n/t

From Reagan and his stumble in a Mondale debate, to Perry’s now famous stumble, and now Herman’s….(plus the countless others that make us ALL members of the human race) I did not have a problem with any of these stumbles….you don’t judge a person by one of two season’s out of a lifetime, nor a bad or two day amongst many…..so sad to see the arrogance and profanity concerning Cain on this site…

The definition of elitism is the enjoyment of despising common sense through the ridicule of the simple principles. If you don’t want to follow the right principles you find any angle you can to bury them with complexities. I want someone who can think through the crud elites demand honor for. If you are one of these elites….you’ve just been waiting for a moment in Cain campaign that you could reinterpret as “clueless”. I read the article (where did that come from?) I listened to the video (again where did that article come from?) and I conclude I am looking at a man with the right principle of knowing the Libya situation is massively complicated and MUST have the response of needing access to up close sources before declaring a stand. I saw a man being asked by elites (who hate simple right principles) to give a simple answer to a situation of absurd twists and turns. Now there is courage. The politically correct answer would be to say something so complicated it quiets the intellectuals. The courageous response WAS ( I saw it) ‘I’ll make that determination when I have been given the best info from the best up-close sources we have.’ Then the answer will be simple (not easy) and of “strength and clarity”!

n/t

999 was a good “marketing” campaign but he struggles to articulate some of the details in the one debate it began to be attacked (NH debate). But in reality, it and he had no shot. I have to admit I was surprised to see him rise in the polls like he did because I didnt see much substance there and again, I think the ability to articulate conservative principles to the moderates is going to be the key, I never saw that as a Herman strength.

Question is, what does Herman do now? Its obvious he is way in over his head and whether he chooses to get out or hangs around a while could have some impact.

The question is: Where will his voters go?
Does he have any influence on where they go by supporting another candidate? If that is the case, then you would have to believe Newt would benefit from this as I believe they are friendly with each other.

OR…does he stay in and people just jump ship in which case I could see maybe 2/3 of his support to Perry, putting him right back in the mix in the high teens and low 20′s with Mitt and Newt.

that the big issue for Cain was how he was handling the accusations, and not necessarily that they were true. Again – it simply served to illustrate the ineptitude of his staff…which was supposed to be a strength of Cain’s.

Finding this comment in this diary is just as annoying as finding comments about 999 in the multiple diaries I wrote about the sexual harassment allegations.

to jail for pure ignorant stupidity. As for Mrs. Cain, she must be dumb or blind, take your pick.

n/t

That comment signalled that he not only knew he didn’t know much about foreign policy (which alone is damaging, but not unforgiveable), but also that he simply didn’t care that he didn’t know much about foreign policy (which is unforgiveable).

I was really surprised that that comment was so widely ignored.

The Cain candidacy was finished the day the 4th woman came out with accusations. This latest video is just another nail in the coffin.

Truth be told, I never took his candidacy any more serious than he did.

Seems weird to put yourself out there as the one thing you most unprepared for. He weirds me out, and I was an early enthusiastic supporter. And I donated.

I absolutely can’t trust Gingrich. Or Mitt. So I’m Perry until there’s no other way. Then maybe Paul (no I don’t care if we come home from every corner of the globe, frankly).

Man this is all frustrating. Can’t give up or we’re boned.

A recurring problem for the Cain campaign is that its candidate believes that the Presidency can be run like a corporate board room: The CEO of the United States doesn’t need to know all that much per se, because he’s got entire agencies dedicated to handling that kind of specialized work. The problem is that the Presidency mercifully does not work that way, for various and sundry reasons. At the end of the day, the President needs to have a solid enough knowledge of the world and a firm enough grasp of the issues facing American foreign policy and his preferred solutions thereto so that he can provide the political leadership necessary to do what needs done abroad.

Does this mean that the President needs to be able to walk into the Council of Foreign Relations and engage in an extemporaneous debate about the efficacy of USAID grants to micro-credit lenders in Potemkinistan? Of course not. Dubya came into office focused on domestic issues and rose admirably to the foreign policy challenges of his administration. (Your mileage, of course, may vary. Though I think it’s impossible to argue that he did not step up to the challenges of his administration, even if you dislike the results of his policies.) But Dubya was also much further along than Cain in terms of base knowledge of foreign affairs.

