Cain reportedly faced sexual harassment complaints
The big political news of the moment involves allegations that as president of the National Restaurant Association, Herman Cain was the subject of complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior by two separate female employees, both of whom received cash settlements and left employment from the association.
The story was broken by Politico, which reports:
In a series of comments over the past 10 days, Cain and his campaign repeatedly declined to respond directly about whether he ever faced allegations of sexual harassment at the restaurant association. They have also declined to address questions about specific reporting confirming that there were financial settlements in two cases in which women leveled complaints.
POLITICO has confirmed the identities of the two female restaurant association employees who complained about Cain but, for privacy concerns, is not publishing their names.
Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon told POLITICO the candidate indicated to campaign officials that he was “vaguely familiar” with the charges and that the restaurant association’s general counsel had resolved the matter.
The latest statement came from Cain himself. In a tense sidewalk encounter Sunday morning outside the Washington bureau of CBS News — where the Republican contender had just completed an interview on “Face the Nation” — Cain evaded a series of questions about sexual harassment allegations.
Cain said he has “had thousands of people working for me” at different businesses over the years and could not comment “until I see some facts or some concrete evidence.” His campaign staff was given the name of one woman who complained last week, and it was repeated to Cain on Sunday. He responded, “I am not going to comment on that.”
The story has several levels. On the most basic of facts — two women complained of harassment by Cain and received financial settlements — it seems solid. Cain’s supporters are nonetheless charging foul, with his campaign responding that “sadly, we’ve sadly, we’ve seen this movie played out before – a prominent conservative targeted by liberals simply because they disagree with his politics.”
As you’ll see in this clip from Fox News, however, the Cain campaign is having a hard time bringing itself to deny that the payments were made:
Assuming the payments in question were indeed made, Politico has a journalistic obligation to report them. Such a record is absolutely relevant in assessing a candidate for president of the United States, just as it would be relevant in assessing a candidate for a corporate executive job.
Furthermore, the claim of conservative victimization doesn’t seem accurate. Democrats Bill Clinton and Gary Hart, you may recall, also had to face allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior during their presidential primary runs. Clinton survived it; Hart did not.
From there, however, things get much murkier. It is difficult to impossible to assess the validity of complaints made well over a decade ago by women who continue to remain anonymous, especially since we still have with no idea how extensive or candid an investigation was mounted at the time.
Politically, it is entirely feasible that such charges can redound to Cain’s benefit, at least temporarily, depending on how he handles them and whether additional cases emerge. His supporters are already defined by a deep alienation and distrust of both the political system and the media; such allegations could do more to inflame those resentments than to cast doubt on Cain’s fitness for high office among his followers.
It’s certainly not how Cain hoped to spend this week.
– Jay Bookman
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777 comments Add your comment
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:03 pm
Herman WAS in the talk radio biz. And that is NOT the “media” in the sense of ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN…
Talk-radio is part of “the media”, sport.
Moving the goalposts now, are we?
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:03 pm
I do love this bizarre and desperate attempt to hang onto that “liberal MSM” drivel as the sole reason that so much really bad news about these fake conservatives is out there.
The MSM is owned by, works for, reports to and is primarily responsible for protecting the tiny handful of their corporate owners.
They are pro-war, pro-corporation and if they really were liberal, like the fake conservatives constantly whine about, there would be programs on with great regulatory, exposing the massive amount of corporate crime and malfeasance.
But there ain’t. And you dufusii pretend to not even notice…
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:03 pm
A PIMP NAME CAIN
You need to take about a year and start reading. the Voting Rights Act of 1964 was drafted by Republicans. JFK wanted to water it down, but the Republicans refused. LBJ was a Southern Racist who was certain that the bill would be defeated so he put it out there where it was Filibustered by the democrats.
But thanks for proving that once again, democrats only know what they are told about history.
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:03 pm
Recon: I’ll bet if a similar story like this one broke with limited details on Obama your attitude would not be the same.
I refer you here. Besides that, just what political direction do you think a conservative owned company has?
