single digits for a long time. I don’t know if he’s toast now, but he will be if those numbers don’t improve, and I don’t see any reason right now why they will.

    Besides, Newt ain’t my guy. I’d prefer someone more conservative, but he’s the most conservative candidate that can win. I want to win.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    It really smacks of desperation. I think I’m seeing that now more and more with Perrybots. It really doesn’t bode well for him.

  • oldlady

    The truth of the matter is that he’s the ONLY candidate who, as a 11 year Governor of the 13th largest economy in the world, has already proven himself to be a success by putting many of his ideas in place there.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    First, I forgot the anti-Perry quote from the Huckster.
    Second, I also thought my cable-reception had skipped when Coulter spoke, but the tapes are on the Internet.
    Third, O’Reilly didn’t credit Perry; indeed, his name is hardly mentioned by the pundits.
    Fourth, today’s luncheon-video from Dick Morris notes that the Evangelicals and the TPM-promoters [my "demographic"] must choose among Cain, Bachmann, Santorum and Perry; he ended with “they all have work to do.”

  • donald_24

    people should not put their trust and faith into POLITICIANS. You can count the number of honest politicians on bioth your hands.

    The problem with Cain is that he still thinks he is in the private sector, where he does not have to answer for alleged personal affiars or know anything about foreign policy.

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    “Perry is not the guy. None of these people have the deep conviction and knowledge about foreign policy that we need.”

    Read “Fed Up!”

  • ripusa32110

    Newt Gingrich must be a fan of Animal Farm because he sure seems to operate from the narrative that some animals are more equal than others. Herman Cain should say why should I leave the race and Newt Gingrich is lauded by the religious right as a moral man. I got sick just writing the line that the religious right is lauding the immoral, arrogant Newt Gingrich. I shudder at the scandals and disaster Gingrich would be as president.

  • izoneguy

    The Cain supporters are in full meltdown mode….
    After listening to many of them – many of them don’t have a clue
    about the big picture. They love Cain like Obama supporters loved Obama in 2008.

    Rush picked the right day to travel…..

  • http://www.doctor-bob.biz rsklaroff

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64321.html

    “Perry ‘not prepared … looked dumbfounded’ ”

    seems pretty benign to me

  • acat

    Something about “taking a gasoline shower then lighting a match”.

    i.e. committing suicide by self-immolation.

    There’s several things wrong with this, including a supposed baptist minister (Huck) indicating a christian committed suicide, the rather horrific imagery, and the fact that Huck is ..Huck. A guy who, after losing badly, didn’t have the grace to step aside and who didn’t have the balls to run again.

    (no, I’ve never thought much of Huckabee… I think he’s better than Ron Paul, but not by much)

    Mew

  • sunshinek67

    I find it perplexing that evangelicals would really declare Perry “toast” at this juncture. Conservatives notoriously rally late. Alot of Gingrich hype right now is his book tour. Cain came here to College Station for his book tour well before Florida debate & a rise in the polls, attracting a crowd of 1,000.

    Fail to see an enthusiastic candidacy in Newt Gingrich, no matter how much I want to see Obama one term.

  • acat

    You need to bone up on your “Blaming the religious right” technique. Get in touch with some former Giuliani supporters, they’ll show you how it’s done.

    Mew

  • cbartlett

    and I can think of a few others that they probably would have shot along with princess Pelosi!

  • acat

    He’s great veep material – can you picture him “chatting” with McConnell? – but .. POTUS needs a front man, not a guest lecturer.

    Mew

  • jgge

    a despicable person, but that is not new. I cannot believe how any conservative with reason can even listen to her. She is also supporting Romney, make her more repugnant to me.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    Yup, I just checked my comment again, and I didn’t say he was toast. I said I don’t know if he’s toast. Perry could still come back, but right now I don’t see it. Gingrich isn’t McCain, though I can see why you’d make the comparison. They’ve both done stuff that makes you scratch your head. The biggest difference I see is, MicCain is loyal to McCain. Gingrich is loyal to the Republican party. Loyal to a fault.

  • DaveWT4

    We’ve known about them for a while. Herman Cain is being vetted for the first time on the national scene, so of course it’s a big deal for him.

  • jgge

    , Mitt Romney, is not going to defeat Obama in this atmosphere where a majority of voters are angry at Wall Street. Romney is literally a Wall Street guy and there is no way he can win. I cannot believe that some on our side cannot see this 500 million tons elephant in the room and keep ignoring it or may be they are not sharp enough to even see it.