Speaking of Dubya and Cain, is it wrong to wish that someone would ask Herman Cain to name the leaders of five foreign countries off the top of his head?

As of today, Mr. Cain understands the reality of running for office. Now, what happens next? Will every media source run clips of his obvious ‘brain freeze’ (the political buzz word of last week) and hammer it home to the point that his poll numbers plummet? Will this do major damage to Cain or will the usual suspects on the Right—Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, et al, come to his aid and rescue?

This is a turning point in Cain’s campaign and I venture the notion that its the beginning of the end, given the boyfriend of Ms. Bialek came forward and kept the Chinese water torture alive for another day.

Things are what they are. Cain generates enthusiam amongst the grassroots voters. Newt exudes extraordinary intelligence and has a well stocked rhetorical warehouse from which to draw from in making compelling arguments. He is the statesman. Perry has money, quite a sizeable amount of it, Texas charm, common sense and practicality that one can only gain from a humble, rural upbringing. Perry also has the current and proven record of success. So where do we go from here? The anti-Romney candidate is not one man, but three.

Some months ago when Newt was dodging glitter at book signings and trying to defend his wife’s affinity for bling from Tiffany’s, he seemed resigned to the fact he would not prevail. At a campaign event, I remember seeing a clip of him saying very matter of factly that in essence it would be o.k. if he didn’t win. He said it really doesn’t matter who wins and who does not; there is work for everyone to do. He noted that their is enormous labbor to be done to roll back the horrible actions of Pelosi/Reid/Obama. I believe that mentality should be an important draw at this point for all of us, including these candidates.

Obviously, none are going to drop out before Iowa. The top 3, perhaps 4, have a future beyond Des Moines and if they have the money, can fight on. The rest need to fall out of step and let the lead dogs go the distance.

As grassroots voters, its time to take serious stock of the anti-Romney field and face some hard realities. After Perry’s ‘brain freeze’ some supporters, even here at RS, were quick to bail. “It’s over”, we were told. The reality is, Perry is rebounding and while the Right media wouldn’t give him a fair shake if life depended upon it, it will be, We, the People, not They, the Media, that can and will change the course of history in this election.

If you’re a Cain supporter, take stock and be smart. Your guy has had a couple of bad days. Can he rebound? Sex scandals are a tough rap to beat even if they are entirely false. Perception is reality. At some point, voters are going to take a serious look at your candidate and not continue to blindly gulp the Kool-Aid that radio talk show hosts and Fox are serving. The tumble from grace will be hard and fast.

If you’re a Newt die-hard, you guys are next in line. The MSM has a wealth of nasty info and attacks at the ready for Mr. Speaker. Again, the sex scandal scenario will be trotted forth.

If we don’t get ourselves organized, and quickly, around ONE anti-Romney candidate, Romney will be on the ballot. If the SCOTUS overturns ObamaCare, Obama will turn it back on Romney. OWS has been concocted and executed purely to paint Romney into a Wall Street money-hoarder box. Can an anti-Romney candidate beat Obama; would his chances be any better? We don’t know that. What we DO know is that we have a candidate in the race that can stand toe to toe with Obama on jobs, energy, border security (and the lack thereof), military background and support, tort reform, taxes, support for small business, etc. On top of that, he’s defunded Planned Parenthood and is a huge advocate of the Constitution, especially the 10th and 2nd Amendments. Both he and his wife have always been proud of their country. Tea, anyone?

To defeat Obama we need a candidate that appeals to special interest groups. One group that is being totally ignored by Republicans is Hispanics. Not illegals being give the chance to vote, but natural born and legal immigrants that have some specific and unique interests. Romney does not connect with this group and quite frankly, Newt and Herman seem to be ignoring them. Herman has spoken of being able to attract some black voters away from Obama but he’s never spoken about the need to bring Hispanics into the conservative fold. Take a look at the amazing numbers of newly registered legal Hispanic voters since 2008, state by state. Ask yourself if that’s a group of Americans that should be ignored. There is one candidate in the race that can garner that vote. Gov. Rick Perry.

