The Cain mutiny
From POLITICO:
During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group, multiple sources confirm to POLITICO.
The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.
It has always been clear that Herman Cain could not remain on top of the Republican leaderboard. He has only a skeleton campaign organization and no ground game in any early primary state. Is the revelation that he was the target of sexual impropriety accusations from two women while he was head of the National Restaurant Association a “for whom the bell tolls” moment for Cain? Not necessarily. Cain can always say it was a misunderstanding, and his followers may buy it. Rush certainly has. “Inappropriate behavior” is a murky phrase that covers a lot of ground, and different people can perceive it in different ways. The possible reactions of his followers range from mutiny to blind loyalty. Just as important is how Cain responds: whether it is with anger or with dignity. So far he has changed his story several times on Day 1. Not a good sign.
The problem for Republicans is that Cain is the only candidate who is likeable. There is a little of “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” in him, the sincere amateur with the simple message that has a broad appeal. Nobody else had that magic working for him.
Is this the fabled “Perry luck” reasserting itself? Much depends upon how Cain reacts. (So far, not so good. Asking reporters if they have ever been accused of sexual harassment is not a winning strategy.) There is no reason to assume that Perry would be the principal beneficiary of a Cain collapse, if there is one. A good case could be made for Romney (a safe port in the storm), Gingrich (the smartest), or Perry (the most conservative and the most money), perhaps even for Ron Paul, who has a little bit of Jimmy Stewart in him.
But the beneficiary could also be Herman Cain, if he handles himself well, and if there are no more revelations. It’s way too early to write him off. But he is going to have to settle on a story and stick with it. That hasn’t happened so far.
Bill says:
Another high tech lynching of an uppity black man.
Let this be a lesson to any African Americans who think they want to be a Republican candidate for president. You’d think they would have learned from the whole Thomas/Hill episode back twenty years ago.
Reply »
anita Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 11:55 am
And what exactly is the lesson?
The analogy is very weak. Cain and NRA agreed to settle complaints — they certainly could have fought them if they cared to. There were no complaints filed against Thomas, just an after-the-fact recitation of some incidents shared by Professor Hill.
If Cain would not have tried to hide, bury the issue, we wouldn’t be discussing it today, would we? Thomas really didn’t have the opportunity to address it.
Reply »
Bodhisattva Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Thank you for commenting, Justice Thomas.
Reply »
Cow Droppings Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:15 pm
the irony that you would call anita that (virtual smiley face)
Reply »
jpt51 says:
What irony if it turns out the dirt was spread by Karl Rove, trying to help his candidate Mitt Romney but backfires and helps Rick Perry.
Reply »
Anonymous Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I wasn’t aware that Romney was a client of Rove.
Reply »
Robert Morrow Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Rove has taken on Romney as a pro bono case this election cycle.
Reply »
WUSRPH Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 5:11 pm
Karl has NEVER done anything for FREE…Hell will have been frozen over for 1,000 years before he would even consider it…Who is John Gault?
P.S. Not to rub it in..but Who won the World Series?
Huck Finn says:
Cain doesn’t want to be president. He wants to sell books and make money. He announced this weekend that he was going to be scaling back on his campaigning. Probably because he was getting afraid he might win the nomination.
He is not a serious candidate. He has no organization and no plans to build one. But he will gladly sell you his book.
Reply »
anita Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Agreed. He’s stumbled into the lead. He’s the ‘Howard Dean’ of the cycle. He needs to craft his exit wisely so he can join the Guiliani ‘Get Motivated’ motivational tour.
All it has motivated me to do is quickly change radio stations when I hear the grating voice of Rudy in their ubiquitous ads.
Reply »
Bodhisattva Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:10 pm
No, Anita, he’s the Kinky Friedman of this cycle. I wonder when we’ll see the “Herman-Cane” action figure.
Reply »
Robert Morrow says:
I think Herman Cain is LYING when he says he did not know if the Restaurant Association settled those claims by the women.
And LYING is not good.
Having said that, I think Cain weathers this storm. He obviously did something inappropriate, but it probably was not that egregious.
Reply »
Pat says:
Cain could always adopt the fabled Larry Ellison Defense: “Every successful billionaire has to fight off a sexual harassment suit once in a while.”
Reply »
Blue Dogs says:
Cain is lobbying for a cabinet spot in Romney’s administration.
Perry is just grasping at straws because he’s DESPERATE.
Reply »
anita says:
Speaking of a high-tech lynching, what happened to The piece on Perry’s bizarre-o ramblings on his daughter passing over Vanderbilt for A&M?
