Herman Cain

Jon Huntsman Comes Through In Republican Foreign Policy Debate!

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Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman performed admirably last night in the GOP Foreign Policy debate in South Carolina, sponsored by CBS News and National Journal.

Sadly, he is not being taken seriously by news media, because of his low public opinion poll ratings, but in the three opportunities he had to speak up on his expertise, foreign policy, he waxed brilliant and principled.

He told the audience and the moderators that it is time for us to leave Afghanistan and focus on dealing with domestic problems.

He also said that waterboarding was torture, and unacceptable under our American value system of freedom and democracy, in this agreeing with 2008 Republican Presidential nominee John McCain.

Huntsman also said we should not consider a trade war with China, that China policy needed to be more sophisticated, and was more complex than what everyone else in the Republican race either said or has stated during the campaign.

Huntsman is the only sensible, common sense, and rational person, other than Ron Paul, among the eight competitors for the GOP nomination, when it comes to foreign policy, and some of them–particularly Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Perry–are absolutely horrifying in their stated views of the world.

Ron Paul was rational and reasonable in his few opportunities to answer questions, and if only his domestic views were less weird and looney as a result of his libertarian views, he might be considered acceptable by those who do not want America to be constantly hawkish in foreign policy.

The shame is that too much time was spent on the reckless rhetoric of Cain, Bachmann, Perry, and Gingrich, and not enough time given to Huntsman and Paul.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was barely acceptable in his answers, but again seemed unprincipled as usual, while Rick Santorum was Rick Santorum!

But it is clear that in foreign policy, Huntsman still presents by far, the best credentials, and we cannot afford to have a reckless, ignorant hand on the power given to an individual as Commander in Chief!

The CNBC Republican Presidential Debate: Perry And Cain Big Losers; Gingrich And Huntsman Big Winners!

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The CNBC Republican Presidential debate tonight on the economy really separated the “men” from the “boys”!

The big losers were Rick Perry, who could not remember the Department of Energy as one of the government departments he wants to abolish, coming across as totally inept; and Herman Cain, who gave a poor performance regarding his ethics, and kept on referring to his ridiculous 9-9-9 plan constantly!

The big winners were Newt Gingrich, who came across as what he was: thoughtful in ideas, intelligent, knowledgeable, but also very demagogic in many of his statements; and Jon Huntsman, who appeared to be stronger than he has been, and has a shot at becoming a serious candidate.

Mitt Romney did not do anything disastrous in his performance in the debate, but did not strengthen his case either, so Gingrich and Huntsman now appear to be his chief competitors.

Ron Paul was. . . . . well, Ron Paul, a curmudgeon with ideas totally impractical, but strong as usual in his assertiveness.

And Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum are not worthy of spending time discussing, as neither improved their position in the race.

So the main story of this debate is the collapse of the Perry and Cain campaigns, and the strengthening of Gingrich and Huntsman.

We shall see in a few days whether the author’s judgments show up reflected in the polls, but we have learned that polls do not necessarily relate to reality, and the audience at this debate acted just as insensitive and outrageous as at earlier debates.

The performance of the debaters does not bode well for the GOP, on top of their weak performance in yesterday’s key issues decided by the voters in Ohio, Mississippi, Maine, and Arizona.

Political Experience, Public Office, And The Presidency

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One would think that to be President of the United States, one should have political and governmental experience, and have been voted into office by American citizens. That is, the Presidency is NOT a place to learn how government works, and experience of some type electorally is essential!

And yet, Herman Cain is running without ANY government credentials, and having never been elected to any office by any part of the American population!

What gall to think that he is qualified because he is a businessman, when government is NOT a business, and business experience is greatly overrated, and does not train one to run a government, on the scale that being in elective office DOES qualify someone to lead the American people!

The question arises as to how many Presidential candidates or Presidents have had no government electoral experience.

There have been two businessmen who ran for President–Wendell Willkie in 1940 as a Republican and Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 as an Independent candidate for the White House. Both had a much more distinguished business career than Herman Cain could ever even dream of!

We have also had military generals who have run for office without political experience, with three being elected President–Zachary Taylor in 1848, Ulysses Grant in 1868 and 1872, and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, with only Eisenhower rated highly by scholars of the Presidency.