Let’s get serious. Let’s look at actual records of achievement–current and not from years gone by. Let’s demand that the media stop compartmentalizing candidates into the caricutures they want them to be; let’s put emotion and feelings aside and get back to conservatism at its purest. Support Rick Perry for President. www.rickperry.org

And, for you summer soldiers: it’s not over.

I always thought so.

Is that the Cain campaign itself isn’t even attempting it.

known that the question was referring to the way the Obama administration handled the military action against Libya. This does not require clarification or a restating of the question. I could have answered the question better than Mr. Cain and I am not a foreign policy expert by any means.

The only plausible excuse Cain could have is that he had a serious case of the flu, other than that it simply appears that he was unsure of how to answer the question and/or did not have the knowledge base to answer the question.

In the end, his weakness on foreign policy will hurt his candidacy.

…let’s assume that any one of the subset-queries had been raised by Cain in response to the broad “toss-up” [reasonably explained thereafter] query.

Cain would have been able to discuss his philosophy regarding foreign affairs [military and diplomatic] plus how he relates to others domestically [Congress and advisers] while alluding to how he ultimately engages in decision-making [both initially and over-time].

He did none-of-the-above. He was also incorrect when he claimed BHO hadn’t gauged the nature of the opposition [remember how Hillary met with them?] and he failed to trace how he would have adopted an [unspecified] contrasting approach [contingent upon the data he claimed he didn't know].

THIS is what infuriates people such as myself [pro-Perry, of all announced candidates, by-far] and what annoys TPM-adherents [anti-Romney, still lookin' around]. This guy gets free-pass after free-pass on the FUNDAMENTALS.

HOW DARE HE celebrate his ignorance of Foreign Policy?

But if I were running for office I would find out. I watched palin interviews and never in my young life have I ever seen what happened to her. A product of our time, technology, and culture. Every candidate should be ready to NOT receive the benefit of the doubt. Instead the need a keen understanding of when to speak and when to find an exit route in a debate or interview. (thinking of Cain’s ‘we don’t know moment.)

Okay.

Man am I glad I don’t work in politics anymore so I don’t have to try to write/say stuff like this with a straight face.

NT

At least Cain didn’t say that Libya was where Obama sent the slaves after the Civil War. LOL.

s

That a boy hang in there, keep fighting the good fight. But that isn’t exactly what Cain said now is it? I am personally still waiting for the translation to try and make some relevant sense out of that pile of word vomit. But we both know if he had made “your” statement from above we wouldn’t be on this thread right now. I wouldn’t be grinning from ear to ear as I thumb type this on my phone and you wouldn’t be wishing vile things to befall me, my family and governor Perry……

Hey, it happens to everyone right? It’s not like you where out here kicking Governors Perry while he was down all weekend for Loosing his train of thought. So you are perfectly free to act like this doesn’t bother you without appearing like a hypocrite.

Someone said here not too long ago:

What we have now is a five way race for the primary: Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, and Mitt Romney.
Yes, Herman Cain’s voters, Newt Gingrich’s, and Rick Santorum’s will also play a role, but those candidates themselves have ceased to be relevant in 2012 and, despite my highlighting Trende’s points about early conventional wisdom, these candidates will not regain any relevance. Their paths to victory are gone for good.

Herman’s answer was about as good as one could give under the circumstances.

This, too, shall pass.

Not one real vote has yet to be cast.

Thank you.

ColdWarrior

…let’s analyze the best-case presentation, provided by Seth.

What’s wrong about it is its vacuous incompleteness. Assume you are correct–a source of concern BTW among those who fear BHO supports the Brotherhood selectively [elaboration upon request]–and that the opposition was known to be Islamist [although the new Libyan ambassador to the US claimed otherwise, during a cocktail-reception in D.C. 12 days ago during the ASMEA meeting].

What would Cain have done differently?

