Michele Bachmann

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

Ronald 1 Comment

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!

Ronald 3 Comments

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!

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!

The Anti Romney Campaign In The Republican Party Faltering: From Trump To Bachmann To Perry To Cain And Beyond

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It is very clear to anyone with a political sense that the Republican Party right wing does not wish to see Mitt Romney become President, anymore than they wanted John McCain in 2008.

Both McCain and Romney have been seen as “next in line”, which is exactly why the conservatives in the party hated McCain and now Romney.

The Anti Romney movement has gone from Donald Trump to Michele Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain, and all have been found wanting in their abilities, their record, and often even their sanity!

The past few days have been a great time for Mitt Romney, with the collapse of Rick Perry and Herman Cain.

Perry put on a weird performance at a speech Friday night in New Hampshire, coming across as possibly drunk or on some kind of prescription pills, but his odd way of acting will certainly harm his campaign, which already is in its death throes by any reasonable standard.

Herman Cain is having problems with financial irregularities and sexual harassment charges, and seems unable to keep a straight story, or even seem aware of anything going on in his past or in his campaign, being a very undisciplined man.

This all benefits Romney, and also allows Barack Obama’s campaign to focus on Romney and his constant changes in position on every issue imaginable. While Romney may look presidential, and on paper is much better qualified than anyone the conservatives want, he will have major trouble in the upcoming campaign because, as David Plouffe, the campaign manager for the President says, if Romney could find a way to say the grass is blue and the sky is green, he would do it!

With the reality that Romney comes across as a fake conservative, much like McCain in 2008, the odds are that many conservatives will refuse to back him if he is the nominee, and will stay home, or look for a third party vehicle. But that would only help President Obama, leading to a divided vote among Republicans.

And then, the evangelicals might not back Romney on religious grounds, as he is a Mormon, and the only other reasonable candidate, Jon Huntsman, also a Mormon, would not be able to gain their backing for the same reason, and would be seen also as insufficiently conservative.

So it is clear many mainstream Republicans see the defeat of Obama as receding every day as their party goes through the disaster of a Tea Party Movement, evangelical Christian, dominantly Southern control of their party, which guarantees its defeat in 2012!

The Knives Come Out At Republican Presidential Debate: All The Better For Barack Obama!

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The Republican Presidential debate last night in Las Vegas, Nevada, sponsored by CNN, saw the knives really come out in the open!

Mitt Romney and Herman Cain were viciously attacked by Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann. The gloves came off, and the gentle tone of earlier debates is obviously over for good!

Romney handled the attacks quite well, but lost his cool and his smile, and was annoyed at the constant interruptions by Perry and Santorum. Herman Cain kept his cool more, but his economic ideas were ridiculed by Perry, Santorum and Bachmann, with Romney a little more diplomatic.

It makes some wonder if Romney is considering Cain as his Vice Presidential running mate. Certainly, there is no chance of any other opponent being considered.

But first things first, as Romney is not well liked by his opponents, just as in 2008, and will face a long torturous road to the nomination, particularly from Rick Perry, who has the funds to run a long race.

All to the better for Barack Obama, who had to be smiling last night!

The Likeability And Empathy Factor In Presidential Politics

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A factor in how people vote that is often not discussed is what we might call the “Likeability and Empathy” factor.

The average voter wants to LIKE a candidate on a personal level, and feel that the candidate cares about his or her life, shows empathy toward the circumstances of one’s life.

This is particularly true of Presidential elections, when a voter realizes that he or she will have to look at and hear the voice of the winner for the next four years, so they want to like the candidate they vote for.

In that regard, Barack Obama has a great advantage over his GOP opponents, as he is eminently likeable, and is working on improving his empathy image, which has been somewhat lacking, and has been criticized.

Mitt Romney is not likeable, even by his opponents in the GOP race for the Presidential nomination, and seems unconcerned about the plight of the average American. John McCain and Mike Huckabee, among others, could not get along with the former Massachusetts Governor in 2007-2008, and this time around, it is clear that Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman certainly dislike him intensely.

