Open thread: The Herman Cain “will he or won’t he” presser; Update: Campaign “suspended”
posted at 11:15 am on December 3, 2011 by Jazz Shaw
So today is the day. Or not. A live event is scheduled to kick off around noon today (check C-SPAN and the rest of the usual outlets for coverage) where Herman Cain will tell us “where he goes next” in terms of his presidential campaign. The event is taking place in conjunction with his previously scheduled grand opening of a new campaign office in Georgia, but it comes on the heels of his dinner date with Gloria last night. It seems rather odd that such a drawn out event and opening of the HQ would be followed an hour later by his pulling out and closing said office, but hey… this is American politics. You never know.
I thought for a while that the President might jump in on the side of Herman staying in the race, but alas… that was not to be either. It seems that Obama has tossed his support to Newt.
A recent Rasmussen Reports poll shows that 51% think Cain should end his troubled campaign, while 28% want him to keep on keeping on. I already gave my reasons for thinking he might be better off sticking around this morning, but I also picked the Jets to go to the Super Bowl this year, so you probably shouldn’t listen to me. In any event, chat amongst yourselves and we’ll keep this post updated as developments dictate.
Update (Allahpundit): The word on Twitter is that Cain won’t speak until 1:30 p.m. ET. Jan Crawford of CBS says the atmosphere outside Cain HQ is “very festive.” The Times is on the scene too: “If this is the way a presidential campaign ends, it is certainly a new chapter in the annals of politics.” Sure sounds like he’s staying in.
Update (Allahpundit): Things are in flux — Fox News is now reporting that Cain could speak as early as 12:30 p.m.
Update (Jazz): An early comment section favorite:
Herb Cain in pain stays mainly on train.
William Amos on December 3, 2011 at 11:21 AM
Update (Allahpundit): Now I’m really confused:
In the hours before he made his planned midday announcement about the future of his presidential campaign, Republican candidate Herman Cain reached out so some of his rivals.
“We have talked to the Cain Camp, but we don’t want to characterize the conversations,” said Alice Stewart, a spokesman for Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.
Surely he’s not phoning the field just to tell them he’s staying in. But if he’s getting out, why the party outside Cain HQ replete with barbecue? But if he’s not getting out, why hold an event today at all? Man, when Mark Block said America’s never seen a campaign like this, he wasn’t kidding.
Update (Allahpundit): Dude: “Organizers here have just brought out a large covered…thing. 6 feet plus tall. Covered and tied with rope. Placed behind podium.”
Update (Jazz): If you’re not near a TV, here’s the embed of the live feed.
Update (Jazz): As of 1:20 PM, the reporters have become so bored they’ve begun interviewing each other in the audience.
Update (Jazz): Cain says he is suspending the campaign, not ending it. But he and his wife are standing strong together.
More to come.
Update (Allahpundit): The “suspension” language is simply a legal formality driven by FEC rules. If he says he’s quitting, certainly legal consequences flow from that; if I’m not mistaken, it would render him ineligible for federal matching funds. “Suspending” carries no such implications. Essentially, he’s saying he’s out without saying it legally.
Said Jan Crawford of today’s address, “This sounds like a speech to relaunch a new career as talk show host.” Hmmmm. Here’s his new website, by the way. He says an endorsement will come soon. Exit question: You know who this doesn’t benefit?
Update (Allahpundit): Here’s the video.
Blowback
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Never. But you knew that already. ;)
I think this will free him up to appear on Dancing With The Stars soon.
fastestslug on December 3, 2011 at 7:32 PM
Your pretty deficient in many ways, many many ways.
Every Governor is a big supporter of the 10th Amendment. It is what allows them to have power. Texas is called the Lone Star State, so I am no longer highly convinced he is truly is, it could just as easily be a position that helps him with the voters. It seems every time he comes up with a bold proposal though that is in fact conservative, he folds faster than cheap plastic bag. I think the only thing that he has ever accomplished for conservative goals is the tort reform for medical malpractice.
Try to keep up.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 7:33 PM
Well howdy, ya’ went and got a recharge and are back with your over the top made up bile spewing.
I just love this one. Your (again, correct usage, unlike you Mr. OWS lovin’ ivy league rocket scientist).
For one who demands irrefutable evidence for any of your (again, correct usage) wacko claims. you’re (correct usage again Mr. grammar challenged) quite a ranter of total nonsense. Or, are you channeling Perry now and just know that he is doing this?
What happens when his base and crony benefactors are on opposite sides? Will he abandon one?
You are now the caricature of the nutball Perry hater.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 7:35 PM
Uh huh, funny thing about you extremely low information morons. You are correct every once in while due to nothing more than eventually something you say has to be right.
But, here again, you are the fool and wrong.
The reason I do not support him is that he has doubled down on his stupid and thus is not to be trusted with power over me. If he can learn some lessons properly, I think he would make a good president. Unfortunately, he always seems to learn the wrong lesson.
He came out fighting, calling Social Security a ponzi scheme, got the base to back him from those nice strong positions, claimed he would not back down on that position, and has since backed down, waaay down on that position. Anything rock solid conservative he thinks of has no backing by him, but give him a progressive policy to fight for and there is nothing that will get him to back down, even massive falling poll numbers. His opponents in Texas really must be low caliber people to not have been able to seize on that weakness of his.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 7:43 PM
Opt. Out.
