Archive for the ‘Rick Perry’ Category

Despite a bad week in Washington, the campaign of GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain doesn’t appear to be sinking. From the Washington Post:

Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign.

Seven in 10 Republicans say reports that Cain made unwanted advances toward two employees when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s–allegations which have been stiffly rebutted by Cain’s campaign–do not matter when it comes to picking a candidate.

But the same poll says Cain’s support among Republican women appears to be dicey.

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The National Restaurant Association will say today whether it will allow one of the women, who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment while he headed the lobbying group, to …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Never mind the allegations, Post/ABC poll puts Herman Cain on top »

From Politico.com:

Herman Cain’s campaign manager is standing down, saying he accepts the denial of a strategist for Rick Perry’s campaign that he was responsible for orchestrating the first story about sexual harassment complaints against Cain while he was the CEO of a restaurant trade group in the 1990s.

On a midday Fox News appearance, Mark Block, when pressed by host Megyn Kelly, said he takes Curt Anderson at his word that he did not plant the story in the media.

Roll tape:

Throughout the week, Cain’s basic problem has been a series of assertions — whether sexual harassment settlements or characterizations of China’s nuclear abilities — that are immediately subject to change or recasting.

This just happens to be another one. Venue is another problem. One can often get away with wild statements on the road. But in Washington, spouting misstatements is like flashing a roll of twenties in a bar full of assassins.

Late Wednesday, in an interview with Forbes, Cain …

Continue reading Herman Cain campaign backs off Rick Perry accusation »

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain peeks around a person to shake hands during a swing through Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday. AP/Carolyn Kaster

The Herman Cain campaign has become a saga of charges and countercharges – we’ll try to tie some of the threads together, starting with advice offered last night by one of his rivals, Newt Gingrich. From my AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin:

“My first advice is what he hasn’t done, which is say nothing until you sit down with your lawyers and with the people who know the facts,” Gingrich said. “You thoroughly and completely understand them and you go through a period where everybody asks you — in your team — every possible negative question so you thoroughly understand what will happen.”

Gingrich is to appear with Cain in Houston on Saturday evening. Some polls indicate the former U.S. House speaker from Georgia would be the one to benefit from a Cain collapse.

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Late Wednesday, in an interview with …

Continue reading Newt Gingrich advises Herman Cain: Stop talking until you have a handle on the facts »

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain continues to fly high in national polls, as a new CBS/New York Times survey today has him “squeaking” past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney:

Cain garnered 25 percent support of Republican primary voters in the poll released on Tuesday, compared to Romney’s 21 percent.

Former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich finished third with 10 percent. The surprise is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has deflated to a distant fifth – behind his Texas rival Ron Paul – at 6 percent.

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Meanwhile, in an attempt to bring some academic heft to the debate over his “9-9-9” plan, Herman Cain has arranged for a friendly, Friday discussion of his economic policy via the American Enterprise Institute. The event will be livestreamed. Panelists will include William G. Gale of the Brookings Institution; Rich Lowrie of Friends of Herman Cain, and Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal.

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Another sign that Cain is getting into the swing of things in …

Continue reading Herman Cain continues high-altitude ride in CBS/NYT poll »

Occupy Atlanta today will focus its attention on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and what it calls “critical flaws in the judicial system.”

It’s no secret that much of Occupy Atlanta’s emotional energy is derived from the recent execution of Troy Davis, put to death last month for the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer.

Immediately upon arrival two weeks ago, the occupiers of Woodruff Park” have renamed their living space “Troy Davis Park.” This no doubt has contributed to the tension between the protestors and law enforcement.

Woodruff Park is named after Robert Woodruff, the Coke CEO and philanthropist.

An 11 a.m. press conference is to feature civil rights leader Joe Beasley and a close friend of Davis who goes by the name of “E Red.” Two hip-hop artists will also be participating. One will be Michael Render of Atlanta, whose presence is being advertised via his stage name: Killer Mike.

Which sounds like an unfortunate case of mixed …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Occupy ATL summons ghost of Troy Davis »

Las Vegas will serve as the venue for yet another Republican presidential debate at 8 p.m. tonight, this time on CNN.

