* Finally, an Illinois angle on Herman Cain. From the Washington Times comes this contradictory report…
Herman Cain’s campaign is revealing suspicions about who is behind the story regarding the former unidentified employees who accused Mr. Cain of sexual harassment in the late 1990’s.
According to a source who is friends with the Cain campaign, not only is the Rick Perry campaign involved but also the Mayor of Chicago and former Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is likely involved with the sexual harassment accuser attacks. A friend of the Cain campaign believes a National Restaurant Association (NRA) employee out of the Chicago office leaked the story to the Perry campaign via information and influence from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office.
So, Rick Perry and Rahmbo have teamed up to tube Cain? Really? Wouldn’t Emanuel want somebody with Cain’s baggage to win the Republican nomination? Apparently not if you’re the Cain campaign or the Washington Times.
* Mayor Emanuel’s office responded…
Chris Mather, a spokeswoman for Mr. Emanuel, writes in to offer the following comment on the Washington Times speculation: “This is absurd. It’s completely false and totally absurd.”
As did Emanuel himself…
“Baseless,” the mayor said.
* Even John Kass got in on the act…
Mather even offered to repeat it in several languages, but I believe her. A Cain blow-up doesn’t further Rahm’s agenda. Some Republican opposition research dropped this dime.
The odd thing is that the most stunning thing coming out of the mouth of Cain this week had nothing to do with women. It had to do with China.
“So yes, they’re a military threat,” he said during a recent PBS interview. “They’ve indicated that they’re trying to develop nuclear capability and they want to develop more aircraft carriers like we have. So yes, we have to consider them a military threat.”
Let that one sink in for a moment. Cain is running for president, the establishment lights him up like some cuddly Santa so he can be the conservative standard-bearer, and he thinks China might finally be going nuclear?
China has been a nuclear power for five decades or so now. And Cain doesn’t know?
* I’ve been chuckling to myself about Cain in recent weeks as the Republican candidate soared in every poll. It seemed to me that many Republican voters were making the very same mistake that elements of Illinois’ Republican establishment made here in 2004 when they brought Alan Keyes in to run against Barack Obama for US Senate.
A few weeks ago, Fran Eaton wrote that Cain was definitely not a repeat of Alan Keyes…
Herman Cain is the person many Illinois Republicans hoped Alan Keyes was in 2004 after Republican Jack Ryan felt compelled to leave the U.S. Senate race in the midst of marital issue revelations. It made sense to most involved at the time to remove the race issue against Obama and focus on philosophical differences, something many hoped a Keyes-Obama runoff would do.
The only thing was Alan Keyes is not Herman Cain.
That 2004 candidate Keyes was intense, angry, self-righteous and arrogant. He was more focused on making a point than winning an election. And we all paid a price when he lost. It ended up that that U.S. Senate race was historical and nation-changing, and the mention of that 2004 U.S. Senate race now sets gloom onto the faces of any Republican that was politically active at the time. Justified or not, our bad experience in Illinois with Alan Keyes is likely to cause many to shy away from embracing Herman Cain.
And while we’re not endorsing or promoting any GOP primary candidate at this time, we urge Illinois Republicans to rest assured Herman Cain is not Alan Keyes, and Illinoisans need not fear Herman Cain. Cain is experienced in business, used to working with differing ideas, self-assured, gracious and resilient.
He is not Alan Keyes.
I think that piece could be rewritten today to say Cain is more like Keyes than not. He’s spent a lot of time promoting his new book instead of putting together a real campaign, and it shows in his disjointed and often bizarre responses to this latest blowup. Keyes was more about promoting his personal brand than actually running for office. And Cain hasn’t been “intense, angry, self-righteous and arrogant” since this scandal broke?
Some folks just never learn.
*** UPDATE *** From comments…
The allegations against Cain are not a threat to his electoral chances, they are a threat to his future as a cable TV talk show host and his future book deals.
Cain isn’t running to be nominated, he’s following the Sarah Palin model of running to win celebrity status, which he can then use to make some real money.
