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Herman Cain: It’s not over…

By: LaborUnionReport (Diary)  |  September 25th, 2011 at 02:15 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

By and large, many pundits have declared Herman Cain’s bid for the presidency a long shot at best, or already over…

However, Herman Cain begs to differ…as do the straw poll delegates in Florida.

“Thank you to the Republican voters for this incredible honor of being named the winner of the Presidency 5 straw poll in Florida today,” Mr. Cain said. “This is a sign of our growing momentum and my candidacy that cannot be ignored. I will continue to share my message of ‘common-sense solutions’ across this country and look forward to spending more time in Florida, a critical state for both the nomination and the general election.”

Regardless of your personal preferences, Cain’s video is a good reminder: In 2012, you have a choice to make between two very different visions for America…

As Moe noted yesterday:

The very quick take: excellent news for Cain, who generally shone in Thursday’s debate. Bad news for Perry, as he was actively trying to win this race (and did not shine in Thursday’s debate). Romney’s people are currently telling themselves and the media that it is not equally bad news for Romney, as he didn’t try to win this poll; which is true, but it’s bad news for Romney nonetheless.

_________________

“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

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COMMENTS

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  • florajo

    Is Herman’s win about his positives, or a comment on the flaws of Perry, Romney, and Bachmann? We like to pretend that anybody can beat Obama, but maybe we can’t find that anybody.

    • http://nerds4cain.com Brookhaven

      Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.

      Master’s degree in Computer Science.

      Literally a ROCKET SCIENTIST (Mathematician for the Navy, where he worked on ballistic missiles).

      Computer systems analyst for Coca-Cola.

      VP of Corporate Data Systems and Services for Pillsbury (this is the top of the ladder in the computer world, being in charge of information systems for a major corporation).

      All achieved before reaching the age of 35.

      Since he reached the top of the information systems world, he changed careers!

      Business Manager. Took charge of Pillsbury’s 400 Burger King restaurants in the Philadelphia area, which were the company’s poorest performers in the country. Spent the first nine months learning the business from the ground up, cooking hamburger and yes, cleaning toilets. After three years he had turned them into the company’s best performers.

      Godfather’s Pizza CEO. Was asked by Pillsbury to take charge of their Godfather’s Pizza chain (which was on the verge of bankruptcy). He made it profitable in 14 months.

      In 1988 he led a buyout of the Godfather’s Pizza chain from Pillsbury. He was now the owner of a restaurant chain. Again he reached the top of the ladder of another industry.

      He was also chairman of the National Restaurant Association during this time. This is a group that interacts with government on behalf of the restaurant industry, and it gave him political experience from the non-politician side.

      Having reached the top of a second industry, he changed careers again!

      Adviser to the Federal Reserve System. Herman Cain went to work for the Federal Reserve Banking System advising them on how monetary policy changes would affect American businesses.

      Chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. He worked his way up to the chairmanship of a regional Federal Reserve bank. This is only one step below the chairmanship of the entire Federal Reserve System (the top banking position in the country). This position allowed him to see how monetary policy is made from the inside, and understand the political forces that impact the monetary system.

      After reaching the top of the banking industry, he changed careers for a fourth time!

      Writer and public speaker. He then started to write and speak on leadership. His books include Speak as a Leader, CEO of Self, Leadership is Common Sense, and They Think You’re Stupid.

      Radio Host. Around 2007

      • papabear

        I started this season with strong hopes for Cain. He made a couple of missteps just before Perry entered. I had hoped that Perry would be a good choice, but the more I look, the less I like.

        Turns out I still like Cain a LOT!

        I remembered why I was initially for Cain when I saw James Delingpole (a opinion writer for The Telegraph [UK]) post a link to Herman Cain’s 9/24/11 speech for CPAC FL http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100107057/president-herman-cain-whats-not-to-like/

        The actual video is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZDkacOveF0&feature=feedlik

        If you need inspiration – watch it!!!

    • http://www.sunshinestatesarah.com SunshineStateSarah

      I’m working on a longer write up (you can see some of what I have at www.sunshinestatesarah.com) but the votes for Cain were votes of affirmation, NOT protest.

      Florida Republicans were excited and proud to vote for Herman Cain. He has spent a lot of time here and we like him.

    • http://www.jacksonjambalaya.com kingfish

      Did you say over?

    • freentn

      against Perry more than anything else. All the people that I saw that voted for him made it clear they were just angry or frustrated with Perry.

      Also I would not be surprised to find that democRats paid the $175 fee to stuff the ballot for Cain. It is too weird that he came out of nowhere like that from single digits to get 37% of the vote.

      • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

        .

        • freentn

          Cain came out of nowhere like that to get more votes than Romney and Perry combined. It would take only $10,000 to skew the poll.

          The Perry campaign saw voters wearing Romney Buttons voting for Cain. It just doesn’t pass the smell test. If they were truly Romney supporters they would have voted for Romney not Perry, wouldn’t they? What would Romney voters gain by voting for Perry. It just doesn’t make sense.