Three other generals ran and lost the Presidential race–Winfield Scott in 1852, George McClellan in 1864, and Winfield Scott Hancock in 1880.

Also, there were two cabinet members who never served in elective office, other than the Presidency–William Howard Taft in 1908 after serving as Secretary of War; and Herbert Hoover in 1928, after serving as Secretary of Commerce. But neither is rated very high among the Presidents.

So the best way to look at it is: If you wish to run for President and lead our nation, you MUST have electoral experience, particularly in the modern era when the job requires political experience as crucial, not business experience as head of a corporation whose only aim is PROFIT!

Will Newt Gingrich Become The “Anti Romney” Conservative Alternative?

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So the “Flavor of the Month” is rapidly losing support in the Republican Party!

With a woman coming out today with a statement that Herman Cain made inappropriate sexual advances toward her, the fourth such woman, and this one willing to show her face, we will soon see the rapid decline of Herman Cain as a Presidential candidate, no great loss, as he had proved to be inadequate in his preparation, and ill informed on one issue after another, and with a crazy 9-9-9 tax plan that would raise taxes on the middle class and help the rich avoid taxes more than now!

With Herman Cain on the decline, after Rick Perry last month and Michele Bachmann the month before, now it looks more likely that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich might become the new “Anti Romney” conservative alternative for the Republican Presidential nomination.

Gingrich has the intelligence, the knowledge, the skills that are needed, no doubt, to run for the Presidency. He is a very skilled debater who would make a confrontation between himself and President Barack Obama the best Presidential debates ever, since the Lincoln Douglas Senate debates in Illinois in 1858!

What he lacks is discipline, control of his rhetoric and personal behavior, and an absolutely horrific record of scandal, poor ethics, and low morals as Speaker, and in his personal life, having had three marriages and two divorces, and a reputation as a womanizer par excellence!

GIngrich has always been one of the nastiest campaigners around, and has made some of the most outrageous statements and issued some of the most disgraceful personal attacks on President Obama. He has no shame, and seems to be immune to anything but his own ambitions and desires.

The thought of a Gingrich Presidency is to imagine someone who would be more hostile to the press and more controversial in the Presidency than anyone we have ever had. It would be damaging to the institution of the Presidency, and lower the reputation historically of that office!

This shows the sad state of the Republican Party, that Mitt Romney is unable to move beyond 25 percent in any poll, and the reality that conservatives do not want him, and are looking high and low for any alternative to the former Massachusetts Governor.

So with rising public opinion poll support, expect Newt Gingrich to become the new “Flavor of the Month” for November!

Nate Silver Gives Odds For Republican Presidential Candidates A Year Before The Presidential Election

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Nate Silver of the NEW YORK TIMES on Friday explained, according to his statistical model, the odds of any GOP candidate for President having the opportunity to win the popular vote in the 2012 Presidential Election..

Note he does not say that any of these candidates will win the election, because, of course, the Electoral College will decide who wins the White House, and four times the popular vote loser nationally (1824, 1876, 1888, 2000) has won the election.

According to his model, the best candidate with the most opportunity to win is Jon Huntsman, the former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China, who has so far made no dent in the public opinion polls.

And yet, Silver’s argument is that with a 2.5% growth of the economy in 2012, a fairly tepid growth thought to be the most likely and best scenario, Huntsman has a 71 percent chance of winning the popular vote, as compared to 58 percent for Mitt Romney. No other candidate can win under this model, with Herman Cain having a 41 percent chance, Rick Perry a 30 percent chance, and Michele Bachmann having a 12 percent chance.

IF there is a stalled economy with no growth, Huntsman’s chances rise to 90 percent, Romney to 83 percent, Cain to 70 percent, Perry to 59 percent, and Bachmann to 34 percent.

If GDP grows only 2.3 percent instead of 2.5 percent, Huntsman has a 73 percent chance of winning, Romney 60 percent, Cain 44 percent, Perry 32 percent, and Bachmann 14 percent.

If the economy grows by the unexpected amount of 4 percent GDP growth, then Huntsman has a 55 percent chance, Romney 40 percent, Cain 25 percent, Perry 17 percent, and Bachmann 5 percent.

Notice that Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are not even considered in this model drawn up by Nate Silver.

