Topic: Ugh. Now Cain blows an easy abortion question.

[LadyVirginia]

What's hurting Cain is the very real perception that he can't handle the details of basic conservative positions.

Social.

Foreign Policy.

Take your pick of what will hit the fan next.

Yup. Sad to say, and sad to see.

Which doesn't prove he couldn't be an effective leader and make good decisions BUT if you're going to throw your hat in the ring you better have done your homework beforehand.

At least that's what I would do. 

And that's reason #274 why I would't run for president.

[Delnorin]

From my perspective, the troubling thing is not his stance on abortion. I am avidly pro-life, and my gut tells me Herman Cain is too. I think he would appoint good judges.

To me, the troubling aspect is his apparent lack of forethought in a bid for the presidency. It seems as if he approached the whole thing lackadaisically, and just expected to be able to wing the answers to routine questions without a single thought to public perception.

Before he can do ANYTHING, he has to win the presidency. It doesn't seem at all clear to me that he understands that.

I am glad I read through all the responses before saying anything.
copy/paste above, sign my name under it also.

[John Florida]

Yah, and then they started talking ....

 Themselves right into a hole. Here comes Mittens,get ready to vote.

[trapeze]

I want to support him. I do. But he is going to have to step it up. A lot.

[trapeze]

Oh, and BTW...

Michelle Bachmann's entire NH staff quit today. Anyone know what is going on there?

[IronDioPriest]

Oh, and BTW...

Michelle Bachmann's entire NH staff quit today. Anyone know what is going on there?

No further news - we do have a thread going on it if anything new breaks...

http://itsaboutliberty.com/index.php/topic,3513.0.html

[IronDioPriest]

This, from a RedStater who went on and on about Herman Cain being pro-choice...

A Mea Culpa on Herman Cain and Abortion

Yesterday I wrote two posts about Herman Cain’s stance on abortion, which may be read here and here [linked at redstate]. One of the good things about blogging is that it allows you to shoot from the hip, which allows instant commentary and feedback on news that the traditional media cannot provide. However, it is also sometimes one of the bad things about blogging, in that it allows you sometimes to shoot before the facts are all in. Having considered the information I received via email over the last day, I now realize that calling Herman Cain “pro-choice” was not just wrong, it was disastrously wrong, and for that I am sorry.

I have come to understand that Herman Cain has in reality done far more for the pro-life movement than I ever have. For instance, he donated $1 million of his own money in an attempt to encourage black voters to vote pro-life. His 2004 Senate campaign made life a central issue.  His work opposing abortion – especially among the black population – has led many leftist organizations to denounce him with hysterical, shrieking screeds; which is probative evidence of the fact that they were to some degree effective.

Herman Cain’s statements on abortion during this campaign season have not been as clear as they should have been. I have no idea why he couldn’t have re-issued his 2004 statement when questioned this year. There is no reason that someone possessed of pro-life convictions that are as firm as Herman Cain’s undoubtedly are should have stumbled badly enough to trip the radar of many pro-lifers. I am sure I am not the only one who hasn’t paid very close attention to Herman Cain’s career prior to three weeks ago, and did not know these facts about him and thus could not place his statements to Piers Morgan, David Gregory, and John Stossel in that context.

However, that is not an excuse for me. I should have done my research, and should not have called him pro-choice. He clearly is not. And I have absolutely zero doubt – none at all – that a man who would put up $1M of his own money to advance the pro-life cause would govern as a staunch pro-lifer.

I still have very serious doubts about whether Herman Cain would be a good President. But concern over whether he is really pro-life is not one of them.

As I said earlier, I have no doubt that Herman Cain is pro life. My problem is with his preparedness to run for president, not his position on the unborn.

[charlesoakwood]

Not only preparedness to run, I think if he is our candidate he will win, but his ability to deal with
congress.  It's not an employer employee relationship, it's more like a marriage and rest assured
those business negotiating skills do not apply.

[trapeze]

One of the many, many reasons that Jimmy Carter was a failure as a president was his inability to work with Congress. IIRC, he ran as an outsider who was going to come to DC and show those politicians a thing or two. Congress was, of course, dominated by members of his own party and they did not exactly appreciate this attitude from a hayseed governor from Georgia. It was the first of a laundry list of mistakes that Carter made as president.

Could Cain, if elected, repeat history by alienating a Congress dominated by his own party?

At this point I wouldn't bet against it.

[Pandora]

What were "our" objections to Santorum, again?

[trapeze]

I think Santorum is a great conservative. Really, I do.

But for one reason or another he isn't getting any traction with the people who answer polls.

He isn't resonating with the public.

So whether I like him or not (and I do) he isn't going anywhere.

[Delnorin]

I think Santorum is a great conservative. Really, I do.
But for one reason or another he isn't getting any traction with the people who answer polls.
He isn't resonating with the public.
So whether I like him or not (and I do) he isn't going anywhere.