          • gekster

            “The Perry campaign saw voters wearing Romney Buttons voting for Cain.”

            Got any proof.
            Inquireing minds want to know.

          • freentn

            crossover votes for Cain by the “Romney” supporters. LIke all the democRat dirty tricks, we will only know the truth when they write their Tell-All books.

          • traversecityconservative

            but I don’t believe anything that the “Perry campaign” or the “Romney campaign” has to say. Neither one of them wants Cain stealing their limelight. “Regular” people liked Cain long before they got tired of Romney and Perry. The only people I know who like Romney are Democrats and establishment Republicans. The only people I know who like Perry are from Texas. Cain has always been near the top no matter what the polls say. You’ll see that at the Iowa caucus – and beyond.

          • lottoj

            Was the vote open? How do they know who voted whom?

            This sounds like Perry sour grapes.

          • http://pocketchangeproductions.net/ anotherindyfilmguy

            Since he’s been campaigning longer than Perry and without the equivalent of the romneycare albatross hanging around him.

            But there’s still along way to go to the primarys…

      • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

        why didn’t they go with Romney since he is the other “front runner?” How did they all move to one man who has been running in single digit percentages of late. If it were indeed a protest vote, I would expect to see Perry lose and *all* the other candidates gain from Perry’s losses, not just a single candidate.

        Just like you, I have no concrete evidence to back my opinion, but I think that Cain is connecting with voters who are tired of the political flip-floppers. Cain has changed his position on the fair tax, but has stayed very consistent on everything else. And he gives me the impression that he has the “fire in the belly” that is needed for a successful political run.

        • freentn

          The democRats don’t want to do anything to help anyone that they think can beat BO and Hillary which is why they would spend $10,000.00 or so in the Florida Straw Poll to skew the vote to a single digit candidate like Cain to turn him into a 37% winner in the Florida Straw Poll.

          • easyb

            Have any proof?

          • freentn

            crossover votes for Cain by the

          • gekster

            ….

          • easyb

            I tried goggle.com, and got an error message.

            How about a link, freetn?

          • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

            NT

          • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

            and found exactly nothing.

          • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

            to make Cain the winner, considering how many candidates that any protest (or dimocrat conspiracy) had to choose from. I have seen no evidence on any social media pushing for any group to vote for Cain en masse. No matter what group was trying to skew the straw poll, there would be some evidence or leak of information indicating which candidate they were pushing to make the winner.

            My gut feeling, in the absence of any contrary evidence, is that Herman won this one fair and square by getting the voters on his side with a clear and consistent message.

            You have been asked multiple times in this thread for *any* supporting evidence of your claims. Do I need to ask for it, as well?

          • freentn

            for Cain in the Florida Straw Poll. Everybody knows the Straw Poll Votes are bought.

            http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/blog/rick-perry-backer-matt-gaetz-romney-supporters-voting-herman-cain-skew-results

            Rick Perry Backer Matt Gaetz: Romney Supporters Voting for Herman Cain to

          • gekster

            from the website:

          • freentn

            that supposed “Romney” supporters were voting for Cain. Such proof is admitted in Courts of Law every day of the week.

          • gekster

            It mentions no sich thing in your link.
            And we ain’t in court.
            We are where facts actually matter and count for something.

          • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

            ..

          • gekster

            You say Democrats would do anything to diss the GOP frontrunners,
            and posted down below that Romney supporters voted for Cain to skew the results.

            Are you now saying Romney supporters are Democrats.

          • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

            we’re both trying to nail jello to a wall.

          • gekster

            But I see what you mean. ;)

          • freentn

            as “Romney” supporters to skew the vote to make a single digit candidate look like a 37% winner in the Florida Straw Poll.

            But no doubt there are a lot of democRats who would prefer to have the Republicans nominate a loser like Romney.

          • gekster

            And not what you can prove.
            There is such a thing as posting in good faith, which you are not.

            I’ll adhear to what rickbull said, and leave you to your fantasy world.
            (snarky reply goes here, but I’m feeling generous tonight)

          • freentn

            that democRats posed as “Romney” supporters to cover their tracks while voting to turn a Single Digit Candidate into a 37% Florida Straw Poll Winner.

          • gekster

            You were posting things as facts, but were your thoughts.

            Now give the laptop back to your Mother and since it is a school night, you should hit the hay.

          • easyb

            Doesn’t mean that you have any.

            Your link that you provided earlier isn’t evidence of what you claim to have happened, as pointed out by gekster.

            More accurate to say, “Based on someone else’s opinion, my opinion is also….”

            Evidence would be video, or somebody’s blog calling out their activists to pretend to be Romney supporters and go vote for Cain.

            But you haven’t showed us anything like this.

          • kevinj84

            as you claim, then why didn’t they just wear Cain pins, instead of the Romney pins?

            Occam’s razor, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case, they really wanted to vote for Cain, regardless of what buttons they wore.

          • rightwingmom52

            just doesn’t square up with the immediate increase in donations to Cain. At one point Friday night he had close to 600 people make donations in a 45 minute period.