Even as you wade through the cheesy gambling metaphors, remember that you’re witnessing what could be a historic shift in the dynamic of American presidential campaigns – a downgrading of the importance of state-by-state referendums on candidates, in favor of a series of national confrontations.

From Dan Balz and the Washington Post:

The GOP contenders will meet here Tuesday night for their fifth exchange since Labor Day and their eighth of the year. Once considered forums that only occasionally had a real effect on a nomination battle, the debates this year have been the defining feature of the contest.

“For the first time in decades, primary debates aren’t a sideshow, as candidates are using them as a major platform in lieu of early TV ads to project their ideas, personalities and candidacies,” said Jonathan Collegio, communications director for …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: An 8th GOP debate, and Iowa is still distant »

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain greets supporters during a campaign appearance Saturday in Harriman, Tenn. AP/Michael Patrick, Knoxville News Sentinel

A couple points worth noting in a piece just moved by Shannon McCaffrey of the Associated Press out of Tennessee:

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain said Saturday he’ll go toe-to-toe with Rick Perry for the GOP primary’s critical evangelical vote.

In an interview, Cain said the Texas governor “thought he had carved out that niche, when he didn’t own that niche by himself.”

“People are realizing that he is not the only Christian conservative in this race,” Cain [said] at a campaign stop in Harriman, Tenn., where he spoke before close to 1,000 tea party activists.

The Georgia businessman and former radio talk show host is giving himself a little wiggle room with the phrase, but “not the only Christian conservative” isn’t just a slap at Texas Gov. Rick Perry. It’s certainly a way to highlight GOP …

Continue reading When Barack Obama dedicates MLK memorial, Herman Cain will be in audience »

Like an out-of-control, deep-dish pizza, Herman Cain’s stock keeps rising.

The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza was declared to be at the top of the GOP presidential heap last night in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll:

And in yet another sign of how volatile the Republican race has been with less than three months until the first nominating contests, the onetime frontrunner, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has plummeted to third place, dropping more than 20 percentage points since late August.

“Cain is the leader … That’s the story,” said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

But McInturff cautions that Cain’s ascent — and Perry’s decline — is probably not the last shakeup in a GOP race that has seen a series of sudden rises and abrupt falls (first Donald Trump, then Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and now Perry) in the field.

“There is still a long, long, long time to go,” McInturff said.

Study the …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Herman Cain makes a yeasty rise to top of WSJ/NBC poll »

The Republican debate over Mormonism officially broke into the open this afternoon. From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON — The pastor who introduced Texas Gov. Rick Perry at a conservative gathering Friday said rival presidential candidate Mitt Romney is not a Christian and is in a cult because he is a Mormon.

Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dallas, endorsed Perry at the Values Voters Summit, introducing him as “a proven leader, a true conservative, and a committed follower of Christ.”

After his remarks, Jeffress told reporters that Perry’s religion is different from Romney’s.

“Rick Perry’s a Christian. He’s an evangelical Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ,” Jeffress said. “Mitt Romney’s a good moral person, but he’s not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. It has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.”

Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members …

Continue reading The GOP debate over Mormonism breaks into open »

Herman Cain continues his ride on the good-news wagon this morning with a CBS poll that shows him tied – for the first time — with Mitt Romney for the lead in the race for the GOP presidential nomination:

The poll shows Cain, who stood at just five percent support two weeks ago, now holding 17 percent support among Republican primary voters. That puts the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO into a tie with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, whose support has essentially held steady over the past two weeks.

See the CBS details here. A Washington Post/ABC poll on Tuesday had Romney leading, with Cain tied with Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

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In Georgia, an InsiderAdvantage and Channel 2 Action News poll says the Stockbridge entrepreneur and former radio talk show host has a substantial lead in the state. From the Southern Political Report:

Cain garnered 41 percent of the vote. This mirrors his recent meteoric rise in national and state polls around the nation. Also on the rise is …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: CBS poll has Herman Cain tied with Mitt Romney for GOP lead »