2012 Tuesday: The response, not the allegations, got the worst of Cain
Welcome to the big time, Herman Cain.
One of the ugly sides of politics is that people perceived as threats tend to have mud thrown their way. And the definition of mud is a thinly — and anonymously — sourced story that just happens to land on the evening before a fast-rising candidate is due to get some positive “earned” media (meaning news coverage they get for talking about their ideas, as Cain did yesterday in Washington).
It’s clear that someone, somewhere, considers Cain’s spike in the opinion polls something more than a temporary blip.
I will issue a caveat here that there could well be more details and facts to come out about the sexual harassment allegations leveled against Cain while he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. Without such details and facts, I’m not very troubled by these allegations alone: They’re just allegations that, from what we know so far, seem not to have had much merit. But if they do come out, and they are bad for Cain, he will have a serious problem on his hands.
Absent such revelations, the biggest problem for Cain is one of his own creation — and undoubtedly the precise problem hoped for by whoever brought the allegations to the Politico reporters’ attention. I’m talking about his response.
Cain’s biggest asset as a candidate is not so much his 9-9-9 plan, because all such plans are subject to change. It’s his credibility: as an “outsider,” as a genuine man and authentic conservative, as a trustworthy and respectable human being.
If you’re Herman Cain, that credibility has taken almost 67 years to build, and you are the person best capable of throwing it all away.
Had Cain immediately acknowledged the two settlements, noted that they were small and based on unproven charges, and explained his side of the story, I and others probably wouldn’t be writing about them today. But for whatever reason — because his advisers gave him bad advice, because he thought he could put a lid on the story with a less-complete explanation, because he’s so convinced of his innocence in the cases — he didn’t do an adequate job. (This kind of thing is one reason I’ve had my doubts that, in the year 2011, the presidency could be the first elected office a candidate had ever won.)
Instead, his story has, to put it charitably, evolved over the past 36 hours. And he’s fallen back on a tactic we’ve seen on stories such as his stances on abortion and on swapping prisoners at Guantanamo Bay for captured American troops: chalking it up to not hearing the question properly or his choice of words being misinterpreted.
On its own, a story based on innuendo from second-hand sources probably wouldn’t have been enough to drag Cain down. Cain’s response may ultimately hurt him more with GOP primary voters.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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241 comments Add your comment
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
1:57 pm
@Kyle – Since no others will comment, do you find it troubling that Cain admitted knowing about this story for more than a week and then, for his excuse as to why his story changed so much from morning to evening, said he remembered specifics as the DAY went on?
Filter
November 1st, 2011
2:01 pm
What do you do when you spend time on writing a post, click submit, the page refreshes but the post is no where in sight?
I mean they aren’t the musings of Aristotle by any means but I have the right to say them.
Any way to find out what happened to them?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 1st, 2011
2:03 pm
Nuisance lawsuits are par for the course when you’re the guy in charge. I have no basis for condemning or defending Cain. I guess I could take the Blue Man approach and discount the story simply because my guy said so.
Uncle Jed
November 1st, 2011
2:05 pm
Lil’ Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 1st, 2011
12:50 pm
Cain could have put it out there just to have it over and done with sooner rather than later.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
I had similar thoughts. He knew it was a certainty, or highly probable that this news would enter the media at some point. The fact that it is garnering more then deserved attention is working to his benefit. He gets several advantages from the weakness of the chrage and the easily explained resolution to the relative baseless accusation. His supporters will be energized and some will come to his side based on their own sympathetic understanding of the plight of a successful “black” man, especially those who themselves have experienced the “suspicious eye” of bigots.
He could have done a better job in the initial responses, but at the end of the day he will move past this in better shape. If his folks did not get this started so be it and in that case the person(s) or campaign behind this will realize the error of their calculations.
markie mark
November 1st, 2011
2:07 pm
@charles….The Repubs aren’t ready for two black men being President back to back.
