Post-Clinton, it appears the ‘Puritans’ are still winning after all
It was the summer of 1999, and I’d just arrived in Geneva. In a store window, I saw a poster with a Swiss artist’s interpretation of some months-old news from home: Bill Clinton, on a cross, wearing nothing but star-spangled boxer shorts, arrows piercing his heart. The depiction jibed with what conservatives were constantly told by the president’s defenders: Grow up; sophisticated Europeans are laughing at our puritanical country for caring about a great man’s affair.
Around that time, a future presidential candidate faced allegations he’d sexually harassed female workers. Twelve years later, Herman Cain sees that the “Puritans” won.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Boys (and girls) will be dolts, and Clinton’s example was never going to turn every politician into a saint. But a presidential deposition, followed by impeachment proceedings, created such a spectacle that, we were told, our attitudes toward our leaders would loosen up.
Early in the Clinton scandal, the Economist newspaper cited opinion polls suggesting most Americans believed Clinton had an affair with an intern but approved of him anyway.
“Maybe this is just a freak: public opinion is fickle,” the British-based newspaper editorialized. “But, just as possibly, Mr Clinton’s popularity signals a change in sexual mores: only three years ago, after all, Bob Packwood was hounded from the Senate for making passes at interns. … Sexual harassment is bad. But, judging from the popular response to Clinterngate, many Americans feel that zealous efforts to stamp it out can be worse.”
Frank Rich, then a columnist at the New York Times, noted the blurring line between journalism and entertainment:
“Barbara Walters commiserated with Bernard Lewinsky last Friday about how the scandal has dashed his daughter’s childhood dream of being the first woman President. That made for terribly touching drama, but in a culture in which celebrity conquers all, surely the exact opposite is true: Monica Lewinsky’s chances of holding public office someday have never been greater than they are now.”
Sex scandals do sell — for real celebrities. But, regardless of what becomes of Cain’s candidacy, the trend is for politicians to be shamed out of sight when private affairs are made public.
An instructive, though perhaps not exhaustive, example: Wikipedia’s entry for “federal political sex scandals in the United States” names 19 members of Congress between 1980 and 1999 who, while in office, admitted to affairs or were accused of sexual harassment. The bulk of them, 13, ran for re-election; 10 won. Only six resigned or didn’t run again.
Since 2000, Wikipedia lists 16 such members of Congress. The ratios are exactly reversed: Just five of them ran for re-election, and only three won. The other 11 resigned or retired.
Americans overwhelmingly, and increasingly, tell opinion pollsters that an extramarital affair is morally wrong. By smaller margins, they say an affair shouldn’t disqualify a candidate for office. Yet, politicians seem more apt to quit when such an accusation arises. What gives?
Maybe it’s that the media glare has gotten brighter and hotter. Maybe it’s that political careers based more on image than substance are hard to sustain once the image is dulled.
But maybe, just maybe, there are still enough Americans who realize, when our institutions appear so broken, that the character of the people running those institutions still counts.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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246 comments Add your comment
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
November 5th, 2011
10:00 pm
Even if Cain doesn’t know squat about foreign policy, I’m gonna guess that once he does figure it out, he won’t be a radical Marxist/ Socialist kleptomaniac like we have now.
Know what I mean?
Dusty
November 5th, 2011
10:01 pm
I report,
You are right. Cain is not slick, polished or evasive. I like that too. He does have a tough problem to overcome now.
Seems to me Perry is not slick, polished or evasive either. That’s why I like him.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 5th, 2011
10:03 pm
I Report, not trying to be a wet blanket or anything, but there’s about 53% of us out here who are in the so-called “1%” that the parasites OWSers hate. We’re also known as “normal, working, tax paying Americans”.
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
10:06 pm
Political babble indeed continues as Perry remains the weakest possible link in the GOP crowd. We need a strong experienced businessman not just a politician that served as governor of a state.
Immigration, Arizona and Arizonians are as knowledgeable as any people in the country, it is doubtful Governor Jan Brewer would ever support paying tuitions for illegal aliens. In fact she would likely agree with Teddy Roosevelt in telling Gov. Perry the greater offense is not the hardness of heart as Perry wrongfully bitterly accuses others of being, it is rather in the softness of his head!
Perhaps a few doctors do support the force of government being used to inoculate under aged girls without the parental consent of their parents but few conservatives approve of such blatant government over-reach and even liberal scorn the crony capitalism of politicians and corporations in apparent cahoots.
