Nov 7, 2011
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Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain issued a blistering attack on the mainstream media today just hours after a fourth woman surfaced to accuse Cain of sexual harassment.
Cain accused the media of being “obsessed with nonsense; the voters and I are not.”
“It’s easy to make accusations when, by virtue of your anonymity, you don’t have to be held accountable for the claims you’re making,” Cain wrote. “It’s easy to publish them when, like Politico, you don’t follow basic rules of journalism by naming your sources or giving any details whatsoever about what supposedly happened.”
Read the entire press statement below:
Media obsessed with nonsense; the voters and I are not
By Herman Cain
I am a serious person, seeking the opportunity to do a serious and very important job. Our nation has very serious problems, particularly of an economic nature, and Barack Obama does not have the skill, knowledge or will to solve them.
I do.
Unfortunately, the media-driven process by which one must seek this opportunity is fundamentally unserious. I have touched on this before – the emphasis on “gaffes,” gotcha questions and time devoted to trivial nonsense – and everyone knows the process only became further detached from relevance this week as the media published anonymous, ancient, vague personal allegations against me.
Once this kind of nonsense starts, the media’s rules say you have to act in a certain way. I am well aware of these rules. And I refuse to play by them.
There are several reasons for this. One is that, lest anyone forget, we actually have serious matters to talk about. Since the media went bananas over this so-called story, my schedule has not changed in the slightest. I have continued to make all planned public appearances. I have continued to answer questions about my 9-9-9 tax reform plan. I have continued to do everything else that our strategy proscribes.
Another reason I refuse to play by these rules is that, by doing it my way, I’m getting much better results. My fundraising has skyrocketed since all this nonsense began. Just this weekend, the Washington Post has come out with a new poll – taken since all this started – showing me in the lead nationally, with my numbers on the rise.
The media may be obsessed with this business, but the voters are not. And I am not.
But there’s another crucially important reason I refuse to play by these rules: These rules stink. Can the process by which we pick the leader of our nation be any more absurd? I’m not talking about the primary process or the role of the electorate. There is nothing wrong with that. I am talking about the media’s trivializing of such an important matter.
Consider: I held various executive positions in corporate America for several decades. I had thousands of employees working for me. I can’t even begin to recall how many conversations I had with people during that time, how many directives I gave, how much friendly banter might have taken place.
I also had to make tough decisions during these years. I turned around a poorly performing region for Burger King, then turned around a struggling Godfather’s Pizza organization. At some point during a career like this, someone will not like things you do, or how you do it. Someone will complain.
That is just the nature of things if you’ve ever done much in your life.
So once the editors of Politico started looking for people who would make claims against me, their chances of finding a few takers were probably about 100 percent. These people will not give their names. The so-called “witnesses” who purportedly corroborated their stories also will not give their names. That’s about what you would expect when people are engaging in a “hatchet job,” as it’s been described by Joseph Fassler, who was chairman of the National Restaurant Association board when I was there.
It’s easy to make accusations when, by virtue of your anonymity, you don’t have to be held accountable for the claims you’re making. It’s easy to publish them when, like Politico, you don’t follow basic rules of journalism by naming your sources or giving any details whatsoever about what supposedly happened.
But the process by which we choose our presidents has become so warped that, when something like this happens, the media and political strategists start grading you on whether you play an absurd game by their absurd rules.
When someone stops you on the street and hits you with an accusation like this, they subsequently write a story about the look in your eyes, and how many seconds it took you to speak some words in response. They go to “crisis management experts” who offer the usual sage wisdom about “getting all the information out” – as if you can get any “information” out (aside from telling them nothing happened, which they don’t want to hear) in response to allegations that are unsourced and nonspecific.
Then, when you haven’t “calmed the firestorm” – if only because the people wielding the blow-torches have no intention of putting them out – more experts are put on the air to say this proves you are “not ready for prime time.”
Maybe that would matter if I was trying out for the cast of Saturday Night Live. But this should be a slightly more serious undertaking than that.
Contrary to the belief of experts, so wise and learned in the ways of politics, I do know what the established rules say I am supposed to do. I simply refuse to do it. That’s because the rules are ridiculous, and they produce leaders like Barack Obama, who play the political game like experts but govern like complete incompetents.
The nation needs its tax structure reformed, its spending brought under control, its debt reduced and its overall governing structure made far more responsive to the needs of the people. The nation needs many other problems addressed. If it’s OK with the American people, I would like to address them.
If the media want to continue talking about nonsense, that’s fine. I’m not going to join them. It doesn’t look like the citizenry plans to join them either.
FOX News Talk
Herman Cain speaks after today's allegations by a 4th woman. Do you think this will kill his campaign or will people wonder who's paying Gloria Allred for this one, and why was Ms. Bialick so chirpy telling the story? Discuss.
Good on Cain. More and more I come over to his side. Sorry Romney, never liked you at all.
This Mr. Cain's economy recovery plan 69 69 69 across the board!
If you really do care about that child whose picture you troll under, you should be supporting candidates who have actually created jobs and strengthened private enterprise rather than the destroyers sending this country off a cliff.
If you really do care about that child whose picture you troll under, you should be supporting candidates who have actually created jobs and strengthened private enterprise rather than the destroyers sending this country off a cliff.
I cannot begin to know how Herman feels. So much you want to say, but you must be concerned about how some one will twist it. Presently I am a GO CAin person.
Mr. Cain is a good person I think.
Totally agree…Like you have predicted, there would be a high-tech lynching aimed at you because of your conservatism and the fact that your message is resonating. They FEAR you Herman, They fear you.
Any accusation by a woman against a man is a reputation destroyer for the man. The woman is always the one "shamed, etc." and has to prove nothing. The man has to prove everything. By the time he proves his innocence, the man is bankrupt and his life is ruined…not because he is not guilty, but because he was accused.