It ultimately comes down to what the author has said many times; that Jon Huntsman, despite his poor performance in polls so far, is by far the best bet for the Republican Party against Barack Obama, BUT the Tea Party does not care for him; evangelical Christians will not like him for being a Mormon; and unless he can win New Hampshire, he will have no opportunity to move ahead, and right now it seems unlikely.

And since Romney has many of the same problems as Huntsman, as listed above, and has actually less of a chance than Huntsman among key GOP groups, it looks likely that the Republican Party will blow the chance they theoretically have to win the White House!

The Further Deterioration Of The Presidential Candidates: Can’t We Find Qualified Candidates?

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The deterioration of the Republican Party continues, and it is amazing that whenever one thinks we have reached the “bottom of the barrel”, the situation gets worse.

Many have criticized George W. Bush as not very bright, not very qualified to be our President, and some have unfairly said he is the worst President in American history, a totally inaccurate statement.

But when one looks at all of the faults of George W. Bush, and then examines Sarah Palin who considered running; Michele Bachmann; Rick Perry; and now Herman Cain, honestly it gets worse all of the time and makes George W. Bush look like a genius!

Palin had little knowledge of any subject, but at least had SOME experience in public office.

Michele Bachmann came across as more looney and nutty, but at least had a few terms in the House of Representatives.

Rick Perry came across as making George W. Bush look brilliant, and has proved to be a terrible candidate, but at least he has been Governor of the second largest state for eleven years.

And then we have Herman Cain, with NO qualifications other than having been the head of Godfather Pizza, with NO experience in government at all, and totally coming across as a fool! And then he has sexual harassment charges lodged against him, and he and others start to compare him to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who had similar charges against him in 1991, but overcame them and went on to the Court, where he remains after 20 years.

The point is that Herman Cain is actually far worse than George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry!

it is also true that Herman Cain is no Clarence Thomas, who at least has intellectual qualifications, even if one does not agree with his jurisprudence!

So the GOP gets worse and worse and worse, while Mitt Romney flounders with a consistent one fourth of the party for him, and three fourths against him.

And Jon Huntsman, the best candidate the party has to offer, is “dead in the water” with one or two percent!

What a great tragedy for the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Reagan!

The Herman Cain Phenomenon And Public Opinion Polls: A Parallel Universe!

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Herman Cain has had one hell of a week, and yet, unlike Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, he goes up in public opinion polls, while Mitt Romney stays stagnant in his numbers, still only about one out of four Republicans supporting him.

Herman Cain does not know China has had nuclear weapons since 1964.

Herman Cain does not seem to care that his 9-9-9 plan would raise taxes on 84 percent of the people, while lowering taxes on the wealthy.

Herman Cain suggests that we build a fence between Mexico and the United States which is electrified, and also wants a moat with alligators in it to stop illegal immigrants.

Herman Cain says he is against abortion completely, but wants the woman to have the choice on ending pregnancies.

Herman Cain does not know anything about foreign policy, and makes fun of the name of an important ally in the Near East in the war in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, saying he does not know who its leader is and does not care.

Herman Cain believes that it is alright to sexually harass women in the workplace and that no one should be disturbed by this.

Herman Cain has made so many other inane statements and shown a tremendous lack of interest in details on public issues, and seems more interested in selling his book and improving his chances to make money on motivational speeches.

Through all this, apparently, many Republicans either do not believe the sexual harassment charges or think they are no big deal, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, so Cain’s ratings have improved.

It does not matter to these Republicans that Herman Cain has no knowledge or experience in government, and they seem to be willing to “wing” it and let an incompetent, stupid man become the leader of the free world, whose best credentials is that he headed a pizza corporation!

The ability of Republicans and many Americans to live in a “bubble”, in their own version of the “parallel universe” is mind boggling!

Will the American people at large be moronic enough to put into office a businessman who is no Wendell Willkie or Ross Perot, both men having had an intelligent, accomplished career before running for President?

And remember, neither Willkie nor Perot WON, and if Herman Cain somehow becomes our next President, God save the United States and the world!

Have We Ever Had A Dumb, Stupid President? Yes, Warren G. Harding And Andrew Johnson!

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With the growing evidence that many people who run for President are ill informed, lacking in basic knowledge and curiosity about public affairs, and in some cases, plain dumb or stupid, the question arises whether we have ever had a truly dumb, stupid President of the United States!