If Perry won’t flip-flop, he certainly puts “designer sandals” to good use. Do some search engine Internet window shopping there Perry can be found sporting a few pairs.
Energy flip-flop, Confederate Flag flip-flop, Debate flip-flop and Perry the Antigovernment Politician Meets Perry the Government Beneficiary
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
November 5th, 2011
10:09 pm
Dusty- I used to think Perry was the answer too but his stance on immigration and his meltdowns during the debates relieved me of that belief.
That manufactured smile, the crutch of Texas job creation that he leans so heavily on, the attacking of fellow Republicans, eh, there’s something I can put my finger on.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 5th, 2011
10:11 pm
I Report, not trying to be a wet blanket or anything, but there’s about 53% of us out here who are in the so-called “1%”
Now we’ve got them talking percentages. I love it.
Now that’s what I call #successfuloccupation.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 5th, 2011
10:13 pm
Let he who is without flip-flops throw the first designer sandal.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
November 5th, 2011
10:19 pm
Lil B- I know, but the way that the libs would like to portray this, 98% of America is 1%. Your 53% number is awfully low. Maybe the other 45% is to ate up with idiocy to understand that they, in their own best interests, don’t want to destroy the US financial system, but, deep within their inner capitalist, there are the same 1% that they demonize.
Propaganda will f you up, if you let it.
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
10:21 pm
I report,
It is not all that hard to have a very strong oil based economy creating jobs, especially when crude oil prices are reaching over $100 a barrel.
Take a good hard look at the unemployment rate in North Dakota. What is it I report, maybe 3% or so?
the red herring
November 5th, 2011
10:24 pm
the allegations against herman cain are being pushed hard from the mainstream media due to a need to discredit a black conservative. they are so afraid they will lose part of their voter base. when middle class blacks finally wake up to the fact they are being taken for ride like the rest of the middle class and vote their own interest then the democratic party is a thing of the past. why do you think it is so desperately seeking to allow illegals to remain and to vote?? they realize they are slowly losing their control of the black voting population. many middle class blacks have figured out that sharpton, jesse jackson, etc are only in this game for their own benefit. if clinton, jessie jackson jr et al couldn’t be discredited with all of their antics then the media simply will not attack those on the left. so if you have a one-sided media then you need to disregard it. the politifact check section of the ajc is pure B.S.— when you see the “issue of the day” you automatically know which side they will come down on. the ajc should split from the politico and instead run a legit newspaper….
I Report (-: You Whine )-: Thee Magnificent!!! mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
November 5th, 2011
10:26 pm
MHS- When did I lobby against energy production in America? We shouldn’t even buy from Canada, as far as I’m concerned.
Maybe there’s another I Report?
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
10:28 pm
As of Sept. 11 the reported unemployment rate was 3.5 in North Dakota, 8.5 in Texas. Both are oil job producing states.
Dusty
November 5th, 2011
10:30 pm
Well, Perry probably has as many illegals as any state. I think when the Feds get through telling the states what they can do, he will make a move. Arizona and Georgia are pretty well tied up right now until the courts “revise” their immigration laws. I believe in following the law and illegal is illegal.
Perry does not play nice at times. He’s not an actor or a pacifist and has plenty of spunk. We have a nice personable agreeable fellow in the WhiteHouse now. I could use as little spunk (even though I don’t know where Perry buys his boots. Probably not at GoodWill!)
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
10:33 pm
I report,
I didn’t say or mean to infer you did lobby against U.S. energy production. Just pointing out a few things about Perry’s talking points that really ain’t all that and a bag of chips – made from Idaho spuds that is!
Dusty
November 5th, 2011
10:45 pm
Hmmm comparing NORTH DAKOTA with TEXAS … well
It seems that North Dakota has only 672, 591 cold people and less acreage.
Texas has 22 MILLION warm people and lotsa acreage.
I think that might have some to do with the difference in unemployment. People do not go to the coldest states to look for a job. The few people in N. D. are probably already working (and trying to stay warm).
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
10:53 pm
Considering that GUB’MENT pension good ol’ Ricky boy will be getting when he retires from public life he’ll buy his footwear custom made. The left will chew him up on that one if the conservatives don’t spit him out long before they can get to him.
Snippet from the NY Times
As a Texas governor and presidential candidate, Rick Perry has repeatedly turned to the marketplace for policy solutions to health care and retirement security.