There you go again….you (liberals in general) dont care how many times we say its the policies we disagree with, you cant seem to accept that for what it is and how far this country has come. I will vote for Cain in a heartbeat if he gets the nomination. I dont give a damn about his color….
And Jamee Dupree had an interesting take on this story on WSB this morning….he said the buzz in Washington is that a Republican is the source of the story….a Democrat woulda kept it in his back pocket for when it was more damaging…like if Cain got the nomination…..makes a lot of sense to me….
Uncle Jed
November 1st, 2011
2:08 pm
@Filter-
Several times, including just moments ago, my “clean” and thoughtful posts have not appeared here on Kyle’s blog. It is very disappointing as I don’t write from scripts and the thoughts flow best the first time written.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
2:11 pm
Dear Blue @ 12:52, good afternoon, “I get that you are a Cain fan but after defending him so vigorously yesterday are you truly not concerned at all to now find out that his original story, which you believed to the point of publicly defending it, was false?”
You are correct, that I believe Mr. Cain is the best of the republican candidates, and I acknowledge that I would vote for any of them rather than the current occupant of the office. I simply disagree with your affirmation that the “original” story was false. On those rare occasions that I have been compelled to remember some trivial event from 15 years earlier, I find some details come to me after I think on it awhile. Usually not instantly, often not even in the same month, but memory returns. That does not make my first recollections false. FRE 612 is codified, as “valid,” in the industry. Whereas Herman remembered nothing of a trivial event on first questioning, he remembers pieces of what he knew serially. Nothing unusual there, unless you are playing a game of “gotcha.”
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
2:12 pm
@LBB – You did take the “Blue Man approach”. Unless you were at meetings between Obama and Ayers, you decided the story was true because your guy said it was.
Today’s topic is not about nuisance lawsuits, it’s about Cain’s story changing throughout the day yesterday. Any comment on that?
#occupy my desk
November 1st, 2011
2:13 pm
I think we should stick with Obama! He is doing a bang up job and he doesn’t even need Bush to add another 35% to the national debt in 3 years, increase unemployment by 15%, double gas prices or drive my healthcare up 9% YOY – but he is still big enough to give Bush all the credit!
My lefty friends defend Obama like he is their own child – when we criticize him, we are racists. When they tear into Herman Cain, we don’t play that card – because we recognize that it doesn’t matter. The reason the left is going after Cain so hard is because Dems have the strangle-hold on the black and hispanic vote – that is the Dem ace-in-the-hole. They know what is best for minorities in this country and nobody else – the cadre of multi-millionaires like Obama, Clinton, Kerry, Pelosi, Reid – they know the plight! I mean, they don’t know it personally, but they have seen a few movies… I firmly believe that Cain is shedding light into the fact that the Dems in these heavily minority areas are playing their constituency for their own benefit, not that of the people. Look at these strongholds in Chicago, Detriot, Philly, Oakland – and life is getting worse. every. single. generation. They will keep the pittance coming if you keep voting Dem! You won’t starve, but your life will never improve. Schools get worse, factories close, crime worse than ever – but that must be change we can believe in.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
2:18 pm
Dear Blue @ various times, to follow up my 2:11 note, compare the Cain failure – to remember discussion of his wife’s chin or height or whatever it was that inflamed the plaintiff at NRA – with Bill Clinton’s failure to remember the name “Juanita Broaderick.” I suspect Slick Willie truly did not remember every woman he molested, and it would not be fair to call him a liar over his initial statements about a 20 year old rape. Mr. Cain’s failure to remember idle conversation is not so remarkable.
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
2:19 pm
@Ragnar – You are ignoring the facts. Cain admitted this morning that he was told about the story 10 days before it was published. Am I to believe that a man running for President, after being told about this story (trivial?) by Politico 10 days earlier, took no action to get facts together so he could be prepared when the story came out?
Is that how you would handle the situation?