I agree, but that model was pretty much invented by Alan Keyes. And Keyes really blew it by running for US Senate here and exposing his many weaknesses. People barely pay attention to him now. He’s washed up. I think Cain was probably trying to fill that void, and now he’s hurt himself, unless he somehow manages to win the nomination (and, considering GOP primary voters, he’s still not out of it).
- PublicServant - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 9:55 am:
Cain isn’t Keyes, nor is he Able.
- German-American Heritage Foundation - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:00 am:
Our position on Herman Cain is:
Nein! Nein! Nein!
- Excessively Rabid - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:01 am:
==China has been a nuclear power for five decades or so now. And Cain doesn’t know?==
Ignorance of and disdain for the rest of the world, real or feigned, is virtually a Republican platform plank now. Sigh.
- Anonymous - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:02 am:
Your Friday song should be Springsteen’s “Adam Raised a Cain.”
- TwoFeetThick - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:10 am:
Cain’s just the latest sideshow from a party grasping for anywhere to go except in the direction of their establishment’s frontrunner. His ultimate flameout has just started streaking across the sky, but the final “pop” as he fizzles out is coming.
If the Republicans want a serious shot at beating Obama, their best choice is Huntsman, as Nate Silver is pointing out. He’s intelligent, has experience and, so far at least, hasn’t uttered any statements that are crazy. Unfortunately (or, fortunately, depending on one’s views), he doesn’t stand a chance with the detached-from-all-reality crowd running the show.
- Carl Nyberg - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:15 am:
Rich, Rahm Emanuel is steps ahead of you.
Rahm is so wise and perceptive that he knew Republicans primary voters would increase their support for Cain after this story broke.
Cain is being attacked by a nefarious cabal of Democratic interest groups: feminists passed unconstitutional laws against sexual harassment to make trial lawyers rich. In Cain’s case some women–probably single women who have been promiscuous and had abortions–got together with liberal journalists in the lamestream media. And it was organized by that short, urban Obama former chief of staff guy.
So, Cain did nothing wrong. He’s a victim. Why did those women get those jobs if they weren’t kinda expected to provide sex to senior management?
So, Rahm knew this story would help Cain win the primary. And he did it because Obama will be able to beat Cain handily.
- Colossus - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:29 am:
And I will have to officially invoke Poe’s Law on Carl Nyberg:
“Poe’s Law is an axiom suggesting that it’s difficult to distinguish between parodies of religious fundamentalism (or, more generally, parodies of any crackpot or extremist belief) and its genuine proponents, since they both seem equally insane.”
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe’s_Law
- Shore - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:32 am:
On Rahm Emanuel, he’s entered a point right now in his political life that anything remotely touching him becomes a big deal no matter how stupid or unfounded. I suspect we’ll see more of this.
I don’t buy the keyes-cain comparison aside from the demographic comparison. Keyes was a harvard educated ideological warrior Reagan appointee going back 25 years who had been in and out of administration jobs for years, not unlike John Bolton. Cain is a private story largely who entered politics late in life not as a career but just as something to do more like a trump or a blair hull than a keyes.
- 32nd Ward Roscoe Village - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:42 am:
Jon Stewart did a great bit on the Cain-China comment on his show Wednesday night, November 2. Not allowed to surf the ‘net at work to try to find the link to it.
- cover - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:43 am:
I have been doing my best to avoid any presidential primary news. Here in Illinois, it doesn’t matter anyway, Obama will win his home state’s 20 electoral votes.
GOP primary voters basically need to ask themselves, which of their candidates has the best chance of winning Ohio? The GOP can’t win without Ohio, and historically never has.
I ran what I think is a reasonable electoral map scenario on 270towin.com, in which the GOP candidate takes Ohio and finishes with exactly 270 electoral votes.
- Small Town Liberal - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:45 am:
Two positive reviews of Kass in one week? What is the world coming to?
- Jaded - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:53 am:
Cain and Keyes both have one thing in common…they are both terrible politicians.