But Newt Gingrich is also not likeable, nor is Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, or Ron Paul. They all demonstrate a mean spirited nature which undermines ability of people to trust them. Even Jon Huntsman comes across to many as a bit haughty in personality, leaving only Herman Cain, maybe, as likeable, but after saying people out of work or not rich should blame themselves, very likely to lose that image very quickly!

The problem for these GOP candidates is that they come across as not having any empathy toward average Americans, who are facing a crisis unmatched since the Great Depression, and therefore, with their mean spirited nature, they are not likeable in the way voters expect from their President.

So Barack Obama has a great edge in the “Likeability and Empathy” factor, and this should not be ignored as a factor in the upcoming Presidential Election of 2012.

The Nevada CNN Republican Debate: Romney Widens His Lead

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The Nevada CNN Republican debate tonight was a clear cut victory for Mitt Romney, but also a time of real conflict between Romney and Rick Perry and Romney and Rick Santorum.

Herman Cain was criticized broadly on his 9-9-9 plan and Romney on Romneycare in Massachusetts; but there was great contentiousness and confrontation throughout the debate, particularly between Romney and the two Ricks, who constantly interrupted the former Massachusetts Governor. Romney lectured both of them in a very strong manner, which helped his case, and the audience seemed quite supportive of Romney.

It seems to the author that despite Santorum and Michele Bachmann trying to draw attention to their differences with Romney and Herman Cain and Rick Perry, that neither gained enough to be a major factor in the Presidential nomination battle.

On the other hand, Newt Gingrich probably gained a bit more legitimacy, as did Ron Paul. Both obviously, even if one does not like their views on issues, are extremely intelligent, and are effective in asserting their views.

So Romney gained; Gingrich and Paul benefited; Perry and Cain did not come across well; and Santorum and Bachmann, despite valiant efforts, did not improve their position in the battle for the nomination.

While Perry has lots of money, and Cain has likeability, it would seem as if Gingrich and possibly Paul, could become the real threats to Mitt Romney, if there is any real possibility of denying him the nomination. But betting money would still be on Mitt Romney as the GOP Presidential candidate in 2012!

The Nevada GOP Presidential Debate: In The Ultimate State Of Illegal Immigration, High Umemployment, And High Foreclosures!

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It is extremely ironic that the Republican Presidential debate tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada, sponsored by CNN, is in the ultimate state of illegal immigration, high unemployment, and high foreclosures!

Here we have Herman Cain talking about electrified, barbed wire, 20 foot high fences to keep refugees from entering the country. He jokes about it, and also earlier had talked about having alligators in moats to stop illegal immigration. Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and even Mitt Romney talk tough about creating barriers, and being hardline about undocumented aliens, as if we are about to deport 11 million people who have become part of our society in a positive manner, but yet face discrimination in states such as Arizona and Alabama!

At the same time, the Republicans have no plans on job creation, and instead refuse to support legislation to keep teachers, fire fighters and police officers on the job, undermining the education and safety of American citizens. They refuse to back any programs for infrastructure or technology advancements, and to extend unemployment compensation to the most desperate! What a despicable state of affairs!

Also, Mitt Romney makes clear that there should be no slowing of foreclosures on housing, effectively throwing people out on the streets of America without any shelter, except maybe their cars, if they still own one!

Nevada is, in many ways, GROUND ZERO, on the most crucial issues of the day, and the Republicans will, hopefully, face tough grilling by Anderson Cooper and CNN on their hard hearted, “tough love”, approaches to crucial issues of survival for those less fortunate in our society!

Herman Cain: Reality Check As He Faces Attacks On The Right, The Center, And The Left

Ronald 1 Comment

Herman Cain says he is not the “Flavor of the Week” or “Flavor of the Month”, but he most assuredly is such!

