tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post886844862098376447..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: Austerity?! You're Kidding, Right?AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-22303558236653687662011-11-04T19:13:57.927-04:002011-11-04T19:13:57.927-04:00Joel, I'm going to update the whole thing on M...Joel, I'm going to update the whole thing on Monday, but that will be my conclusion -- that Cain is a stronger candidate because of this. For one thing, this will give him a coating to keep future scandals off because everyone now knows they will stoop to any level to smear him. Politico did 95 stories on this in 5 days and we still don't know what the allegation is!!!!<br /><br />Secondly, I think the experience will make him stronger at responding to future smears.<br /><br />Third, I think this brought on full support from people like Rush, who had previously been on the fence. I'm also seeing lots of people saying "I gave him money to show support." My sister just donated $9.99 to him! LOL!<br /><br />All in all, this week stank for Cain, but it may end up paying huge dividends in the future.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-57027101236148809002011-11-04T18:47:22.892-04:002011-11-04T18:47:22.892-04:00Andrew,
I think all of them are going to drop it....Andrew,<br /><br />I think all of them are going to drop it. This, as a political move, seems to have back-fired. Cain is as popular as ever. He has much more money to work with. His name recognition is greater. It also has the added benefit of destroying some superficially-conservative pundits' credibility.<br /><br />I would have to say this has been a good week for Cain. Yes, he had been treated horribly, but he is still standing.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-69137178333343841512011-11-04T17:01:23.290-04:002011-11-04T17:01:23.290-04:00Joel, I think that was an excellent move too becau...Joel, I think that was an excellent move too because people understand what that means -- it means Cain is ready to endure scrutiny to clear his name.<br /><br />I'm not surprised the woman backed out because she has nothing to say. "Gee, he asked me out" or "he said I looked nice, which made me think he wanted to rape me and my family, so I waited until he left the company and then I complained and demanded money." That doesn't play well.<br /><br />I guess we'll see what happens with the other two allegations now.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-12625561766065272992011-11-04T16:54:37.204-04:002011-11-04T16:54:37.204-04:00Andrew,
I guess it is over for now. The NRA has m...Andrew,<br /><br />I guess it is over for now. The NRA has magnanimously offered to release the woman or women from any confidentiality agreement concerning Cain. The woman through her lawyer has declined saying she doesn't want to live through it again. I think the the lawsuit Cain threaten Politico with was pretty good. I don't know if she will come back later, but I think that it is over for now.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-3960057524588318792011-11-04T12:39:42.160-04:002011-11-04T12:39:42.160-04:00Oh oh... now it appears that Cain may have been te...Oh oh... now it appears that Cain may have been telling the truth about not knowing about the settlement after all.<br /><br />The woman's attorney says Cain didn't sign it, and the timing appears that the settlement was reached AFTER Cain left the NRA and it's like he was gone before she even made the complaint!<br /><br />So it's sounding more and more like the smear is in fact a total smear.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57318500-503544/cain-did-not-sign-settlement-accusers-lawyer-says/%20http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504564_162-57318500-504564/cain-did-not-sign-settlement-accusers-lawyer-says/" rel="nofollow">LINK</a>AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-70459538482924684222011-11-04T00:58:55.734-04:002011-11-04T00:58:55.734-04:00T-Rav, That's very insightful. One of the thi...T-Rav, That's very insightful. One of the things I've noticed in court is that liars make the best witnesses. The reason is simple -- they are better at shaping stories to fit what the jury wants to hear and they are better at telling those stories. People who tell the truth are kind of stuck with reality and don't have much practice trying to "sell" their position because they believe others will see it as true automatically. But liars know they need to sell their stories. So you end up with the liars coming across as the most believable and with the best stories and the honest people getting slaughtered. It's sad, but true.