Sorry Herman, but it was fun while it lasted.
- dirk - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:55 am:
What Illinoisans favor will probably have little effect on the rest of the country. With our political history,there may be little credibility in our opinions,especially criticism of questionable candidates.
- dupage dan - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 10:59 am:
Cain shows his naivete/lack of experience in not preparing for this issue to be exposed. Altho he has much business experience (sat on the fed bank board in Kansas City, I believe) not realizing that this issue would eventually be brought up shows him to be a person not ready for prime time.
He can say all he wants about how it was done, by whom, or how “unfair” it may be - Cain was unprepared for this - didn’t get out ahead of it before it was exposed and handled it badly after. All is fair in love, war and politics. He’s done.
- Wensicia - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:04 am:
Cain is not a politician and it shows. He could also use some basic instruction in history and foriegn affairs.
I’ve always associated Keyes more with Ron Paul’s style of politics, but in temperment, he and Cain are much alike.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:10 am:
The allegations against Cain are not a threat to his electoral chances, they are a threat to his future as a cable TV talk show host and his future book deals.
Cain isn’t running to be nominated, he’s following the Sarah Palin model of running to win celebrity status, which he can then use to make some real money.
Republicans fell for it when Palin did it, and if these polls are correct, GOP primary voters are the most gullible people in America.
- AC - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:11 am:
Appearing with Wisconsin’s rabidly anti-union governor in Chicago, opposing the Occupy movement, and now leaking information about Cain’s past settlements, I can only reach one conclusion. Emanuel is really an operative of Karl Rove. He will deliver the city of Chicago to Romney in the next election. I’d say more, but the all knowing, all seeing mayor would pressure folks from my past to speak, and it would be all over for me.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:12 am:
===he’s following the Sarah Palin model of running===
That model was pretty much invented by Keyes.
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:15 am:
I can’t fathom what’s happened to the Republican Party. It doesn’t make any sense at all. All I know is that I’ll be knocking on doors in Gary, Merrillville and Hammond after the holidays for Lugar.
- Plutocrat03 - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:23 am:
His statement does not say that China has no nuclear capability, but they are increasing their capabilities. That is not in question.
How different is it the the president wanting to visit all 57 states?
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:27 am:
–“They’ve indicated that they’re trying to develop nuclear capability…”
Pluto, above is what he said. Your spin is simply wrong.
- Publius - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:29 am:
He’s dropping out before he can actually win/lose anything. It wouldn’t surprise me if there weren’t some big revelations coming from his own campaign. (He’s in it to sell more books). He’s probably trying to look like an idiot, running a joke of a campaign. The problem is he’s just as surprised as any of us that he’s being taken seriously by the GOP
- Carl Nyberg - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:32 am:
How has Dick Lugar been a bulwark against the crazy? How many times has the GOP used the filibuster to prevent something coming for a vote in the U.S. Senate?
How many of those times did Lugar vote with the GOP to filibuster?
The way to make Republicans more moderate is to beat them and to take away their hope they will win in the foreseeable future. Then they will negotiate in good faith.
- Downstate - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 11:54 am:
I don’t think most of you get it. People are absolutley frustrated with nearly anyone in the political arena (Ds or Rs). There has been no talk of running an efficient government, only a bigger one.
The 2010 election was testament to that. And Colorado’s voting downn the education tax increase was further proof.
People are getting frustrated with the long serving politicos who haven’t had the foresight or courage to tackle the problems.
Herman Cain embodies the idea of putting in office someone without political accomplishment, but with other success. For too long, we’ve had to listen as politicians promoted their own. “Oh, he would be a tremendous leader. Look how long he’s served as ________(fill in the political office).” That phrase has now become a death knell for sitting politicians.
The voters are ready for change - but we’ve now learned we can’t expect it from our politicians. We have to reach out to new circles, new faces and new areas of expertise.
- Plutocrat03 - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 12:14 pm:
“Your spin is simply wrong”
Seems to be more of the gotcha spin game going on.