Why doesn’t anybody around here seem to know what that means?
#headdesk
capitalist piglet on December 3, 2011 at 7:49 PM
I read all of the books written by the attorneys after the criminal and civil trials were over. One compelling piece of evidence was not collected during the initial crime scene investigation which would have been difficult for the jury to exonerate OJ through their jury nullification verdict. This piece of evidence was a very clear fingerprint of his from the hand where the glove fell off. It was on Nicole’s back gate and the fingerprint was a blood smear with ALL THREE of the individuals’ DNA in that blood smear. Ron Goldman’s, Nicole Simpson’s and OJ Simpson’s blood was all intermingled in that very clear thumbprint that the moron’s from the forensic lab overlooked.
It wasn’t until one of the detectives asked about that fingerprint three weeks later that anyone realized it had been overlooked. The media obsessed Judge Ito disallowed its admission into evidence because the “chain of custody” could be not proven and it “could have been planted” during that intervening 3 weeks.
Doh. This was in Petrocelli’s book written about this case. Fascinating reading. I think it was also in Chris Darden’s book.
Yeah, OJ did it.
Now back to the germaine topic here. As Rush said, cheating on your spouse and having sex scandals is a resume enhancement for democrats and liberals. Not so much for the GOP and conservatives.
This debate tonite is going to be interesting without Cain there.
karenhasfreedom on December 3, 2011 at 7:49 PM
Oh yeah, go right ahead a double down on Texas attacks. After all, Texas is doing so much worse than the rest of the country.
KBH and Debra Medina are total losers.
You really are some kind of genius…in bizzaro world.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 7:49 PM
Opt. In.
think about it…
equanimous on December 3, 2011 at 7:51 PM
Nope, either political ignorance or outright stupidity keeps that in play.
When that begins to fail, blame Texas for not being able to see how bad Perry is.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 7:52 PM
I have an idea.
Everyone has to take their mandatory vitamins on Sunday for their own good, but if you don’t want to you can fill out some paperwork with your HMO and if its approved by the government, then you can Opt. Out.
sharrukin on December 3, 2011 at 7:57 PM
I lived in Texas from 2003 until 2006. I liked Perry. He was one of the first governors to stand up the fleabaggers. Remember when he got the COngressional redistricting redrawn once the Legislature went red? The democrats all fled to Oklahoma and New Mexico to avoid being called back to Austin in special sessions. He kept calling the 30 day special sessions until eventually enough Dems were rounded up and brought to Austin so there was a quorum. The redistricting passed and I think 4 more House seats went red in the 2004 election.
One of the things that makes Texas so special is they have a 90 day legislative session every other year. In that 90 days, they have to pass a 2 year budget and all of the new laws. Once the 90 days pass, it is over, all of the legislators have to go back to their regular jobs back home.
In between, if something comes up, the governor calls the legislators back to Austin for 30 day special sessions. All states should run like this. You don’t end up with dumb laws on the books from full time legislators who need to fill up time with unneeded government strangulation.
Right now, I have moved to Newt from Palin because he will go on offense against Obama. However, if Perry ends up with the nomination, he is still 10 million times better than Obama. Mitt, not so much. Romneycare is the buggaboo for him to be the nominee – he neuters Obamacare as an issue to hang around Obama’s neck.
Another reason I like Newt over Perry is he annoys all of the right people inside the elite GOP. That works for me. The 2nd most reason I don’t support Romney is because of the people who DO support Romney. I despise all of them.
Back to Cain – I hope he ends up with a show on Foxnews or somewhere. He could replace Joy Behar on CNN. That would be worth watching. His voice in the national conversation will be useful to keep the conversation where it needs to be – the federal government is too big, too out of control, and too bloated.
karenhasfreedom on December 3, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Could you explain to me how Opt Out works? Can you just not have your child immunized and that effectively opts you out?
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:01 PM
To get the exemption form, parents must first submit a written form to State Health Department in Austin which forces the disclosure of the child’s full name, birthdate, and mailing address. The Health Department takes those written requests and creates yet another form on which they print the child’s same personal information that the parent had to send to health department, and the Health Department sometimes takes weeks to mail out these forms inevitably disrupting the child’s school attendance. The Health Department only sends the forms by U.S. mail, and once the parent receives the forms, they must be notarized within 90 days of submitting them and then repeatedly resubmitted every 2 years even though there is no expiration set in statute.
[1] Because the Health Department further eroded parental rights by publishing more rules getting rid of provisional enrolment for exemptions, (families used to have 30 days at the beginning of school to get their paperwork in), now schools participate in aggressive misleading education campaigns touting “no shots – no school” while not informing families of the exemption or the instructions how to obtain it.
sharrukin on December 3, 2011 at 8:08 PM
Ahhhhh….reminds me of the good ole’ days with Palin’s daily, never-ending, glowing, enthusiastic endorsement of the despicable POS John McCain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8zFZRouKxM
nottakingsides on December 3, 2011 at 8:08 PM
Even the articles that just scratched the surface of the EO you are so against went into that.
A little further research would have explained why it was an opt out instead of an opt in.
