Calling Herman Cain a “minstrel” is out of bounds
To my regulars: The subject of this post requires maturity and civility. If you cannot act responsibility, please don’t comment here.
A black writer who posts under the name Chauncey DeVega has written a vicious, sophomoric and unfair takedown of black Atlanta businessman Herman Cain, calling him a “minstrel for CPAC.” (h/t Dave Wiegal)
Instead, Herman Cain’s shtick is a version of race minstrelsy where he performs “authentic negritude” as wish fulfillment for White Conservative fantasies. Like the fountain at Lourdes, Cain in his designated role as black Conservative mascot, absolves the White racial reactionaries at CPAC of their sins. This is a refined performance that Black Conservatives have perfected over many decades and centuries of practice. . .
In the money shot, Cain gives the obligatory “black folks who are not Republicans are on the plantation” speech to the joyous applause of his White benefactors. And he doubles down by legitimating any opposition to President Barack Obama as virtuous and patriotic regardless of the bigoted well-springs from which it may flow.
I find that kind of criticism of black conservatives deeply offensive because it presumes that they are not entitled to think differently. Isn’t that the essence of racism — the notion that all black folk must think and act alike? Don’t racists make that very assumption?
There are very few things that Cain and I agree about. He has adopted the most rightwing views of the current Republican party, including the deluded notion that U.S. currency should be based on the gold standard. He is dead wrong about the Affordable Health Care Act, which he compares to health care in Great Britain or Canada. It has little in common with the health care systems of those countries. He believes in a fantasy called the FAir Tax.
But black men and women gave their lives in the civil rights movement so black folk like Herman Cain come applaud those rightwing principles if they chose. He is a wealthy businessman — and the more wealthy black businessfolk there are, the more black Republicans there are likely to be.
Besides, Cain was no more a ‘minstrel” than any of the other speakers who came before a rightwing audience trying to tell them what they wanted to hear.
On Wednesday, I wrote about Cain’s flirtation with a presidential campaign:
WASHINGTON — Herman Cain received no ringing endorsement for a presidential bid here last week, when he spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual gathering of hyper-conservatives. In the ritual straw poll of delegates, Cain received only two percent of the vote — clustered near the bottom of a list of 15 possible contenders.
That’s not the only suggestion that conservative activists would greet a Cain presidential bid — should he decide to run — as a wealthy man’s folly. At National Review Online, a must-read for inside-the-Beltway conservatives, writer Jonah Goldberg dismissed Cain’s chances in December. “. . .it’s hard to imagine him amounting to more than an exciting also-ran,” Goldberg wrote.
Indeed, Cain himself is given to joking about his prospects. A black businessman, radio talk show host and motivational speaker, he likes to refer to himself as “a dark horse.” He’s never held elective office; he came in a distant second to Johnny Isakson in a 2004 bid for the GOP Senate nomination.
Still, Cain, an Atlanta native and Morehouse grad, has spent a long career challenging the odds. He says that his Web site, set up for his presidential campaign exploratory committee, has drawn volunteers in the tens of thousands. Affluent donors are also ready to support him, he told me last week.
As for CPAC, Cain has at least moved up a bit in the pecking order. Last year, he said, he was given an 8 a.m. speaking slot, when very few delegates filled chairs in the main ballroom. On Friday, he had a 4 p.m. speaking slot and received, at a few points, enthusiastic applause.
But he used his time to give a very un-candidate-like speech — full of slogans and platitudes but lacking substance. It was the very opposite of that given by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose speech laid out substantive points of policy — he would replace the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, with an “environmental solutions agency,” he said — as well as the standard Obama-bashing rhetoric.
Still, as Cain would likely point out, Gingrich, who has a national profile, didn’t do much better with the delegates, polling only 5 percent. In an e-mail, a Cain spokesman said: “Mr. Cain came out ahead of other potential contenders such as Haley Barbour, John Thune and Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, all seasoned Republican leaders.”
So, will Cain run? A spokesman said he is “a few months” away from making an announcement. There’s no hurry since none of the 15 potential candidates in the straw poll has formally declared a candidacy.