After the very first GOP debate I started a blog where I researched all canidates at that time and kept track of what I thought were pros and cons.  Now that website hasn't been kept up to date.. but this is the info I had after the very first debate.  Here is the blog I am talking about that is outdated:
http://free-speech-while-it-lasts.blogspot.com/2011/06/gop-canidates-pros-and-cons.html




 Positive:



          1. Proposes drilling for oil/natural gas, etc wherever we have those
               resources in the Country.
          2. Wishes to bring down the corporate tax rate.
          3. Wants to cut capital gains tax to 0% for 5 years, then raise it back up to
               1/2 of the rate that it is today.
          4. Would support a federal right-to-work law. (This means that people can
               not be forced to work for a socialist union to get a job).
          5.  Very strong against abortion and gay marraige.
          6.  Strongly opposed the Patriot Act.
          7.  Proposes border fence with Mexico.
          8.  Strongly opposes a progressive tax.
          9.  Strongly approves of parents using school vouchers.
        10.  Strongly approves privatizing social security.
        11.  Strongly supports our rights to keep and bear arms.
        12.  Strongly supports teacher led prayer in schools.
        13.  Strongly supports death penalty.
        14.  Strongly opposes same sex marraige.
        15.  Pro-Life
        16.  "Move the US Embassy to Jerusalem." (Nov 1995)


     Negative:


          1.  Very snarky and arogant.
          2.  Supports affirmative action.

[charlesoakwood]

In his own words put the Party first and supported Arlen Specter.  For me that's plenty.
I do not want an establishment candidate.  Puts stink all over that snark.

ETA: During the debates he has exhibited a juvenile impatience that does not express a leaders temperament.

[Janny]

I think Santorum is a great conservative. Really, I do.

But for one reason or another he isn't getting any traction with the people who answer polls.

He isn't resonating with the public.

So whether I like him or not (and I do) he isn't going anywhere.

Most conservatives I know don't like him personally, because of the perceived arrogance. I think he's okay.

[michelleo]

I don't want an establishment candidate either.  But I don't think Cain "blew" an easy abortion question.  He was candid when he said he's pro-life, but as President he wouldn't be in a position to affect the choices someone might make re: abortion.  The problem with his response was that it was not overly massaged to make it politically palatable to the maximum number of voters.  That's precisely the kind of mealy-mouth nonsense you'd expect from Romney instead.

Latest Iowa poll I saw had Cain at 37%, Romney 27%.  So, perhaps there's more tolerance for a candidate rough around the edges than one might think.  We'll see.

[IronDioPriest]

...Latest Iowa poll I saw had Cain at 37%, Romney 27%.  So, perhaps there's more tolerance for a candidate rough around the edges than one might think.  We'll see.

Poll was taken before Cain's disastrous interview where he presented himself as pro-choice, and before his Keystone Cop-ish attempts to walk it back.

[trapeze]

It's crazy that we (the voters) take every sentence that the candidates utter seriously where at the same time the candidates themselves do not.

What I mean is that, to us, this is a deadly serious business, selecting a president. Why is it that the candidates do not see it that way (deadly serious) and act appropriately? Is it too much to ask that a candidate view campaigning as a full time job where they are required to know what it is they are talking about?

I refuse to waste my time listening, for instance, to a radio (or television) talk show host who demonstrates to me that they are unfamiliar with the material they are presenting even though they make every effort to fake the familiarization. Hannity and O'Reilly have disappointed me countless times in this respect and I have pretty much abandoned them. Limbaugh and Levin don't seem to have this problem...they simply avoid talking about subjects that they aren't masters of.

A professional politician who wants to be elevated to president needs to be the Rush Limbaugh in the field...the consummate professional willing to work harder at the job than anyone else. That means a lot of reading, a lot of studying, a lot of time spent with coaches and, yes, focus groups. I think that Bill Clinton must have done this a lot in order to be ready for just about anything that could possibly be thrown at him by the media. Now, of course it helped that he had a sympathetic media (plus natural ability) but the fact remained that he was also ready. Prepared.

Sure, it isn't easy finding the time for all of this preparation but that's tough. These people are supposedly auditioning for the most important job in the world. It isn't for slackers.

So, yeah, I get a little pissed off when they repeatedly screw up on THE BASICS.

[LadyVirginia]

I'm beginning to think that these people think that being able to fake it is being a professional.

[charlesoakwood]

CSPAM is showing Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Banquet.  Gopal Krishna is speaking at the moment
the candidates should be speaking soon.

[Dan]

I'm beginning to think that these people think that being able to fake it is being a professional.

That's probably true to no small degree, but in an instance like this, it's simple pandering,  I think.
This may be the end of my support for Cain. His views on the 2d Amendment (states should handle it!) took him off my radar, but this may seal it. I know Trap said "none of teh above" is a bad choice, but not for me. I can't support any more people telling me what they think will get them teh most votes. Even if I agree w/ some/most of what they're sellin'.
Yes, I'd rather another 4 yrs  of soerto  (I don't think this country will stay on the current trajectory that long), but at least when it implodes, it'll be him at teh helm (which carries a danger in and of itself, I know), although I would not hesitate one second to start the push-back against a RINO.

Santorum seems pretty good, but I can't support his 12th position, as per Delnorin's breakdown, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me. BUt Trap's right in that he's not going anywhere.
I wanted to find out more about McCotter, actually, but he disappeared before I had teh chance.