You have no idea what the whole thing was about except it is your stick to beat the candidate you hate.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:08 PM
Heh, still relying on that debunked attack I see.
I guess that is why you left off the link. Even wiki does a better job of explaining it.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:11 PM
Really? Here I thought it was going to be an onerous task that was not well documented or distributed such that people would hardly be able to actually opt out easily. Man, this looks so easy I think even a Harvard Law School Editor could do it.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:13 PM
Yeah, the place where all conservatives should look for fair balanced information.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:15 PM
Oh, I know all about it. I also know exactly how easy it is to opt out. I lived there you know. But, in the end, it is the government forcing you to take an action where before no action was required. You either do the opt out or you get the medical procedure.
I even know why he says he picked the mandate. I believe that argument about as much as I believe that he would not try in the future to force something down his citizens throats, although he probably has learned his lesson about doing it solo with an EO that comes right back to target him for the backlash. But given the opportunity, he has shown that it is well within his moral character to do such a thing, for our own good, and we had better just be damned grateful!
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:20 PM
Better and better. You now swallow a debunked statement on the opt-out and chose to ignore data to the contrary because you claim it is biased against conservatives. If it is how you claim, wouldn’t it repeat the false claim you are clinging to?
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:22 PM
Where is that data? I never seem to get any of you morons to actually show the data. It is much like the Global Warming crowd. The evidence is compelling, but no, we will not show you our data.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Sure you do…that is why you are such a well of information.
Heck, bozo, I have a daughter that would have been subject to the mandate. I actually did the research you claim to know all about now. But earlier in this same thread you claim to want information about the EO. And now you cling to a debunked statement on the opt-out.
Are you just makin’ this stuff up as you go along?
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:26 PM
Because it is easy enough to find on your own, yet you refuse to do it. But, that doesn’t stop you from bashing Perry out of ignorance.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:27 PM
NO FU&K way!
can i have my 500 dollars back? What to do with all these yard signs and bumper stickers now?
FU CAIN# you dumb ass sleeze whimp quiter! baby
wtf.. 20 million conservatives in the US and we can’t find one or two CONSERVATIVES without a ton of baggage and now clue how to run a conservative campaign.
We are really just screwed as a Nation.
the Last Nation.
amend2 on December 3, 2011 at 8:29 PM
Perry was given a bunch of money to run for his governorship by a drug company.
The drug company was given special access to the governor, and there is nothing seriously wrong with that.
They gave their pitch to the governor and convinced him to subjugate his citizen’s rights in order to add profit to themselves.
Perry wrote up an EO that subjugated his citizen’s rights, which had an opt out, but that too subjugates the citizens rights, only slightly less than the forced medical procedures.
The Legislature overwhelmingly voted to vacate the executive order against the will of the Governor, even after the outcry, he did not listen to his citizens, and instead stuck to his EO and had to be forced by the legislature to drop it.
All of this is simply fact.
“A Defiant Gov. Rick Perry Accused Legislators Tuesday Of Sacrificing Women’s Lives To Score Political Points…”
Perry: “[The Legislature Has] Relegated The Lives Of Our Young Women To Social Darwinism … This Is Shameful.”
Perry: “I Challenge Legislators To Look These Women In The Eye And Tell Them, ‘We Could Have Prevented This Disease … But We Just Didn’t Have The Gumption.”
Perry: “A Debate Which Affects Real Lives Has Been Hijacked By Politics And Posturing. I Have Never Seen So Much Misinformation Spread About A Vital Public Health Issue.”
More facts, the kind that demonstrate how well Perry would listen to the base.
Yeah, he was a true believer, and he was willing to sacrifice liberty in the manner of a tyrant to enforce those beliefs against his citizens.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 8:38 PM
I love how you continue to act like you’re not a Perry groupie, when you spend 99% of your posting time here tearing into anyone who criticizes Perry. lol cultists
And by the way, criticizing Perry for his executive decisions is not “hatred”. Hating the man personally is. Sort of like when you conclude Herman Cain is guilty when there’s no evidence…a concept I haven’t seen you go after anyone for.
MadisonConservative on December 3, 2011 at 8:48 PM
Dude we laughed at you when you posted the same drivel earlier.
Nope, there is plenty to criticize Perry for and I have joined in it. Especially when it looked like Medina had a chance.
Its just nutballs posting ignorant attacks that get my attention. Same as with Cain, Gingrich, Palin and Romney.
I don’t attack any of the candidates, except for maybe Paul and Bachman. Just the nutball supporters.
cozmo on December 3, 2011 at 8:58 PM
Here is the infomation you requested.
Gardasil is a drug developed by Merck & Co.. It is supposed to prevent cervical cancer caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it in June of 2006 and subsequently recommended vaccination in females aged 11 and 12, before they become sexual active. Since it is not effective against an existing infection, it must be given before a sexually transmitted HPV infection occurs.
In Gardasil, Merck believed that they had a credible, FDA-approved, CDC recommended, fact-backed case for vaccinating young women and lobbied state officials to do so. Were they trying to make money on the drug? Without a doubt, that’s what a business does.