            In these hard times, I find it difficult to believe that anyone who was not a solid Cain supporter would donate their hard-earned money.

            I wasn’t one of those 600 in the 45-minute period, but I made an on-line donation to Cain because I want to see him stay in the race.

          • freentn

            increased as a result of the debates but I don’t believe he won the Florida Straw Poll with 37% of voters whose only motive was a win for Cain. I believe it was a combination of frustrated Perry voters and democRats up to dirty tricks.

            Also I have seen a lot of democRats making posts supporting Cain on various blogs.

          • easyb

            “I have seen a lot of democRats making posts supporting Cain on various blogs…….for example, here’s one: _______. Here’s another one: _______.”

            You may feel free to use the template I’ve created. Just cut and paste your links into the handy spaces I’ve provided for you. If two isn’t enough for your voluminous evidence, please feel free to add more.

          • freentn

            In Michigan, a Democratic operative appears closely tied to a slate of candidates running under the Tea Party banner. In Florida, conservative activists are locked in court over the right to use the Tea Party name

            Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/08/days-decide-activists-claim-tea-party-imposters-infiltrating-elections/#ixzz1Z1k8ppGl

          • freentn

            http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2010/04/13/daily-gut-infiltrating-the-tea-party/

            So a hater of the Tea Party movement claims he plans to destroy the group.

            http://www.nowhampshire.com/2010/04/14/source-state-dems-scrambling-to-deploy-tea-party-%E2%80%98crashers%E2%80%99/

            State Dems scrambling to deploy tea party

          • easyb

            Completely unrelated to what I asked you for, but still interesting.

            In case you forgot that you were the one that started this whole thing, how about some links to video or other non-opinion, real evidence supporting your claim that democrats posing as Romney supporters put “$10,000″ into an effort to push Cain in the Florida straw poll?

            Or, how about some links to democrats “making posts supporting Cain on various blogs.”

            Just because you personally don’t believe Cain’s victory was genuine doesn’t make that the case. Neither does the article you just posted.

          • freentn

            http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/04/12/ap-foes-of-tea-party-movement-to-infiltrate-rallies/

            ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)

          • Doc Holliday

            I still don’t care.

            Dave Foley “NewsRadio”.

          • freentn

            http://www.mediaite.com/online/fox-news-blasts-crash-the-teaparty/

            A new organization called Crash the Tea Party is making headlines today after they released their plans to

          • freentn

            http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/whos-behind-the-crash-the-tea-party-website/

            the mission of www.crashtheteaparty.org, a newly incorporated website seemingly dedicated to widespread and organized fraud to discredit the tea party movement, as it boasts on its home page:

            WHO WE ARE: A nationwide network of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are all sick and tired of that loose affiliation of racists, homophobes, and morons; who constitute the fake grass-roots movement which calls itself

          • Doc Holliday

            I don’t say this to defend the site, the site could care less about me. Just letting you know, fewer posts might actually cause someone to read what you are saying.

          • freentn

            Alinsky Tactics don’t work on me.

          • Doc Holliday

            no one cares, if you are going to go out, do it on something that at least interests people.

          • freentn

            are you so upset about the stories?

            As I said Alinsky Tactics don’t work on me.

          • Doc Holliday

            some people need some free advice. Mine to you would be to clear your head a bit, take a break and consider your tactics and their effectiveness. I am not sure if Alinsky said it, but maybe he thought it.

          • freentn

            asked for web links supporting the suspicion that demRats skewed the vote in the Florida Straw Poll and I provided the links to the News Sites.

            Now I am done replying to you, doc.

          • freentn

            http://rightwingnews.com/democrats/race-baiting-at-philly-tea-party-anti-tea-party-democrats-no-better-than-fred-phelps/

            In New Hampshire, former Democratic State Party Chairman Kathy Sullivan has taken to emailing cohorts to infiltrate tea party events in the Granite State

          • acat

            (fin)

          • gekster

            Romney supporters voted for Cain to skew the results, couldn’t give proof.
            Then went to saying it was Democrats paying to get in to vote for Cain to skew the results, then to posting lefties who want to infiltrate the Tea Party.
            Take his creds for what they are worth.

          • easyb

            I asked you to back up your claim that democrats are “making posts supporting Cain on various blogs.”

            Lineholder answered that for me.

            You, on the other hand, gave several links that were not related to my question.

            So I’ll bite. Yes, there are people out there trying to infiltrate the Tea Party, in order to discredit the Tea Party. Cain could be said to be more “Tea Party” than Romney or Perry. So why on earth would these infiltrators give Cain such a bump? If you believe that the people at Crash the Tea Party were out to discredit the movement, don’t you think it would do more for their cause to vote for Romney and give him a bump, as the more mainstream candidate? A win for Romney in Florida at this stage in the game would do a lot to solidify his position in this race, and thus help the infiltrator’s cause, wouldn’t you say?

            Don’t see how a win for Cain helps them. It rather seems to hurt them.

