The Cain Disconnect

How many more women are going to emerge before Herman Cain does the honorable thing and bows out of the campaign?

Last night I heard one opinion that suggested he might wait for the Iowa caucuses then fade away after he loses.  To do otherwise might jeopardize his  future earning power.

That may be practical but it doesn't strike me as honorable.  It does strike me as the way a politician would think.  So much for Mr. Cain being an outsider!

He is either the most maligned candidate in recent history when it comes to all things female or he really doesn't understand what is and is not acceptable behavior, even for the powerful and the well to do.  The more this continues the more I'm convinced he doesn't get it, or doesn't want to or thinks he's exempt for some reason.  Wrong on all counts.

Suddenly he's reassessing his campaign.  Talk about living in a fool's paradise.  With his foreign policy faux pas his chances automatically became slim to none.  With the continuation of his alleged sexcapades, take away the slim.

He speaks of worry about what it is doing to his family.  Well? Here's one more similarity between him and so many 'real' politicians.  The ever faithful, bewildered wife standing staunchly by his side.  Have you ever noticed how close Callista stays to Newt?

Nope, Herman, it's time for you to go.  It has nothing to do with people resenting a black Republican.  It has everything to do the Republican himself.  Romney may be boring and a flip flopper and too much a policy wonk but morally speaking he seems a decent man.  Is Newt? I wouldn't take his conversion to Catholicism as proof positive.

I cringe at the thought of another four years of President Obama.  But what I so dislike does not have anything to do with him as a father and a husband. Is it the measure of a man?  At least partially. It should be part of the equation.  How much it counts will be determined by the voters.  But Mr. Cain doesn't even have that going for him.

It was fun while it lasted, but it has lasted too long.

Cain - Searching For A Shred Of Decency

Now that Gloria Allred has involved herself, how is any one's guess, any chance of the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations ending with a note of decency has now disappeared.

We should all share some blame in this circus. One, for the many assumptions of guilt when the allegations were first made.  Anyone who deals in the real world knows that opportunists looking for a quick buck or to bring someone down can and will file a law suit about any number of things.  Sexual harassment being a favorite because it captures headlines and possibly a bigger payout.  That businesses pay these bribes, whether or not substantive, is a not uncommon practice.

Mr. Cain was ill served by his campaign advisers when told not to comment on them though he vehemently denied them. There was the looming questions as to just who are these women and where have they been over the years.  How opportune.  More money?  A book deal?

On the other hand Mr. Cain owes his supporters an explanation.  Even though there was an agreement with the National Restaurant Association to not discuss the complaints, I wonder if they could have been made public without identifying the complainant.  Then we could all have decided for ourselves whether the complaint was worthy or frivolous.

That opportunity has passed by now that number four has come out with the help of Ms. Allred. It couldn't get any more salacious.  And where has she been?  She said she didn't file a complaint because she wasn't an employee of the NRA.  Nonsense!  Had a man done to me what she accused Mr. Cain of doing I'd have filed police charges against him, I'd have gone to the NRA and any and everybody else who would have listened.  Right then.  Not ten years later with a sensation seeking attorney who appeared out of the woodwork.

The damage now seems insurmountable.  I'm not convinced of anything at this point.  That Mr. Cain might have made some gesture or comment deemed inappropriate may well be. That he didn't see it that way may also well be. That it rose to the level of sexual harassment  to the degree that has been claimed is something we do not know unless or until the actual complaints are made public.

But the seed has been planted, cultivated and has thrived.  Even if it is pulled up by it's roots, some remnant will remain.  The only to kill it off would be for him to drop out of the race.  He has been striped of his dignity.  The campaign is in turmoil because this rather than what really matters owns the air waves.

It's human behavior at it's lowest ebb.  If it was politically motivated it's sick.

I don't think, when push came to shove, that Mr. Cain would have gotten the nomination.  He has too many areas in which he lacks sufficient knowledge and experience.  Remember how wildly popular Sarah Palin was but how may people didn't vote for McCain because she was such a light weight?  And she was only running for Vice President.

If Herman Cain is guilty as accused, he doesn't deserve a pass.  If he is not, and we don't know, that he be taken down by the sleaze factor is about as disgusting as it gets.

By the way, thinking about justice being served, Lindsey Lohen left jail moments after reporting.  No room at the inn. Funny, if I remember correctly, she was proven guilty of her offenses!

What Exactly Is Sexual Harrassment These Days?

It seems to me the standards for sexual harassment are many and mixed.  We don't even know exactly what it is Herman Cain has done to raise such a hue and cry.  He made someone feel 'uncomfortable'.  What does that mean?

I think back to my younger days and how many guys I dated, or didn't, at whom I could aim such accusations by today's standards.  I guess because none of them ever came into the public eye I didn't bother.  I just avoided them. The thing that is bothersome is not knowing exactly what we're supposed to be so angry about.  Everything is skewed.  Plus it's his word against those who have lawyered themselves up.

I remember when the harassment movement first began.  A woman would walk past a construction site and if she were attractive she'd elicit wolf whistles and catcalls. That became politically incorrect so the guys would stand by silently, undressing her with their eyes.  They couldn't be sued for that.  If one is harassment isn't the other?

Granted we'd like our Presidential candidates to be a cut above but if you look deeply enough I doubt any of them would meet the pureness the media, for us, is demanding.  Why aren't they as tough on House and Senate candidates?  Where were these women when Cain ran for Senate?  Why did they give Kennedy a pass? And Clinton?  At least the women who claimed relations with Clinton came forward.