Reply »
I. P. Shiner says:
Cain’s stumble is not the same as a Cain collapse. (For the record, a new poll shows Cain and Perry tied in Texas, which is incredible).
Perry has his own new problems, with a viral video making the rounds in past few days, of a recent speech, where he appears odd, giddy, and unsure of himself or those around him… really an amazing video if you haven’t seen it.
I chalk up this new attack on the Cain Train in the same category as the machine’s attack on Ron Paul’s son, google “Agua Buddah – Rand Paul” to see what I mean… or even back in 08 when Obama got real traction, they banged the cocaine drum, but nobody cared.
In a horrid economy, the beltway dirt boys are tone deaf… why will Cain not collapse from this junk? Because most center-right primary voters will gladly ignore or look past some unsourced Cain story from over a decade ago… if they feel he in today’s economy connects with them as a real person, concerned with real problems.
Perry’s new viral video (featured this morning on MSNBC and other places) is more of a problem for Perry in the long term than Cain’s stumble here. In fact, it’s bad luck that Cain’s dirt is dropped just as that video of a very strange, odd Perry is making the rounds.
If anything, Romney benefits, not Perry.
Reply »
Robert Morrow Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Cain will survive this … despite handling it like a moron. He is lying about not remembering and that is very bad.
Reply »
Vernon says:
Is Cain even married? If so, what was the date of his marriage?
Reply »
Dave Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Yes. 1968.
Reply »
anita Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:57 pm
How do you know — have you seen his marriage license? I mean the original version, issued by the state? Why won’t he release it — what is he trying to hide? What is the font? It could have been doctored? Why won’t he submit it for forensic review? Why doesn’t he allow for carbon-dating of the paper? Clearly, it’s a fake — what does Trump say?
Reply »
Dave Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Good point. He could have just married her in SimCity.
Willie James Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:30 pm
We need to see a marriage certificate.
Reply »
Jim says:
I second I.P.’s thoughts, although that video of Perry was hilarious! He acted liked he was stoned out of his mind, giggling at everything.
Reply »
institutionalized Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 3:10 pm
i can empathize w Perry. I like following my pain meds with a couple glasses of wine too.
Reply »
Businessman says:
Luck for Perry? If Cain, Bachman, Newt and Romney formed a circular firing squad and pulled the trigger, Perry would still find a way to screw this up.
Reply »
anon says:
I think Perry is unstable.
Reply »
Willie James Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I’VE GOT IT!!!! We all vote for Perry, he goes to Washington….then we secede!
Reply »
Anonymous Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Anon 1:58
“I think Perry is unstable”…………
Ya think?
Reply »
Businessman says:
Oh my God, I just saw the Cornerstone speech clips. This alone will kill a Perry run for the White House.
It doesn’t matter WHAT the circumstances, what he was taking, what he’d drunk. NO ONE can vote for them man in that video to have his finger on the nuclear trigger.
Reply »
Robert Morrow says:
Cain beating Perry in Texas. No surpise there. Cain is going to OWN the South. Assuming he weathers harassment-gate.
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2012-presidential-election/cain-edges-perry-new-uttt-poll/
Cain 27%
Perry 26%
Paul 12%
Romney 9%
Gingrich 8%
“Texans appear to be subject to the national dynamic,” said Jim Henson, who teaches government at UT, runs the Texas Politics Project there and co-directs the UT/Tribune poll. “And the dynamic when we were out in the field was that Herman Cain was ascendant. He had really grabbed the attention of the conservatives in the GOP primary race in particular. And we saw that reflected in this poll.”
Though they’re statistically tied — Cain’s lead over Perry is well within the survey’s margin of error — the former executive leads Perry among rural voters in Texas, and has a smaller lead among suburban Republicans. Perry has a 2-point edge over Cain in urban Texas. Break that down a little more and the poll found Cain with a big lead over Perry in Houston and in Austin, while Perry had smaller advantages over Cain and the other Republicans in Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio.
“Maybe the most important number is that Cain is up 37 percent to 24 percent among the most conservative voters,” said Daron Shaw, co-director of the poll and a UT government professor. “Perry wins with every other group.”
Reply »
Reminder Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 10:32 pm
The story here is that Romney can’t break 10 percent in the South.
Reply »
paulburka Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Reminder to “Reminder”: He already has. Look at FL and SC polls.
Reply »
I. P. Shiner says:
The viral Perry highlights from the Cornerstone speech are indeed amazing for anyone who is a Texas follower of the governor in years past. Again, it will do more damage to Perry than the Cain mess today will do to help him.