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:04 pm
We all know in America the black man is guilty until proven innocent…
1811/0311
October 31st, 2011
1:04 pm
“War of 1811:
Worried about those occupiers, aren’t you?
You rightly see them as a threat to what you hold dear.”
Exactly ! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
P.S. I’d like to see the FBI file too ………………………..
Ayn Rand's Medicare
October 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
bu.bu.but Clinton! (all the sudden they have a memory past 2009)
bu.bu..but Global Warming! It snowed this weekend.
bu..bu..but Obama!
bu..bu..but the meeeeedia
nobody’s buyin cons – your 15 months of fame is almost up
and clean up those hoverounds & badly spelled signs on your way out
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
October 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
“I never said any such thing, just to be clear. I said there is no substance. Herman Cain leading or trailing in the primary polls does very little to prove me wrong.”
Adam, it certainly proves you wrong to the extent that there’s obviously a great number of people who disagree with your opinion regarding his campaign substance.
A PIMP NAME CAIN
October 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
@GLL
SORRY but i’m never gonna vote for the party of JUNKIE LIMBAUGH! DUH, NOW i love your revisionist bs history but it wont work on me.
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:06 pm
Mick 1:01
Can’t take a joke, eh?
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:06 pm
Take a look at John Edwards, here’s a man that was cheating on his dying cancer stricken wife and he still got the liberal vote. I guess that shows their complete lack of good judgement. I’m sure many liberals on this blog gave their vote to Edwards, looks like you guys missed that one by a mile…
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:06 pm
ggl
President johnson signed civil rights legilation into law knowing full well that those dems that you so despise is today your repub base. What say ye?
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
JamVet: Exactly. Conservative media bias is much more prevalent than any other type of bias out there.
A PIMP NAME CAIN
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
cain needs to git offa the republican plantation
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
Cain can dance. He’ll survive this.
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
Mick
Gen. Powell was repeatedly attacked for his support of the war in Iraq even though the Democrats approved the war. Condi was a woman that WAS attacked at every turn by the Democrats.
And look how this is being handled. Even Wiener was hiden as long as possible and once it couldn’t be denied, the women were attacked along with Andrew Britebart.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
“Adam, it certainly proves you wrong to the extent that there’s obviously a great number of people who disagree with your opinion regarding his campaign substance.”
Adam thinks Obama is doing a fantastic job, enough said…
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:07 pm
jm
Sure I can, still waiting for something remotely funny??
Waheema
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
For both Hart and Clinton ( not to mention Kennedy, Murtha, Frank et al) there were substantial issues raised that became so obvious that the press could not ignore them. In none of these cases, did the press run with a thinly sourced story that was mostly allegation.
The game for liberal hypocrites like you, Jay is to talk about the story and deny that you are trying to be part fo the smear. Of course that’s a lie and you are really an enthusiastic participant in the smear.
As for the double standard you will do your best to deny as long as you can. Of course there is a double standard! The press always treats democrats with kid gloves and looks the other way as long as is possible. Can you imagine a conservative politican who could have survived killing a girl in his car, “blacking out” and not reporting the accident? Of course not.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
“Conservative media bias is much more prevalent than any other type of bias out there.”
Really, besides Fox News, which media outlets are you talking about?
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
RB: Adam, it certainly proves you wrong to the extent that there’s obviously a great number of people who disagree with your opinion regarding his campaign substance.
It doesn’t prove anything for me to disagree with a group of people or for them to disagree with me. I happen to think the entire group who thinks Cain’s campaign has any substance larger than a sliver is deluded. The fact that there are a large number of them just says to me they suffer from groupthink.
A PIMP NAME CAIN
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
mick 1:06
a fact repubs seem too completely miss. i wonder why?
Paulo977
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
Happy Halloween guys…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQd0ELH7SNI&feature=related
1811/0311
October 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
Headline: “Stephen Tulloch celebrates sack on Tim Tebow by ‘Tebowing’ …”
“The newest fad surrounding Tim Tebow, “Tebowing,” is defined by the website fueling the craze this way: “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.”