Governor Perry issued an Executive Order (EO) (RP#65, February, 2007) which mandated that all Texas girls be vaccinated prior to their admission to the sixth grade. Parents were allowed to opt out of the mandate by filling out an affidavit.
Perry was rebuked by both houses of the Texas legislature which overturned his EO by a veto-proof margin. Seeing the writing on the wall, Perry did not sign the law nor did he veto the overriding legislation. He subsequently rescinded RP#65 with another EO (RP#74) and the issue is now dead in Texas.
As of July 2011, legislators in at least 41 states and D.C. have introduced legislation to require, fund or educate the public about the HPV Vaccine and at least 20 states have enacted this legislation, including Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures.
Perry’s negatives related to the Gardasil issue were:
■issuing the EO requiring vaccinations for young girls. Even though a parent could opt-out (for religious or philosophical reasons), refusing the child’s shot, people were upset that the EO required inoculation. Had the vaccination been voluntary, there would have been no question.
■Perry’s former chief of staff (2002-2004) was a lobbyist for Merck at the time and is thought to have had undue influence on Perry on behalf of Merck’s drug.
■Merck contributed a grand total of $6,000 to Perry’s reelection campaign. While it is unseemly in its timing, $6,000 is barely enough money to get noticed, much less to buy the support of a governor, least of all a “high roller” like Perry’s critics claim he is. That Merck contribution amounted to .00025 of the $24 million dollar campaign funds that he received that year.
There are still some who are convinced that Merck contributed more than a paltry $6,000 to Perry. They are simply wrong. Merck gave two checks, one for $1,000 and another for $5,000 to Perry in the 2006 election timeframe (in 2008, they contributed a whopping $2,500). Here is a source to view all of Perry’s contributions: ProPublica. In fact, Merck has only contributed $23,500 to Perry over a 1998-2010 span, not exactly George Soros money. For comparison, from 2000-2006 Merck gave $2,460,000 to state politicians across 40 states.
The other side of the story:
Gardasil was believed to be a way to stop certain types of cancer among young women. Studies appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 found that Gardasil was nearly 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous cervical lesions caused by the the strains that Gardasil protects against. Gardasil’s effectiveness increased when given to girls and young women before they become sexually active. Gardasil was found to be extremely effective in preventing several (but not all) of the strains of HPV known to cause cervical cancer and genital warts.
Cervical cancer is the second leading cancer killer of women worldwide. In the United States, nearly 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and 3,700 women die.
In June 2006, The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended administering the vaccine to girls between 11 and 12 years of age, before they become sexually active.
Perry’s “justification”
Perry maintains that the justification for his executive order making the shot mandatory was twofold: 1) that the vaccine offered a chance to save lives that might have otherwise been taken away by cervical cancer and, 2) that insurance companies wouldn’t cover the $360 cost of the vaccine ($120 for each of a 3-shot regimen) when it was simply an optional “recommended” vaccine. That put it out of the reach for most low-income Texans. This from the Time Magazine article (linked above), “Some pediatricians and gynecologists are refusing to stock Gardasil because many insurance companies reimburse so little for the vaccine, which costs $360 for the three required doses.”
When Perry mandated Gardasil, it would have become part of a school-related vaccine package which was then covered by insurance for simply the cost of a co-pay.
Some additional insight can be gained by an analysis of 700 pages of e-mails regarding the HPV decision (Politico got from Perry’s office via a FOIA request). Ben Smith and Byron Tau concluded that there was not a record of Merck meddling and that Perry was “largely absent from the internal discussions.”
When Perry made the decision to issue the EO, it is likely that he was relying (at least partially) on his own in-house consultant more than being influenced by a $6,000 contribution by Merck. The e-mails show that his wife (Anita) WAS aware of the Gardasil issue and no doubt, Perry would have relied on her education (MS in Nursing from UT), and her experience, having worked in the nursing profession for more than 17 years. She worked in surgery, pediatrics, intensive care, administration, teaching and as a consultant.
That Anita was intimately involved in the issue is evidenced by the fact that she was the keynote speaker in 2005 at a Women in Government (WIG) conference on cervical cancer prevention and elimination.
Gardasil an unsafe vaccination?
Some critics have claimed that Gardasil has a record of “very serious safety issues.” That obvious attempt to further tarnish Perry’s image by intimating that not only did he do the bidding of Merck in ordering the vaccinations, he did so without considering the possible serious side effects. The CDC has been following Gardasil since its licensing and some current facts follow. Taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website:
“Since licensure, CDC and FDA have been closely monitoring the safety of HPV vaccines. “As of June 22, 2011, approximately 35 million doses of Gardasil® have been distributed in the U.S. and the safety monitoring system (VAERS) received a total of 18,727 reports of adverse events following Gardasil® vaccination. As with all VAERS reports, serious events may or may not have been caused by the vaccine.”
“Of the total number of VAERS reports following Gardasil®, 92% were considered to be non-serious, and 8% were considered serious. Out of 35,000,000 doses distributed, there were 1,498 occasions of serious complications; that equates to a .0000428 chance that a dose will cause a serious adverse reaction.” Hardly enough to consider the vaccine “a very serious safety issue” as claimed by some critics.