<br /><br />Cain is handicapped because he just wants to tell the truth. If he was being a cynical manipulator instead (e.g. Clinton), then he would be slandering these women and telling very carefully crafted lies that come across as highly believable but ultimately too perfect if you stop and think about it.<br /><br />What I'm saying is that unfortunately, he's caught in the honesty trap and that's not helping him. So Fred is right.<br /><br />But one advantage he does have is that he's not the kind of Republican who wants to curl up in a ball and weep his way out of this. That's a disaster, but so many establishment Republicans think that's the way to go.<br /><br /><br />By the way, here's an interesting piece at <i>American Thinker</i> about the racial aspect of this -- which is very real. I have no doubt Politico et al. are using racist tactics to try to push this story. <a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/four_lily_white_liberals_smear_a_black_man.html" rel="nofollow">LINK</a>AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-44354091920947702302011-11-04T00:48:02.898-04:002011-11-04T00:48:02.898-04:00Andrew, if only they would let Beeker finish. That...Andrew, if only they would let Beeker finish. That's all I have to say about that. :-)<br /><br />Fred Thompson has an interesting article up at NRO on this whole mess. He implies, among other things, that Romney may be behind the leak, though I think the evidence he gives for that is pretty weak. But he also tries to ID Cain's real blunder in all of this (even if it hasn't hurt him so far):<br /><br />"There’s a type of guy well known to every defense lawyer. He’s a very successful man, usually a businessman, politician, or other public figure, who owes his success in large part to being a forceful communicator as well as very smart. Often you cannot persuade him that he should not go before that grand jury to “just answer a few questions.” He cannot believe that he can’t persuade them of his innocence, because he believes he’s innocent. Just as he cannot believe the perjury indictment that is returned later."T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-26748913915333499982011-11-04T00:40:06.659-04:002011-11-04T00:40:06.659-04:00T-Rav, Yep, it was conducted Wednesday, after thre...T-Rav, Yep, it was conducted Wednesday, after three days of allegations.<br /><br />So that's a pretty telling poll. I would have expected some loss of support, but that doesn't appear to be the case -- any change in his support level is within the margin of error, and Romney seems to be the one bleeding support.<br /><br />fyi, Perry is 8%, Bachmann 2% and Beeker 1%.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-6241505778127709992011-11-04T00:35:04.635-04:002011-11-04T00:35:04.635-04:00Hmmm. I didn't know the Rasmussen poll was fol...Hmmm. I didn't know the Rasmussen poll was following the repeated attacks. That's interesting. <br /><br />Ben, Shep Smith is one of the worst "journalists" on Fox, with the possible exception of Geraldo.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-5365876920904521052011-11-04T00:28:56.582-04:002011-11-04T00:28:56.582-04:00Ben, I don't think the timing is coincidental ...Ben, I don't think the timing is coincidental at all.<br /><br />If these "victims" were really upset, why not come forward as soon as Cain got into the race? Instead, they waited not only until Cain became the front runner in most polls, but until after the MSM's first attempt to destroy him as "unqualified" failed -- remember how they spent the past couple weeks telling us how his lack of knowledge of foreign policy minutia was "dangerous"?<br /><br />It's like a "to do" list of attacks, one after the other, each intended to be used at the right time to make them the most effective.<br /><br />When the "unqualified" garbage failed, lo and behold, here comes the harassment stuff -- which we knew was coming. There's no way the timing is coincidental, anymore than stories "suddenly discovered" the day before an election are coincidental or the way the ones that hurt the Democrats somehow just aren't deemed newsworthy until after elections, see e.g. John Edwards.<br /><br />If these were legitimate complaints and not just politicized smears, they would have come out a long time ago. And they certainly wouldn't be trying to dribble out the specifics to stretch the news cycle.<br /><br />I think you're right about Romney by the way. I'm not saying he's involved in this (in fact, I doubt that very much), but I think the MSM has decided he's the kind of Republican they want us to nominate.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-33915384082944392632011-11-04T00:17:39.141-04:002011-11-04T00:17:39.141-04:00I think it'll backfire too, Andrew.
