Tag Archives: Herman Cain

Today’s Republicans – Unlikable “Reagans”

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Terry| Leave a comment
Trudeau - Remembering Reagan

How do today's Republicans measure up to their idol, Ronnie Reagan? They're JUST as hypocritical. They're JUST as corrupt. But, they're just not as likable! They can't get away with it like Reagan. Strip above is a Gary Trudeau Doonesbury cartoon.

Sarah Palin came out with a blurb yesterday saying that Ronald Reagan would be ashamed of the way Republicans have acted in this primary.   The point she was trying to make is that Republican candidates have spent much of their time trying to attack and tear each other down.  Given that attacking and tearing people down is the ONLY skill Republicans seem to have anymore, it’s hardly been surprising that they’ve turned on each other during this campaign.

But what about the comparison between today’s Republican Party, and their idol, Ronnie Reagan?   How do the views of today’s Republican Party compare to their idol?  To start, it’s laughable to see Tea Partiers and conservatives and their reverence of Reagan, when Reagan’s actual record was MUCH different from the idealized record right-wing wackos seem to focus on.   Fiscal conservative?  Uh…not so much.  The U.S. debt more than doubled under Reagan.   The THREE LARGEST annual percentage increases in U.S. debt since the mid 1970s?  All during the Reagan administration.  Ethics and morality, a self-proclaimed cornerstone of conservatism?  29 criminal convictions of Reagan appointees, Iran-Contra and other.

So how do today’s Republicans stack up?  From a policy standpoint?  They seemingly would LIKE to emulate Reagan!   They ARE a disaster for the environment (remember James Watts?   A shiver just went up my spine).  They WILL ruin the economy.   They WILL drastically raise the federal debt, just like their idol Ronnie did (a fact conservatives somehow forget)!!  They WILL give tax breaks to the rich, and make the less fortunate suffer!!   There IS ample corruption in today’s GOP, ala the Reagan years.  You want a return of the “good ol’ days” under Ronnie?   The current crop of GOP’ers IS what you want!

The only real difference?  As the Gary Trudeau Doonesbury strip above shows, Ronnie was just so darn likable!!  Sure, he wasn’t very bright!!  But gosh darn it, he was SO likable, a guy you’d like to sit down and “have a beer with” (the same “high praise” given to George Bush).   His flaws?  His wacky astrology beliefs? His complete and utter disregard for the environment, or for anyone other than the rich?   For Republicans, what would you rather have, someone competent?  Or someone you really, really liked??  Obviously the latter!

And THAT is the difference in today’s crop of presidential candidates.  Would anyone really like to sit down and have a beer with Newt Gingrich? Mitt Romney?  Rick Santorum?  Michelle Bachmann?   Herman Cain?    Are ANY of these folks even REMOTELY “likable?!?!?!    

And here lies the biggest problem for Republicans.  They haven’t FOUND their 2012 version of Reagan.  They haven’t FOUND someone with enough charisma, that their actual political qualifications are overlooked.  It’s the Republicans worst nightmare!   Their current crop of candidates are being judged NOT on their personality, but on (GASP!!!!!) their actual qualifications and beliefs!!  And when the American public focuses on the substance and not the fluff, they find the GOP candidates lacking.

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Perusin’ & Musin’

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment

Some random thoughts from perusing the web…

GOP Chooses Millionaires over Federal Employees – Democrats have been trying to extend the federal payroll tax, and in their plan, said they’d pay for it by a slight increase in taxes for people making over $1 million a year.  Sounds fair, right, in a time when the wealth gap in the U.S. continually grows?  Not for the GOP, who again have shown they will protect their rich sugar-daddies at all costs.  In response to the Democrats plan, Republicans countered by removing the tax increase for millionaires, and instead extending a pay freeze for Federal employees to help pay for it.  Federal employees already are in a 2-year pay freeze, and this would extend it another year.  Occupy Wall Street protesters, you have yet more ammo.  Again the GOP shows its true colors.