I saw the Perry vid highlights featured on MSNBC this morning, and could only wonder what people across the nation must be thinking. It was almost like a Saturday Night Live sketch, but real. Worse, it was a speech at Cornerstone, the kind of hotbed bible-based place we’d expect Perry to dominate. Cain’s stumble today would be a Perry benefit, had that video not emerged.
Reply »
Anonymous Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 2:51 pm
It was better than an SNL skit………in fact, how will SNL top that?
Reply »
Anonymous says:
Ill start by saying that I am not a big Perry fan, but I just don’t think he should be criticized for being personable. He is a dynamic person full if life and energy, that’s all.
Reply »
Anonymous Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 5:05 pm
He was not being “personable” he was being loopy. Big difference. And he is running for President of the US, not a high school booster club.
Reply »
AreYouKiddingMe says:
Any political advisor worth his salt would immediately create an ad playing excerpts from that video and at the end, just display the words,
“and tell me again who would elect this guy?”
Spend all available money to run this across the country. Instant winner, and end of Perry for good. I see a new youtube sensation…
Reply »
Businessman Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Why bother spending money? This thing spreads like a Bastrop wildfire.
Reply »
WUSRPH Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 5:15 pm
You mean like the one with the heart beat sound and Spiro Agnew…being one heart beat away?
Reply »
anonymous says:
Has the Perry video been edited or “doctored”?
Reply »
Dave Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 6:25 pm
The full video is out there as well. The edited one is about a third the length. Compare them if you like.
Reply »
patriotone says:
It is not credible that a substantial (five figure sum) was paid to settle a sexual harassment claim against the CEO of any organization and that the CEO would not be aware that the payment was made. Cain has handled this very badly. Surely they knew it was going to come out.
Should have said, “Old news, cost of doing business for a busy important man like myself. Others handled it. There was nothing to it but you understand the world we live in.”
Then it would have gone away. Now, I’m not so sure.
Reply »
John Johnson says:
I have a young friend just shy of 40 who coached with my son back 10 years ago at a Texas university. He left coaching and was on the fast track at an international company, already reaching the V.P. level.
He had sexual harrassment charges filed on him in a Texas county by a woman who was a sale person working for him. He had scheduled a meeting in his suite for a half dozen or so sales people and she showed up early. She called and texted a few of the other sales people the day after that she had been sexually harrassed by my friend prior to their meeting…that he had taken her phone away from her for a time, tried to talk her into having sex with him, and tried to keep her from leaving his room. She pressed charges against him several days after he had flown back to his out of state home.
He was initally supported by his company president, but after the company attorney got involved, he was fired. He was told that they wanted to lessen the chance of her filing civil charges against them. It didn’t work. She went after them, as well.
Witnesses gave statements that when they reached his room that she was standing in an open doorway texting someone on her phone and never mentioned the incident or seemed upset. Phone records showed that my friend was on his phone almost the entire time she said she was being harrassed.
It made no difference to the district attorney’s office. A supeona was issued for his arrest, he had to fly to Texas, get a bail bondsman, an attorney, and spend most of a day in jail. This was two years ago. The charges were just dropped by the DA’s office because the woman would not come to Texas and testify in court. They kept trying to get John to plea bargain, but he refused.
He lost the license he held when charges were filed against him, he had to fly into Texas each time a hearing was scheduled, he declared bankruptcy, he had to borrow money, his attorney was given $40K upfront, and he doesn’t know how much, if any, he will get back since they didn’t have to go to court.
Just because Mr. Cain paid off two woman to keep from having charges pressed against him does not mean that he was guilty. Everyone needs to remember this. He does, however, need to come clean. Guilty or not, when he does, the media will dissembowel him. He will never be elected.
This is what a man is faced with in Texas if a bold, scornful, opportunistic, money seeking woman gets mad at her boss or the company she works for.
This is what a presidential candidate faces if, in the past, he has paid off his accusers instead of facing them and proving them liars in open court.
Reply »
Anonymous Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 5:33 pm
And if two women make such charges, does it change your thinking about the likelihood of guilt?
Reply »
Anonymous says:
JJ……AMEN!!
Reply »
patriotone says:
My point. I am making no judgment as to the validity of the charges. How can I? How can anyone at this late date. My point is that the proper answer is simply to say people pay to make these things go away every day. That is a sad commentary on the world we live in. Given his audience, that makes him a hero. Saying he doesn’t know they paid these women off just sounds unbelievable.