I just love to hear a bunch of Dems explaining what is wrong with a Rep candidate.
If he is so bad, then why not root for the easiest candidate to beat?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 12:16 pm:
===If he is so bad, then why not root for the easiest candidate to beat? ===
That’s just what Jimmy Carter did in 1980. Oops.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 12:19 pm:
===For too long, we’ve had to listen as politicians promoted their own.===
Wasn’t he a lobbyist?
- L.S. - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 1:16 pm:
“We have to reach out to new circles, new faces and new areas of expertise.”
One of those areas of expertise maybe should be understanding which nations have nuclear weapons and which don’t. Just saying.
- ArchPundit - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 1:35 pm:
These Cain arguments seem awfully similar to those predicting the demise of Jan Schakowsky last cycle.
The people are fed up and want an outsider! People are mad at the political class as whole.
Except they keep electing their Members of Congress.
I’d love to see Cain as the Republican nominee, but that’s not going to happen especially since he has no actual campaign operation.
The same people making the same arguments over and over again and yet the Illinois GOP remains a minority party in the state. They couldn’t even beat Pat Quinn. Pat Quinn people the man with more positions than the Kama Sutra.
- Downstate - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 1:46 pm:
I certainly agree that Cain doesn’t have the organization in place. His candidacy will be an interesting test of whether our new media and communication channels will allow someone to circumvent the traditional political paths to election.
It’s sort of amazing that he’s vaulted to the lead in so many national polls without a deep bench.
Even political endorsements don’t seem to be carrying much weight. I would have thought that Christie’s endorsement of Romney would have lit up his campaign. Instead it didn’t move the needle.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 2:01 pm:
Rich, I think a key difference between Keyes and Palin/Cain, was that Keyes was on an ideological crusade. He is a zealot, and as much as I disagree with him, I have to admire his passion to his cause. Yes, he’s also a shameless self-promoter, but I truly believe he’d rather have abortion and gay marriage outlawed than get a talk show deal for himself.
Cain and Palin are simple hucksters who don’t believe in anything other than the next payday. I don’t think either one has any core beliefs beyond their own self-interest. That’s not true about Keyes, and it partially explains why Keyes won’t be getting any major book deals or talk show gigs.
- NIref - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 2:28 pm:
Sounds like the classic strategy of throwing it against the wall and seeing what sticks. Next week, “Cain camp accuses reclusive neighbor of leaking sexual harassment claims.”
- ArchPundit - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 2:30 pm:
=-==I certainly agree that Cain doesn’t have the organization in place. His candidacy will be an interesting test of whether our new media and communication channels will allow someone to circumvent the traditional political paths to election.
See President Howard Dean. More seriously, without a ground organization he isn’t going to be able to get his people out to vote. New media can assist with that, but it doesn’t do it alone. The early races he’ll need to win to keep money coming in are largely based on networks of activists. Without a serious campaign structure, he won’t be able to utilize those.
- Bill - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 3:37 pm:
Cain is just looking for a spot with Fox “News”. He’s gonna be great teaming up with Huckabee and the fox news band for a little gospel music. Now if they could just get Sarah as a backup singer and tambourine player they could make real dent in the ratings to say nothing of their combined book sales. .
- Downstate - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 3:45 pm:
Arch Pundit,
President Howard Dean - good point. However, regarding new media it’s important to reflect that in 2004 (Dean’s time), there were under 1 million users of Facebook. Text messaging was merely an idea.
Today, there are more than 750 million Facebooks users. And probably more text messages than phone calls made in this country.
My point is that communication, today, has the ability to move and motivate people in a manner unlike 8 years ago.
- Wensicia - Friday, Nov 4, 11 @ 4:05 pm:
==My point is that communication, today, has the ability to move and motivate people in a manner unlike 8 years ago.==
True, but the far right supporting Cain and the Tea Party candidates are responding like mindless “flash mob” crowds. They seem to run from candidate to candidate, whichever is the flavor of the week, without rhyme or reason.