ESPN “Sports” News of the Day - One of my pet peeves is just how negative the media is in the U.S.  Stories with a negative tilt seem to be what the public craves though.  The negative tilt on news even extends to sports news.  This evening I visited the ESPN.com main page.  On the right, they have about 10 major headlines.  The top headlines in all of sports included 1) Jerry Sandusky sex scandal updates 2) Football player fined for endzone dance 3) Feds conducting search of another sex-scandal coach 4) Another story about a NFL player fine…well, you get the idea.  I would find it very depressing to be a sports reporter, only to get into the business and find myself always reporting on scandals. 

Newt Gingrich – “I helped defeat Communism” - Wow.  Gingrich says he helped defeat Communism, and also helped develop supply-side economics.  The man certainly has an ego.  Given that “occupy” movements continue to grow though, I’m not sure I’d be trying to identify myself as a supposed creator of Reagan-esque, trickle-down economics.  If it were such a success, you’d think the economy would be booming right now, given that the rich continue to greatly expand their share of the Nation’s wealth. 

Viruses Survive For Long Periods in Environment – I currently have the most god-awful cold that I’ve had in many years.  I really don’t want my wife and son to get what I have, so I’ve tried to be very careful.  I’ve stayed sequestered in a corner of the house, washed my hands constantly, and tried like heck to not spread my germs all over creation.  I always assumed that viruses and bacteria really can’t live for long outside the body.  However, the study in this story notes that flu viruses can actually live up to several months outside the body, if conditions are right.  After reading this story, I have decided to personally take over our basement, lock the door, and keep the family away until mid-2012.  Better safe than sorry.

Cain Blasts “Character Assassination” - Cain says “they” are conducting a character assassination on him. I assume “they” are not only the legions of women stepping forward to level accusations of disgusting sexual behavior against him, but also the media for carrying the stories.  If Cain wants to accuse anyone of character assassination, all he really needs to do is look in a mirror.  The man is a pig.   Thankfully, he’s also a horrible politician, and unlike slick politicians who seem to often have negative press just roll off their backs, Cain’s campaign has been pretty clueless in terms of trying to respond to all of the allegations.  Bye-bye Mr. Cain, your moment at the top is over.  Now I just hope Gingrich’s run at the top of the GOP race is just as temporary.

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Perusin’ & Musin’

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment

Perusin' & Musin'Some random thoughts from perusing the web…

Ron Paul Shows What’s Important for GOP – Ron Paul today said that if the GOP “goes soft” in negotiations in the debt committee, the risk is that Obama would get re-elected.  Note that the “risk”, the main priority for the GOP, has NOTHING to do with the success of the debt committee.  Their main priority has NOTHING to do with negotiating in good faith, and doing what’s best for our country.  No, the priority is all about the next election, and making sure Obama isn’t reelected.  Even if it means taking the entire country down, by ruining the debt-committee negotiations.

Too Late to Stop catastrophic Climate Change?  – An International Energy Agency report released this week painted a pretty bleak picture with regard to the likelihood of avoiding catastrophic climate change.  For a long time, the hope has been that we could somehow limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius globally.  Even with that amount of warming, there are very significant implications on regional ecosystems.  The IEA report notes how incredibly unlikely it will be that warming is restricted to even that level.  Considering that a report a week or two noted that carbon dioxide emissions over the last year were higher than even the WORST projections from a few years ago, we’re likely accelerating climate change, not slowing its progression.

Jerry Sandusky Admits to “Horsing Around” with Kids - Jerry Sandusky, the ex-coach at Penn State who has been indicted for sexual assault on multiple young boys, admits he has often showered with young boys, but that it was all just “horsing around”.  Sandusky’s lawyer says Sandusky is just “a big kid”.  Do scumbags like Sandusky really think people are going to buy that defense?  That he’s just was “horsing around” with all these young boys over the years?   Does “horsing around” with kids include showering naked with them, bear-hugging them naked, and doing…more disgusting things that his victims accuse him of?   We have two registered sex offenders living a few blocks away.  Scares the hell out of me knowing people like this are out there, when I have an 8-year old son.

