The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Herman Cain on Obama: ‘I’m Listening to All This Bulls–t That He’s Talking About’

Posted on | September 26, 2011 | 30 Comments

The winner of the Florida straw poll gets “worked up” in an interview with my young friend Chris Moody:

After a few caffeine-heavy refills at our corner table, I asked him about President Obama’s new effort to raise taxes on the wealthy, and Cain just about blew a blood vessel–especially when I mentioned the part where Obama says it’s about “math” not “class warfare.”
“Can I be blunt? That’s a lie,” Cain said, before the sound of his voice began to rise noticeably higher. “You’re not supposed to call the president a liar. Well if you’re not supposed to call the president a liar, he shouldn’t tell a lie. If it’s not class warfare, it’s highway robbery. He wants us to believe it’s not class warfare, oh okay, it’s not class warfare. Pick my pockets, because that’s what he’s doing!”
Cain paused, took a breath and looked at me.
“I’m not mad at you, I just get passionate about this stuff,” he said. “I have to tell people because I get so worked up . . . . I’m listening to all this bulls–t that he’s talking about, ‘fairness’ and ‘balanced approach’ to get this economy going.”

Read the whole thing. Cain tells Moody that on two days, he thought about quitting the presidential race: “That’s how frustrating a campaign can be . . . But think about the number of days we’ve been on this campaign. Two ain’t that bad.”

There are times in life — and obviously, Herman Cain knows this very well — when survival is victory. He was counted out and ignored, and certainly it must have been discouraging. But he kept showing up, until he found himself at a proverbial intersection, as I explain in today’s American Spectator column:

What Herman Cain did in Orlando this weekend was both completely unexpected and entirely predictable. As late as Friday afternoon, none of the pundits expected the Atlanta businessman to win the Florida GOP’s “Presidency 5” straw poll. But if what it took to win was a dynamic speaker who could bring a roomful of grassroots Republicans to their feet, Cain’s victory was in some sense inevitable.

“Send Washington a message!” Cain thundered from the stage of the Orange County Convention Center, prompting one of seven standing ovations he received Saturday in his speech preceding the vote in which he stomped Texas Gov. Rick Perry so badly that the Republican front-runner may never recover.

Perry’s disastrous debate performance Thursday — in which he said opponents of college tuition subsidies for illegal immigrants “don’t have a heart” — was the precipitating event of Cain’s triumph. As the old saying goes, luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity, and Cain was perhaps uniquely prepared to take advantage of the opportunity Perry’s stumble presented. . . .

Please read the whole thing. We all must deal with discouragement, and Herman Cain’s persistence against the odds is an inspiring example.


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Category: Election 2012, Florida, Herman Cain

Comments

30 Responses to “Herman Cain on Obama: ‘I’m Listening to All This Bulls–t That He’s Talking About’”

  1. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 4:42 pm

    Herman stick to your core principles.  I like you and I want you to do well. 

    As for this?  Please explain so we can understand.  I do not think the House GOP are the trouble makers here.  But perhaps you can explain your thought process. 

  2. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 4:46 pm

    Of course John McCain survived in 2008 (until ultimately he didn’t) and Stacy McCain considered that about as inspiring as a pesky cold sore that does not go away. 

    Still, I have a lot of faith in Herman Cain.  I like him.  I generally like what he says (not all of it obviously, see above link, but most of it). 

  3. The Wondering Jew
    September 26th, 2011 @ 4:46 pm

    Cain is dead-right on this point, and I’m glad he’s saying it so bluntly.

    Stacy still hasn’t sold me on him as the nominee despite the bleakness of the other alternatives, but I’m certainly glad his voice is in the race.

  4. McGehee
    September 26th, 2011 @ 5:03 pm

    If there’s a way to present a conservative candidate’s comments as blaming Republicans for something the Democrats are responsible for, I would expect the Establishment Media to run with it. I don’t see Cain’s words as quoted actually directed at House Republicans.