We are not talking about one’s personality, or level of success or failure as President, but simply someone who was truly the “ordinary” man or woman, who often is not involved or interested in public affairs and does not have the intelligence or knowledge or judgment to be President of the United States!

The question is whether an “ordinary” man or woman should be allowed to ascend to the highest public office, and have the power to affect the lives, not only of Americans, but the world at large.

We have certainly had Presidents who were truly brilliant and intellectual, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. That makes a list of 15 of the 43 Presidents, one out of every three.

Then we have had Presidents who were not brilliant or intellectual, but had great qualifications that made them appropriate for the office of President, including George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Rutherford Hayes, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, making it a list of 18 Presidents, approximately 40 percent, and together with the earlier list, a total of 33 out of 43 Presidents, about 75 percent of the entire list of Chief Executives.

That leave us with ten Presidents who can be divided into two groups: the military generals who had little or no experience in politics–William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, who can at least be given credit as having proved themselves in the military.

And finally, there are six Presidents who can be considered as mediocrity personified–chronologically Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Andrew Johnson, Chester Alan Arthur, Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge, but even among them, it is clear cut that TWO Presidents would be considered the closest to dumb, stupid, ill informed, ill equipped to be President, and one was simply a successor not elected, while the other was elected President and was a true disaster!

So if the reader has gone this far, the question is who makes the final cut of the two? They are Andrew Johnson, a terrible choice by Abraham Lincoln for his second term, clearly not thinking about his competence to be President–and Warren G. Harding, who was elected in a landslide by the voters in 1920, and was the absolute total disaster above all Presidents, and did us a favor by dying in office after 29 months as President!

Can we afford nearly a century later to have another Warren G. Harding or Andrew Johnson? Can we afford a Sarah Palin, a Michele Bachmann, a Herman Cain, a Rick Perry? God forbid that were to happen!

Herman Cain And The Race Card: Hypocrisy To The Extreme!

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Herman Cain has long made it clear that he does not think race is a factor in American life, and has shown no concern over the high incarceration rate and poverty rate that African Americans are faced with.

He has been quick to poke fun at Barack Obama as not a true black, but instead at himself as a true black who is against affirmative action, against poverty programs, against any consideration of the horrible social conditions that many people of his race deal with daily.

But yet, as soon as he is attacked for sexual harassment, he pulls a “Clarence Thomas”, claiming he is a victim because he is black, that he is being subjected to a “high tech lynching” and a “witch hunt”, and suddenly the conservative talk show hosts use the race card, while attacking Barack Obama if even a suggestion of Obama’s race is brought up as somehow promoting the “black cause”!

The fact is that Herman Cain, now blaming Rick Perry for what is happening, must come to grips with the fact that such a story would not have come about without substantial evidence, and he is simply trying to blame someone else for his own shortcomings, which include incompetence and ignorance about EVERY subject that he brings up or is questioned about!

Is Herman Cain ready for the “big time”? The answer clearly is NO!

The Republican Party: Fiscal Discipline And National Security–Foreign Policy Expertise Reputation Replaced By Incompetency And Ignorance!

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The Republican Party used to be the party of Fiscal Discipline, until George W. Bush and the Republican Congress spent wildly on the War on Terror and a Prescription Drug Plan without raising taxes, and in fact, cut them dramatically on the wealthy, causing the economic crisis of the Great Recession as a result!

The Republican Party used to be the party of National Security–Foreign Policy Expertise, the party of Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush, until Sarah Palin came along as a Vice Presidential choice in 2008, and then Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain came along, all three of them displaying total ignorance of the subject, and Rick Perry not much better!

To believe that the Republican Party could have serious challengers for the Presidency who have no clue on foreign policy or economic matters is something that promotes speechlessness!

Sarah Palin showed plenty enough ignorance, and there was a great sigh of relief when she decided finally not to run for President.

But instead, we have Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain, who seem in many ways, even worse than Sarah Palin.

We also have Rick Perry, who seems even worse than George W. Bush.

What has happened to the party that used to be respectable and knowledgeable, the party of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, George H. W. Bush, John McCain, and yes, even Ronald Reagan?

The Republican Party is in mourning for itself among its Establishment, and the nation should be in mourning as to how far downhill the party has gone!

A major political party with a glorious history in many ways has become an embarrassment to itself, and the nation suffers as a result!