Raising Cain

[Kat]

Just in case you missed my fifteenth second of youtube fame, me and my Going Galt sign are in Herman Cain's campaign video right when Dr. King starts speaking almost halfway through the video. How cool is that!?!

Herman Cain is a great candidate and is picking up some steam as he gains name recognition. He can get people fired up and may actually have a chance at winning the primary. Personally, I think he is the best tea party candidate in the race now. He seems genuine and likable and is plain spoken and a problem solver. Although many will try to dismiss him as just a pizza guy, he is a rocket scientist (literally) and has degrees in mathematics and computer science. If he can win the primary, he can beat Obama. Herman Cain has stronger public speaking skills than Obama IMHO. Here he is a few months back at the tea party rally I attended.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dhdIsyJwUw8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[9thdoctor]

I saw the sign, but no Kat. Not a paw. Not even a whisker.

[Selene]

And best of all Kat, he actually has a serious economic proposal - 9-9-9, which is:

1) catchy and memorable;

2) simple; and

3) seems sensible.

And even though he is a tea party racist, he is an "authentic" black man, with real slave blood!

Adam

[Selene]

Herman Cain in the lead - it worked!

http://www.ibopezogby.com/news/2011/09/26/ibope-zogby-poll-perry-plummets-18-trails-cain-lead-among-gop-primary-voters/

[Selene]

It seems that every day I’m asked who I’m supporting for President. Yesterday it was in a comment on Facebook, this morning I got an email asking if I’ll support Sarah Palin, and this afternoon my dad texted me about Herman Cain.

To be 100% honest, until today I really didn’t know which direction to go in. I’ve found myself bouncing around between various candidates for a plethora of reasons. But every time I started to like a candidate I quickly got reminded of why I won’t fully go “all in” for him/her. This morning I had to step back and look at the full range of candidates and eliminate those I wouldn’t select as my #1 option.

Only one candidate was left, and that candidate is Herman Cain.

I interviewed Herman Cain a couple weeks ago. See the interview below.

http://activistsandairplanes.com/2011/09/29/im-voting-for-herman-cain/

[Selene]

So now Herman Cain is a "bigoted racist!" Gee, I thought being an Oreo cookie was bad enough! Listen to the "reasoning" of Cornell Belcher[he is the one who looks like an aging Buckwheat****].

http://www.therightscoop.com/cornell-belcher-on-cnn-herman-cain-is-a-bigot-and-a-racist/

****

Thomas as '"Buckwheat"'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Thomas

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I could do Cain, easily.

I like Palin, but Cain really appeals to me.

In fact, I hope they team up.

Like I said about Ron Paul, I don't think he has the ability to govern from a chief executive standpoint, but I do think he should be invited to the cabinet as one of the Secretaries.

Michael

[Selene]

Michael Barone, who is one of the smartest, if not the smartest political analyst in the United States, wrote the following:

"Unlike the incumbent," Henninger wrote, "Herman Cain has at least twice identified the causes of a large failing enterprise, designed goals, achieved them and by all accounts inspired the people he was supposed to lead."

Cain's business success, his "9-9-9" tax plan, his generally conservative stands on issues, the YouTube clip showing him debating Bill Clinton on health care in 1994

***

-- all of these help account for his apparent surge in the polls.

But I suspect there are a couple of other factors. One is likability. Romney's attempts at ingratiation are awkward, and Perry's charm is lost on most non-Texans. But Cain is, as the Atlantic's liberal analyst Chris Good concedes, "undeniably likeable."

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/barone-time-raise-cain-contender-status

*** here is the YouTube. http://youtu.be/vy542UgSelQ As a fairness statement, both Clinton and Cain were focused, on point and knowledgeable. This is an incredibly good example of the public discourse debate.

Clinton at a point late in the video, @ 7:52, Clinton exhibits the classical interrogation reaction of looking up and left, "the inside the head" look to access internal information. He then nods his head and mouths "good point" in acceptance of Cain's numbers and to his credit then asks Cain to send him his evaluation.

This is a great piece of tape wherein both men acquit themselves honorably.

Adam

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I think one of the issues the mainstream media misses is the fact that big government and lack of integrity are on the conservative chopping block in this election.