After sacking Tebow in the first quarter of Sunday’s Denver-Detroit game, Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch jumped on the popular meme by showing off his version of “Tebowing” ………. ”
Fad? Now just imagine the person flattened was a Muslim wide receiver and someone got down and began “bowing to the ground”.
killerj
October 31st, 2011
1:09 pm
Clinton made it through?,not in my mind,he,s as bad to me as the public school system handing out rubber,s to high school student,s,if we were in the 60,s or 70,s his ass would have been canned by the religious sect,my times have changed,the difference is he was caught red handed.(no pun intended)
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:09 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE: Ask Pew Research
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:09 pm
gll
Breitbart? He is a mother fu@#ing a-hole to the tenth, puhleez..
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:09 pm
Take a look at John Edwards, here’s a man that was cheating on his dying cancer stricken wife and he still got the liberal vote.
John Edwards won the 2008 Dem primary?
I learn something new everyday.
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:09 pm
Mick 1:06
I say Johnson was probably signing the bill while doing an intern
The guy had a legendary record with women
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
I just actually saw someone write that conservative media bias more prevalent than liberal media bias. Wow, that guy doesn’t have a clue…
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
A PIMP NAME CAIN
When people like you start to vote Republican, I’ll start taking a long hard look at the Independant Party.
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
October 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
Sure Adam.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2011/10/10/politicos-top-stories-suggest-sites-liberal-tilt
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:11 pm
“John Edwards won the 2008 Dem primary?
I learn something new everyday.”
Ever heard of the Kerry/Edwards ticket?? You know, the one you voted for?
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:11 pm
Mick
See what i mean? What he said about Weiner was the absolute truth but you an’t help but attacking him.
Big Johnson (redundant)
October 31st, 2011
1:11 pm
Cain is small potatoes. He should see my shenanigans.
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:12 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE: Yeah, no clue at all. I mean I make sh*t up all day!
Granny Godzilla
October 31st, 2011
1:12 pm
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
I just actually saw someone write that conservative media bias more prevalent than liberal media bias. Wow, that guy doesn’t have a clue…
actually that guy has more than a clue…he’s got data.
WOODSTOCK MIKE
October 31st, 2011
1:13 pm
“One man running for president has suffered the most unrelentingly negative treatment of all: Barack Obama. Though covered largely as president rather than a candidate, negative assessments of Obama have outweighed positive by a ratio of almost 4-to-1. The assessments of the president in the media were substantially more negative than positive in every one of the 23 weeks studied. In no week during these five months was more than 10% of the coverage about the President positive in tone.”
Yeah, that’s what happens when you do a poor job, what would you expect?
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:13 pm
Cain is the man
Communists Unite
October 31st, 2011
1:13 pm
Stalin reportedly was faithful throughout to his one and only wife. Seems like he’d be a good dude to lead the Regressive Party, then, no?
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:13 pm
gll
What about all his other garbage? He is a loser and a bottom feeder, go ahead and admire that piece of trash, you can find better heroes than that…
Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!
October 31st, 2011
1:14 pm
I knew this man had skeletons in his closet. It was just a matter of time before they all fell out. Hahahahahahahahaha! God has a way of exposing the devil.
Cain is a flim flam. Cain is a buffoon and an uncle tom. HE WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT.
Communists Unite
October 31st, 2011
1:14 pm
Jm – cain is definitely ‘a’ man; however, he is definitely not ‘the’ man. still, it’d be frikkin phenomenal were he to win the nomination.
RB from Gwinnett
October 31st, 2011
1:14 pm
Adam, I was just about to post something pointing out how poor your reading and comprehension skills are and then you post your 1:08 to me proving my point.
Seriously, dude, you aren’t very bright. I hate to break the news to you, but you’re only getting 30% of what people post if that much and you’re embarrasing yourself arguing against things people didn’t say.
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:14 pm
Adam
Obama has gotten bad press because he has failed at everything he has tried. After a while, its sort of hard to find anything good to say about the clown.
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:15 pm
Recon: I had hope for a second, seeing as a site called newsbusters would surely be fair and balanced, and then I saw this: “Exposing and combating liberal media bias.” And you link me to a BLOG post on the site. Well done!
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:17 pm
GLL: So you admit there is less liberal media bias after all. Thanks.