You know,...I think it'll backfire too, Andrew.<br /><br />You know, on the timing of these smears, I think this is yet more evidence that the MSM and the democrat backers (Soros, etc.)really want Romney as the GOP presidential candidate.<br /><br />Because even if Romney wins, he would probably do the least amount of damage to the democrats (and possibly compromise with them more often than the other candidates, except for Huntsman who doesn't stand a chance to win, thankfully).<br /><br />I can't say for certain, of course. This is just a working theory I have.<br /><br />I believe you mentioned a few days ago that Romney wouldn't be able to really attack Obama much since he has leaned left himself on many of the same issues.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-77201568358481414232011-11-03T23:42:58.926-04:002011-11-03T23:42:58.926-04:00You're welcome Ben. And don't worry, it d...You're welcome Ben. And don't worry, it doesn't appear that people are buying it. Not only have his poll numbers not fallen, but his donations are up and people seem to be reacting angrily to the allegations.<br /><br />I think this smear will eventually backfire.<br /><br />Even a guy like King saying it's a smear is significant. He's been entirely neutral in Iowa so far and that's frustrated a lot of the candidates. For him to take a stand on this is meaningful.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-52495350359288647152011-11-03T23:39:01.694-04:002011-11-03T23:39:01.694-04:00Great news on that poll! Thanks for the update And...Great news on that poll! Thanks for the update Andrew!<br /><br />Thanks for mentioning that on the ever-changing fairy tales the MSM is cranking out.<br />It's difficult to keep track of all the shrouded lies surrounded in perpetual mystery from these various "anonymous sources," LOL!<br /><br />Good to see most Americans ain't buying it. :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58697582358504614932011-11-03T23:36:50.574-04:002011-11-03T23:36:50.574-04:00Ben, I agree entirely. I still recall living in D...Ben, I agree entirely. I still recall living in DC and hearing people complain about how they were forced by the then-recession to cut back on the hired cleaning service or the babysitter or put off buying the new luxury car... and they thought they were suffering. A-holes.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-29559930078215079562011-11-03T23:32:05.031-04:002011-11-03T23:32:05.031-04:00Oh, speaking of austerity, the vast majority of Am...Oh, speaking of austerity, the vast majority of Americans wouldn't recognize auserity if it bit 'em in the ass and called them Gumby.<br /><br />To the austerity pushers who don't have a freakin clue what austerity means I say go to some third world countries or places like The Phillipinnes off the beaten path (but be very careful!) and see austerity first hand.<br /><br />Bunch of spoiled imbeciles telling us about austerity. Give me a break and hold the BS.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-82566317395546109592011-11-03T23:30:54.155-04:002011-11-03T23:30:54.155-04:00Update P.S.
The very important (in Iowa) Rep. Ste...<b>Update P.S.</b><br /><br />The very important (in Iowa) Rep. Steve King (who has not endorsed anyone yet) says he thinks the sexual harassment allegations are likely “liberal activists” and “official hyperventilaters of the first order.”<br /><br /><i>“I think that unless we have one, two or three Anita Hills stand up and say ‘this is what I say he did,’ then it should’ve never been a story. What are we talking about? We’re talking about a story about a story, we don’t know what the story is, we don’t know what the allegations are.”</i><br /><br /><br />I agree 100%.<br /><br /><br />Also, Rasmussen just released his latest national poll -- done after three days of attacks on Cain, and Cain has pulled ahead for the first time: Cain 26%, Romney 23%, Gingrich 14%.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-21255906504681927682011-11-03T23:30:34.975-04:002011-11-03T23:30:34.975-04:00A Lopan quote, awesome! LOL!