Put the actual lawsuits aside, is this how President Cain would handle the tough issues? Ignore them until they explode and only then look for a solution. His handling of this speaks to his judgement more than anything.
Quagmire
November 1st, 2011
2:20 pm
Sooooooooo 9 9 9 is not Cain’s hotel room number? It doesn’t matter what Cain says or will say, or do. He will not win. I’m an Independent voter. Like always, the republicans are self-destructing as usual and the republican party will not be elected in the White House, you have the T**party members to Thank..
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
2:21 pm
Filter: They got hung up in moderation because one of the words contained a word that is disallowed. But I’ve published it now.
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
2:22 pm
@@ – You are kidding yourself if you think “liberals” released this story. Is that why noted liberal Karl Rove is on that liberal media outlet Fox News demanding a yes or no answer from Cain? Come on man!
yuzeyurbrane
November 1st, 2011
2:23 pm
I basically agree with your analysis although I think the Politico story was better sourced than most at even your best newspapers. Essentially, by the end of the day, Cain admitted its accuracy.
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
2:26 pm
StevenF: If you can substantiate what you’re saying about Block, contact an AJC reporter and go on the record. Otherwise, I don’t allow accusations like that against specific people.
redneckbluedog
November 1st, 2011
2:27 pm
This is NOT a campaign killer for Cain…The man is VERY personable….I’m scared to death of his policies…!!! But if the man was misinterpreted or misinterpreted a woman’s conversation, I think he deserves a chance….On the other hand, there’s Bill Clinton…..And the re-hashing of the whole Clarence Thomas “pubic hair on a Coke can” is just disgusting…!!!!! Absolutely disgusting this man could be appointed to the high court..!!!!!
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
2:27 pm
Uncle Jed: See my 2:21 to Filter. Same answer. It’s up now.
Down in Albany
November 1st, 2011
2:27 pm
I’ve not settled on which ABO (anyone but Obama) candidate I’ll support, however, Cain is a very interesting candidate. As I watched his interview with Greta on Fox last night, I commented to my 18 yo son, “…we may be witnessing the implosion of the Cain candidacy…” His campaign did not prepare him…it was painful to watch.
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
2:30 pm
Blue Man @ 2:22: That was not the real @@, but an imposter. Fwiw.
redneckbluedog
November 1st, 2011
2:31 pm
It wasn’t the liberals who moved from “Whitewater” to “Monica”….It wasn’t the liberals who released “Willie Horton”, or “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth”….And let’s not forget Trump and Orly Taitz and the THOUSANDS of “let’s see the birth certificate”…….Don’t impugn liberals for leaking this story…..AT LEAST a 50/50 chance it was Rich Parry or Drudge…..
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
2:35 pm
yuze: The sourcing is one thing. But the haziness of some of the details is disturbing. Take the “five-figure settlement” bit: There’s a huge difference — especially in these kinds of cases — between $10,000 and $99,999. The former suggests the charges were nuisances; the latter suggests something serious may have happened. Either way, if these were good sources about these incidents, why couldn’t they have been more specific?
Fast and Furious Spending
November 1st, 2011
2:37 pm
So, Washington, Eisenhower, Grant and Hoover, because they can’t play the caddy Washington game of the media piling on conservatives, would make bad presidential candidates in 2011?
Come on, Kyle. Get real!!!
Somehow Obama’s ability to just ignore all allegations against him and his cabinet is just as smooth as we need for liberals.
Give Herman a break. You’re right, the allegations are more ridiculous than even you have said. This is character assassination, pure and simple without a shred of any proof at all.
He did nothing at all to merit this, and your queasyness about Cain leads me to believe that you fear the liberal media yourself, or at least the secondary, poorly run branch of it you work for.