  5. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 5:13 pm

    That is why I would like to hear him further explain what he is seeking here. 

  6. Christy Waters
    September 26th, 2011 @ 5:43 pm

    It’s so refreshing to hear a candidate express some genuine emotion, instead of pre-packaged talking points. Herman Cain’s just giving voice to the frustrations that the rest of us are feeling, and he’s the most REAL person we’ve had run for president in a long time.
    Rick Perry comes off like a used-car salesman or an ambulance chaser; and Mitt Romney looks like he should be standing in a dept store window, holding a tennis racket. Besides, his voice reminds me of the narrators in those old driver’s ed films.

    I’ve been voting in presidential elections since 1988, and this will be the first time that I will actually be able to vote FOR someone, instead of just casting a vote against someone else.

    Thank you Herman Cain!

  7. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 6:05 pm

    I hope he makes it that far.  I really do. 

  8. Bob Belvedere
    September 26th, 2011 @ 6:22 pm

    From CNN itself:

    And during an interview Monday on CNN’s “American Morning”, Cain, who
    claims people connect with him based on his ability to communicate, said
    there are some places politics don’t belong.

    He addressed the current budget showdown over disaster funding for
    the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers
    that may result in a federal government shutdown if differences aren’t
    resolved by Sept. 30.

    “They want to play politics with human beings,” he said. “I would blame both parties.

    “There’s plenty of money in Washington, D.C. to offset anything that
    we need to spend on FEMA. I would make sure that FEMA got the money that
    it needed, and if I have to go find the offsets later, find it later.”

    And he blasted the behavior of Congress saying, “Stop playing with people’s tragedies.”

    Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and radio talk show host,
    credited his recent success to “message” being “more powerful than
    money.”

    When it comes to the GOP field, Cain separated himself from the pack.

    “The thing that differs me from a lot of other people running for the
    President of the United States is that I focus on the problem first.
    Then I focus on what the solution is, he said.

    “Put politics aside and deal with that while you present the
    solution. The solution is, fund FEMA. These people are suffering. They
    should not have to suffer because of the political bickering.”

    Cain dismissed criticism that the movement from which he’s received
    critical support is responsible for the gridlock, saying, “to blame the
    tea party group for being the ones that are holding this up, that’s just
    more politics as usual.”

    So…it would seem he’s blaming both parties in the Congress, but not us TEA Party folks.  I would like to see the unedited transcript [I can’t view the video embedded in the report where I am now].

    The CNN Report:
    http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/26/cain-to-congress-stop-playing-with-tragedies/

  9. Peregrine
    September 26th, 2011 @ 6:30 pm

    I’ve not been a Republican for quite some time, so I can’t vote for him in primaries, and my tiny voice is hardly a loss anyway; but I sincerely hope he is the nominee so that I can vote for him.

  10. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 6:34 pm

    That is a legitimate position in principle, but it suggests (I would say wrongly) that the current GOP leadership is the problem.  Who created this particular problem?  Democrats such as Harry Reid and others are doing it, to try to use FEMA to get through their plan.  What would help is Herman Cain noting that and then saying he would put people first…

    I know Boehner and McConnell have their problems, but we need them to remain fiscal hawks (granted they are not that fierce as hawks) as opposed to fiscal chickens. 

  11. Bob Belvedere
    September 26th, 2011 @ 6:38 pm

    I would like to see Mr. Cain clarify his remarks because I hope he’s not referring to the TEA Party associated members of the Congress.

  12. Joe
    September 26th, 2011 @ 7:05 pm

    I hope he is not suggesting that! 

  13. ltw
    September 26th, 2011 @ 7:15 pm

    David Plouffe said on Sunday in an interview with Chris Wallace that Rommney or Perry were in all likelihood to be the nominee.  Wallace quick question was, “You’re ruling out Herman Cain?”  Loved it.  Plouffe just ignored the question.  Great press for Mr. Cain.