Cain on Defense after Libya Comments - Herman Cain has already shown a lack of foreign policy credentials, but he’s beyond the point where he can get by with the excuse of “that’s what the experts are for” (referring to policy advisors if he should by some miracle be elected).  Yesterday was a complete joke though, when he was completely lost on the topic of Libya…shocking, giving the prominence Libya has had in the news.   The bigger question to me is…HOW THE HELL can people like Herman Cain even be considered presidential material?   HOW THE HELL can a Rick Perry EVER be elected into any position of responsibility?!?  WHY THE HELL do American voters seem to sometimes treasure complete stupidity in their candidates?  On the bright side…I wondered if I’d “miss” Sarah Palin (remember her?) when she finally dropped out of the media spotlight, but with Cain, Perry, Bachmann, Paul, and practically every GOP member of Congress, there’s definitely no shortage of OTHER people to make fun of.

Two Rhino Species Extinct in One Week - Last week, the last known Javan Rhino of a certain subspecies was found shot, with its horn cut off.  This week, the western Black Rhino of Africa was declared extinct in the wild.  Two megafauna down in a one week’s time, all for the sake of horny Asian men who “need” rhino horn as an aphrodisiac.  Ain’t humanity grand…

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Romney Laughing All the Way to the Nomination

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Terry| 1 Comment
Laughing Mitt Romney

Romney may not show his humorous side that often, but given his opponent's penchant for self-destruction, he probably feels pretty jolly on the inside.

If I’m Mitt Romney, I’m feeling pretty good about now.  He doesn’t even really need to campaign.  All he has to do is watch the embarrassingly pitiful remainder of the GOP field self-destruct.  Michele Bachmann…the embarassment of Herman Cain…and, yet again, Rick Perry chose to self-destruct in a debate today.  In an attempt to bolster his conservative credentials, Perry said:

  • “I’ll tell you what,  it’s three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone: Commerce, education and, the –uh — what’s the third one there? Commerce, education and the uh, the uh…The third agency of government I would do away with — education, the, uh, commerce, and let’s see — I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.”

Wow, Gov. Perry.  You’ve got a talking point that you were obviously rehearsing for this debate, and you can’t even remember the three agencies you were going to cut?  I can’t wait until Saturday Night Live this week to see how they skewer Perry again over a debate performance.

Herman Cain’s performance?  He got a lot of applause when he first took on the controversy facing him. He tried to move the discussion away from all the sexual harassment allegations towards issues.  Yeah, good luck with that, Herm, especially after you chose to call Nancy Pelosi “Princess Nancy” later in the debate…a phrase that drew audible groans from the audience.  Not a smart phrase to use for a slimeball being accused of sexually harassing 78% of all women he’s ever met. 

Michele Bachmann already has countless websites devoted to her verbal gaffes.  Ron Paul is considered a genius by a sizable portion of the GOP voting base…and a complete loon by most of America.  Newt Gingrich continues to sound like the most intelligent and knowledgable GOP candidate…something which of course immediately disqualifies him from consideration (that, and the fact that he’s a conceited jackass).  John Huntsman also seems intelligent and knowledgable, and unlike Gingrich, he also seems rather likable, but the press seems to completely dismiss him as a credible candidate.

Meanwhile, Romney just sits back and enjoys the bumbling, stumbling, self-destructive behavior of his rivals.  He even was offered a golden chance in the debate tonight to attack Cain over all the recent accusations, and declined to do so.  He doesn’t need to.  With no credible “anti-Romney” candidate seemingly able to keep a foot out of their mouth, Romney’s best strategy right now is to simply kick back and enjoy the ride, all the way to the nomination.

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Conservatives (lack of) Respect for Women

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Herman Cain - Pig

Do you still support this man? If you're a Republican, polls show 7 in 10 of you don't care about all the women accusing him of sexual harassment.

Another day, another woman who comes forward with stories of sexual harassment by Herman Cain.  With four different women now accusing Cain of improper (and disgusting) behavior, you’d think those on the right would stop defending him. 