          • freentn

            IMHO the dems are planning on playing the race card with Cain, i.e., they set him up to look like a winner by skewing the Florida Straw Poll, then when he doesn’t get the nomination, they will say the Republicans are Racists because they wouldn’t nominate a Black Man.

            I admire Herman Cain and if he gets the nomination, I will vote for him, but I just don’t think that is going to happen. We will soon see by how he does in the Scientific Polls, but Straw Polls are too easily rigged. Straw Polls are simply not good indicators. If they were Ron Paul would have won the nomination in 2008.

          • lineholder

            After reading comments at HuffPo calling us vile name proclaiming how raaccciiistt we are in one breath and calling Cain a “token” and “tool” in the next breath, they don’t want to see him succeed.

            I’m going to ask it of you to be careful re: the extent you go to try to undermine him, please. (And don’t try to tell me that you aren’t because there’s too much evidence to the contrary, okay?) Cain’s presence in the race as a Republican is a ground-breaker in more ways than one.

          • Doc Holliday

            but come on dude. You say there is something “fishy” about people voting for Cain. Yes, in many parts of the world, there IS something fishy about citizens deciding to vote for a certain person, and then doing it.

            I know you think you are “on the case”, but this is absurd. Why would Romney supporters or any other supporters give a win to Cain? And if people paid their way, they can vote however they want, for whatever stupid reasons they want. These straw polls are there to raise money for the party. If the party let in Democrats, Tea Partiers, or Martians, well, that is their freaking problem. If anything, you have just giving a non event more relevance than it deserves.

          • lineholder

            HUFFPOST SUPER USER
            USADragonRev
            Fatalist. America is done. There is no hero.
            193 Fans

            12 minutes ago (10:29 PM)
            I love Cain. He’s great. He totally gets it.

            There’s plenty more where that came from. Fact is that there are Democrats who are (gasp!) business owners. They aren’t in favor of the business-killing regulatory measures coming out of the Obama admin that conservatives are.

            And there actually Democrats who (double-gasp!!!) work in the private sector who value their jobs, too.

            So they do have good reason to voice support of someone more who is more in favor of the private sector than Obama has been.

            Strange thing is, freentn, that on conservative sites, it’s only been establishment-Repub types who have had anything to say against this win for Cain today. Most Conservatives are actually glad to see him do well, even if he doesn’t win the nomination.

            So then why exactly have you been trying to undermine him???

    • bonnman

      Although I like Cain, I think his straw poll win was more a reflection of the disappointment so far in Perry and Romney. I think this matters much more for Romney, he’s been running for President for some time now and still hasn’t convinced us. Perry is still salvageable.

      • freentn

        but his answers during the last half hour were incoherent. I wonder if he took pain medication for his back. You know he had back surgery in July.

        • bonnman

          in the next debate, just a solid competent performance and I think he’ll bounce back. I think Obama sees the threat and started taking swipes at Perry.

    • jdtruth

      Cain was thrown a softball question re healthcare.
      Bachmann was thrown a question meant to entrap her and she did very well under the circumstances.
      Santorum who I think won the debate, was also intentionally asked a question about Repeal of DADT that he answered beautifully.
      Cain is a “slick salesman” who I would not trust to be president.
      I think the debate was won by Santorum and Bachmann–Tie!

      • kevinj84

        who was acting more like a prosecutor than a Presidential nominee, and Bachman who has sunk herself with the “Guardasil causes retardation” thing (Gawd if I hear one more word about “poor little 12 y.o. girls” I’m gonna puke), are your picks? Maybe you would like to try for the tri-fecta and endorse Paul as well.

        From the debate I watched, the only “softballs” went to Romney. All the rest were asked legitimate questions, even though I think there was some bloodlust concerning Perry.

        BTW, the above aside was in no way meant to disparage 12 y.o. girls, just those who use them as political fodder.

    • jdtruth

      The comments are being overrun by Cain campaigners.
      Enough to remove myself from this slanted blog.

      • kevinj84

        feel free to remove yourself from this “slanted blog”.

        You see, we may not all agree on the exact same things, as you may like us to, but we have minds of our own. If this does not suit you, then please, remove yourself.

    • freentn

      From news.yahoo.com

      As we discussed the early phase of the Republican primaries, he told me that before coming to Florida, he had nearly called it quits on two occasions.

      • lineholder

        .*.

  • squeek71

    connects with the people. He is one of them. He is not a politician.

    Mr. Cain’s extensive business experience is a major plus for him in this race. And his ability to give a great speech doesn’t hurt either. He tells us what he believes and what his plans are. He has solutions. I am thrilled to have someone to vote FOR in this primary, as are many others, I believe.

  • ghostship

    We got Perry ” You just don’t have a heart.” as the new wave of Compassionate Conservatism being the next Big Government Republican. Yep! It’s Bush 3.0 and we all know how the Big Government Republicans Bush 1 and 2 worked out for the Party.

    We’ve got Romney with his Obamacare the Beta version.

    With these losers running we might as well just save the money having a Presidential election and give Obama his second term.