If he launches a bid, he will have to give up the considerable income he draws from the corporate boards on which he serves: Hallmark, Whirlpool and Agco — a Duluth, Minn.-based manufacturer of agricultural equipment. (He has already suspended his radio talk show, which aired on AM 750 WSB.)
But he actually has little to lose. A presidential bid would raise his profile — and likely increase potential income from speaking fees. He clearly enjoys the attention he receives as the rare black ultra-conservative who commands the respect of newly-empowered tea party activists.
Cain came to national attention in 1994, when, as the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, he challenged then-president Bill Clinton about his health care proposals in a televised forum. Shortly thereafter, Cain was elected board chairman of the National Restaurant Association, an organization which dedicated itself to beating back what would have been “ClintonCare.” That makes Cain a go-to guy for conservatives who want an experienced businessman to denounce the Affordable Health Care Act.
In addition to tea party bona fides, Cain has the ambition of a man with a new lease on life, having survived State 4 colon cancer.
“I only had a 30 percent chance of being here talking to you today,” he told me last week. “God said, ‘Not yet.’ . That was one of those defining moments that got me to (this) point today.”
That point is a hair’s-breadth from a presidential campaign.
— Cynthia Tucker
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
365 comments Add your comment
Dan
February 17th, 2011
7:34 pm
Intelligent well spoken and experienced and therefore realastically guided, certainly an upgrade by any measure
kayaker 71
February 17th, 2011
7:36 pm
Good Fight,
Tucker could care less about anyone who does not agree with her liberal agenda. She is patronizing Herman Cain. I did bother to the read the piece. That’s why I am so upset. She could care less about anyone with a conservative point of view, especially a black man. Herman Cain is not black enough for her kind and that is a real shame. It colors everything she writes. Where is all of her condemnation of all the slurs in attacking those she demonizes. It certainly does not lie with a black conservative. They haven’t walked over Selma bridge….. they are not the old guard John Lewis black man. The Herman Cains of this world have a special place. CT just doesn’t realize it.
Memphis11Gate
February 17th, 2011
7:38 pm
Jeff you are fool. Black people can independently think for themselves and who has enslaved blacks since the1960 with welfare? Democrats, many studies point to the breakup of the black family to social welfare programs. I worked with a man that was in the welfare system and the male was out of the picture, why, government rules and regulations. Democrats, now I don’t agree with Herman on somethings however he looks out for all people. If you teach some to fish, its better than giving them a fish. Jeff will never understand that. Like a famous sociologist points out blacks vote Democratic because they get the most welfare out of the system and are afraid of taking risk.
Memphis11Gate
February 17th, 2011
7:38 pm
For one rare time, I have to agree with Tucker.
Oh Please!!!
February 17th, 2011
7:44 pm
CT, thanks for adressing the race issue with Herman Cain. I usually disagree with you, but congrats for taking an agree-to-disagree approach. (I believe in libertarian economic principals as opposed to Keynesian principals).
I have long wondered what race has to do with economic principals.
We all know how Justice Thomas has been reviled because of his right-of-center political views. As well as many other black conservatives that have been called “sell-outs.”
Thank you for taking a stand against this form of black on black racism.
Chris Sanchez
February 17th, 2011
7:45 pm
CT: You said: “Auburn fan@5:33, I’m quite upset about the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner. I’ve partied there many times. I don’t think it’s wise to bring politics into that, but since you did — the suspect probably is a Republican voter. He’s a middle-aged white guy in Alabama. You think he votes for Democrats?”
Depends on how you define a Democrat. If you mean Zell Miller then he probably does vote Democrat. If you mean Nancy Pelosi then probably not. That is actually rather sensible of him if true!
Chris Matthews
February 17th, 2011
7:51 pm
Herman is one fine and honest man!
quick
February 17th, 2011
7:53 pm
K71 – she was so offended by it…she reprinted it!…go figure
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
7:53 pm
I worked with a man that was in the welfare system…
Did you also stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night also?
With Morgan Fairchild?
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Keep up the good fight!
