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So, you’re saying Herman Cain can’t be offended by racial slurs?

By: Josh LeGuern (Diary)  |  October 4th, 2011 at 11:09 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

I understand where conservatives are coming from when they say they’re disappointed in Herman Cain for calling Rick Perry insensitive for not painting over a rock with a disgusting phrase on it.

And yes, this is a boondoggle being thrown out of proportion to make the Republicans look bad. But what was wrong with Herman Cain’s answer? He simply denounced what was written on that rock (if you don’t know what it is, google it. It’s so disgusting I don’t even want to type it on here) and then said that if Rick Perry, THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, did not paint over it, he was being insensitive. God forbid we hold elected officials to a higher standard!

Maybe it’s because my parents are from South Africa and have told me about the horrors blacks had to go through from apartheid that I am more sensitive to these kinds of issues. But if I had any sort of stake in a ranch and there was a rock with a word like that written on it, I would have painted over it IMMEDIATELY.

Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that Herman Cain is a common sense Constitutional conservative and Rick Perry has had a record of crony capitalism, executive mandates, and weak immigration policies. It’s not much of a choice for me.

COMMENTS

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  • avgjo

    he never has a solid grasp of facts.

    Last night on Hannity, he admitted he didn’t have all the facts on this issue: he was ‘too busy’ to get them.. But he was apparently more than willing to go into Al Sharpton mode to score cheap political points.

    He was all over the map last night. He admitted that Gov. Perry et al. painted over it years ago, in the 80s. He then tried to play CYA by asking about the years before. The Perrys were not leasing the land the years before.

    I liked Cain. But he’s screwed up majorly recently. He played the race card with Perry, he pandered to the ‘gays’, knocking the audience of the last debate and he’s insulted many black people.

    He’ll fizzle out.

    Its perfectly natural for him to be offended by slurs. It is NOT OK for him to tie an opponent to those slurs without having ALL of his facts in line. The Bible says slander is like murder. This comes awful close.

    • freentn

      “I liked Cain. But he?s screwed up majorly recently. He played the race card with Perry, he pandered to the ?gays?, knocking the audience of the last debate and he?s insulted many black people.

      He?ll fizzle out.

      Its perfectly natural for him to be offended by slurs. It is NOT OK for him to tie an opponent to those slurs without having ALL of his facts in line. The Bible says slander is like murder. This comes awful close.’

  • bk

    Q: What do you think of this Rock of Perry business?
    A: It was insensitive.

    Then later…

    Uh, I wasn’t commenting about Perry, just as a general matter.

    If he’s not sure what he’s being asked about, he should reserve comment. (Earlier example: right of return in Israel.)

  • wennejunk

    Let’s be honest, part of Cain’s appeal to a great many folks is that he is a black man- African American, if you wish – who seemed to be above the reflexive chip on the shoulder of the aggregate black community.

    He appeared to be what Obama claimed to be – post racial.

    White Americans, and conservatives in particular,are just as sensitive to the charges of racism as blacks are to the appearance of racial discrimination.

    White conservatives want to support the best man for the job and would love that best man to be black, if that’s how it works out, simply to be able to (hopefully) put this constant drumbeat of racism behind us.

    I am sick and tired of being labeled racist for opposing the policies and actions of others that I disagree with – who happen to be black. If someone is wrong, they are wrong, regardless of the color of their skin.

    Cain’s descent into finger pointing and judging, raises the defensive barriers again. Its an ‘oh no, here we go again’ moment.

    Imagine your reaction – everyone’s actually, if Perry, Romney or any other candidate would point to something a) minor and b) questionable on the facts from 20 years in Cain’s past and clearly imply he was a racist? People would immediately lose respect for them.

    Someone who can over-react to the situation in question, by speaking without knowing the facts, especially on matters of racism, makes us reconsider who this man might be.

    I can uneasily go along with his lack of political experience, knowing that if he’s smart and aggressive he can learn the job – certainly no worse than Obama.

    I can uneasily know he’s not all he’s cracked up to be as a conservative and still support him – no one leader will be perfect.

    Part (most?) of what makes him attractive is that he is a successful, mostly conservative man – who is black. Whites appreciate the iconic value of that in the eyes of those who reflexively label the GOP as racist.

    However, if you toss out the post-racial aspect he’s not really that appealing anymore vs. any of the other more experienced candidates.

    If Cain’s supporters were truly honest with themselves, they would admit that a great deal of his appeal is the color of his skin.

    • Tom Anderson

      I find it interesting that you assign closet racism to Cain’s supporters.

      Speaking only for myself – I don’t pretend to know what other people think, unlike you – Cain’s appeal is in his positions on the issues and in his forthright manner of speaking. I like a candidate who tells me what he really feels and doesn’t equivocate. When he gets it wrong, as he did in this case, he doesn’t waste time in admitting it.

      How many other politicians do you know of that would go on national TV and say “I was wrong BECAUSE I DIDN’T HAVE ALL THE FACTS”? Several might say they were wrong, but none that I know of other than Cain would add the second part.

      Another point in the case of the N-word rock: I think Cain can get a little bit of a break on his response, having grown up in the segregated South. Note that he didn’t say Perry was racist. In my opinion, he didn’t even imply it. All he said was that it was insensitive. I don’t find anything wrong with that.

      What it boils down to for me is an MSM-inspired tempest in a teapot.

      • wennejunk

        “What it boils down to for me is an MSM-inspired tempest in a teapot.”

        Let’s hope that all of the candidates start recognizing they are targets in a MSM gotcha game designed to undermine all of them and let prudence override their need to score points on one another.

        I’m glad he admitted he was wrong. He should have blown it off to begin with as the non-issue it is. He could have easily made the MSM out to be fools, but valued the supposed advantage more and has lowered himself as a result.

      • wennejunk

        “I think Cain can get a little bit of a break on his response, having grown up in the segregated South”

        Really? Would a white candidate get the same break having grown up in the segregated south?

        I can see it now:

        “Hey, cut me some slack – when I grew up they were all in the back of the bus, fountains, etc so I’m allowed to be a little pre-judical when I hear unsubstantiated rumors about things they may or may not have done.”

        Right.

        To transcend race, one needs to transcend race.

        That doesn’t mean you ignore racism, but rather recognize it exists, move past it and focus on the issues. Those who are watching will recognize who is the racist and who is post-racist.

        • Scope

          there aren’t, ot there shouldn’t be many on the right that have been called racist because they don’t agree with Obama’s policies. Nope, if you criticize him at all you are just against the first black president.

          Amazingly now, some Cain supporters are doing the same with those that don’t support Cain for a host of issues, only one being his proposal of a non-conservative national sales tax. Another being his comments to the Fox liberal, anti-Perry Chris Wallace when he said that he thought it was insensitive for Perry to “leave that rock there for as long as he did”, with having no proof or backup at all to what he was saying.

          Some are applauding him for his willingness to say it like it is, and to speak from the heart. I applaud those efforts also, as it gives everyone a picture into what is on his mind, and it isn’t his sunny disposition that is currently standing out.

          Something that has been made very clear in the last few polls is the fact that many are willing to jump off the Perry train, and to board the Cain train, and the result of that has been to put Romney back on top in the polls.

          Thanks for your common sense posts.