But as a private citizen, Mr. Perry has generally relied on the government.
Mr. Perry is a member of what the Texas Employees Retirement System calls “the elected class,” which enjoys the kind of lucrative pension benefits that have all but disappeared from the private sector.
As a member, Mr. Perry, 61, could have retired at age 50 with lifetime health care paid for by the state. To the annoyance of his opponents, he is still in office — and every year he stays will benefit him in the long run.
If Mr. Perry retires at the end of his current term, in January 2015, he would be eligible to collect as much as $119,025 a year, according to calculations based on 30 years of elective service and optional provisions. He will also receive Social Security, which could swell his total public pension benefits to more than $140,000 annually.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/us/perry-the-antigovernment-politician-meets-perry-the-government-beneficiary.html
Welcome to the Occupation
November 5th, 2011
10:56 pm
red herring: “the allegations against herman cain are being pushed hard from the mainstream media due to a need to discredit a black conservative. they are so afraid they will lose part of their voter base. when middle class blacks finally wake up to the fact they are being taken for ride like the rest of the middle class”
The allegations about Herman Cain being “pushed” are only problematic for him, if at all, because he had no plan for dealing with them other than stonewalling. In other words, the allegations are exposing the fact that he is not ready for prime time.
And maybe the problem for Cain really is just the fact that he’s no better at managing a campaign than he is at keeping his d in his pants. If Barack Obama had done the same, he would have been crucified. Absolutely crucified.
Middle class blacks, like middle class whites and everyone else who’s middle class, are being taken for a ride by BOTH parties because both parties are beholden to a corrupt kleptocratic class that has infected the entire political system.
The sooner that BOTH of these utterly corrupted, feckless shells of parties that we call Democrats and Republicans can be cut off at the knees and stripped of their influence, the better off we will all be.
Dusty
November 5th, 2011
11:05 pm
Well, it does seem Perry will retire with a good pernsion. That does not surprise me. He is a veteran(USAF) and a two term governor not to mention Texas Sec. of Agriculture for a time. He will get the same benefits as anyone who has done that same service for country and state.
No need to imply Perry’s pension are illegal. They are exactly what he earned by his own efforts.
JDW
November 5th, 2011
11:05 pm
I don’t know if Cain is guilty or not and lord knows the “Puritanical” element in this country has run amuck. I do know that most of this “Puritanism” has been supported, encouraged and even demanded by those on the Right and in spite of that bit of irony I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt at the present time.
Kyle, I am curious, given this bit of lamenting, when the “Puritans” were persecuting Clinton were you holding a pitchfork? I am pretty sure most if not all of those on the Right now giving Cain a bit of a pass were in the mob.
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
11:08 pm
Yeah comparing, right. Somebody is running short on substance in lieu of argument and numbers that doesn’t support the underlying reason jobs are being created.
Lem’me know when Rick Perry is spelled O-I-L . Meanwhile Texas joblessness is higher than that of North Dakota and it probably will be the case for some time to come for a number of very good reasons not lousy excuses.
Dusty
November 5th, 2011
11:16 pm
Well, the debate continues. Some states are doing better than others on unemployment. Texas and North Dakota are both below the national average. Let’s hope the average on unemployment will soon be lower everywhere..
So I bid you good night. Been fun..
Michael H. Smith
November 5th, 2011
11:21 pm
Oh absolutely, double standards are certainly not “implicitly or explicitly illegal”. They are… well, just a wee bit disingenuous to put it politely.
I’m sure others less kind will just say he is hypocritical to tout as a candidate the marketplace for policy solutions to health care and retirement security, while as a private citizen generally relying on the government.
I mean, it’s sorta, kinda, one of those put your money where your mouth is are best shush-up cause somebody might hear you talking too loudly.
aloysius
November 6th, 2011
1:06 am
In my opinion, Mr. Cain lied about his sexual advances upon these women. I can always tell when a person is lying , or have lied and now have to explain why they lied. He is very angry and seems incensed that his past transgressions have been revealed to the public. I think his campaign will now implode and he will fade from public view and Obama will get re – elected.
aloysius
November 6th, 2011
1:07 am
Oh yeah, just what is a puritan anyway? I don’t know any myself.