Ben, I agree entirel...A Lopan quote, awesome! LOL!<br /><br />Ben, I agree entirely on all points. I wasn't sure if the hotel thing was debunked or not because they are switching the allegations back and forth between the anonymous sources, so it's not clear what anyone is talking about.<br /><br />I agree entirely that the conservatives who are using this to help their own guy should be ashamed. They are fools and are laying the groundwork for this kind of garbage to continue.<br /><br />I don't like Romney, but if these allegations were made against him, I would be just as irate. Ditto when they attacked Bush, Bush 2, McCain and even Dole. This is SOP for the left and conservatives need to learn to reject it out of hand -- not play into it or try to exploit it.<br /><br />As for Fox, they need to be exposed as not being friendly to conservatives. Maybe if conservatives started flipping them the bird, then Fox would get the message and actually BE conservative instead of just pretending they are.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58096692713754314212011-11-03T23:21:05.165-04:002011-11-03T23:21:05.165-04:00Hi Andrew,
Aye! Already the allegation that Cain ...Hi Andrew,<br /><br />Aye! Already the allegation that Cain took a drunk employee to his apartment has been debunked and now the lying woman who suddenly "remembered" feeling uncomfortable because NOW she claims Cain asked her up to his apt..<br /><br />It's so obvious that this "scandal" is still baseless smears.<br />Even some of the Fox reporters are getting in on this pile on.<br />I heard Shepard Smith call this a scandal and he was talking to some other idiot pundit about Cain's "inconsistant" answers or something to that effect.<br /><br />I wish I could be there to tell these morons and dem operatives to put up some actual evidence or STFU!<br /><br />Hey, you know what? I heard, from multiple sources, that Shepard Smith works for George Soros and was paid to repeat Poltico's lies and smears but I can't give out the names of my sources or give any details because they fear retaliation.<br /><br />What's taking Smith so long to respond to these allegations? Why doesn't Fox fire him? <br />They have really gone downhill the last few years and they never were a conservative source of news...although moreso than the other major arms of the democrat party called the MSM. <br /><br />Anyways, I (anyone) can make multiple allegations of criminal activity from anonymous sources on anyone.<br /><br />And I'll try to point this out to all the conservatives who are biting Politicos bait or sitting on the fence.<br /><br />As for those conservatives who are joining Politico's lynch mob for expediency to help their candidate:<br /><br />They should be ashamed of themselves to have no integrity, honor or class! <br />And they should be ashamed to call themselves conservatives, because true conservatives value honesty and justice!<br /><br />As Jack Webb (Joe Friday) would say: "just the facts ma'am."<br /><br />Sorry, but to quote Lopan:<br />"This really pisses me off to no end!!!"USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-5073153183180464902011-11-03T22:02:44.757-04:002011-11-03T22:02:44.757-04:00Here's an update:
1. The first woman to make...<b>Here's an update:</b><br /><br />1. The first woman to make an allegation apparently is alleging a single incident -- that he asked her to go to his hotel room which made her feel "incensed."<br /><br />2. Ten of the Association's Board members say they never heard of any allegations against Cain.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-55662748418347358622011-11-03T16:38:08.804-04:002011-11-03T16:38:08.804-04:00T-Rav, That's the media gotcha game.