February 17th, 2011
7:56 pm
k71…well if you did not rather to read the opinion piece, I guess there is no point in readying your posts because you simply do not know what in the hell you are talking about.
Cosby…You’re right. The historical names I chose happen to have been white…but I guess you have a quota I must meet in my posts to include a percentage of other races on a post that was not race related….how very silly. But as long as you are debating strong family units…did slave owners care much about strong family units when they broke up slave families or is the historical reference of the strong family unit which some people want to return to a “strong white family unit”?
I Know You Are But What Am I
February 17th, 2011
8:00 pm
I simply cannot stand the politics of Herman Cain.
Other than that, he seems to be a great guy. And who in the hell cares what color of skin he’s wrapped in? Why is race always such a predominant subject?
kjf
February 17th, 2011
8:00 pm
would black America favor a full blooded black candidate over one that is half white
B Cosby
February 17th, 2011
8:04 pm
It was a different time in the world. I owned no slaves nor would I. Slaves weren’t only black in history, it’s even in history books. Did you know black tribes in Africa caught people from other black tribes and sold them to the evil white man? That’s in the history books too. Some people just had the ability to get over it. To bad the United States can’t. And for the quota, you get 13%.
quick
February 17th, 2011
8:05 pm
so…i opened the box…and Schrodinger says…”Goodbye…I’ve seen this parade before”
kayaker 71
February 17th, 2011
8:05 pm
Good Fight,
I know precisely what I am talking about. CT usually defends those who uphold her beliefs. Those are not Republicans, especially those who are black. Save your indignation for someone who deserves it.
guy
February 17th, 2011
8:06 pm
Herman Cain worked hard to be where he is. I have listened to his views a lot and he’s very intelligent.Those that expect something for nothing will not approve of him at all.Liberals won’t like him because he speaks using good common sense.
As a white male, I will be proud to support and vote for Herman Cain!
Schrodinger's cat
February 17th, 2011
8:07 pm
See ya….soon
Greg in Duluth
February 17th, 2011
8:10 pm
CT: you’ve been inside the beltway for way too long and don’t know the difference between Duluth, GA and Duluth, MN.
Schrodinger's cat
February 17th, 2011
8:17 pm
close…as Maxwell Smart would say…”Missed it by that much”…
Marco?
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
8:18 pm
would black America favor a full blooded black candidate over one that is half white
“full blooded” — what the hell does that mean?
Is it your contention that there have been presidents in the past that weren’t full of blood?
independent thinker
February 17th, 2011
8:21 pm
Herman Cain and Clarence Thomas are a betrayal to their race. Both believe that republican conservatives are the saviors of minotities and the downtrodden because they got their slice of the golden pie and refuse to look back at the less fortunate. and P.S. I am not Black,
Tommy Maddox
February 17th, 2011
8:21 pm
Sorry – been gone.
CT: I guess I am confused. Why would my post @ 4:25 PM be crude?
No matter what your color, you don’t hide behind it to throw rocks at someone of your own color just because of their differing political view. I think that was the basis of your premise to which I agree.
Hootinanny Yum Yum
February 17th, 2011
8:25 pm
Herman would have my vote in a heartbeat. Intelligent, well spoken and a highly successful track record in the business world. Best of all, he’s not a career politician.
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
8:30 pm
Why would my post @ 4:25 PM be crude?
Well, the words, “these fools, this kind of crap” and “because they are black ” immediately leap to mind.
kayaker 71
February 17th, 2011
8:32 pm
Independent Thinker,
Many of those “less fortunate” members of our country are that way because of the choices that they have made in life. Herman Cain and Clarence Thomas have obviously made many of the right choices to get to the place in life that they occupy. They obviously believe that working hard, being responsible citizens, paying their own bills and being loyal family members is important. If many of those “less fortunate” would have adopted some of their credos, perhaps we wouldn’t be paying so many of their bills. These two gentlemen have not betrayed anything. And I don’t care if you are pink with yellow polka dots. It doesn’t matter.