You of course, would be wrong.  Never underestimate the complete, blind loyalty that far right wackos have towards their own (“their own”, being those on the right, and wackos…seems to go hand-in-hand).   I read this story on Slate.com this morning, and couldn’t believe what was being said by those on the right, in defense of Cain.  A sample of the lunacy from this story and from elsewhere:

  • John Derbyshire – National Review – “Is there anyone who thinks sexual harassment is a real thing?”
  • Laura Ingraham – “We have seen this movie before and we know how it ends.  It always ends up being an employee who can’t perform or who under-performs and is looking for a little green.”
  • Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) – Sexual harassment is “a terrible concept”, with a misguided tendency to “define an action by the perception of the perceived victim.”
  • Former Sen. Fred Thompson – “These alleged victims and their lawyers – no matter what they may say publicly – are champing at the bit to come forward for their day in the limelight and the inevitable book deal.”
  • Sen. Rand Paul (R – Kentucky) - “There are people now who hesitate to tell a joke to a woman in the workplace, any kind of joke, because it could be interpreted incorrectly.”
  • Rep. Andy Harris (R – Maryland) - “What we ought to be concentrating on is not wasting time paying attention to issues other than the economy and how we’re going to get out of this mess we’re in.”
  • Newt Gingrich – “He (Cain) is out there trying to help a country that’s in desperate trouble, and he has gotten more coverage over the last few days over gossip.”
  • Anne Coulter – “The two utterly innocent conservatives who have been falsely accused are both conservative blacks”, discussing her belief it’s racism on the part of “feminist women who hate conservative black men”.
  • Rush Limbaugh - “This is gutter partisan politics, and it’s the politics of minority conservative personal destruction.  It really is about blacks and Hispanics getting too uppity.”

My favorite is from Kurt Schlichter in the New York Post – “Where sexual harassment law once protected women from being forced to be the playthings of crude lechers, it’s been transformed to enforcing a prim puritanism that drains the humor and humanity from the workplace.”   Ask the woman who came forward today if having HER LEG AND CROTCH grabbed is just part of “humor and humanity” in the work place.  Should men be given free reign to make disgusting and unwanted sexual advances towards women, and simply throw up their hands and say “Just Joking!!” when those women rebuff those advances? 

For those on the right, it seems sexual harassment isn’t a problem with the accused, it’s a problem with the accuser.  The comments above by those on the right seem to assume that 1) a woman ONLY makes an accusation of sexual harassment, if she wants to profit from it, 2) a woman who makes an accusation is simply overreacting to normal interplay between men and women, or 3) this is simply driven by liberal media and politicians.  As the Slate story above openly wonders, does the concept of sexual harassment even EXIST in the minds of conservatives? 

Evidently for many on the right, sexual harassment just isn’t a big deal.  For 7 out of 10 Republicans, a recent poll said the recent allegations will make no difference in their support for Cain.  WHAT…THE…HELL!?!?!?  Look at how Republicans treated Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.  Clinton was obviously a cheating, womanizing pig, but that was consensual at least.  How can Republicans try to bring down the Clinton administration based on his affair(s), but support Cain when FOUR different women accuse him of sexual harassment?  

Republicans have already somehow managed to politicize climate change, somehow trying to make a completely scientific issue into a political one.  They have somehow managed to politicize evolution.  It appears that for Republicans, sexual harassment too is simply some kind of political issue.

Or even worse…for Republicans, sexual harassment simply doesn’t appear to be an issue AT ALL.

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Cain blames Perry for his troubles!!

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Hermain Cain

Herman Cain has gone from being a political sideshow, to GOP frontrunner, to symbol of the disgusting behavior of men in power, all in the matter of a few weeks.

Herman Cain, you’re sounding even more pathetic every time you open your mouth.  Herman Cain has blamed everybody except for, well, himself for his…cough-cough…alleged…cough-cough…sexual harassment of two women in the 1990s.  It’s the liberal media!! It’s racism!! It’s the Democratic party!!  And now today, Cain goes on Fox News (of course) and expresses OUTRAGE towards the Rick Perry campaign, claiming they have traced the story that broke on Politico back to Perry’s group. 

Cain’s campaign manager says ‘The actions of the Perry campaign are despicable,” and goes on to say that Perry owes Cain an apology. 

GIVE…ME…A…FREAKIN…BREAK.   MR. CAIN…You were accused of sexual harassment, BY MULTIPLE WOMEN.  A large settlement was paid on your behalf to these women, to cover up your sorry-ass, disgusting behavior.  And you, Mr. Cain, think that it’s the PERRY campaign that should be apologizing here?!?!?  You think it’s Rick Perry who is despicable?!!??!