1. Dema...T-Rav, That's the media gotcha game.<br /><br />1. Demand you answer in detail ephemeral allegations without knowing what the allegations are or who is making them.<br /><br />2. Say your answer is not enough, but still refuse to say what the allegations are.<br /><br />3. Complain that you are dishonest for not being straightforward. Argue that no matter what the allegations, your response is the real problem.<br /><br />4. Look for any inconsistency or perceived inconsistency and turn it into a lie that proves you are guilty OR that proves you are stupid for speaking before you knew anything.<br /><br />5. Declare you guilty of being both evil and stupid.<br /><br />6. Apologize 10 months later when the proof comes out and it is shown this was just a set up.<br /><br />On the pollster, I think the guy is a disgrace. First, if he knew something he should have spoken -- he didn't. Instead, he acted like it would have been inappropriate for him to speak. That's a tease. Secondly, he's obviously doing it for political reasons. If Perry had any integrity (and we know he doesn't) he should fire the guy for slandering an opponent. But then, we know he did it with approval.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-52465643764552990732011-11-03T16:30:32.139-04:002011-11-03T16:30:32.139-04:00Andrew, Politico's got it up. I think, after r...Andrew, Politico's got it up. I think, after reading it, they're actually referring to one of the first two women who were brought up, and not this rape claim. The site also makes a big deal out of the fact that $45K is a lot more than the two or three months' salary Cain originally said she received. Okay. <br /><br />Incidentally, on that claim yesterday by a pollster that Cain had been taking part in a bunch of inappropriate talk at dinner once--who cares, by the way?--someone else who was there has come forward and said he was drinking but did not say anything untoward.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-75893425488933212622011-11-03T16:10:27.728-04:002011-11-03T16:10:27.728-04:00Stan, I'm glad to hear it -- not only that he ...Stan, I'm glad to hear it -- not only that he took questions from the public about this, but that he handled them well. That is an encouraging sign, especially because I don't think this whole scandal will work with the public. This is more inside-the-beltway "gotcha" stuff, as is the media firestorm. They ask him the same question 100 times. When he finally says "enough, I've answered that," then they run out with headlines "Cain snaps at media, refuses to answer questions." It's a disgusting game.<br /><br />In the end, I think you're right that this will make him a better candidate because it will strengthen his support, it will give him the confidence to trust the American people and not the talking heads, and it will prepare him for all the future made up scandals the MSM has already pre-written.<br /><br />I'm glad he's building up his staff. I would think the inflow of money is probably helping a lot with that.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-51913258908541666752011-11-03T16:05:16.899-04:002011-11-03T16:05:16.899-04:00T-Rav, I haven't seen that number (I've on...T-Rav, I haven't seen that number (I've only seen the $35,000), but again, that's not what you would expect for a genuine sexual assault. Those cases tend to settle in the seven figure range or <i>very high</i> sixes.<br /><br />My issue though, is that if there was such an allegation and they believed Cain had done <i>anything</i> wrong, they would have reprimanded him (at the least) and either fired him or quietly pushed him out the door within a few weeks. You just don't keep someone who has sex with drunken employees on staff -- especially when your business is to act as the representative of dozens of other businesses. It's just not done.<br /><br />I also find it interesting that these people wait until he's the front-runner. If they really were so bothered by how they claim they were treated, why wait until now to mention it? The political timing is key here. A real victim doesn't wait to see if their attacker moves ahead in the polls.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-56701140430844766682011-11-03T16:02:02.506-04:002011-11-03T16:02:02.506-04:00Rusty Humphries talk radio host here in Atlanta is...Rusty Humphries talk radio host here in Atlanta is doing a replay of an interview with Herman Cain from last evening that was done for a Tea Party Internet Town hall. Great interview, he’s fielding questions and dispensing with them nicely in regards to this media made scandal. He’s taking calls from across the country and people want to know how to help him, or other questions all together unrelated to this “scandal,” such as 9-9-9. I know it’s anecdotal but if this proves to be it, I believe he becomes a better, stronger candidate. <br /><br />Note: He also admitted being understaffed, and is addressing it like a businessman, and is ramping up as business dictates, such as being number one in many polls. This is as opposed to say the dumbass Solyndra model.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-18561424852731419612011-11-03T15:58:27.558-04:002011-11-03T15:58:27.558-04:00I think I read somewhere that this person got $45,...I think I read somewhere that this person got $45,000 in a settlement. Again, that's a year's salary or less; nowhere near what one would expect if these claims were true. <br /><br />Joel, I don't follow Pajamas enough to say whether I would expect this or not, though you're right, it doesn't look good that they didn't vet this story before running it. Of the other three, though, I think HotAir is trying to pump up its numbers, and Ace and RedState have been shilling hard for Perry ever since he got in. Both have been openly hostile, in their posts and in their comments, to Cain for the past several weeks, and to Bachmann before that. It's fine that they support him, but this is biasing their judgment.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.com