As of June, 2011, the CDC says: “Based on all of the information we have today, CDC recommends HPV vaccination for the prevention of most types of cervical cancer. As with all approved vaccines, CDC and FDA will continue to closely monitor the safety of HPV vaccines.” Check out the CDC’s statements about Gardasil for yourself. And specifically check out the Summary at the end for the CDC’s conclusion about Gardasil’s effectiveness.
An update: from Perry’s Speech in New Hampshire at the Home of New Hampshire Deputy Speaker Pam Tucker (8/13/2011):
When a voter in New Hampshire confronted Perry on the Gardasil issue, here’s what he said, “I signed an executive order that allowed for an opt-out, but the fact of the matter is I didn’t do my research well enough to understand that we needed to have a substantial conversation with our citizenry,” he said. “I hate cancer. Let me tell you, as a son who has a mother and father who are both cancer survivors.”
Perry said he’d invested government resources in cancer cures, adding, “I hate cancer. And this HPV, we were seeing young ladies die at the early age. What we should have done was a program that frankly should have allowed them to opt in, or some type of program like that, but here’s what I learned — when you get too far out in front of the parade they will let you know. And that’s exactly what our legislature did.”
A cynic may not buy his explanation, but most politicians would never admit to a mistake at all.
Agree or disagree, at least he accepted his defeat and backed off.
http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/
tmontgomery on December 3, 2011 at 9:08 PM
Some additional insight can be gained by an analysis of 700 pages of e-mails regarding the HPV decision (Politico got from Perry’s office via a FOIA request). Ben Smith and Byron Tau concluded that there was not a record of Merck meddling and that Perry was largely absent from the internal discussions.”
http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/
tmontgomery on December 3, 2011 at 9:36 PM
Perry was brought to bear by overwhelming force, and thus still thinks that force feeding medical care to citizens is a legitimate power of the government. Good intentions and all do not make bad actions good. He has not changed his position on the power, only the calculus of the EO. I have every right to decide what actions and philosophies are legitimate for me to decide who to support.
Because your friends are doing it, I find nothing wrong with it is always the best argument to use on an adult, they totally always cave when presented those kinds of numbers.
I agree. If he did not mandate it, there would have been no major problem. Although there is the small problem of the government picking winners and losers in the marketplace. But that is trivial compared to taking parental and medical rights and choices away from citizens.
It looks bad, but I am not that concerned with it. The money bought the company time to pitch their screed, and that is part of the first amendment, being able to petition the government for grievances.
It is not the amount of money, it is the access that it granted. And it is not really an issue. People have the right to talk to their elected leaders and try and convince them of things. I never believed that Perry was bought off, just that he was easily led to a progressive position, and once there, is completely intractable from it.
And as long as the government allows citizens to be able to access a good drug like this, there is no problem.
With regular checkups with the doctor, it is almost always detected before it becomes fatal. It is one the easiest to cure cancers there is if caught early by check ups. If the drug makes women think they are immune to the cancer, they may avoid those check ups. All in all, there is no certainty if it will save lives overall.
Some of the people who actually worked on getting Gardasil through its testing argued it was too early to make the drug mandatory, because it was not fully safe.
Why is it the government’s responsibility to force provision of a commodity to citizens. Effectively taking money from some to give to others? That $360 was going to be transferred from somewhere to those who were too poor to pay for it. Is that the proper use of government power? I say no.
Seems a big failure of leadership to allow subordinates to wield that much power.
I did all the calculations a long time ago when this first came out. A woman was more likely to be effected by a serious adverse reaction than they were to develop the cancer later in life. I am not going to go through the numbers again.
Boiler plate and meaningless.
Its the PR, not the policy. Where have I heard this?
But as president, they will not be there to stop him, as Obama is proving with his EOs. If you need to be held back from harming your citizens because of your over zealousness on things, you might want to reevaluate where in society you really belong.
He was simply too far advanced from his citizens. Those troglodytes prevented him from saving them, but since they pay his check and caught him this time, he will cave in after having both houses of the legislature rebuked him. I am not willing to be forced to fight a Republican President again like we had to fight Bush on Amnesty, drug benefits, bailouts and so forth. If the citizens are coming out in force to argue against your policies and your only thought is that they are just misinformed and not up to speed, so you should keep going until you are check mated, I am not likely to support you.
Its all good information. I have read all of it before. It really does not change my mind on who I think Perry is today. He really needs to allay my concerns that he thinks executive means elected tyrant.
We hear it everyday from the progressives that they have to stop us from hurting ourselves. I do not need to hear it from the Republican.
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 9:59 PM
Thought you might like all the facts.
Perry has said that federal immigration enforcement has failed and that Texas must protect its own borders. The following statement on border security was made at Perry’s State of the State Address in February, 2007. “I am proposing a $100 million investment in a more secure border. There is no such thing as homeland security without border security. It is not hyperbole to say terrorists view our international border with Mexico as a prime point of entry – that is the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community.”
“While the vast majority of people who come here illegally are economic migrants simply seeking a better life, the small percentage seeking to cause us harm doesn’t dress differently. Nor do they put out press advisories in advance of their arrival. They don’t want us to know they are here until they have done mortal damage to our people.”
“I support strategic fencing in urban areas along the border. But I also believe, like border sheriffs, that the best solution involves added manpower, not unmanned walls.”