GET A EFFIN’ CLUE, Mr. Cain.  YOU were accused of disgusting, revolting behavior, and given how hard you’ve tried to cover it up, you obviously WERE GUILTY.   Do you really think that blaming a rival is going to deflect attention from your own disgusting behavior?  What is it about politicians?  What is it about people in power?  Why do they think they’re invincible, and treat other people like their own personal play things?

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Muffin-Gate – 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Seinfeld's Elaine and Muffin Top

Not since Elaine and her boss started a business selling just the muffin tops have muffins been such a controversial topic in America.

America today continues to be gripped by the riveting story of Muffin-Gate.   In September, the Justice Department’s inspector general reported that an audit had revealed department officials had paid $16 per muffin at a Hilton during an official meeting.  The news sparked outrage from the public, the media, and the Justice Department itself, with accusations of government waste.   Muffin-Gate 2011 continues the shocking string of muffin-related bombshells that have rocked the political world in recent months.

It was just three months ago that First Lady and noted child nutrition advocate Michelle Obama was spotted at a D.C. area gourmet-muffin store.  Photos of the First Lady with a cream cheese mustache were splashed  across the front pages of newspapers across the country, and an embarrassed Michelle Obama was forced to publicly admit that not only did she enjoy the king-sized sugary treats, but that she herself had gained weight and was sporting her own muffin-top.  The resulting outrage over Mrs. Obama’s nutritional hypocrisy led to a 35% drop in muffin sales nationwide.

The $28 billion muffin industry took another hit back in May after the Tea Party attempted to incorporate a muffin theme into the movement’s political agenda.  The idea blossomed when a member of Michelle Bachmann’s crack campaign staff watched a Seinfeld episode which featured the character Elaine eating only the delectable muffin tops, and discarding the bottoms.   Bachmann and Tea Party leaders adopted the “split muffin” as a symbol of government waste, claiming inefficient government expenditures were akin to throwing away the bottom half of the muffins.  Bachmann’s popularity initially surged as her now infamous muffin-themed campaign ads resonated with voters.  Bachmann’s short stint at the top of the polls abruptly ended when it was revealed that the “gay conversion” therapy clinic run by Bachmann and her husband had been purchasing and serving cheap muffin bottom leftovers from the local homeless shelter. 

The latest episode of muffin-gate 2011 was partially defused today as the Justice Department’s inspector general announced that it had made a mistake when it had reported the department had paid $16 apiece for muffins.  In reality, the $16 fee charged by Hilton was to provide a complete continental breakfast for government participants at the meeting.   The actual price of the muffin component of the breakfast remains a mystery, however, leading House leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor to announce the formation of an official inquiry into government muffin prices.  Rep. Peter King (R – N.Y.), chairman of congressional hearings into “Islam radicalization”, was named to lead the inquiry into muffin prices.   “The high prices charged for government muffins are indicative of a much deeper problem”, stated King. “Why should good American muffins be so expensive?  Muffin prices were never an issue…until 9-11.”  King’s Muffin Panel has scheduled its initial hearing for next week, with most of the subpoenaed speakers representing the Muslim Muffin coalition.

GOP presidential hopefuls were uncharacteristically unanimous in their support of the Muffin Panel hearings.  “Muffin prices were never an issue under Reagan”, said Newt Gingrich, “or under Bush.  Muffin prices have always been higher when Democrats are in charge.”   Texas Governor Rick Perry dismissed Democratic claims that muffin prices are simply reflective of the overall economy.  “I don’t believe in that economic voodoo,” said Perry. “Muffin prices are God’s way of punishing us for believing in that dad-gum climate change mumbo-jumbo.”  Herman Cain has responded to Muffin-Gate by making muffin prices a key component of his economic plan.  “Under Herman Cain, no government employee will ever pay more than $9.99 for a muffin”.

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Why do all GOP tax plans cut taxes for the rich?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Flat Tax

People like the flat tax. It's simple. Perhaps they should learn who benefits under a flat tax, as opposed to a more progressive tax system.