Tommy Maddox
February 17th, 2011
8:36 pm
I think that would be accurate – maybe not artful in delivery – but who needs delicacy when dealing with racists?
Jack
February 17th, 2011
8:39 pm
Thin skins do abound. I don’t particularly like to be called a geezer, but Tucker seems to thinks it’s okay.
Jennifer
February 17th, 2011
8:47 pm
Hermain Cain fuels racism. I watched him at a rally in Duluth Georgia. He sat and listened to a speaker call African American’s lazy and stupid. At the end of the questioning period he said, “where are all the racists folks say come to my rally’s ?”
kayaker 71
February 17th, 2011
8:52 pm
Jennifer,
There are certainly parts of any ethnic group who are “lazy and stupid”. If Mr, Cain declines to comment, he probably agrees that his ethnic group pretty well has a lock on that description. If it walks like a duck……..
Schrodinger's cat
February 17th, 2011
8:52 pm
yeah Jen..him and Cosby
0311/0317 -1811/1801
February 17th, 2011
8:54 pm
Keep up the good fight! @ 5:54 pm
“Scout Zero….yes it is an opinion blog. You’re entitled to your opinions and I am entitled to state my opinions of your opinions, especially when the theme is consistently irrational and intentionally provoking hate at islam or just plain silliness like birther claims.
Simply put, racists, islamophobes, xenophobes and others have no place in civilized rational discussion. Your daily posts are no better than Mr. Devega’s in that they are generally sophmoric. Your 5:34 is Exhibit A.
You seem to have some intelligence and wit (I could be wrong). I challenge you to try to drop the hate against entire groups.”
This is getting so old ……… but I’ll try again:
1) Islam is spelled with a capital “I” .
2) I do not believe that one race is genetically superior to another so I submit I am not a racist.
3) I do not “hate” all Muslims but I do hate the evils of the political system of Islam and more and more people are starting to see the difference. There are moderate Muslims, Islam is not moderate.
4) The “birther” thing is quite amusing. I am really not sure about all of the “in’s and out’s” of that except that Obama is the President and that ain’t going to change.
5) Speaking of “hate”, your deep hatred of me is quite apparent in most of your posts so I guess that makes you a “Scoutophobe” ……. a heavy burden to bear.
6) And finally, you are free to not read my posts and I’m sure if I go too far Jay will cut me off.
As always, thanks for your input.
Your humble and obedient servant,
0311/Scout/Corporal
sea
February 17th, 2011
8:54 pm
Behind Herman 100% !!!!
Schrodinger's cat
February 17th, 2011
9:00 pm
well put Scout…ya gotta love logic….don’tcha?
0311/0317 -1811/1801
February 17th, 2011
9:01 pm
Schrodinger’s cat:
Thank you ……….. lot’s of liberal emotion on here but not much logic.
0311/0317 -1811/1801
February 17th, 2011
9:03 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight !
P.S.
Regarding the birther thing, I suggest you contact the Supreme Court and see exactly what’s going on. I sure as heck don’t.
From Drudge:
“Supreme Court schedules ‘conference’ on Obama’s eligibility”
0311/0317 -1811/1801
February 17th, 2011
9:03 pm
Excuse me: “I sure as heck don’t know”
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
9:11 pm
Thank you ……….. lot’s of liberal emotion on here but not much logic.
Yeah, because your constant fear mongering has absolutely nothing to do with emotion.
Teh stoopid, it burns! Oi!
0311/0317 -1811/1801
February 17th, 2011
9:14 pm
Kammy:
“Air raid Pearl Harbor. This is no drill”
A few tried to warn the country on that also …………. “fear mongering” !
Keep up the good fight!
February 17th, 2011
9:19 pm
Scout Zero….jay is going to cut you off on CT’s blog?…okay. I mean after all I know you have said that Bookman cannot be reasoned with and is quite rude. So maybe he does do that.
And lets be clear…in the past you have stated your hatred all Islam. That is based on which commandment of the bible?
I dont hate you……I hate what you stand for. And more and more people are starting to see the difference.