Willis
November 6th, 2011
7:13 am
What I would like to know is why Cain didn’t pay the settlement money himself. My former employer would NEVER have paid a settlement for me and if the Restaurant Association took tax deductions for the payments ($80,000) then the taxpayers picked up the tab. This is integrity? I don’t think so.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 6th, 2011
7:38 am
“The sooner that BOTH of these utterly corrupted, feckless shells of parties that we call Democrats and Republicans can be cut off at the knees and stripped of their influence, the better off we will all be.”
—————————
Political parties don’t have a vote. People do. Look in the mirror. You voted for Obozo, right? You are the problem.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 6th, 2011
7:44 am
“Just what is a puritan?”
————————-
Folks who didn’t mind working for a living, properly raised their children and cared for their family, and were responsible members of their community (self-sufficiency being the primary responsibility).
We could use some puritanism. And when I say “we”, I mean “you parasite, America-hating Democrats”.
Michael H. Smith
November 6th, 2011
9:02 am
lbb, although I do agree with and support doing all the things in the contents of your definition it isn’t those very worthy things that I’m afraid our overt sexually-feckless society deem as puritan in these type cases. The word ‘Prude’*, though Kyle with good reason no doubt rejected to use it in his title, had he even thought of it at the time of writing this article, strikes the rawness of nerve precisely:
~ Post-Clinton, it appears the ‘PRUDES’* are still winning after all ~
Where with many liberals at these times the demand for “propriety and decorum” are mostly put-on public display for political gainsay, not so much so as with their conservative counterparts where we have many genuinely ‘Prude’ members in reality and on public display ad infinitum. Notwithstanding a personal disclaimer issued here of my libertarian held views at all times on matters of this nature – between consenting adults, no force, no harm, no foul.
Cain’s favorability drops after accusations: poll
(Reuters) – Allegations that Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain sexually harassed women in the 1990s have begun to damage his bid for the White House, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The poll showed the percentage of Republicans who view Cain favorably dropped 9 percentage points, to 57 percent from 66 percent a week ago.
Among all registered voters, Cain’s favorability declined 5 percentage points, to 32 percent from 37 percent.
The survey represents the first evidence that sexual harassment claims dating from Cain’s time as head of the National Restaurant Association have taken a toll on his presidential campaign.
A majority of respondents, 53 percent, believe sexual harassment allegations against Cain are true despite his denials. Republicans were less likely to believe they are true, with 39 percent thinking they are accurate.
“The most striking thing is that Herman Cain is actually seeing a fairly substantial decline in favorability ratings toward him particularly among Republicans,” said Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/06/us-usa-campaign-cain-idUSTRE7A04CW20111106
This is Mrs. Norman Maine
November 6th, 2011
9:13 am
An AFFAIR between two consenting adults is different from SEXUAL HARASSMENT. While undoubtedly, there would have been a salacious interest in Herman Cain if he was a serial cheater we have cause to be concerned if he is a serial sexual harasser. This has nothing to do with Puritanism, and yes if a politician is a sexual harasser then it should matter greatly to us all.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 6th, 2011
9:17 am
“we have cause to be concerned if he is a serial sexual harasser”
————————–
Paula Jones. Kathleen Willey. Juanita Broaddrick.
Were you concerned?
Just a Flirt
November 6th, 2011
9:44 am
What is a Puritan? A Puritan believes that they decide the rules for everyone else to live by. They believe they that God speaks directly through them. When they find others who espouse the same rules, whether they live by them or not, Puritans are blissfully happy because it supports their ability to bully others into to live by the Puritans’ rules. Puritans believe they should have choices but others should not. They also believe the rules they set for others do not apply to themselves. If everybody else would just follow the Puritan’s rules, the Puritan believes life would be perfect and they would be in total control. Because it doesn’t matter whether the Puritan follows the rules or not; just everybody else must because control and power by the Puritan is the only goal.
Michael H. Smith
November 6th, 2011
9:50 am
Any difference between allegation and substantiation?
There is in my book and I’m looking for something more convicting than a politically motivated publically disclosed claim of offenses made years later after alleged events were said to have occurred where a payment made with no admitting of guilt to avoid very bottom line costly negative publicity isn’t convincing enough for a conviction, it only serves as cause for a maybe to arise or for a maybe we’ll never know the real details to reach a well reasoned conclusion that establishes the legal facts.
Just a Flirt
November 6th, 2011
10:07 am
BTW, Rick Perry is a Puritan.