Not to be outdone by Mitt Romney’s 59-point economic plan or Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, Rick Perry announced his tax reform plan…a 20% flat tax.  He says that people could “choose” whether to keep their current tax rate, or go with the 20% flat tax.  One thing that seems to be the common theme for all of the GOP candidates is that their tax plans give one hell of a nice tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.   This despite continued cries for “shared sacrifice!!” from the right, when they say they need to cut social programs or pay and benefits for government workers.  

The richest Americans now have a marginal tax rate of 35%.   Perry would give them a massive 15% cut in the marginal tax rate.   Note that in the story above, Perry also touts that his plan would end the “death tax” (the estate tax), supposedly to “help farmers and small businesses”.  Bullshit.  Republicans talk about the estate tax as if it primarily affects middle or lower class Americans, when the primary beneficiaries of the abolishment of the estate tax would once again be the rich.  Do you sense a theme here? 

At a time when the Occupy Wall Street movement seems to be continually building, Republicans continue to base their economic plans on Reagan-esque, trickle-down crapola, driven by providing massive tax cuts to the rich.  Do Republicans read the news?  Do they realize the American public is starting to focus on the ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor, and the continual shrinkage of the middle class?   Or are they just counting on the complete ignorance of the American voter (not a bad strategy)? People say they like the “simplicity” of a flat tax, or of Cain’s 9-9-9.   Can the GOP continue to bluff American voters, hoping they won’t wake up until after the election and realize that GOP tax plans all amount to tax cuts for the rich?

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One Word Description for GOP Candidates

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Pew Research Center Poll

There's a lot more for Herman Cain to be encouraged about in this poll, than for Rick Perry or Mitt Romney.

The Pew Research Center asked respondents what was the one word that comes to mind when you think about the major GOP presidential candidates.  Maybe Herman Cain does have a chance in hell. 

By far, the word most commonly associated with Mitt Romney was “Mormon”.  First of all, I find that very disappointing, from a human nature standpoint.  Given Romney’s political exposure as a governor and two-time presidential candidate, I would have hoped people knew more about his politics than his religion.  Perhaps some do, but from the huge number of people defining Romney by his faith and not his politics, it is unfortunate, but obvious, that his faith could indeed cost him in the primaries.   It’s also quite obvious why Rick Perry has refused to denounce his allies who have focused on Romney’s faith.  Perry obviously WANTS Romney’s faith to play a role in the election.  If I’m Romney and I see this poll…I’m worried.

As for Rick Perry…the word most associated with him, by far, was “Texas”.  I find that as less of a surprise, as Perry was more of an unknown for most Americans, and Perry certainly revels in his Texas heritage.  But there’s a LOT for Perry to worry about in this poll.  Given the debacle of the Bush presidency, it’s not encouraging for Perry that so many voters associate him as (yet another) Texas governor.  Even worse for Perry are the other words associated with him.  Let’s see…in the top 10 words, we have “Idiot”, “Ass”, “Crook”, “Dislike”, and “Scary”.  I’m assuming Pew lumps similar words, as the first word that ALWAYS comes to mind for me when I think of Perry is “Jackass”.  It appears I’m not alone!   With Perry having such a strong association with “Texas” and very negative personal terms, if I’m Perry…I’m worried.

As for Cain…the “word” most often associated with him is “9-9-9″.  It’s VERY interesting that the political neophyte is the only one of the three whose name is primarily associated with his political views.  No matter how ridiculously stupid those views are.  Voters know very little about Cain, and the primary reason people say they can relate to Cain’s 9-9-9 plan is because “it’s simple”.   Unfortunately the 9-9-9 plan and voters both share that primary characteristic.  Politically, it’s easier for a rather uneducated voter to relate to Cain right now, as 9-9-9 is easier to understand at face value than Romney’s 59-point economic plan.  9-9-9 had about a week in the sun before the true nature of the plan was discussed in the media.  When “Occupy Wall Street” protests are spreading throughout the globe, Cain isn’t going to be able to cruise through the primaries based on 9-9-9, not when it’s become quite obvious that his plan would drastically cut taxes for the rich, while raising the tax burden on lower income people.

Still, if I’m Cain, I find this poll very encouraging.   Right now, Cain is cruising on a sea of voter ignorance.   I hope to god that changes, but one thing you can never seem to do is underestimate the ignorance of the American voter.  No matter what, enough voters have negative views of Romney and Perry that Cain will get a certain level of support.