Quagmire
November 1st, 2011
2:38 pm
Funny how the right come after President Obama when for 8 years, Bush destroyed this country. Thousands of young men and women died because of a war based on lies. Gave tax breaks(8+years) to the rich and did nothing to support the middle class. Started 2 wars that ended with NOTHING and NOTHING to show for it….that’s right, the war will be paid for by the oil!!!!!…………$1Billion a day base on 2 wars that never should have happen. Did nothing after Katrina. Dick Cheney worked for an Oil company, and you wonder why oil prices is up. De-regulations(that’s what U republicans wanted) Republicans got rid of deregulations and look at what Wall Street did. President Obama decided to finally spend money on Americans, now he’s a wasteful spender, please. Cry me a river with the crap. Oh, that’s right, Foxnews owner like to spy on people too. Dick Cheney ownes companies that’s feeding the military overseas in War areas. That’s war profiteeing, 50% of $40Billions went to private contractor(no bid contracts). Don’t hate President Obama, hate your boy Bush……………….he messed up the republican party for a long time………………………all Obama has to do is to make a commerical to remind America what it was like when Bush was in Office for 8 stupid years
GT
November 1st, 2011
2:49 pm
This is very much like the Wiener deal. What he did was not good but how he handled it later with the lies makes it worse. People particularly news people, were concerned about Wiener breaking the law ,with a lot of supposing, like if a fictionalized child might have seen his pictures. In the Cain case there is no supposing this stuff it is on record and this guy claims to have the proof. Sexual harassment is illegal like in jail time. Big bucks being paid does not cover a crime up.or make it nonpunishable by the law. I am sure these things have pass the stature of limitation but you have another Republican that thinks or thought he was above the law. That is the smell in the room not some hot shot on the rise that was shot down falsely. The wonder here is how these guys get this far up the food chain? Suppose someone outside of these bush league egomaniacs decided they want to run for president. If these nuts can sunder in and not be contested how about an enemy of the state with resource and organization and a evil purpose. Nutball are fun to talk about, particular in the rural south where Deliverance is a reality. But when you get too many nuts one may not be harmless, and that one could end all of us.
the red herring
November 1st, 2011
2:49 pm
it is ridiculous for the mainstream media to cause a stir over this while they let ted kennedy get away with murder and bill clinton get away with 10 times worse than what was alleged on herman cain. there is no comparison and i believe this will benefit herman cain in the long run as more people pitch in to support him due to what they perceive is unfair politics. all GOP candidates can get ready for that type election however as the democrats can not run on their records and their only hope is attack their opponents. it is frightening to see how the majority of the media, the unions, teachers, and college professors are left wing and use their positions to further their and a socialist type agenda. my only hope is that independents and the GOP can field enough quality candidates to take control of both houses of congress and the presidency. that is the only way we can undo some of the damage done in the last 6 years (3 of bush+democrats and 3 of obama+democrats). barney frank, charlie rangel, geitner and any other crooks should be run out of washington on a rail…..
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
2:51 pm
Dear Blueman @ 2:10, “You are ignoring the facts. Cain admitted this morning that he was told about the story 10 days before it was published. Am I to believe that a man running for President, after being told about this story (trivial?) by Politico 10 days earlier, took no action to get facts together so he could be prepared when the story came out?”
With all due respect, you have a assumptions here – that Cain “took no action to get facts together.” I don’t know about your attorneys, but I probably do not have detailed files over legal matters resolved 15 years ago. I suspect “remembrance” is all that was readily available. Even banks, with all of their detailed materials and systems, rarely keep account details beyond six years. I respectfully believe that I am the one focused on the facts – the actual nature of the alleged misdeed. Nobody seems to want to talk about how trivial the alleged conversation must have been.
whatajoke
November 1st, 2011
2:51 pm
Let’s imagine that as part of the settlement, the two victims were not allowed to ever the discuss the specific details and if they did, repay the settlement. Think Eddie Long.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
2:56 pm
Dear Joke @ 2:51, I disagree. “Let’s imagine that as part of the settlement, the two victims were not allowed to ever the discuss the specific details and if they did, repay the settlement. ” I don’t think the left’s attack machine would have much trouble coming up with $10,000, to cover the potential breach of contract. I suspect the “victim” does not wish to look like a greedy, grasping fool.