However, what Kyle is referring to in this article is not Puritanism. It is Victorianism. Victorians were shocked by sexual shenanigans and preferred to pretend that sex did not exist. This was because there was a rising nouveaux riche middle class who wanted to pretend that they were as good, if not better, than the aristocracy.
gilley57
November 6th, 2011
10:15 am
I give little to no credence to what the press has to say about anyone. I try my best to learn about the candidates through my own research. Whenever accusations are made about a candidate, look for who stands to benefit. The same as a murder investigation. Candidates can and should win on their own merits not through the defamation of their opponents. I also know in our litigious culture, many people are paid off rather than going through the expense of litigation. That’s why ambulance chasers make so much money. People/Corporations who are in positions of power/fame are likely candidates for false allegations by accusers in the accusers hope of receiving a quick buck.
Right now, our country needs a fiscal fix. I will believe we need to remove our career politicians from the pool. They have been eating from the gravy train too long. The Dems and Repubs are guilty of saying what they think their power base wants to hear and doing what benefits them. I believe Herman Cain is different. He has a common sense approach that is refreshing. He is not a good ol’ boy of the Washington powerbase. The party is afraid of him because they cannot control him. Do I agree with everything his campaiign posits? No. But we live on Earth, not Utopia. I would prefer he push the FairTax instead of 9-9-9. But the tax plan will be debated after the election anyway. The real issue is who is behind the attacks on Herman and why are they so afraid of him?
This is Mrs. Norman Maine
November 6th, 2011
10:28 am
@ Lil Larry:
Nope.
TRUTH
November 6th, 2011
11:12 am
Kyle, if all you have to do is distort the issue about Herman “the Kock Brothers, Brother, from another Mother” Cain, then you have done so. Clearly. Those who took issue with Clinton were both liberal and conservative. Those who have issue with Cain, AGAIN, are both liberal and conservative. The issue at the base is that in both matters, they lied about it. What is even more amazing is the faux outrage that they lied… Who admits to such transgressions, Kyle, READILY.
Grow up and write about the failed policies of the Repubs and Dems. Something with substance. How about none of your candidates having a clue and a lack of direction. Bashing President Obama, ok, we get that, thats what running a race entails these days. But none of your candidates have a PLATFORM!! You know, a VISION for this country.
Get on that level, Kyle and you will see that most people aren’t really interested in a candidate that has had agreements signed to keep people silent whom he has harmed. No matter how he leads in the poll against other divisive candidates.
Just sayin….
Cal
November 6th, 2011
11:14 am
The Kennedy family is the only one to send three brothers to the U.S. Senate, and the fallen trio now has one of the most historic rooms on Capitol Hill named in their honor.
The Kennedy clan was rife with sexual misconduct–from harassment to murder.
MarkV
November 6th, 2011
11:20 am
gilley57 @10:15 am: “I give little to no credence to what the press has to say about anyone. I try my best to learn about the candidates through my own research. Whenever accusations are made about a candidate, look for who stands to benefit. The same as a murder investigation.”
This is an argument, which looks good at first glance, until you look deeper. To “learn about the candidates through my own research” is rather naïve; one can and should examine what the candidate has said, written and done, but it can hardly be done thoroughly without the help of the press. And the whole notion is rather an anathema to the idea of the importance of free press.
“Whenever accusations are made about a candidate, look for who stands to benefit. The same as a murder investigation.” You mean that the police and prosecutor benefit? In a way, yes, but that is hardly a reason for not paying attention to what they do.
gilley57
November 6th, 2011
11:32 am
No, what I am saying is that typically accusations about a candidate come from people, usually other candidates camps, who stand to gain from tearing down the accused. And yes, I do read what the press puts out, that’s a given. I am talking about reading the good, the bad,everything I can find. Then challenging and questioning the information. I don’t just accept it at face value. I apply discernment.
MarkV
November 6th, 2011
11:35 am
gilley57 @
11:32 am : “reading the good, the bad,everything I can find. Then challenging and questioning the information.”
No argument against that.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 6th, 2011
11:55 am
John Boehner on the tube right now spewing propaganda, pretending he’s doing something useful.
He’s a fraud, like 98% of his colleagues.
The only solution to the current crisis: massive uprising.
Which – what do you know – is just what we’re just now getting the beginnings of.
Keeping score
November 6th, 2011
12:04 pm
However, let it be known, that if you work, clerk, intern, or consult for a Democrat, your chances of being sexually harassed are far greater than if you choose to work for a Republican.