  • florajo

    The better candidates seem to be waiting until 2016 when there’s no obama. The nation needs to survive that long .

    • http://www.laborunionreport.com LaborUnionReport

      You do intend to share names, right?

    • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

      is the best we’ve got. And don’t tell me that a half term governor who couldn’t stand the heat generated from a law she passed is anywhere in the field.

      There’s Rubio. He’s needed in the Senate and he also needs seasoning, he’s a young guy. Good for ’20 probably.

      There’s Mitch Daniels, who is head and shoulders above anybody not currently running, and frankly over most who are. He’s a two term governor with a real record of conservative accomplishment.

      And then there’s… not much.

      • renl57

        Mitch Daniels couldn’t beat Obama or any other Democrat Presidential candidate.

        Because he’s too short.

        Daniels is only 5’6″ tall. Against any reasonably sized Democrat candidate, in a one-on-one televised debate Daniels would look like a dwarf. Daniels is not only shorter than Barack Obama, he’s actually shorter than MICHELLE Obama.

        http://tinyurl.com/3lxlqjd

        And American voters aren’t going to vote for a short guy for President.

        • acat

          For those not familiar, “Invader Zim” is a kids show from the cable channel Nickelodeon.

          Rulers on Zim’s homeworld of Irk are chosen based on who’s tallest.

          Mew

        • kevinj84

          there are always lifts.:)

  • ghostship

    The thing is that many Republicans are just too scared to try and change the status quo.

    Everything that needs to be done is going to hurt and hurt really bad. However, if it’s not done it will be an utter catastrophe for the nation. When it’s time to put ones money where ones mouth is many people just don’t have the stomach to make the hard decisions on cutting spending, government size, immigration, entitlement reform, and etc.

    Is it any wonder that the main front-runners are those that will not challenge the status-quo? If my country is determined to go jump off a cliff then I’d rather go down fighting but with candidates like Perry and Romney it’s apparent that many just want to bury their heads in the sand.

    • renl57

      ….helps the medicine go down.

      Before trying to tackle the entire wish list, the new GOP President has to build credibility and trust by putting Americans back to work.

      He can’t tell Americans who have already lost jobs and suffered under the Obama Administration that he has even more pain for them to endure. Not until after he’s eased the pain they already got from Obama.

  • acat

    You say:

    I say:

    Or, in short, you’re mistaken – some of us definitely want to rock the boat.

    Mew

    • ghostship

      However, the number who do is all too apparent a minority.

      • acat

        The problem is in broadening support.

        The longer Romney remains Romney, and Perry keeps stepping on his {tongue}, the better Cain looks, and the better off the country is.

        I would pay quite a lot to see a Cain/Obama debate. Wouldn’t you?

        Mew

        • gekster

          the vids say download the latest update.
          I keep doing it, and it won’t stick, like it was never there.
          How’d you do it.

          • acat

            I’m using a very old version of Internet Explorer and it works fine here.

            Mew

    • westcoastpatriette

      I think we’re all taking ourselves too seriously (myself included) and there’s nothin’ like music to break up the tension.

    • kevinj84

      still sorely missed by those of us who love the blues. Thanks acat.

  • kyconservative

    Mr. Cain seems like a solid conservative but I admit, his win in Florida definitely caught me by surprise. I certainly could enthusiastically support Cain if he is the nominee.

    The point I think conservatives need to keep hammering away on is this: a Romney nomination = a third party conservative challenge in the General Election. If the RINOs and “moderates” in New Hampshire and some of the other early primary states on the east coast and midwest indeed force Romney on us, we need to follow thorugh with this threat and work toward 2016. Beating Obama means nothing if we have another George H.W. Bush (or John McCain or Bob Dole) in his place.

    Cain – Yes
    Perry – Yes
    Romney No
    Huntsman No
    Christie No

    • Kyle-MI

      A George H.W. Bush, John McCain, or Bob Dole would be infinitely better than four more years of Obama. I would vote for any of them any day over Obama.

      Do not let perfect be the enemy of good.

  • freentn

    Unless a strong candidate with name recognition like Palin or Jeb Bush enter the race.

    • kevinj84

      won’t be the nominee and Jeb is waiting for 2016 at the earliest.

      Looks like you may have to suck it up and vote for Cain.

  • freentn

    While analyzing the results of Saturday

    • acat

      I think most pundits are like dead fish, just goin’ with the flow.

      Mew

      * No, I’m not a closet shriner, Becker.

      • renl57

        These days, any candidate has to have MONEY to get TV ads on the air and so on. (Obama may amass a cool *billion dollars* for his campaign, nursed out of super-rich Hollywood and Silicon Valley types plus union money.)

        The wealthy GOP donors with deep pockets aren’t going to contribute to Cain. They would see him as an amateur and outsider. They’re much more comfortable schmoozing with Perry or Romney (who has a sizable bank account of his own anyway).

        • acat

          Further, those deep pockets donors you mention are likely smart enough to hedge their bets; rather than going all-in for a Perry or a Romney, at this point they’ll be spreading it around a bit.