Toe Maine
November 1st, 2011
2:59 pm
What is much worse about Cain is that he is so ignorant that he thinks he can repeal Roe v. Wade by signing a bill that crosses his desk.
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
3:01 pm
Fast and Furious: Campaigns are a different animal today than they were in 1952, when Ike first ran. I’m not at all sure he could win in today’s environment, having never won an election before.
JF McNamara
November 1st, 2011
3:01 pm
First he lied and said it never happened, then he lied and said he wasn’t a part of the settlements and it was part of the business, then he remembered the “wife” quote, and now he’s spinning it.
Candidates are what they are. Nathan Deal had shady business deals and he’s bought that to office via tax cuts and private investment vehicles. Cain did wrong, lied at the outset and is now covering up. That’s what he’ll do as President, if elected.
JDW
November 1st, 2011
3:02 pm
OK it is getting very cold in places down under today…
LBB is correct when he says…”Nuisance lawsuits are par for the course when you’re the guy in charge.” Having seen this time and again I have to say that a settlement is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. In fact in the vast majority of cases it is simply a way of making the “issue” go away as cheaply and quickly as possible.
Kyle, I have to agree with you as well…the real issue here is Cain’s response.
It will be interesting to watch the feeding frenzy.
GT
November 1st, 2011
3:04 pm
the red herring the media didn’t let Kennedy or Clinton get away with anything. Their little moments were out there the moment it happened, or very shortly after, this guy is the one that has had this thing quiet for 21 years. And he still can’t get his story straight. Also this looks like an attack from within your party not from without. Yall are so good at this stuff we don’t want to get in your way. This looks like Bachman from head to toe. And by qualified candidates what exactly do you mean? You are setting a high bar that a lot of those nutballs yall support might not qualify so be careful.
whatajoke
November 1st, 2011
3:04 pm
Why can’t it be 99,999.00 ??? Dam, there I go with 99999999999999999999…….
Oh, I heard Herman favorite number is 45, thus 4+5=9……what a joke !!
I remember when...
November 1st, 2011
3:04 pm
Red, you kow for a fact that a Democratic source leaked this information?
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
3:04 pm
@Ragnar – Cain didn’t say his lawyers gave him the facts. He said, “”As I thought about it and thought about it, I did recall an agreement with the lady who left who made the false accusations. When I was initially hit with this and trying to stay focused on my day, I didn’t recall that. So yes, there was an agreement that I later added to my explanation.”
If you believe his own words, he is saying he did not think about the accusations in the story until sometime Monday after the initial questions. In this same interview he said he was told about the story 10 days before it was published. Had he first learned about the story on Monday morning, your “remembrance” argument would be plausible. As that is not what happened, you are ignoring the facts at hand.
The topic is on the Cain campaign response by the way, not the allegations.
John
November 1st, 2011
3:05 pm
“It’s his credibility: as an “outsider,” as a genuine man and authentic conservative, as a trustworthy and respectable human being.”
Really Kyle…authentic conservative? How many times is Cain going to change his story and say he’s really trying to clarify his position. Not just on this issue. Didn’t he do the same on abortion…saying a woman should be allowed to choose and the government should stay out of it (being a smaller government conservative) until conservatives went after him and he changed his position from a smaller government conservative to a big (let’s get involved in everyone’s personal life) government social conservative by saying the government should stop all abortions including cases of rape, incest and when the woman’s life is in jeopardy. There are other issues as well…how many free passes do you think he should have.
Why don’t conservatives go after Herman Cain with the same passion and in the same manner as they did with Anthony Weiner?
