Herman Cain Not Able To Take The Heat
A few weeks ago I took a little heat for posting the following to my Facebook page:
Herman Cain is surging because when he speaks he makes sense and is not pandering.
Some of the comments I received went like this:
Really, Shawn? I hope you are being sarcastic…Please tell me that you are. –DEMOCRATS ROCK!
This is undoubtedly a joke, I can’t imagine anyone thinking that he is not pandering when he says the things he says, or recently mentioned someone like Tom Deleay as a potential VP pick.
is this spam?
Shawn got jokes.
But Cain went from punchline to frontrunner in the polls by shooting somewhat straight, sticking to his (failed) plan and holding to the talking points that score with conservatives.
This week Politico rocked Cain’s world by digging up sexual harassment allegations of two former employees of the National Restaurant Association, a group once headed by the GOP candidate. The problem really hasn’t been the allegations. As one of my friends put it, we all could get accused at some point.
It’s how he has handled the allegations. First not recalling any allegations, then not remembering an agreement. Then remembering an agreement but not a settlement.
America has proven over and over and over and over again that it is willing to forgive politicians for just about anything, from stained dresses to trysts with prostitutes. But America doesn’t care much for lying or dodging the truth, and Herman Cain seems to be doing both right now.
These interviews and allegations are the price of being part of the national conversation. Some of the dirt on Michelle Bachmann has yet to stick because her campaign has yet to take hold. Cain was living his live like it was golden two weeks ago, but now he’s stuck between playing the race card (Cain accuses the left while absolving the right of race politics) and blaming the Perry camp for his misery.
This is what a candidate has to go through if he wants to be the big dog. Presidential campaigns have become less about issues and more about your religion or your pastor or your credit card bill or your settled sexual harassment lawsuits.
Bill Clinton had Jennifer Flowers and Barack Obama had….well any number of things. And stop comparing this to Clarence Thomas, it makes no sense. But since Cain is talking about an issue that was settled under a nondisclosure agreement, me thinks we’ll be hearing from his accusers in the not to distant future.
I wonder how bad the allegations are. Unfortunately, that’s the problem for the Cain campaign. There are so few details, that people (voters and media) will wonder until they find out. They’ve made a few mistakes here — 1, not having a response strategy already prepared; and 2, blaming anyone for “the leak.”
If someone who is now working for the Perry campaign knew to use this, then Herman Cain himself should have known it would eventually come out if he was serious about being president. Everything will eventually be discovered about serious presidential candidates. People want to know how you will handle issues, but they will still listen to what you’ve done in your life. Any media on the campaign trail trying to stand out will remember that.
If there is something to be leaked, why be upset that it was. Millions of dollars are being raised by these candidates. Supporters will do anything they can and find any information they can to protect the money they’ve contributed.
Herman Cain should have held a press conference and said,
“Allegations have been reported that I made offensive remarks to acquaintances in my past. I know of one allegation, and although the issue was resolved so many years ago, I, and my campaign committee will research the details today to ensure I recall all of the facts and opinions accurately. Until I have taken some time to review that specific circumstance, I shall not make any remarks directly related to it.
Neverthless, as perhaps anyone can tell you, we live, we learn, and we grow. I’m sure that my words may have unintentionally offended someone in the past. I have made some remarks during this campaign that have offended people. And yes, perhaps at some time I have made an unnecessary comment or joke toward a female colleague that may have made her feel uncomfortable. At no time have I ever intended to disparage a person, male or female, or objectify them because of their gender. If there were any unintended offensive consequences as a result of comments I have made, I am truly sorry.
In addition, as it will likely be questioned. I’d like to say that I love my wife, I am committed to my wife, and I have never placed that commitment in jeopardy. I have been blessed to have such a devoted partner in my life journey, and especially during this campaign.
I country needs real work on real issues. I hope we can thoroughly get through this issue so we can continue toward making our country better by fixing our federal government and discussing the real, important issues.”
If he had made this statement, it would be a non-issue quickly. But he can’t go back, and unfortunately, too many people will wonder if there’s much more to the story.
Here it is now Nov 7, and a total of 3 women have come forward. Personally I don’t think I really care about the harassment. As adults we do tend to be sexual beings rather it is by consent or by the expectation of the possibility. Do women harass men to get their way? Yes, it is called using their womanly charms to get what they want. A woman out of a job looking to get into another high profile job may be willing to mix business with pleasure to get ahead. In this last case, the female alleges Mr. Cain upgraded her hotel room and as he drove her there proceeded to run his hand up her dress. This, in my mind, is a good start to a male fantasy story. But in the business world it may be seen as one of the costs of doing business or the fatal blow to your future. Looks like Mr. Cain’s future has been shattered by these allegations and though it was in business where he was the head honco, he was considered the quick striking snake but a mongoose waited and has now pounced just as the snake thought he had won.Sex in business may be part of the job, but getting burned is also part of the business.
Looks like 4 more years of Barack, with no decent GOP candidate left.