  • jgge

    for the bumper sticker :)

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    I’ll be enthusiastic whether it’s Newt or Perry. I’d be very happy helping to elect either one. They’ll both be an enormous improvement over Obama. I see too many Perry supporters these days that say they’ll either stay home, or pout if they don’t get their way.

    I enthusiastically supported McCain (made phone calls, walked precincts, etc.) because I knew that even though I really wanted FRED!, McCain would still keep us from being in the mess we are right now. If Obama gets another 4 years, I’m afraid the race to full-on socialism will be complete. We’ll be Greece soon enough, but I’m try to at least slow down the process even if we can’t turn it completely around just yet.

  • cbartlett

    Is it that “very hard ball Texas Bush machine” that is working so hard to marginalize Perry? It sure does seem like they are pushing the media (including Fox) to either point out and highlight his “oops” sound bytes (that have VERY little to do with his policies or leadership abilities, BTW) OR, most often, absolutely ignore him. I have seen almost every host/reporter on Fox talk about a particular poll, or the opinion some “well-known” politician, star, journalist, etc. or the latest Cain disaster or whatever – and completely ignore Perry – no mention at all. An earlier poster here noted Hannity doing this last night – he isn’t the only one. If Perry manages to come in first or second in some of the early primaries, it will certainly be in SPITE of the media – all of them! I sure hope we actually get to vote in a “real” primary here in Texas – seems like lately we only get to rubber stamp what those few early-primary states decide. They don’t have a tremendous number of electoral votes but our large state certainly has to live by what they decide. Somehow, I don’t think the founding fathers intended for the process to happen this way…….

  • Common_Cents

    That is the majority of the President’s job. Is to communicate to the people, persuade congress, persuade world leaders, persuade political opponents etc…Have a good general vision, some solid plans, and get the right people in place to execute. Fill in weak areas w/ experts.

    Being quick on your feet, clear knowledgable responses are critically important.

    IMHO, most of the heavy lifting a President does is communication.

  • jgge

    They will stay with him until the end, and the end may be very near.

  • auntvick

    nt

  • auntvick

    my reply was to oldlady! So sklaroff I disagree with your statement. They may not agree with your foreign policy ideals, but I believe Gov. Perry DOES have a very good understanding of foreign policy. He just isn’t the wimpy wishy-washy type you may be used to, and doesn’t have a bone to pick with Saddam that Bush II had.

  • cbartlett

    Keep posting this video clip! The public will never see this side of Perry from the MSM – it’s up to us!!

  • donald_24

    All we need is a 2nd cult. Ron Paul and his followers are already a cult. If Cain’s supporters become a cult like Paul’s and refuse to vote for the GOP nominee, Obama will be on the express train to a 2nd term.

  • acat

    IMO than Gingrich. Newt comes across as the cranky professor, not a good look for a “front man”.

    Mew

  • acat

    Some percentage of his supporters thought they were putting their support behind a non-politician….

    Same thing happened with Palin.

    Mew

  • cbartlett

    in the “they all have work to do.” statement. Certainly a step up for Dick – he generally chooses to ignore that Perry is even in the race.

  • donald_24

    Cain has been running for office for the last 11 years, starting with his 2000 run for president. Like Romney, the only reason Cain is not a “career politican” is because hs is incredibly bad at winning elections.

    People should have known better than to put their faith into a LOBBYIST.

  • cbartlett

    The doctor was disagreeing with the QUOTE from nhbuckeye by telling her to read Perry’s bokk, “Fed Up!”.

  • sunshinek67

    I wanted to see Fred advance too. But I am not excited about the prospects of a Gingrich nomination because of his inconsistent track record replete of scandal, personal and professional. The thought of a Callista Gingrich as First Lady makes my stomach turn equally bad~

  • parkfairfax

    Newt’s affairs came to light years ago and are among the negative factors mentioned by his detractors as to why he cannot win in the general. However, he has not lied about his affairs (that we know of) during the campaign. If Herman has lied about his during the campaign, then he is being judged as such. Newt might slip by since his transgressions (lying) pre-date the campaign.

    When you are an unknown entity with no political experience, casting yourself as a fresh light from outside the beltway, then to be shown as just as slimy as those inside the beltway, you are merely left with inexperience. At least Newt has demonstrated some political acumen that would be useful as POTUS. Cain’s freshness WAS the very basis for his outsider campaign.

    You can run as an outsider, deriding the system, but you better be squeaky clean, lest you be just as dirty as the inner beltway crowd. If you are perceived as dishonest before entering politics, then it’s probably endgame, fair or not.