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
3:08 pm
Dear Blue @ 3:04, agree, Herman probably did not get anything from his attorneys, doubt there was any documentation available to help. Thus my second paragraph @ 2:11. While we agree that the issue is the “campaign’s response” rather than the actual allegation, the latter should inform one’s judgment on the former. An error on a big issue is a big deal; an error on a trivial issue is irrelevant. This is a trivial issue.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
3:10 pm
Dear John @ 3:05, “Why don’t conservatives go after Herman Cain with the same passion and in the same manner as they did with Anthony Weiner?” I don’t think conservatives really cared about the Weiner fiasco. We were all laughing about it, but I don’t remember any conservative ever demanding an investigation, or calling for his resignation. That was strictly an intra-party issue for the national socialists.
Kyle Wingfield
November 1st, 2011
3:11 pm
“Why don’t conservatives go after Herman Cain with the same passion and in the same manner as they did with Anthony Weiner?”
Um, maybe because there’s not a trail of photos, texts and women willing to talk on the record, the way there was with Weiner?
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
3:16 pm
@Ragnar – With all due respect, the coverage alone on this issue proves it’s not trivial. Mr. Cain is not a politician with a long record we can use to determine his character. His actions are all we have.
This is not one woman who accused him. By his own statement there were two separate instances of accusations by two different women.
I am not naive as to frivolous charges, but two? I need to hear from the candidate and so far all I have heard is conflicting information and spin blaming the “liberal media” and the accusers.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
3:19 pm
Dear Blue @ 3:16, you must not hve any experience with workplace litigation. It is a contagion; if one disgruntled person extorts a settlement, others will try. Trivial settlements tell me about the quality of the allegations; the ferocity of the lame-stream media hyperbole is not a good barometer.
John
November 1st, 2011
3:20 pm
“We were all laughing about it, but I don’t remember any conservative ever demanding an investigation, or calling for his resignation. ”
What? Get out from under your rock…every GOP politician called for his resignation along with the drugster Rush, everyone on Fox and Rance Priebus calling him a creep. Of course, Rance and others would become very silent during the same interviews when questioned if the same should be said about David Vitter.
John
November 1st, 2011
3:21 pm
“Um, maybe because there’s not a trail of photos, texts and women willing to talk on the record, the way there was with Weiner?”
Can the same be said about David Vitter?
John
November 1st, 2011
3:22 pm
Sending nude photos is not illegal…David Vitter was involved in prostitution which is illegal.
Blue Man on a Red Island
November 1st, 2011
3:22 pm
@Ragnar – “Lame stream media”? My apologies, I thought I was debating with someone informed on issues. I didn’t realize I was talking to Sarah Palin.
whatajoke
November 1st, 2011
3:23 pm
Did anyone see the speech Perry gave this past weekend in Vermont?? I think it was Vermont because they gave him a bootle of golden maple syrup. It seems like the guy was on crack.
I forgot, it didn’t happen because I saw it on the socialist network, msnbc.
ragnar danneskjold
November 1st, 2011
3:29 pm
Dear Blue, while I appreciate being compared to Magna Sarah, I think the “lame-stream” appellation is appropriately attributed to Bernie Goldberg.
Dear John @ 3::20, I think almost nobody monitors the hard core right wing media so closely as I. Rush had a great time with the Weiner jokes (transcript May 31, 2011 at rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/05/31/weinergate_too_small_to_matter) but did not exactly offer a clarion call for investigation. Bill O”Reilly did not even cover the story until after Weiner resigned,probably because Weiner was a regular on the show. Did Kyle call for investigation of Weiner?
Aquagirl
November 1st, 2011
3:32 pm
I need to hear from the candidate and so far all I have heard is conflicting information and spin blaming the “liberal media” and the accusers.
Somebody needs to inform Cain the “lamestream” media and 15 year old allegations are comparatively mild. Does he really think guys like Vladmir Putin play nice in private?
Also, this isn’t Cain’s radio show. We’re not his devoted listeners, ducking questions and lapsing into hysterics is not acceptable. And he doesn’t get to pick the topic.