Remember, his premise was that he disagreed, and he never stated why/how to buttress that sweeping conclusion. Most “aware” people would have preferred a third-course, namely, actively working to ensure the opposition was ultimately going to be friendly to America AND/OR publicly seeking an opposition that would not be phobic to our interests. This is the type of approach that evolves from Perry’s philosophy regarding Foreign Aid, and it represents the approach of an activist who is self-confident.

And ANY substantive response would have proved preferable to his overt evasion and obvious discomfiture.

Cain has made a joke out of the Tea Party movement. Many of his positions (when he’s not flip flopping) are in direct opposition to the Tea Party agenda…whether it be his support of TARP, the national sales tax, etc…Top off the fact that he’s a skirt chaser and his whole act makes the party look foolish.

to be rescued by other candidates should be the one to withdraw. This was a debate, not a casual interview. You’re supposed to be prepared. My God, energy is at the core of the Texas economy. What’s more, Perry entire “economic plan” is based upon the energy industry.

Don’t forget, this was in the aftermath of giving a speech in NH while seemingly drunk or high. I could go on and on. Perry is a loser. You don’t drop 30 points in the polls for nothing.

It’s time for Mr. Perry to return to TX as his major fundraisers have advised. And I hope he’s not planing to run for any other political office either. He’s done, stick a fork in him..

…it is vital to recall a key political approach, namely, controlling the agenda.

The overt pivot to Perry was intended to be off-putting but, as a defensive maneuver, it failed to fool RS-posters. OBVIOUSLY, one would want the opposition to drop-out [either way], but the threadjacking was overt; the focus of the title is Cain.

The Perry-issues have been aired elsewhere and only factor-in when directly compared/contrasted; otherwise, they obscure the central issue, namely, whether Cain was now so very clueless about the basics that even the most ardent Caniac would cry “uncle!” That he could be portrayed as emblematic of the TPM isn’t [and shouldn't be] the focus; recall Sarah’s speech @ the Grand Opry 22 months ago; the TPM may be leaderless, but it isn’t rudderless.

A key distinction must be made [particularly among the name-callers] between stupidity and ignorance; NONE of the candidates is an idiot, but only Cain celebrates his ignorance of fundamental forces affecting foreign affairs. Cain has finally forced acolytes to face-facts…and how poorly he [and his staff] reacted [including issuing persistent/false anti-Perry accusations]. Rove [on O'Reilly] skewered Cain [even based solely on the four-ladies, notwithstanding today's interview].

This vetting-process is healthy and it should be celebrated by the TPM as emblematic of the liberties we cherish as Americans; the truth will out!

When’s the last time you posted anything that wasn’t a slam of Herman Cain?

Go take your one-note horn and stick it where the sun don’t shine.

…than Mr. Cain does, sadly.

Nt

This is about the time when Perry would pull out of of his canned responses (if he can even remember it) which typically does not in anyway match up with the question posed.

Wait until Perry is asked this question, if he remains in the race. He’ll probably go with his Iranian Central Bank nonsense.

At the onset, it must be recognized that Cain correctly noted that the mountains [in which the nuke program has been embedded] serve as a major challenge [although he failed to make this specific point]. Second, it must be recognized that he would need to coordinate with allies based [as is a staple of all of his responses] on all available intelligence input.

THIS doesn’t answer the question, until you remember his first line [which was also included in the recent debate. He DISAGREES with using the military weapon.

What does this reveal about [1] his foreign policy and [2] the candidate himself?

His temerity about what must be done to protect vital American interests is based on his self-insecurity about what he can even conclude about anything he asserts, unambiguously. This guy isn’t ready for “any” time, let alone “prime” time.

Those who mischaracterize RS as inherently pro-Perry are missing the key-point of this exercise, IMHO [at least when self-assessing my motives for expenditure of such bulk-time]. We are trying to unearth key-truths candidly SO AS TO ADOPT A PUBLIC POSTURE THAT HAS BEEN INTERNALLY TESTED AMONG TRUSTED THINKERS. Take “THAT” Seth, you Troll!

After the initial meltdown and nowhere else to go, Cain went off on a tangent about the opposition rebels. Do you really think Obama and the US military were unaware of who the opposition was ?