Reply »
Robert Morrow Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Cain is LYING about not remembering and that in and of itself is bad.
Reply »
Robert Morrow says:
That Cornerstone video of a loopy Rick Perry is some potent stuff. It is one thing for folks to disagree with your politics, it is ANOTHER thing when they thing you are too drugged up, drunk or batshit crazy to have your finger on the nuclear weapon. Then it is not a matter of what they think you will do at 3AM red light alert, they start worrying about you could be doing at 8AM, 10AM, noon, 2PM and the other 23 hours of the day.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/joe-scarborough-sees-rick-perrys-nh-speech-and-thinks-valium-vicodin-and-vodka/
Joe Scarborough Sees Rick Perry Speech And Thinks ‘Valium, Vicodin and Vodka’
While the general consensus was that Perry was just showing a more fun side, there was a heavy bit of intimation that he might have been boozing it up. When prompted to name her favorite cocktail, Mika Brzezinski coyly demurred, but Joe Scarborough mentioned that when he had severe back pain, his cocktail was “valium, vicodin…and just a little bit of vodka.” After being accused of possibly implying Perry was using drugs, Scaroborough clarified. “I’m not saying he was using drugs, I’m saying I was.”
Reply »
Tom says:
Cain:
“I have never been accused of sexually harassing anyone.”
“OK, I was accused, but I was exonerated.”
“OK, there was some type of agreement, but no money changed hands.”
“OK, money changed hands, but I was never told anything about it.”
“OK, I was told, but I can’t discuss it.”
At this rate, he’ll be revealing the names of his illegitimate children by morning.
Reply »
Robert Morrow says:
Perry losing to Obama among independents by a whopping 18 points.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/romney-2-cain-even-perry-down-18-among-independents_604258.html
“The latest Rasmussen poll shows Mitt Romney and Herman Cain running more or less even with President Obama among likely independent voters, while Rick Perry trails by double-digits. Among independents, Romney leads Obama by 2 percentage points (40 to 38 percent), Cain and Obama are tied (at 37 percent), and Perry trails Obama by 18 points (46 to 28 percent). Ron Paul is actually doing better than Perry among independents — as Paul trails Obama by 10 points (44 to 34 percent) — as is Jon Huntsman (who leads Obama by 4 points — 33 to 29 percent).”
Reply »
Robert Morrow says:
Alexandra Petri – like everyone else on the internet – having a hoot with Rick Perry’s *floating in outer space* speech to Cornerstone*
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/post/rick-perry-drunk-no-get-me-some-of-rick-perrys-passion/2011/10/31/gIQAPFQtZM_blog.html
I’m telling ya, this video is awesome. It’s Charlie Sheen, Tiger Blood Adonis DNA all over again. What is the dollar value of that self created IED? $3 million? $5 million?
I’m just waiting for political guru Harvey Kronberg to explain to me just how Perry gets out of THIS one on the way to his inevitable White House coronation.
“Does Rick Perry have a passion dealer? I would like access to whatever results in a speech like this. It looks essentially like alcohol, or the combination of alcohol with horse tranquillizers, but apparently it’s all natural.
They say to be careful not to drink to excess because you will embarrass yourself in public by saying stupid things, pulling asinine faces, and making your shoulders dance. It turns out that you should avoid “passion” for the same reason.
… But it’s tough on the campaign trail. Look sober and collected, and everyone accuses you of being Mitt Romney. Look wild and unhinged —I’m sorry, passionate — and everyone assumes you’re on some combination of alcohol and Quaaludes.”
Reply »
rw says:
I love the timing of this story. I guess Cain had to rise to the top of the polls before it was going to come out.
Reply »
Kenneth D. Franks says:
It must be Christmas for Mitt Romney or some other lucky Republican hopeful instead of Halloween, with Perry’s speech and Cain’s problems.
Reply »
Glen Maxey says:
I’ve so been rooting for Rick Perry’s comeback. If he just hadn’t gone all loopy on us in New Hampshire, then the march back to the top would have begun.
But then when even Texans being polled have him getting kicked by Cain, that march was a tricky thing to pull off.
I just await the next polls to see if charges of sexual harassment pull Cain down behind the Perry of the loopy period.
This Republican primary marathon is just so entertaining.
Reply »
JohnBernardBooks says:
@Glen
“This Republican primary marathon is just so entertaining” only when tuning into liberal media sources.
Some sources actually report the news instead of trying to make it “entertaining”.
Reply »