I sense that most conservative-leaning people detect the true intention of old-money Republicans, i.e., to co-opt Tea Party slogans with a candidate who is pure crony capitalism underneath. And they are tired of the games.

I also sense that people want a candidate who promotes positive doable problem-fixing ideas without distorting his own past or attacking other candidates over non-essentials.

Herman Cain fits that bill perfectly.

It's amusing to see the mainstream media watching in wonder, scratching its collective head and asking, "What happened?"

When I see this, I like being an American. It's one of the few times I feel a true sense of belonging to something big where there are creatures similar to me in it.

Michael

[Mikee]

Agreed. I like your thinking Michael.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Mike,

Heh.

Thanks.

I also like the way you think--even when you go off.

I admit that I have a touchy-feely underbelly, but I also have a very, very rugged hide.

It's hard to find people like that in the mainstream press. That's why I like it when I find out many people are actually that way. They're just silent about it.

This sometimes gets lonely, but I seem to carry it well so far.

I'm thinking of adopting the honey badger as my mascot.

Michael

[Mikee]

http://images.nation...637_600x450.jpg

Much as I like the honey badger I still prefer the American Mountain Lion. This solitary, graceful and powerful hunter stole my heart as a boy and his image still sustains me.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Below has to be the most aggravating political interviews I have ever seen. Lawrence O'Donnell was in the most obnoxious smarmy form I have ever seen him in.

He asked Herman Cain if he isn't embarrassed for having gone to school when other blacks were fighting for civil rights back in the 60's.

He also accused Cain of avoiding service in the Vietnam war in the same breath he was discussing the service Cain provided for the Navy as a civilian back then.

Unfriggen believable.

Herman Cain held up well, but O'Donnell's distortions and misrepresentations were painfully grating to watch, especially when he got in crusading mode. I wonder if doing this kind of interview is worth it for Cain.

I want to embed the video, but there is no embed code.

Fireworks: MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell's Hostile Interview With Herman Cain

Enjoy if you can. I didn't.

At least I know that Herman Cain does not take his eye off the ball when there is a shit ton of noise around him. I've just now seen it.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I just looked at the comments to the video on Real Clear Politics in my last post. Check them out here.

As of this posting, there are 267 posts over there. I only skimmed the first page, but the outpouring of support for Cain is way, way beyond normal for something like this. I expected to see a more balanced back-and-forth, with at least a good portion of people attacking Cain.

And the comments are not one-liners, either. I want to quote one, but there are so many good ones to choose from. Here's one I chose at random by someone who signs as "Fool Me Once." (I know, I know, a better name would have been better, but I literally chose this at random--not quite doing eenie-meenie-miney-moe, but something similar--and stuck with it.)

Contrast O'Donnell's trumped up character assassination attempts of Cain re: the Civil Right's Movement and the Vietnam War and what O'Donnell thought Cain should have been doing vs. the kid glove treatment Obama received after it became well known he was interacting with known terrorist Bill Ayers and sitting in Rev Wright's Church for 20 years!!!!!!

This Cain interview points out O'Donnell's (and MSNBC's) unabashed racism against an independent thinking man of color!

Total Disgust!

By being such a jerk, I think Lawrence O'Donnell has literally given Herman Cain so much positive exposure that even some of his own fans will switch over and support Cain. I mean that sincerely.

Also, according to one poll (Zogby), Cain has had a huge sudden spike in popularity. See here: Poll: Cain surges, opens up 20-point lead on Romney. (By Alexis Levinson - The Daily Caller, Oct. 7, 2011.)

I have no doubt that some of this (if not the most part) comes from Christie and Palin supporters.

I can't help but think of the poetic justice of America finally electing a black man, Obama, thus showing in action just how far Americans have distanced themselves from racism, then (hopefully) immediately electing another black man in order to get it right, since they messed up the first time.

Michael

[GALTGULCH8]

As appealing as Herman Cain is as a person and as successful as he has been as a businessman I have suspected that he is not even aware of the Austrian School of Economics meaning one who has read Rothbard, von Mises, Woods and G, Edward Griffin especially regarding the issues of money and credit and in particular central banking and its history in the United States. Sure enough he has said that the Fed is actually audited! He would not seek to abolish it! He does not appreciate that it has no constitutional authority and he is oblivious to the evils, interventions and distortions the Fed has caused.