Midori
October 31st, 2011
1:17 pm
Paul
thanks!!!
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:18 pm
**Obama has gotten bad press because he has failed at everything he has tried.**
Oh, I don’t know but getting bin laden and saving the US auto industry are considered successess by many besides your crew of hate obama no matter what…
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:18 pm
Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!
“Cain is a buffoon and an uncle tom.”
Thanks for saying what all the liberals here have wanted to say. Its just a shame that he isn’t living on that big old “we’ll take care of you Black People because as all democrats know, you can’t take care of yourself” plantation
Paul
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
Twenty minutes and not one Cain or Perry supporter can tell me how a self employed person with no employees computes their tax under those ’simple, fit on a postcard’ ‘reform plans.’
And Cain’s at the top of Republican polls ’cause Republicans just know he has the answers….. sheesh…..
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
RB: Think what you want about me personally, and attack me all you want personally. It makes no difference to me.
I thought we were getting somewhere actually talking about the issues rather than each other.
1811/0311
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
……………….. and we wonder why we have such a dearth of people even willing to consider running for president.
Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
Were these WHITE WOMEN???????????????
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
Ever heard of the Kerry/Edwards ticket??
You mean the race where Edwards was running for vice-president?
The race that was three years before the disclosure of his extra-marital affair?
Is that the ticket you’re trying to compare this with?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 31st, 2011
1:20 pm
After a while, its sort of hard to find anything good to say about the clown
Because GLL was all about giving him a chance from the beginning and then he was disappointed….. as confirmed by the false claim that “he has failed at everything he has tried.”
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:20 pm
Mick
Killing bin Laden was good. Supporting the ousting of every one of our allies in the middle east and replacing them with Christian killing Islamic radicals wasn’t so good.
And yes, Canada and Mexico are now making some of the best cars America has ever produced.
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:21 pm
You neo-cons and revisionist rubes in the (Almost) All White Party get more desperate and absurd by the week.
The bumbling, stumbling “boner a week” Herman is mere spectacle in the Alan Keyes mode.
But on steroids…
Ayn Rand's Medicare
October 31st, 2011
1:21 pm
Creepy sexual behavior is the only thing so far that I’ve heard about Herman Cain that makes him seem like a typical/legitimate politician after all.
Now all he needs is a bikini shot with the AK47, then he’s gold, i tell ya
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:22 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!
What about that accusation that I threatened legal action, liar?
Just going to let it join the long list of your other lies in your creepy obsession of me?
Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!
October 31st, 2011
1:23 pm
All of you Cain supporters HIDE YOUR WOMEN! You have a predator among you. Now we know what is behind that sneaky grin on Cain’s face.
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:23 pm
Kamchak
Yea. Edwards the ambulance chaser. You guys sure have high standards for your leaders. LOL!!
bookman parrot
October 31st, 2011
1:23 pm
good job jay! your propaganda deflects from the awful job Obama is doing. i bet when Clinton was at it, you didn’t squawk a bit.
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:24 pm
gll
Disingenuious about the middle east – I think the people over there have their own right of determination don’t you? Let’s not even mention the iraq debacle that basically handed that country over to iran from the get go. As for the car industry, what we have left is better than zero..
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:24 pm
Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!
Keep posting. You are saying more about the racism and bigotry of Democrats than I ever could.
Adam
October 31st, 2011
1:24 pm
GLL: Just going to let it join the long list of your other lies in your creepy obsession of me?
This kind of statement belongs on a picture reserved for facebook and blogs where the image is of the statement, surrounded by a black border and with the large word “NARCISSISM” underneath, with further caption that reads “Neo-cons WISH you thought of them as highly as they think of themselves.”
Granny Godzilla
October 31st, 2011
1:25 pm
GLL
Take a deep breath….you’re getting overly excited again.
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:26 pm
Mick
So its OK to keep women from attending school and killing anyone that doesn’t have the same religion.
You do know that Hitler was elected, don’t you?
mm
October 31st, 2011
1:26 pm
At first I thought the story was started by the GOP to try to derail his campaign. Now its’ reported that NBC has confirmed one accuser reached a cash settlement.