          They may not be backing Cain as much as Perry, but .. I’m willing to wager Herman’s campaign runs on a much tighter budget than Perry’s; Cain clearly understands the value of and will get more mileage out of every dollar.

          Mew

    • http://nerds4cain.com Brookhaven

      Pundits get paid for their political knowledge, which is based on standard political thinking.

      The Tea Party (of which Cain’s candidacy is a part) has turned the political world upside down, making most pundit’s knowledge and experience worthless.

      Most pundits don’t understand the Tea Party movement; don’t understand the people that make up the Tea Party movement; and don’t understand where the political landscape is going. Their writing and advice is worthless in the current “Tea Party” political era. Their best hope for keeping their jobs and careers is for the Tea Party movement to fade away and politics to go back to the way it was prior to 2009.

      A Herman Cain win would be great for the country, but bad for political pundits.

      • kevinj84

        Most pundits on the right (Krauthammer, et.al) give lip service to the Tea Party, but really don’t like wht they stand for. They like the way things are with the McConnels, Lugers and McCains running the party. They truly don’t care for the Allen Wests, Marco Rubios and Rand Pauls of the movement, as they cause them heartburn.

  • keysconservative

    is he seems to be a guy who can’t be bought. That speaks to ‘content of character’ which, as a conservative voter, is very important to me. I’m not sure I feel that way about some of the other candidates. Romney, Huntsman, Perry, Gingrich, and even Bachmann don’t strike me as people who can’t be had ‘at any price.’

    • septembergurl

      Mitt Romney has a personal fortune of between 190 and 250 million dollars. Yet you imagine he can be “bought”. By who — Dr Evil? And for how much money, and why?

      Jon Huntsman has a personal fortune of between 50 and 90 million dollars. His father is a billionaire several time over. Who is offering Huntsman several billion dollars to do what, and why would he take it? Like Romney, he has enough money to do whatever he wants. I realize this is a situation beyond your crabbed, pathetic comprehension.

      Rick Perry, like Herman Cain, is a self-made man who rose out of poverty to become rich and influential. Again, who is paying him to do what?

      Gingrich and Bachmann have struggled with funding their campaigns, but there is, again, no suggestion that they are being paid to do whatever you think they are doing.

      Face it, you’ve been told to like Cain and dislike the others. After struggling with the implications of this, you come up with a pathetic rationalization for your “views”. Must be because they can be bribed and Cain can’t. Right.

      • freentn

        Cain mania. He has done ok in the debates but not nearly as good as at least 4 or 5 other candidates. He has no experience working with a legislature getting laws passed.

        He seems like a nice man and I appreciate that he didn’t violate President Reagans 11th commandment, but being a nice guy with a degree in math from morehouse and a chain of pizza parlors does not qualify him to be POTUS imho.

        Yes I know he is a former member of the Federal Reserve and he does not support an audit of the Federal Reserve but that is a RED FLAG as far as I am concerned.

        • congressworksforus

          Cain is on record as supporting an audit.

          What’s he’s said is that he’s OK with it because he doesn’t think it will find anything we don’t already know.

      • acat

        indicates he can be bought – will compromise whatever values he claims – for votes, with an intent to translate votes into power.

        Mew

      • kevinj84

        Huntsman has already proven he can at least be bought by Obama. And with nothing more than an ambassordorship. Pretty cheap, in my opinion. But worse, he doesn’t even have the integrity to show a modicum of loyalty to the one who appointed him.

        He’s also slick and greasy. 3 strikes and he’s out.

      • kevinj84

        Perry can be bought for $5000. But that was before the whole “Guardasil causes retardation” thing.

        Bottom line we like Cain because of Cain. Not because some voice from on high decided for us. Those are the actions of a liberal and those who make the accusations of such.

  • jaykali

    I am one of those disappointed Perry guys at the moment. He has time to rebound, I hope tho Cain can make the top 3, I definitely like him way more than Bachmann or Paul. It probably is a longshot but I am rooting for Cain to make some noise. He’s got serious biz credentials, good ideas and doesn’t have a messy political record to defend. Obama didn’t have a long political record either, although he didn’t have ANY relevant experience other than making good speeches which we have learned doesn’t matter if you have nothing good to back them up with.

    • tommyfrisco

      Has Obama lowered the bar so much that conservatives should think that it is good that candidate have no political record? I don’t think anyone has become President without political or military experience. The reasons for that is so that there is a record for us to review.
      I like Herman Cain too, but there is still a lot that we don’t know about him and it is certainly too early to decide who we want to be our GOP nominee. It is scary to think how little we knew about Obama when he became POTUS. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about his past. We should make certain that our GOP candidate is properly vetted and we know exactly what we are getting in November 2012.

      • jaykali

        In other posts I have said that I fear that Cain would get swallowed up in the political game and so generally I like to see some executive experience within govt, ie I really like governors.

        I am just saying I like me some Herman Cain, he actually does have experience, it’s just in the private sector. Now Mitt had good private sector experience but his record in Massachusetts is still somewhat suspect (altho some say it was in much better shape the way he left it than we he got there).