This woman makes a career out of law suits… https://w3.courtlink.lexisnexis.com/cookcounty/Finddock.asp?DocketKey=CAAJ0MB0BFIICG0MD
Herman said it as it is. The Democratics are running scared and they will do anything to ge Cain to quit. If Cain is the pick, the Liberals will not be able to complain/comment that the voting Republican your are a racist. Democratics won't be able to pull the racist card. The liberals who don't care about the economy and the people who don't pay taxes will vote for obama because obama believe the wealth should be distributed even though it isn't his money. Why don't all the liberals in hollywood donate between half and three-quarters of their wealth to the less forunate. They would still have a good life. If the liberals really believed in wealth distribution why do so many of them have more than one house or houses that are so big that they will never use all of it. Why do liberals need 15,000 square feet homes. I didn't address Republicans because they believe in earning their way, they are not looking for handouts.
where are all these liberals in big houses? maybe they'll let me visit them.
oh and by the way by US standards a 15,000 SQ ft house ain't all that big
Justone Blackman 15,000 sq ft isn't that big? I'm in a 2 BR, 1 BA house that's about 850 sq ft. A house 17.5x time bigger could have 34 bedrooms!
Justone Blackman What are you talking about? That's like ten times the size of my house,and it's bigger than average.
Justone Blackman Those in poverty in the US have a higher level of livability than the average European.
Justone Blackman … We lived in a 1400 sq ft 3 bedroom, 2 bath house and thought we were doing great! I would have lost my kids in a house 10x that size!! Sure seems big to me!
Herman Cain for president? What a joke. He's been accused of sexual misconduct by four different women. He accepts funding from the Koch brothers. Change for America? I don't think so.
Did you say that about Bill Clinton when he was accused of not only sexual harassment but RAPE?
Did you say that about Bill Clinton when he was accused of not only sexual harassment but RAPE?
Given the choice of someone who accepts funding from the Koch brothers and someone who's supported by George Soros, it's a pretty easy decision to go with the Koch's.
John, I don't think it's so much "Change" that we're looking for as it is a reversion clause.
Cheers to Mr. Cain. Well said. Cheers to the media for your transparent, unaccountable, out-of-touch nonsense…doting over Gloria Alred is the icing on the cake. Credible! LOL
Cheers to Mr. Cain. Well said. Cheers to the media for your transparent, unaccountable, out-of-touch nonsense…doting over Gloria Alred is the icing on the cake. Credible! LOL
WHO didn't see this coming? The Dems only like minorities who will do as they say. Talk about racism, the Democrat Party should be renamed the Plantation Party because that's where they like to keep blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.
WHO didn't see this coming? The Dems only like minorities who will do as they say. Talk about racism, the Democrat Party should be renamed the Plantation Party because that's where they like to keep blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.
I'm a conservative, but hell no will I vote for this clown.If we want a incompetent fool in the WH, we should just keep Obama.But this is just the start, Herman.IF you become the nominee, the LSM and the DNC are going to chew you up even worse.You better grow a very thick skin and get use to it, and stop blaming you fellow candidates, that's just lame.
I'm a conservative, but hell no will I vote for this clown.If we want a incompetent fool in the WH, we should just keep Obama.But this is just the start, Herman.IF you become the nominee, the LSM and the DNC are going to chew you up even worse.You better grow a very thick skin and get use to it, and stop blaming you fellow candidates, that's just lame.
'm a conservative, but hell no will I vote for this clown.If we want a incompetent fool in the WH, we should just keep Obama.But this is just the start, Herman.IF you become the nominee, the LSM and the DNC are going to chew you up even worse.You better grow a very thick skin and get use to it, and stop blaming your fellow candidates, that's just lame.
Good for you Mr Cain! Spot on Check this out people before you make accusation or assumptions : Remember Gloria Allred works for the DNC and is a huge Contributor. The alleged 4th woman is from Chicago Ask yourself HOW did she get Gloria Allred. Rahm Emanuel is involved too Check this out http://www.dividedstates.com/sharon-bialek-paid-undislcosed-amount-to-lie-about-herman-cain-sexual-harrasment-charge/.
Having Gloria makes this woman look bad bc we all know it's now about money!!
$5 million into a offshore bank account
a real REGISTERED REPUBLICAN would NEVER go to Gloria Allred for Legal Representation, nor would she keep David Axelrod in business… They come out in droves because they can't derail the CAIN TRAIN! Herman Cain 2012!
Beat Obama with a Cain!
This election, we each get to decide whether to save this country, or support those who are destroying it. We can support those people who have spent their lives building, in service to God and country. Or we can support those people who cover up for the proven corrupt. I BELIEVE ~ HERMAN CAIN 2012-2020.
This election, we each get to decide whether to save this country, or support those who are destroying it. We can support those people who have spent their lives building, in service to God and country. Or we can support those people who cover up for the proven corrupt. I BELIEVE ~ HERMAN CAIN 2012-2020.
Cain was Obama's biggest threat. Obama has accumulated almost $1 billion in campaign funds that I am sure he used to afford these accusers secret payouts. With Cain moved out of the picture, Obama will surely get reelected by the liberal idiots. Prepare for a 4 year term of Obama disaster like we have never seen. Prepare for poverty and failure of our economy http://www.shelter101.com/more-people-unemployed-as-poverty-increases-get-use-to-it.html.
They must be scared, they are pulling out the "Sexual Harassment" guns already!
This is a another Clarence Thomas, Chapter 2 Episode! Believe it or NOT!
This controversy makes me respect Herman Cain even more! People (progressives) don't attack someone that they have no reason to fear…
Go HERMAN CAIN 2012!