Let’s also be clear. Despite your effort to misdefine racism…it is more than a claim of genetic superiority. Racism is:
1. animosity toward other races: prejudice or animosity against people who belong to other races
2. belief in racial superiority: the belief that people of different races have different qualities and abilities, and that some races are inherently superior or inferior
Again, your 5:34 is example of a racist claim of subservience.
They BOTH suck
February 17th, 2011
9:21 pm
Where were all these people who claim to be behind Cain when his name was on the ballot several years ago?
Steve
February 17th, 2011
9:21 pm
I agree with CT on this one.
BTW – Just because Cain will likely loss is no reason not to try.
brian smith
February 17th, 2011
9:22 pm
I see Mr. Cain as a man with clear vision and has chosen to not be a victim. How did he get to his level of success? Can it be duplicated? Of course it can but for those who continue to throw color into the discussion…please don’t vote.OK? How are you doing with the current administration freebies?
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
9:23 pm
“Air raid Pearl Harbor. This is no drill”
A few tried to warn the country on that also …………. “fear mongering” !
Yep, fear mongering.
Every one of your posts, a rabbit hole to fear.
You couldn’t recognize logic if it bit you on the ass.
They BOTH suck
February 17th, 2011
9:24 pm
@Steve
While I disagree with much of what Cain as to say, if he thinks he can run than he should do just that.
While it doesn’t mean he will be a good elected official, no one can or should try to take away his great accomplishments in the business arena.
He is a self made man and should be applauded for that
They BOTH suck
February 17th, 2011
9:26 pm
@brian
Good points, however there are many left leaning self made business people as well. I hope you applaud them just as much as you do HC.
B Cosby
February 17th, 2011
9:29 pm
Funny thing, race is always an issue on CT’s blog. Although she claims to provide political commentary. Bloggers like Keep Up the Good Fight are always the ones to play the race card. When you are watching television, listening to the radio or out in public, I hear the N-word from the black community. I rarley hear it from whites, orientals or the latinos. Kinda makes you think. I believe racism lies within the race. My boss is a black man from inner L.A. He hates the term African American. Says he is not from Africa, never been to Africa and does not plan on ever going. Like me he has traveled to many different countries and only sees the race card being played in the United States. Something’s wrong there. Don’t you think? What I don’t understand is why African American? America is a continent, not a country. Even the POTUS claims to president of America, I did not realize other countries on the continent had the right to vote in the United States. Watch BET for 1/2 hour and I think you can understand my point. They are more than proud to promote the stero-types the racist like CT, keep, and granny complain about daily. It’s time people in the United States learned to get off their ass and get over themselves. My rant is over.
kayaker 71
February 17th, 2011
9:30 pm
Good Fight,
If your definition of “racism” includes the inability to criticize those of other races without being demonized, then I agree with you. If criticism denotes racism, your definition holds no water. Is there no room in your definition for disagreeing with those of another race without being called names? I certainly have animosity toward people of ethnic groups who do not act responsibly, expect others to pay their bills, make the wrong choices in life voluntarily and expect others to pick up their slack. I have given up on the term “racist”. It has no meaning other than to brand someone with a derogatory name who criticizes those with whom they disagree. Save your textbook definitions. They don’t fit.
They BOTH suck
February 17th, 2011
9:33 pm
@ B Cosby
Funny you didnt mention that Ken Melhman and Mike Steele, 2 of the last 3 RNC chairmen, apologized for the Republican party using RACE, ie as a divividing wedge for the last 40 yrs………
Take you less then 1 minute to google it
Be my guest
Kamchak
February 17th, 2011
9:34 pm
My boss is a black man from inner L.A.
Setting aside the veracity of your unsubstantiated claim, personal anecdotes, while amusing and entertaining is not a substitute of the actual reality of race relations in this country.
Oh, and I’m calling BS on your claim.
TheOne
February 17th, 2011
9:34 pm
Cynthia, your opinion is just embarrassing. You talk as though you are an expert on things about which you have not nearly the experience of others. No offense, but given Herman Cain’s background compared to yours, I think his opinion is probably a bit closer to the mark than yours.