        I agree with your point, I am just left wanting more from these candidates. I think Mitt’s a little fake to me, Perry is having serious debate/messaging issues and Cain doesn’t have the broad-based experience. The rest of the crew need not apply. I will probably end up going for Perry in the end, we’ll see.

      • kevinj84

        at least. Abraham Lincoln.

    • macbookben

      …continue ignore Mr. Cain because they don’t want to have to reveal their race card hypocrisy. On the one hand, they have no problem amplifying the left wing chorus’s popular charge that TPers are against Obama primarily because he is black. So they will have a very hard time reconciling this ‘fact’ when their poles show that Cain will have the lion’s share of Tea Party support, as I believe he does now.

      Mr. Cain, slow and steady wins this race. Don’t ever change.

      • jaykali

        Especially if he can become a legit #3 option, I like what he’s selling.

  • KBDay

    Romney had people on the ground at P/5 and he has high profile influencers in this state (I’m in Fla.) who were there advocating for him. I keep telling people this and I hope they will listen. I just do not see grassroots and Main St. going for Romney, especially here in Florida.

    This was a bona fide victory for Cain. He’s worked hard and he has not wavered despite what seemed to be overwhelming odds. Cain has more assets as a candidate than a lot of the others on that stage with him. I even, as I watched the livestream because I couldn’t go in person because of a family commitment, what if Cain was on top of the ticket and someone like Gingrich was on the bottom?

    I’ve read some of the responses to his victory today and I’ve been amazed at some of the snarking. Cain is not a lightweight and I can’t think of a better man to get a grip on the Fed Reserve.

    That said, if the GOP wanted to win, hands down and no question, Rubio would be on that stage. He is qualified to lead the country and he is a remarkable person. I know it’s a pipe dream, but Rubio has just as much ability as any president in recent history (tons more than our current prez).

    Since Rubio isn’t running, I am satisfied with our field. Media is attacking them all and some old guard conserv pundits are doing the same.

    Where were all these geniuses when a completely inexperienced community organizer was campaigning for the Oval Office? Oh, that’s right, a lot of them were having cocktails with him, too timid to do the very same vetting they’re applying to all our candidates right now.

    This is a war. I reckon we better buck up.

  • septembergurl

    Anyone surprised by Cain’s win on Saturday has not been paying attention, or relies on the media for political info, or IS the media.

    Herewith a compendium of all Republican straw polls in 2011 — there have been 22 polls*, varying of course in number of attendees and relative importance — but interesting none the less.

    1/22/11: New Hampshire Straw poll
    Winner: Mitt Romney

    2/10-11/11: CPAC Straw poll (Washington DC)
    Winner: Ron Paul

    2/27/11: Phoenix AZ Tea Party Straw Polls
    Winner (Onsite poll): Herman Cain
    Winner (Online poll): Ron Paul

    3/6/11: Dorchester Conference Straw Poll (Seaside, Oegon)
    Winner: Mitch Daniels

    3/15/11: National League of Cities Straw Poll (Washington DC)
    Winner: Mitt Romney

    3/20/11: Republican Liberty Caucus of California (Sacramento)
    Winner: Ron Paul

    4/3/11: York Co. South Carolina Straw Poll
    Winner: Mike Huckabee

    4/9/11: Pennsylvania Leadership Conference Straw Poll
    Winner: Herman Cain

    4/15/11: Charleston Co (SC) Republican Party Straw Poll
    Winner: Haley Barbour

    4/16/11: Georgia 3rd CD Convention Straw Poll
    Winner: Herman Cain

    5/5-6/11: South Carolina Republican Party Convention
    Winner: Rick Santorum

    6/16-18/11: Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll
    Winner: Ron Paul

    6/19/11: Clay Co., Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll
    Winner: Ron Paul

    7/22/11: Ohio Republican Party Straw Poll
    Winner: Mitt Romney

    7/29-31/11 Western Leadership Cofnerence Straw Poll (Denver)
    Winner: Herman Cain

    8/13/11: Iowa Straw Poll, Ames Iowa
    Winner: Michele Bachmann

    8/20/11: New Hampshire Young Republicans Straw Poll
    Winner: Ron Paul

    8/27/11: Georgia State GOP Straw Poll
    Winner: Herman Cain

    9/12/11: Cincinnati Tea Party Straw Poll
    Winner; Ron Paul

    9/17/11: California GOP Straw Poll
    Winner: Ron Paul

    9/24/11: Florida GOP Presidency 5 Straw Poll
    Winner: Herman Cain

    9/23-25/11: Mackinac MI Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll
    Winner: Mitt Romney

    To sum up:

    Straw Polls to date:

    Ron paul has won 8
    Herman Cain has won 6
    Mitt Romney has won 4

    Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann have won 1 each.

    Ron Paul and Herman Cain have won the majority of these contests, which involve committed activists, by having strong if small followings, by appealing to the base of the party, and by making personal appearances/speeches at events that others have skipped.