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Herman Cain surging? This is the best of the GOP?

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Herman Cain

The surging Herman Cain. America seems to love their CEOs, just 3 years from them helping to drive America into recession.

Remember during the summer months, the big speculation was whether Rick Perry was going to run?  GOP voters, especially Tea Party voters, seemed dissatisfied with the GOP field at the time, and were looking to Rick Perry as their apparent savior.  Sure enough, when Perry announced he was running, he immediately shot up the polls, and the right-wing wackos thought they had their savior.

Then a funny thing happened.  Rick Perry opened his mouth.   It became immediately apparent that the man wasn’t anything CLOSE to presidential material.  Coupled with a series of embarrassing gaffes, and Perry has started to decline in the polls.  So the GOP has looked for a new savior, and that savior was supposed to be New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.   Opinion pages were actively salivating over a Chris Christie run, with some going so far as to say America “needs” Chris Christie.  Well, Chris Christie announced today that he was not going to run for president.   And the GOP mourned.

So who is the GOP looking to now?  It’s unlikely that another high-profile candidate will enter the race at this late stage, although you never know what someone like Sarah Palin will do.  So, as reality has hit and Perry has slid, it’s none other than Herman Cain who has been rocketing up the polls.  Herman Cain, the experienced pizza magnate, but political neophyte.  Yes, THAT Herman Cain is now suddenly a hot commodity in the GOP presidential race.  THIS is the best the GOP has to offer?!?  Someone like Herman Cain is now getting serious attention as a presidential contender?   Could it be there’s more to Herman Cain than running on the platform of double-pepperoni Tuesdays??

There’s only one thing that’s going to save Obama right now.  With the economy the way it is, and with the economy likely to still be terrible on election day next year, the public is in no mood for the status quo.  Can’t say as I totally blame them, although I’d hope to god they public would be in just as much of an anti-incumbent mood when voting for the House or Senate.  So, the only thing that’s likely to save Obama right now…if the GOP nominates a complete wacko, or a complete neophyte like Cain.  Here are some brilliant Herman Cain quotes…does this sound like presidential material?

  • “It will be a 20-foot wall, barbed wire, electrified on top, and on this side of the fence, I’ll have that moat Obama talked about!  And I would put alligators in that moat!!” – Unfortunately, as I’ve said before, to win in the Republican party right now, it seems you have to sounds like as much of a bigot as you can.
  • “If Obamacare had been implemented when I had cancer, I’d be dead.” - Gotta love Repubs with their complete lies about “death panels” and how bad Obamacare is.  The public actually LOVES most provisions of Obamacare, but the public is also stupid enough to believe all the crap the GOP spoon-feeds them on health care issues.
  • “Stupid people are running America.”  Well…I guess I can’t disagree with this one.  Except I don’t think it’s so much stupidity, as it is political self-preservation, where getting re-elected is the ONLY concern.
  • “Nobody motivates today’s workers.  If it doesn’t come from within, it doesn’t come.  Fun helps remove the barriers that allow people to motivate themselves.” – When I was in college, I worked at Godfather’s Pizza…during the Herman Cain years.  You know, I don’t recall having “fun” at a minimum wage job, and I certainly wasn’t very motivated!  Not quite sure where Cain was going with this quote, but I don’t think “fun” is going to motivate the scores of unemployed or under-employed.

Stupid quotes aside, it’s his background that should scare people.  He’s a businessman.   He has absolutely no political experience, other than losing a 2004 primary for the Senate in Georgia.   With his business background, he wants to be very aggressive in loosening regulations which supposedly “strangle” business…you know…little minor things like keeping the minimum wage, or having corporations pay their fair share of taxes.  JUST what America needs!  A corporate CEO to funnel yet MORE money to the rich, while the rest of us suffer. 

Despite the short-term bump, I don’t think Cain has any realistic chance at the nomination.  With Christie refusing to run, it’s hard for me to imagine Mitt Romney not winning the nomination.  But it says something about the brilliance of the American voting public that after corporate (and personal) greed brought about the biggest recession since the Great Depression, the public now seems to hate government much more than they hate Wall Street.

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