  14. Anonymous
    September 26th, 2011 @ 7:33 pm

    On the one hand, I’m inclined to defend Cain’s comments, because they’re actually consistent with his underlying political message. Cain is positioning himself as a competent, no nonsense leader – a man who rolls-up-his-sleeves to achieve practical, real world, (economically) sensible solutions. And, for example, if people are suffering from a natural calamity one day, Cain would immediately go into crisis mode, and help oversee the response; the next day, though, he’d be back in DC, creating jobs and cutting waste in government. 

    On the other hand, this “framing” points to my biggest concern about Cain: his belief in “fix it” governance – the idea that, if government were only run with businesslike efficiency, expertise, creativity, etc., government could solve more problems at lower costs. 

    I’d like to hear more from Cain concerning his deeper philosophical views.

  15. Peregrine
    September 26th, 2011 @ 7:45 pm

    Well, of course he ignored it! Can you imagine anything more difficult for either the GOP Establishment or the Democrat Plantation than the public raising Cain in the White House?

  16. Adjoran
    September 26th, 2011 @ 7:59 pm

    It seems to me the House FEMA funding was defeated by the Democrats.  It is Reid who wants to add the money to the deficit.

    It isn’t helpful to have candidates doing anything other than blasting Reid.

  17. “Over Suggesting” « The Rio Norte Line
    September 26th, 2011 @ 4:05 pm

    […] at The Other McCain, Stacy McCain quotes a friend of his, Chris Moody, and Moody’s interview with Herman Cain. After a few caffeine-heavy […]

  18. Michael Smith
    September 26th, 2011 @ 8:21 pm

    Cain hits the nail on the head. Victor Davis Hanson also has a great piece at his “Works and Days” blog that I tried to tie together with Stacy’s post and Cain’s quotes.

    I linked to Stacy’s post but in case it doesn’t show up (my WordPress is quirky today) here it is: http://therionorteline.com/2011/09/26/over-suggesting/

  19. Anonymous
    September 26th, 2011 @ 8:54 pm

    Literally.

  20. Anonymous
    September 26th, 2011 @ 8:59 pm

    It seems to me that he doesn’t understand what weapons are and are not available to the Republicans in the house. Reason is not an available tool because one can not reason with dumb beasts.

    Compromise or “finding common ground” is not available to the Republicans, for when a bear insists it that it must eat your baby, where is the common ground twixt you and the Bear?

    Getting the public to tell the Bolsheviks to agree with the modest efforts the Republicans propose is a tactic that is not available to the Republicans, because the democrats do not understand English and in any case they have lost their listening ears.

    The only weapon available to the Republicans is brinkmanship. They have to be willing to stop the government entirely to get even the smallest concession from the moonbats. Unfortunately the Republicans don’t seem to understand how to use this weapon. If the Republicans are to be blamed for any shutdown or near shutdown wouldn’t you think they’d make the most rather than the least of it?

  21. Daily scoreboard « Don Surber
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  22. Dennis Miller Endorses Herman Cain, ‘Cain Versus Unable’ | The Lonely Conservative
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  23. Bob Belvedere
    September 26th, 2011 @ 11:05 pm

    WP is making a lot of changes again.  Last time, my trackbacks didn’t work for almost a month.

  24. The Righteous Rant Of The Day… « The Camp Of The Saints
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  25. Jackman
    September 27th, 2011 @ 12:38 am

    and Mitt Romney looks like he should be standing in a dept store window, holding a tennis racket.

    I see TV evangelist, but the low key, slick kind, not the bombastic, shout and beat on the pulpit ones. The kind that cons little old ladies out of their SS check and little young ladies out of their panties. Think Reverend Larry from the movie Repo Man.

  26. Datechguy's Blog » Blog Archive » Twin City Tea Party Straw Vote Tonight/Update Cain leads Zogby!
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    […] wonder what Stacy will say about […]

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    September 27th, 2011 @ 5:46 am

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  30. Christy Waters
    September 27th, 2011 @ 2:42 pm

    I almost went with game show host… Let’s make a deal, indeed!