  • determinedconservative

    And it’s exactly what I’ve suspected was behind the Cain surge in the polls all along. We as conservatives are supposed to believe in a colorblind ideal of electing the leader who is the most qualified, without regard to their sex or race. But it sure looks to me like a lot of people were looking to Cain to be a kind of magic talisman to lure back black votes. So this basically means they latched on to him not for his abilities or qualifications or principles, but cynically because he is black. We should never stoop that low: that’s what Democrats do!

    If a black conservative comes along who is principled and highly qualified, then we should absolutely be open to nominating him or her. But if the most qualified people for the job are white males, we should not hesitate to nominate them instead. No PC for the GOP, please.

  • parkfairfax

    My only fear is that he’d have Al Gore syndrome – always believing he’s the smartest man in the room. Would he be able to play second fiddle to Perry if he thought Perry was none-too-bright? He has been better than others about being clear on who the ultimate opponent is, so maybe he’d keep his condescension in-house.

  • http://www.nighttwister.com NightTwister

    They say he is, I say he might be. We’ll know soon enough.

  • acat

    It’s free time that causes problems for the overly bright, so don’t give them any!

    Seriously, give Newt plenipotentiary powers over all Cabinet-level agencies, have him meeting monthly with each cabinet member, talking specifically about reform and reduction of their agencies.

    Balancing all that on his plate ought to keep Newt out of trouble…

    Mew

  • supergirl2911

    I don’t think that tone helps are side and actually detracts from criticism of her.

  • supergirl2911

    Nt

  • supergirl2911

    Maybe

  • supergirl2911

    It is outrageous that a woman could claim 13 years thee must be proof that cannot be explained away. And who has people they associate with that would humiliate them like that? Someone he was supposedly helping?!!! People you help don’t go and lie about you to the media and ruin your reputation.

  • JSobieski

    I hope there is someone is his life who can unequivically tell him when he is being an absolute @$$.

    Newt is a smarter but less disciplined version of Nixon. With the exception of Ross Perot, I don’t think we have had a major candidate for President who is more of an X factor than Newt.

    I actually like Newt quite a bit, but the range of possible outcomes in a Newt Presidency are extremely broad.

  • auntjane

    If Cain is out we are really short of a candidate! Mitt and Newt are just short of being Obama Lite! Michelle come across as a nut. Perry maybe but he has so much baggage I doubt he is a viable candidate. Can we find someone else to run?

  • bzip

    Please explain “baggage” in regards to Perry. Perry has the least amount of baggage then any of the other candidates.

  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    analysis

  • lovethemiddle

    …at “Whether Herman had an affair with this lady or not is largely besides the point at this point.”

    As a man married for better or worse for twenty-plus years, I personally take offense to this stance. I expect the candidate I support to represent my values. And I most certainly do not consider an alleged 13-year affair “beside the point”.

    In a few short weeks, I’m gonna guess there will have been nothing any member of Herman Cain’s staff could have said to prevent a dizzying spiral to Cain becoming anything but electable.

    In fact, to blame Cain’s electoral fate on his staff as these allegations of sexual improprieties continue to roll out like so much toilet paper is quite short-sighted. Insinuating that Cain’s front-facing staff should not have addressed these allegations makes me wonder what that says about some of us when cornered.

    I COMPLETELY agree that it’s time to take the fight to Obama. The sooner, the better.

  • anonymousbosch

    She endorsed a guy no one had ever heard of and who no one gave even the slightest chance in you know where and soon after he beat the incumbent Senator who came from political royalty in the state in a primary that no one thought he could win. I’d say that’s influence.

    He did some stuff after he won the primary that didn’t help him but you can’t blame her for him losing the general.

    And you blame her for Stevens losing? That it happned “under her watch”? She had nothing to do with that. Stevens lost because the feds were totally corrupt and fraudulent in going after him. We know that now. The entire case should have been dismissed. Besides it was 3+ yrs ago now so I don’t see what it has to do with today.

    Would you say Obama has no influence in IL because one of the Senate seats there flipped from blue to red and his chosen guy Gianoullias lost? Jeb Bush endorsed McCollum for Gov in FL and he didn’t even win the primary. Would you say that Jeb Bush has no influence in FL? Romney endorsed Hoekstra for Gov in his home state of MI and Hoekstra lost, so does Romney have no influence in MI?

    Endorsements are only worth so much and only carry so much weight,

    I agree her influence is not what was at its height, but I’d say it’s still there.

  • nathanalbright

    ….and I thought that they were very questionable. I was intrigued by the fact that Perry got no support shown from the pollsters in the 18-29 range and among Democrats, and I thought the numbers chosen were rather suspect.

  • acat

    His runs for various offices – including this one – were part of his schtick.

    Mew

  • Xasteius