And when it comes to extramarital affairs, hands down, the Democrats are on the prowl.
Republicans (4)
•Ernie Konnyu (R-CA) – sexual harassment complaints by two female staffers (1987)
•Donald “Buz” Lukens (R-OH) – accused of having sexual relations with a 16 year-old girl (1989) and was accused of fondling a woman in an elevator (1990)
•Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill sexual harassment scandal at time of Supreme Court nomination hearings (1991)
•Bob Packwood (R-OR) – sexual harassment scandal (1995)
Democrats (6)
•Brock Adams (D-WA) eight women accused Adams of committing various acts of sexual misconduct, ranging from sexual harassment to rape (1988)
•Jim Bates (D-CA) made sexual advances toward female staffers (1988)
•Gus Savage (D-IL) accused of trying to force himself on a female Peace Corps worker in Zaire (1989)
•Mel Reynolds (D-IL) – indicted for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for a relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer (1994), and was convicted of 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography (1995)
•Kevin Shelley (D-CA) California Secretary of State – a number of former staffers and other associates accused Shelley of abusive behavior, including sexually explicit gestures and remarks (2004)
•John Burton (D-CA) former California Senate Pro Tempore – accused of sexual harassment by a female employee at his charity organization (2008)
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 6th, 2011
12:04 pm
He’s a fraud
—————————-
Don’t cry because he defeated your Idiot Obozo at every turn.
Americans in November 2012 will finish the job they started in November 2010.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 6th, 2011
12:15 pm
Lil’ Barry Brainout: “Don’t cry because he defeated your Idiot Obozo at every turn.”
What are you talking about? Obama is just as big a fraud as he is.
Welcome to the Occupation
November 6th, 2011
12:20 pm
Oh and by the way, Brainout, your Mitt Romney is perhaps the biggest fraud Washington has ever seen, the fraud to end all frauds.
And he’s probably got a better than 60% chance of being our next president! In’t it great?!
And, being the fraud that he is, he’ll be the Republicans’ version of Barack Obama: someone who says absolutely anything to get elected, and then proceeds to do his chameleon routine as soon as he gets in office. Just watch.
@@
November 6th, 2011
12:30 pm
The President said: “I Trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves…’
From a politician’s perspective, that part’s true, but this part?
…by putting people back to work.”
Not so much.
schnirt
@@
November 6th, 2011
12:44 pm
Obama said this in 2004?
“If there is an Arab American somewhere getting rounded up by [Attorney General] John Ashcroft, without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties even if I am not an immigrant,” he declares, three years after the 9/11 attacks.
So hunting down an Arab American and killing him with a drone missile doesn’t threaten his civil liberties?
Ashcroft was not “rounding up” Arab immigrants in 2004, but was actually resisting efforts by police agencies to expand surveillance.
Maybe THAT was “The Change” he was talking about.
schnirt
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/06/rediscovered-2004-senate-ad-shows-obama-pitching-similar-rhetorical-themes/#ixzz1cwaOtfP1
ragnar danneskjold
November 6th, 2011
12:50 pm
Best headline of the week says it all: “American Way: A funny thing happened on the way to the Herman Cain lynching”
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyharnden/100115731/american-way-a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-herman-cain-lynching/
Tealiban Party
November 6th, 2011
1:07 pm
Good article. As I said before, Cain moved off the Democrat plantation, and onto the Koch Brothers’ plantation.
@@
November 6th, 2011
1:15 pm
Simply put, the media and Cain’s detractors have over-played their hand.
No way would the media do tha-a-a-at. When, if ever, will they learn?
Just read a piece at the WSJ.
Defendants, especially if they are prominent executives, are often willing to pay even if they feel that a plaintiff has little chance of winning. A settlement puts a matter to rest, and ensures unseemly allegations aren’t aired in public.
Lawyers say the mere existence of a legal settlement says little about the strength of the plaintiff’s evidence or the defendant’s culpability, but the dollar amount of the settlement may say more. In cases involving high-level executives backed by deep-pocketed companies or organizations, lawyers say, a six-figure settlement suggests the plaintiff has a case with at least an outside chance of persuading a jury. A settlement in the low five figures suggests the allegation is likely to hit significant headwinds.
“Simple” allegations netted two pay-outs totalling $80,000. From a claimants perspective, it’s like a “buy one, get another free” purchase.
For me, it looks like they preferred money to justice.