From a statement on Governor Perry’s website, “Securing our southern border is a federal responsibility, but the effects of the federal government’s failure to live up to that responsibility are big problems in Texas. As a result, our state has spent more than $230 million over the past several years to protect our communities and fill in the sizable gaps left by insufficient federal efforts.”
“Texas is paying border officers overtime to stretch their training and abilities further. We’ve added state-of-the-art aviation assets, including helicopters, and advanced communications and tactical equipment.”
“The state also has established Joint Operation and Intelligence Centers in each Border Patrol Sector and created quick-response units – like Trooper Strike Teams and Texas Ranger Recon Teams – that can effectively counter criminal activity in even the most remote areas of the border region.”
And in another statement the governor said, “The Obama administration must dedicate more Border Patrol agents to Texas. In fact, I have asked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to assign an additional 3,000 agents to the Texas-Mexico border. The current Texas Border Patrol staffing level of 7,700 is entirely inadequate considering that our state shares more than 1,200 miles of border with Mexico – roughly 64 percent of the entire American southern boundary.”
“In January 2009, I requested that until those staffing levels are increased, 1,000 Title 32 National Guard troops be deployed along the Texas-Mexico border in direct support of current state border-security operations.”
“After nearly two years, I have yet to receive a substantial response to my requests for help. Instead, under its own plan, the Obama administration sent just 286 National Guardsmen to the Texas border – a scant 20 percent of the 1,200 Guardsmen the White House deployed along the entire border.” When the Texas/Mexico border extends for some 1,200 miles (out of a 1,954 mile total U.S. border), Texas had every right to expect a pro-rated share of the 1,200 Guardsmen, or 768 guardsmen. Instead, Texas got 286 – a grossly insufficient number.
So, Perry wrote yet another letter to the President respectfully requesting an additional 1,000 federal agents to help secure the Texas/Mexico border. Since previous letters to President Obama got no response, Perry attempted to hand deliver this one directly to the President. The two met briefly on the tarmac as the President de-planed in Austin, Texas in August of 2010. With the whole incident caught on video, Obama refused to personally accept the letter and Perry was forced to hand it to presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett. There was already no love lost between Perry and Obama, but to publically rebuff the governor of Texas (or any governor) by refusing to accept a hand delivered letter? What other President would show so little class as to do that? None, except Obama.
After six years of fierce partisan battling, Gov. Perry signed SB 14, the 2011 Immigration bill on May 27, 2011. Known as the “Voter ID bill,” the law requires that voters in Texas will be required to produce a simple photo ID to verify their identity before casting their vote.
Additionally, an amendment was added to a finance bill that requires that every person who applies for a Texas driver’s license be verified in the federal immigration databases through a program called Secure Communities. The change gives the Texas Department of Public Safety the authority to make sure someone is in the country legally before issuing a Texas driver’s license.
On the issue of amnesty, Governor Perry addressed a 2008 Governor’s Conference in Miami and made this statement: “I hope that there are 43 Republican Senators, and some thoughtful Democrats who realize that if you want to be an American citizen here’s the way you do it … you need to get in line just like everyone else. Go get in that immigration line like everyone who came before you. Now do we want to have sensible immigration policies that allow people who want to come into our state and work. Absolutely. Secure that border, have a sensible immigration policy, and if you want to be a citizen of the United States, there’s the line. But to go give 13 million people a citizenship because you came here illegally is … is … Asinine!”
An estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants are currently residing in Texas, according to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington and exert an enormous strain on the state’s ability to provide the services that legal residents have a right to expect. To see more of Texas’ Hispanic (legal and illegal) population, here is a Pew Hispanic Center site with that data.
http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/
tmontgomery on December 3, 2011 at 10:35 PM
Then you would know that no one had to opt out because this thing never got off the ground.
tmontgomery on December 3, 2011 at 11:15 PM
Notice the argument. Economic migrants. he does not want to stop them. he wants to prevent terrorists from coming across the border. When push comes to shove and he has the power, he adds to the draw of America for people to economically migrate to the United States of America illegally. It is too heartless to do otherwise. He gives me the impression that he has more in common with illegal immigrants than he does with his own countrymen.
Everyone else got into that line while in their home country, and they waited many months and many times many years before they ever got the chance to step foot in this nation and take advantage of our prosperity. They came to become citizens and assimilate into a culture that prospers. The illegal aliens came to plunder what they can, absorb as little as possible.
It is asinine, and yet there you are advocating for it. I do not see the call for the illegal aliens to go home, apply from their home countries and so forth. It is really easy to argue for the easy things. It gets much harder, especially when your heart controls your actions as opposed to your mind, to actually make sensible decisions that make good policy.
Close the border, and that means Fences and Manpower on the border protecting this nations sovereignty.
Stop the activities that draws the illegal activity. Work place enforcement, day worker staging area ID checks, and jail time for those who hire illegal aliens workers. Work towards being able to weekly at the least catch one illegal nanny, babysitter, yard maintenance personnel and make sure the people who hired them are punished. I would suggest fines that are used to pay rewards to those who bring the illegal to the authorities attention.
Get rid of birthright citizenship. No child born to non citizen parents gains automatic citizenship.