    Not trying to downplay the significance of this event. But it’s amusing to see how ye olde media is surprised, shocked, etc.

    *Doubtless I missed some

    • traversecityconservative

      And did you notice Herman’s applause when introduce was the loudest? It’s hard to beat out Ron Paul on that but he did.

    • freentn

      money can win any candidate a Straw Poll.

      • kevinj84

        You’ve been spreading this line of thinking, that Cain bought the win when you weren’t claiming it was Perry or the Democrats, on more than one thread. Either provide proof that Cain bought it or go away, freetn.

        And by proof, I don’t mean some link to a twitter feed.

    • congressworksforus

      It’s the magnitude of the result that’s got everyone in a fluster…

  • http://theusreport.com KBDay

    Cain did work for the Dept. of the Navy as a civilian. His full bio is on his campaign site.

  • ssohara

    Of all the candidates running, he is the one I am most enthused about. I watched the first GOP debate, and that’s when I first became a Cain fan.

    Ideologically, he’s Tea Party. But as far as his experience – he’s an outside-the-beltway businessman who came up from very low origins and worked his way to the top. He did work in the Navy for part of his career. We know he is articulate. We know he has a sense of humor. He would be great in a debate with Barack Obama. The whole race issue just goes away with Cain… But the reason I like him has nothing to do with his race, that is just a side benefit.

    To be fair, when Rick Perry entered the race, I decided Rick was my candidate because, frankly, I didn’t think Cain could get elected, and I thought Perry, as a 10 year Governor of a conservative state, had a great chance. But Perry keeps stumbling in debates and Cain keeps shining.

    At this point, Cain is once again my number one choice.

  • traversecityconservative

    Because he doesn’t have the baggage of the rest of them and we can trust him….the others don’t mind forcing kids to get a vaccine for a disease you can only get through sex, don’t mind giving illegals in-state tuition prices, don’t mind forcing Romneycare on people with a mandate, don’t mind sitting on a couch next to Nancy Pelosi talking about global warming, don’t mind pulling every soldier out of every country in the world and being an isolationist, and the list goes on and on…What we’re being forced to do with the so called “front runners” is finding the nicest crime boss in the line up at the police station.

    Let’s have some of you anti-Herman Cain out there sling some mud. What can you come up with? It’s a short list….he’s too old, he could die anytime (cancer), he has no political experience (a plus for most people), his statements on the mosque in Tennessee (which I agree with him about), being involved with the Fed. Reserve and not knowing what the right of return was. OOOOOOH. What baggage. I can’t imagine voting for him. Boy the Dems and Obama are really going to have a field day with that list, aren’t they?

    Sorry but nothing that Herman has done has cost a taxpayer a dime or a scintilla of freedom. Can you say the same about YOUR candidate??????? No you can’t.

    • kevinj84

      what you thought of Mike Huckabee last time around. For or against?

      • traversecityconservative

        I was a Fred Thompson supporter. Herman now has what Fred never captured – enough legitimacy for people to vote for him and not afraid they’re not “with the crowd.”

        • kevinj84

          n/t

  • aeaeren

    Cain can win. If you remember when Rubio jumped into the Fl Senate NO ONE said he had a chance. He kept plugging away with his message until it busted through. I liked Rubio for the start as I had already seen thru Crist before he was even Governor.

    Cain can win with his message as long as he doesn’t shoot himself in the foot. He just needs to use this win to his advantage. He now is on the front page so he needs to keep himself in the conversation as much as possible without causing himself any damage.

    I like Cain’s bio but I now want to know his foreign policy. A good suggestion for him is to get with John Bolton quick! I would also like ot know how he is going to deal with the establishment if he was elected President. They are not going to be happy and I would bet would try to undermine his administration at every chance they can.

    I am not counting out Perry as a choice but my feeling is he has been in Government too long and it makes me a bit uncomfortable. We have enough of Politicians and we have a screwed up system that needs to be dragged into the Sunshine to burn like the vampires they are. Is Perry willing to do it or will he be the politician? I am not even sure Cain will do it as he would most likely be focused on the economy but our Candidate needs to multi-task big time 1) fix the economy 2) fix Washington and 3) do something to slow down Iran. Those are my top 3′s I want with the new President.

  • jmcmd

    I think the debates have been highlighting a trend which is a progressive disgruntlement with the political class. Under normal circumstances this race should be a barnburner between Perry and Romney but you come away from the debates not feeling good about either one of them. Cain is refreshing, can articulate his position without making it sound like a regurgitation of talking points, and you get the feeling that he doesn’t care a bit about being liked in Washington. The deeper he goes in this process, the more that will resonate. This also may be a plus for Newt. While he has a lot of political baggage he is capable of sounding more like a college professor than a politician. Mr. Cain may be on his way to securing at least one place on the ticket. As it stands now, I am quite comfortable with that.

  • freentn

    From CNN Latest Poll

    According to the survey, which was released Monday, 28 percent of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say they support Perry as their party

  • freentn

    From CNN Latest Poll

    According to the survey, which was released Monday, 28 percent of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say they support Perry as their party