Was she paid to keep her mouth shut, or her mouth open? LOL
Guy Incognito
October 31st, 2011
1:26 pm
A picture of Obama, “surrounded by a black border and with the large word “NARCISSISM” underneath”
Yes, perfect
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:26 pm
Granny Godzilla
Not excited. Disgusted. The liberals bigotry has rarely been this bad.
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
Melt-down in progress.
“Hysterics/hysterical” card in 3…2…1….
Armed Liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:29 pm
This is all just too funny.
Thanks for the lunch laugh Cainiacs!
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:30 pm
And the award for the Best B*llsh*t performance by a Bookman blogger goes to…
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:31 pm
You do know that Hitler was elected, don’t you?
Godwin’s Law, proven yet again
Midori
October 31st, 2011
1:31 pm
actually this Herman Cain story sounds like a Karl Rove production.
Granny Godzilla
October 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Good Little LIberal
Now now, son, we can tell you’re getting riled up.
It your regular routine, your MO if you will.
Armed Liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Braves trade Derek Lowe to Indians.
Cleveland, Armpit of America. HA!
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:34 pm
Granny Godzilla
Considering your past, please forgive me for not putting too much stock in your perceptions. After all, you DID for for Hope and Change. And you’ve never even apologized.
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:34 pm
gll
I think you are going off the rails a bit, try to get back on track…
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:35 pm
A PIMP NAMED CAIN
Thanks for everything you are doing. Never stop.
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:35 pm
Maybe the postal service should just be shut down
Tom(Independent)
October 31st, 2011
1:36 pm
Since we are now vetting all the Repub candidates, when is it going to be Barrack Hussein Obama’s turn? Let’s be fair about it!!
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:37 pm
jm
Maybe you should just be shut down
Tom(Independent)
October 31st, 2011
1:37 pm
Armed Liberal – We had to give Cleveland 10 million to take him!!
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
Mick
Are you reading the blog?
You have two regular liberal posters here that don’t have the balls to be a racist using their regular names so they hide behind A PIMP NAMED CAIN and Cain You Believe It! Heaven Help Us!.
Its the standard thing that spineless little twits do. And there are so many here.
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
In honor of Herman getting frisky.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgynbFoA9to
A PIMP NAMED CAIN
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
@tom 1:36
he has been vetted and y’all couldnt find anything. keep trying
Ayn Rand's Medicare
October 31st, 2011
1:39 pm
So is it the 9-69 plan now?
Mick
October 31st, 2011
1:40 pm
gll
Dude, as if, there are plenty of folks here that do that, so? I tend to stick with my boring one name tag, no hidin it, eric’s the best…
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 31st, 2011
1:40 pm
standard thing that spineless little twits do
Of course, no proof that it is not a conservative poster or a troll who is making this blog his foray into politics.
Good little liberal
October 31st, 2011
1:41 pm
Kamchak
Why is it that liberals are so afraid of discussing anything about Hitler or the NAZI party? They have even sited some dolt named Godwin that they think that they can throw out there and it will stop the discussion.
Sounds like they are afraid that some very relevant parallels will be drawn.
Granny Godzilla
October 31st, 2011
1:41 pm
Good Little Liberal
Apologize? Ah, nope.
But I’ll not wait for the thank you for President Obama and we liberals
for saving y’alls backside from a depression.
Kamchak
October 31st, 2011
1:41 pm
he has been vetted and y’all couldnt find anything.
Well, there was that whole birth certificate thingie.
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:41 pm
Foxconn is starting a Chinese revolution
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:41 pm
Rag on Cleveland if you want, but you rookies are living in the past.
The Texas Rangers are the new Tribe…
Granny Godzilla
October 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
Would that be his …. first foray?
How funny.
Jm
October 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
Granny 1:41 don’t hold yer breath
If he loses, you might pass out
JamVet
October 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
Again, there is one paramount parallel.
Jews don’t Jews vote for nasty little neo-cons…
Ayn Rand's Medicare
October 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
Here’s one for freeeee, PIMP –
That’s what you get when you offer the customer extra sausage