Considering the sexual mores in the world of athletics and entertainment and lower level politics, we certainly don't have a single standard.

Look at Hugh Grant.  Just yesterday I read he recently became a father for the first time.  You know him, the guy who got picked up in Hollywood a few years back for picking up a prostitute.  It seems a baby wasn't expected since he only had a 'fleeting' affair with the mother, but never-the-less he's delighted.

Then there is 17 year old Justin Bieber who is being accused of parenting a child with a nineteen year old.  He was sixteen at the time.  He claims he never met her.  She wants a paternity test.  If it proves true, she's in big trouble because she had sex with a minor!

I give credit to the people of Iowa who, if the reports are accurate, could care less about the harassment reports.  They feel Cain's 9-9-9 plan will help them.  At least they have their priorities straight.

Is it an issue of character?  Neither John McCain nor Newt Gingrich have treated their previous wives well yet neither have been pilloried about it during campaigns. Those actions are provable.

Is it race?  Or is it just plain dirty politics?

I haven't made up my mind about Mr. Cain.  My worry is whether or not we should place our trust in another rank amateur as President.  We have one in office now.  While I admire Mr. Cain's business accomplishments, his lack of political experience worries me.  The same criteria in reverse applies to many of the other candidates.

Whether I end up supporting him will depend on the balance of experience his experience and proposed policies versue everyone elses.  Not on hearsay and innuendo from invisible accusers hiding behind lawyers, all  looking for their fifteen minutes of fame ~ and a few dollars more.

Ah, Herman, Don't Change

The political pundits are beginning to take their toll on you.  It makes me sad.  You've been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise same-o, same-o campaign.

Herman, understand that not all voters are as tunnel visioned on abortion as the Christian conservatives.  Your gut instinct was to give your opinion as to how you saw the issue.  For heavens sake, it was the truth!  And a whole lot of us out here agreed with you.  To change your stance to enhance yourself in their eyes diminishes you in the eyes of others.  It's not the issue to lose on.

Consider, at this point in time, Roe vs. Wade is the law of the land.  End of discussion.  We have far more pressing issues  that affect all of us that need to be addressed.

As for your comment on the border fence, it was funny.  Put an electrified wire on top, a moat with alligators on our side and a sign on theirs saying they'll  be dead.  It's what most of us are thinking when we sit around bandying about ideas on how to fix the problem!  It's a shame we don't recognize a good jab when we hear one.

That's a large part of our problem these days.  We have too many people analyzing and spinning everything said to fit their own view, be it narrow or not.  It doesn't serve us well.

Yep.  It's obvious you're not a practiced politician.  That's your appeal! You tell it as you see it.  When you start bending to the will of the bullying pundits you'll lose every time because they spin better than you do.  That's the point isn't it?  You don't spin.

Just continue being yourself.  You might be pleasantly surprised where the chips fall. The axe men might be surprised too.  Maybe not so pleasantly.

By the way, I love your 'Yellow Flowers' campaign ad! It, gasp, made me laugh!

Just Who Are The Racists?

I'm getting tired of other people telling me why I think the way I do.  Especially when it comes to Presidential candidates who interest me.  Especially if it's Democrats making assumptions about Republicans.

Okay, I'm an Independent but in order to be able to take part in the process I have to declare a party and when Independent is not a choice I choose Republican.  So to have a cable network analyst suggest it's because he's a black man who knows his place infuriates me.  That I feel like I'm not racist because I like the guy.

That they can make such statements astounds me.  It sounds like racism is surely percolating away just below the surface of those who think that.  Can they be serious?

I do like the man.  Would I vote for him?  Should he win the nomination you bet I would.  Would I vote for him in the primary?  I don't know enough about him to say 'yes' for sure.  I'm looking seriously at several.  But if I don't it will have nothing to do with race.

This is already the most silly of silly seasons I've been witness to. The President out there putting out executive orders faster than you can say Halloween. He ought to slow down or he'll have run out of material long before next November.  Then what will he do to buy votes?

The question always comes back to what's he been waiting for?  I won't even start on Congress.

Let's go back to our President.  You know what?  I voted for him and he is anything but a black man who knows his place.  A lot of other Republicans and Independents also voted for him or he wouldn't have won.

Perhaps it's because he was barely in office before I began my criticisms.  I'm sure it's assumed it's because I closeted my racism during his phenomenal run for the Presidency then could no longer contain it.

It couldn't possibly be because I disagree with almost everything he has, or mostly has not, done since taking office.  Now that we have one of our own my conscience is being eased.

Yep.  I like Herman Cain.  He makes me laugh.  I listen to what he has to say, agree with him on some issues and disagree on others.  Plus there's always the question of how he'll get things done if he has a hostile Congress.  That, of course, applies to all the candidates no matter their race.

Do I think Obama was ineffective when he had both houses because he was black? Or now that he has only the Senate? Not at all.  I think it's because he's in over his head and doesn't know how to lead nor govern.  He'd had no experience what-so-ever prior to being elected.

So don't try to accuse the Republican party as a whole of being patronizing in order to soothe our inner racism.  In fact I think the party couldn't be happier than to have a man of Mr. Cain's accomplishments and experience suggesting the Democratic party isn't necessarily the best one for any ethnic group.

I guess 'one nation, (with or without under God) indivisible, with liberty and justice for all' doesn't resonate any more.  Neither should the assumptions of closed minded 'analysts'.