I’m not entirely sure what Obama did, and I can’t say it was right or not, but I can say I would have done a better job than he did.

and never did answer the question coherently. He was sweating bullets there, so just tap danced. It was pitiful indeed.

I think it’s a given that any responsible president would want to consult the sharpest, most experienced minds prior to effecting a key decision over a brewing international crisis such as the one we’ve seen in Libya.

That said, my take on Mr. Cain’s response in the video interview today is that he could not move beyond stating the most obvious as to what a U.S. president should do–the very bare minimum, if you will, as far as seeking the very best advice prior to taking action.

What I think we were all looking for was some “meat on the bone”–that is, some statement on his part revealing a decent grasp of the particular forces at work in that country and some capacity to gauge the potential consequences of the options we might exercise in a similar crisis situation.

Clearly, confining himself to a mere procedural point as far as world crisis management did little to project a sense that he had any “actual” insight into the Libyan crisis.

I can’t speak for others, but I suspect I don’t stand alone when I say that I find it quite comforting and encouraging when an individual who aspires to the highest office in the land demonstrates a firm grasp of world affairs (without necessarily having to be a “total expert” on it). For me, Mr. Cain did not meet that test, based on the response he gave today.

If he knows more than he presently appears, he really needs to add a bit more substance to his signature mantra of “surrounding himself with the right folks”. That’s a given in executing any executive decision responsibly.

As far as his comportment during the interview, I’d have to say that he did look quite uncomfortable and “caught off guard,” as it were. This was evident from his fidgety body language, uneasiness in his facial expression, and his apparently trying to buy some time by repeatedly asking for clarifications to questions, in my mind, that were quite straightforward in nature.

This said, I wish no candidate shame or misfortune. I clearly have a favorite (one of the two you are thinking of–hint: he wears cowboy boots and makes a rather poor vegan!), but running for president is very though stuff and I salute them all in that sense!

Thank you for sharing your point. It did get me thinking!

It’s easier to do this, after “red” encouraged “Andy” to retreat to a posture of “missed opportunity” because I’m acutely aware of the positives/negatives of adopting such a stance.

I railed against Perry, it may be recalled, when he didn’t invoke his “rounds” of the talk-shows to EDUCATE people about WHY he would cut the DC-Bureaucracy and HOW he would succeed after RR truly hadn’t.

BUT, there is a distinction with a difference, here, when the “cluelessness” of his approach is recognized, coupled by the inability of the questioner to nail-down Cain regarding how he would perceive a nuked-up Iran, particularly when recognizing his prior pro-Israel comments.

THIS is the inherent problem when an individual lacks a world-view, and THIS is what [as noted in multiple posts, supra] INFURIATES those who have felt he has brought buffoonery to a high level ["uzbecky-becky..."]. THIS is why he should withdraw his candidacy, gracefully, ASAP.

His continued presence on-stage may satisfy those who want it to be viewed as emblematic of a non-racist GOP; most everyone else has transcended that compulsion, notwithstanding the prodding/ridicule that has yielded this atmosphere.

He has made many, many miscalculations (to say it politely), and this just sort of wraps it all up in a box with a big bow. It is truly sad as a lot of people pinned their hopes on him. He truly did not have a clue today as to what the question was, much less an answer for it. But that is the problem (or one of them), even at the debate the other night, all too many questions were answered by Cain by saying that he would be consulting with his advisors. Now that tells me that he has no vision, no plan, not much of anything to stand on or for other than 999, and that isn’t enough to even get started.

Hope this helps somewhat – it is just my take on it. But, sorry, he will implode – and soon.

be good to yourself, and take the freedom to do so. ‘twoudn’t be making such silly posts.

that you take a 2nd look at Rick Perry. Watch the Redstate interviews that have been posted over the last 10 days or so.

You’ll see a guy who can and does articulate his thoughts. I think you’ll be impressed.

There are only two candidates that have a legitimate shot at winning the nomination. (Perry and Romney). Cain has proven time and time again with his words and actions that he isn’t a serious candidate. Gingrich is the current flavor of the month, but he too will soon be re-vetted and once people look at him more closely, he will fall like lead.