Those caught in America illegally spend time in jail, I would argue 1 year, and I would suggest building tent cities to house them in as opposed to prison cells.
Those caught lose all rights to their private property held in the United States. Some exemptions for very personal private items can be made, with a limit on maximum value set pretty low.
Set up a fund to pay for low cost travel methods for those who need help self deporting, but the cost of travel is to give up enough biometric data as to ensure it is not a free travel system for repeat offenders. Do not count as caught those who self deport.
Let them leave the nation on their own,
astonerii on December 3, 2011 at 11:22 PM
Gardisil? Really? We are still talking about that?
Rome is burning around us. Our economy is in shambles,as is so much else in our country.
Yet we are looking for perfection in our candidates and Gardisil is as important as defeating Obamacare?
Elisa on December 3, 2011 at 11:36 PM
Palin is gone. Cain is gone. That leaves 4 conservatives.
Right now Perry is down in the polls and Bachmann and Santorum are low in the polls.
That leaves Newt and I am not confident he will fair well long term.
I’m a little afraid for the future of my country.
Felt like we could use a little inspiration.
Michael W. Smith sings
There She Stands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9Fa6IFM8Q
When the night
Seems to say
All hope is lost
Gone away
But I know
I’m not alone
By the light
She stands
There she waves
Faithful friend
Shimmering stars
Westward wind
Show the way
Carry me
To the place
She stands
Just when you think it might be over
Just when you think the fight is gone
Someone will risk his life to raise her
There she stands
There she flies
Clear blue skies
Reminds us with red
Of those that died
Washed in white
By the brave
In their strength
She stands
When evil calls itself a martyr
When all your hopes come crashing down
Someone will pull her from the rubble
There she stands
We’ve seen her flying torn and tattered
We’ve seen her stand the test of time
And through it all the fools have fallen
There she stands
By the dawn’s
Early light
And through the fight
She stands
_____________——
I was out tonight. Will watch the Huckabee tape. Maybe something there to inspire and give hope.
Elisa on December 3, 2011 at 11:37 PM
* fare well
Elisa on December 3, 2011 at 11:38 PM
Thank you. Great posts.
We need to be screaming this from the rooftops. Whether you support Herman or not, whether you think he is guilty or not, whether you think he handled these accusations well or not,conservatives need to be incensed over this, band together and never let it happen again.
Even if this were true, they didn’t have enough to publish the story or pick it up and run with it and pile on.
they got rid of him as President and then went on to make sure he wasn’t even VP material.
We have emboldened the liberals, the media and the Obama people. They will continue this forever after what they did to Palin and Cain.
Elisa on December 3, 2011 at 11:51 PM
So your continued requests for the facts were what??? Had no rebuttal so you used the tried and true “put up or shut up” routine?
I didn’t post this for your benefit…I posted it so that non-posters that read the skewed posts that you make against Perry have a sourced version of the facts. They can draw their own conclusion being better informed. Notice I left in the parts about his critics and what they say. I believe in a better informed voter. I also believe the voter armed with all the information will not likely hold it against Perry.
You are never going to support Perry, and that is cool. I am recruiting Perry supporters everyday (it helps ease the pain of knowing that I will never be able to convert you). While I would love for you to come on over, I realize it’s just not in the cards.
Hopefully, you will vote for whoever wins the Republican nomination. Anyone on that stage would at least give America a chance to recover. If the radical in charge now gets another four years I expect Armageddon.
tmontgomery on December 4, 2011 at 12:01 AM
You did not see the posts the other guy makes?
he just says my argument is based on lies and then leaves it at that. So, put up or shut up is a valid argument. I read it all when Perry was high in the polls and I was backing him and looking for a valid reason to continue to support him. I never was able to overcome the fact that Perry is every bit as Nanny State as mayor Bloomberg.
Nothing in it all refutes any of my arguments. They all remain valid. people can parse it out, filet it up, slice and dice all they want, in the end, there is nothing to look at other than what Perry did and what Perry says is his current position. What he did was worse than what he says he believes now, but what he believes now leaves him open to repeating what he did before. Not enough PR, have to brainwash the neanderthals better in advance, give the savages time to acclimate, and then I can do what I want and make them be good.
astonerii on December 4, 2011 at 12:30 AM
I do not believe that. Newt is likely the last of my support. I will not subjugate my values any further than Newt has already caused me to do so, if I vote for him in 2012. Perry can still earn my vote, but that is up to him to change and to earn it. I will not lower myself any more to make him a fit to my ideals.
I am not sure if you read my other posts, but part of the reason I cannot overcome Perry’s deficiencies is because Perry cannot stand up for true conservative ideals. He is dead set willing to stand on his progressive stances and willing to die on those hills of Immigration and government mandated STD vaccines, but his call of SS as a ponzi scheme folded before the battle ever began. And his Supreme court Judge amendment, OMG, totally destructive to our nations government of checks and balances.
Maybe next go round he will have grown a little. But I fear that he is not challenged enough in Texas to learn the lessons I need him to learn.
astonerii on December 4, 2011 at 12:36 AM
I wonder who Cain will endorse….
haner on December 4, 2011 at 12:44 AM
Completely agree. As long as it is strategic fencing as to not trample individual property rights. Also don’t forget about the air and sensor technology.