So if he were elected he would not get to the root cause of our economic problems, unless he chose Ron Paul to be in his administration and if he were open to listening to reason and were willing to read certain choice books on the subject.

[9thdoctor]

As appealing as Herman Cain is as a person and as successful as he has been as a businessman I have suspected that he is not even aware of the Austrian School of Economics meaning one who has read Rothbard, von Mises

You expect prospective Presidential candidates to have studied Austrian economics? I count it as a wonder that any of them have, and blush when I read that Michele Bachmann boasts of reading Mises on the beach.

Enjoy if you can. I didn't.

I thought Cain did well. O’Donnell was truly nasty, so this shows that Cain can stand up for himself. These kinds of allegations were bound to be aired eventually.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Cain has some drawbacks that I don't like, but there is not one candidate I see that does not have drawbacks.

For example, Cain is strongly pro-life, too much for comfort, and he is strongly against gay marriage, once again too much for comfort. He has no record of getting things done with hostile people he can't fire. His 9-9-9 plan opens a new revenue stream for the IRS (federal sales tax), and that is never a good idea. And he is weak on his knowledge of foreign affairs.

There are probably some more issues.

But on the plus side, I believe his strengths eminently qualify him to be chief executive of our government.

To start with, he has good solid character. I don't get the impression that he is a man hiding an agenda or easily corruptible by power. I don't detect the warning signs of a person who relies on dirty tricks, stealth efforts that result in backstabbing at a strategic moment, or betrayal of principles for political expediency.

He also has a stellar record of going into bad business situations and turning them around in a resounding manner. I believe his interview with O'Donnell shows how he will deal with hostile people, so I am a bit more at ease with how he would handle Congress and political enemies.

Also, I am not too worried about his lack of theoretical grounding in economics. God knows, we have too many economic theoreticians already. I believe Cain's practical economic experience on the free market--highly successful experience gained at the small business level--more than compensates for lack of theory. I have little doubt he will make wise economic decisions.

He is a man who is not afraid to say when he doesn't know about something--and he seeks education when he needs to learn. He is also not afraid to say that he just studied it and present his preliminary conclusions as preliminary.

His 9-9-9 plan abolishes many revenue streams for the IRS. (However, I don't believe in this as much as I would like. I would have to see it to believe it, but at least I believe the attempt is worth a shot. And like I said, I am not a fan of opening a new revenue stream.)

His mantra, "focus on the right problem," resonates with me to the bottom of my soul. I hold this, more than anything else, will make him correct his course when things do not work out as planned or intended.

He has adopted Reagan's principle of peace through strength. I am no friend of massive military-industrial complex build-up and policies, but I also do not underestimate sworn enemies, especially ones who show all the signs of gearing up for war and conquest. I believe Cain will strike a good effective balance here.

He stands with Israel against the threat of it being wiped out.

He is on the right side of the free-market versus big government divide. This is not only reflected in his stated views, but in his history, He is not a career politician, nor is he a businessman who has depended on political favors to profit.

He is a natural born leader who demonstrates that he has also studied leadership. In other words, he takes decision-making very seriously, both in substance and in its effect on morale. From what I see, he is extremely competent at making good decisions, implementing them, and getting people to back them.

He is a producer in the best sense of the term, not a ruler of men qua ruler of men.

I don't know if Herman Cain could be a great President, but I do believe he will be a very good one if elected. Since Sarah Palin is now out, I am backing him (so far, at least).

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Art Lafer, a former Reagan adviser, loves the 9-9-9 plan of Herman Cain.

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://video.foxnews.com/v/embed.js?id=1217420754001&w=466&h=263"></script><noscript>Watch the latest video at <a href="http://video.foxnews.com">video.foxnews.com</a></noscript>

Now that he's on board, more and more heavies will join.

I don't like taxes, but I am fully aware that turning a behemoth like the USA government around doesn't happen on a dime.

Between the current tax code and the 9-9-9 plan, to me it's a no brainer. And Cain has a Phase 2 where he intends to dump income taxes.

If that kind of mentality takes for a spell, I see him preparing the USA for further debate and change in the right direction.

Michael