After being on Meet the Press on Sunday and speaking in Tennessee, where he is on a book tour, Cain has major problems and is being attack on the Right, the Center, and the Left!

Cain has not raised much money, has no real campaign staff, and spends time promoting his newly published book in a state that does not vote until Super Tuesday on March 6, long after the early caucuses and primaries. This, in itself, is the weirdest way to campaign for President!

But getting beyond that, the Right, the Center and the Left are displaying anger with and at him. Why, specifically?

On the Right, Herman Cain seems unwilling to support a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, which it is clear would never pass in any case. But by leaving it to states, as he advocates, he has made enemies, particularly among social conservatives who like Michele Bachmann or Rick Santorum.

Secondly, Cain has demonstrated that he is a novice on foreign policy, claiming to admire Henry Kissinger and John Bolton, which is, as critics say, like admiring both Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a totally preposterous concept. And Cain actually said he saw Clarence Thomas as a model, enough to undermine his legitimacy to be President! It shows he is not ready for “prime time”, and has no clue on international affairs, another thing which upsets conservatives as well as progressives. His ideas on Afghanistan show no depth or knowledge of that war, which has been going on for a decade!

Third, Cain talks about sales taxes on “new goods’, and none on “used goods”! What in the world does that mean, and is it not true that if fewer “new goods” are purchased which would be likely if they are subjected to a sales tax, then the economy will suffer and never recover? And since food and clothing would be taxed, is Cain proposing used clothing only, and how can food be “used”? His 9-9-9 economic plan would hurt the poor and the middle class, and benefit the wealthy, and is an outrageous attack that could be called the true “class warfare”!

And then the Left is furious at Cain’s suggestion that abortion not be allowed for rape or incest, as that is “rare” according to him, and “life of the mother” would be left up to the family. What does all that gobbledygook mean anyway?

And then to suggest an electrified fence along the US-Mexican border is impractical and also horrifying, the concept of inflicting harm on refugees and possibly killing them, and using troops to shoot and kill if necessary to stop refugees! That would be a massive violation of human rights, and would America want to have that image in the world, that it is ready to shoot and kill, or execute by electric shock any refugee, who while doing something technically illegal, is just trying to make a better life in America and escape from poverty?

Herman Cain is a preposterous candidate, and the attacks by his opponents in the Republican Presidential race are likely to escalate in Tuesday’s Presidential debate scheduled in Nevada, and sponsored by CNN. This man, with no political experience at all, is indeed not only the “Flavor of the Week or Month”, but the biggest joke of the loony GOP campaign to find a legitimate candidate for President!

The Collapse Of The Jon Huntsman Campaign: The End Of Any Chance For Moderation In The GOP!

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Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, arguably the most moderate and qualified candidate in the Republican race for the Presidential nomination, seems ready to implode his campaign.

Consistently low in public opinion polls since he announced his candidacy in June of this year; running out of campaign money, including that of his personal fortune, even before third quarter totals are in; seen as only marginal in his debate performances up to now; and now announcing a boycott of this week’s Nevada debate sponsored by CNN, because of Nevada changing its caucus election date, therefore interfering with New Hampshire’s early primary date, it seems highly unlikely that Huntsman can become even briefly the “flavor of the week”, as Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and now Herman Cain, have been able to accomplish.

Do not be surprised if Jon Huntsman becomes the first of the present eight candidates to withdraw from the race, a sad moment for the party when it does happen, as it will eliminate any chance for a moderate nominee for the Republican Party.

Of course, one might say that Mitt Romney has been a moderate in the past, but it is clear that Romney will be a chameleon, a person ready to move to the right to appeal to the Tea Party Movement if it will help promote his candidacy and prevent a third party challenge.

If one is looking to Mitt Romney to move to the center, don’t hold your breath as he has abandoned every viewpoint he had that once gave him promise as someone to believe in .

In sum, Mitt plus ambition means the ultimate “flip flopper” in in play, and moderation goes out the window, once Jon Huntsman withdraws from the race, likely very soon!