The point is, you only have two choices…the northeastern liberal republican Mitt Romney. Or the southern conservative Rick Perry.

Pick one.

It is again off-putting to switch discussion to other candidates and, thus, the motives of another threadjacker must be challenged; can we focus on the event within its context, PLEASE?

PMSNBC is now playing the tape of Cain discussing collective bargaining for federal employees; it shouldn’t create an undue burden on “…taxpayers,” he concluded. Is he clueless or totally unaware of core-issues [including the original FDR arguments in opposition to this structure].

Although one cannot trust PMSNBC for candid-commentary, the ambient conversation is noting the precipitous drop in CNN’s poling of Cain…and for good reason!

…when I want a pepperoni pizza, Herman Cain is my guy. But when I want a leader for the country, I’ll look elsewhere.

Which is exactly what happened.

We, as a party, still haven’t elevated and learned our lesson.

themselves by their lack of preparedness.

And it is our job this season to choose our best standard-bearer for the general election for the office of president and numerous local offices. If we are this divided next fall, then you can invoke the 11th commandment on us. Until then, let those of us that want to do the best job possible in the primary do it, alright? And would you like some cheese with that whine?

about every single president of this century as well as the last. I have yet to see the perfect blend of Ludwig Von Mises, David Ricardo, Adam Smith, John Locke, and Carl Von Clausewitz ascend to the highest office.

What is Perry ‘knowledgeable’ about.

And don’t say ‘what departments he wants to cut’ – flubbing a talking point does not equate to lack of knowledge on the subject.

Further, since no one has asked him to expand on HOW he’d do the cutting, one can’t assume that he doesn’t know what functions of those departments need to be preserved by transfer to other agencies (eg, the nuclear weapons program going back to DoD from DoE)….

totally concur

any real conservative or especially, Tea Party memeber, wuld still be able to support Mr. Cain. His in-depth interviews on collective bargaining and the Libya debacle exhibit a dangerous lack of knowledge of national and international issues. I can only think that by tacitly supporting the collective bargaining overturn in Ohio, he hopes to capitalize on the issue. It will, of course, be way too late by then.

http://www.therightscoop.com/obama-golfing-with-pal-busted-in-prostitution-sting/

That’s conservatism right there, I don’t care who you are, that’s conservatism.

(sarc off)

Just another way of saying we should pick people who CAN’T handle hostile questioning?

Cain has many positives to him, but he is not “plain spoken” when he falls outside his comfort zone.

All questions come with the implicit hedge of “based on what you know now.” Nobody has ALL the facts. If you wait for ALL the facts, no President will ever do anything.

The only excuse he (Rush) can possibly have is that he didn’t listen to his interview. No one, in my opinion. who actually hears Cain could believe that he has a clue about either foreign policy or the damage that public employee unions have caused this country.

OK, we’ve known for months now that Cain’s weakness is foreign policy, and I at least assumed that he would be going to school. I hoped (against hope?) that he would sit at the knee of John Bolton or Condi Rice, anyone who could give him common sense insight. Obviously, he hasn’t done that.

But it should have been simple. If nothing else, a candidate in Cain’s position should have bullet points on these things:
“What Obama did in Libya was wrong because …”
“I oppose (support) using drones to target individual terrorists because ….”
Any leading candidate should know that the questions are coming and each answer is going to be a sound bite, so have the sound bites ready.

You can go through that tape and see any number of things that make you cringe; for me the “train wreck” moment was when he said “Oh no, that’s the other one.”

Rush just proved he is not interested in winning. This isn’t the first time Rush has supported emabarrassing moments. He defended Palin when she could not name the papers she read. He supported Perry’s oops moment saying it humanized him. Now, he supports Cain’s complete inability to deal with foreign policy.

His judgement is definitely not up to par. Wonder who he would pick for a VP??

he was wrong.

He obviously didn’t watch the video or he wouldn’t have made the boneheaded defense that he did.

On the subject of collective bargaining and federal employees he was just totally out of his tree.

So much for his accuracy percentage. He’s going to need a decade of 100% to work off this disgraceful episode.