I agree with all but the jail time. I think fines would do the trick.
The whole report on thy neighbor thing…kinda nanny state.
Agreed.
The states are already overwhelmed with criminals and overcrowding and you are suggesting that we take on the burden feeding, housing (tents cost money too), and medical care for 1 year. Oh wait, with the overcrowding problems we would only be responsible for every aspect of their lives for 6 months.
States should have the right to deport once ICE confirms the person is here illegally.
How very post Rhodesia/Zimbabwein of you.
Fund self deportation?!? Fund nothing! Let them know if we catch you, and you are hear illegally, you aren’t allowed to return. Ever! Pay your own way back to your home country if you want a chance to go to the back of the line to be considered for citizenship.
tmontgomery on December 4, 2011 at 12:55 AM
Cain is either guilty OR he caved to false allegations that he could have expected to come beforehand. Cain is either guilty OR the left won. If the left won, they will do this kind of thing again. I’d almost prefer Cain be guilty instead of that.
The only thing I want to hear from Cain now is either a court fight or a confession. As far as impacting the presidential race or even topics within that race he should just shut up.
AnotherOpinion on December 4, 2011 at 1:03 AM
I read everything. I thought your posts were about requesting the poster to give the facts on gardasil(gate). If I misunderstood…oh well. No harm done. It gave me a platform to put factual sourced information out there against your anti-Perry posts for the undecided.
If you really believe that Perry is “every bit as Nanny State as mayor Bloomberg”, there really is no hope for you. I mean you are pathologically delusional.
That your arguments are valid I can’t agree. Your personal feelings are valid…on that, I will definately agree with you.
WTH? Go get some sleep. You’ve stopped making any sense much less coherent sentences.
tmontgomery on December 4, 2011 at 1:33 AM
Hrm. I’d say this is less a vindication of the belief that Cain is unsuitable for the Presidency and more of a vindication of the idea that the mainstream media meddles too much in elections and tries to decide for us who wins them.
R. Waher on December 4, 2011 at 2:37 AM
Anyone who isn’t a career politician gets run out of the race by the press and the media with bogus lies and slander so that by the time it comes down to the general election a real choice doesn’t exist.
Dollayo on December 4, 2011 at 3:44 AM
I think Herman Cain will endorse Mitt Romney.
SoulGlo on December 4, 2011 at 3:58 AM
Thank you Politico for libeling a fine man.
I, for one, will NOT be using their site Ever AGAIN. I do not support JournOlisters. ;o)
DannoJyd on December 4, 2011 at 5:44 AM
Yeah right! Go tell that to Sarah Palin.
DannoJyd on December 4, 2011 at 5:46 AM
First of all, Sarah Palin never ran for President. She ran for Vice President, a job with 2 duties (1) be the tie breaking vote in the Senate every blue moon and (2) wait for the President to die or get kicked out. VPs don’t win elections no matter how much better they may be from the actual candidates running for President.
Second, I don’t deny that Palin was slandered, it certainly happens to career politicans as well, but it always happens to those who are not.
Dollayo on December 4, 2011 at 6:21 AM
Just imagine – if Obama had been subjected to the scutiny that Cain was, he never would have been elected. Not on the basis of sexual dalliance (apparently he is not a sexual creature, since he never dated anyone before – or after – Michelle), but on the basis of his terrorist/commie/crooked connections.
disa on December 4, 2011 at 7:37 AM
Palin was slandered. Cain had stuff in his background about which he wasn’t forthright at the beginning. Big difference.
ddrintn on December 4, 2011 at 9:09 AM
Why do I think he’ll endorse Romney? Romney is far more left than Cain, but he will endorse him anyway. Endorsements are nothing.
jeffn21 on December 4, 2011 at 9:18 AM
The liberals have won – why are we even going to bother to go forward any more? Do you really think that Mitt, Newt, Michelle or anyone else we put forward – won’t go through the exact same thing Sarah & Herman went through? And it has happened because the GOP wants to ‘go along to get along’ to remain in some form of power, so they sell out and pile on their own candidates rather than fight and stand up for the citizens of America, the Constitution, and what is the right thing to do, much less their own candidates. This smear tactic is how Obama ever became a politician. Right now, I can only say, thanks to everyone who caved on Bork, who caved on Harriet Miers, who allowed 8 years of Bush Lied, People Died, and Sarah Palin bashing – YOU have allowed this Cain disaster. It won’t end, it will only get worse. I can only hope that America’s end result will be 4 more years of Obama – but in my mind – re-election will be the least that will come of this self-inflicted disaster.
jackal40 on December 4, 2011 at 9:18 AM
My take.
kingsjester on December 4, 2011 at 9:36 AM
I still have to wonder what size ego and narcissism is needed to think you would hide this kind of behavior in your past and run for president of the United States.
It blows my mind.
(ps I should add run as a Republican, after all)
golfmann on December 4, 2011 at 9:49 AM
Every night I say a prayer in the hope that there’s a heaven
And every day I’m more confused as the saints turn into sinners
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to idols of clay
And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I’ve lost my faith
Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
Show me the way
- Styx (December 1990)
OneVision on December 4, 2011 at 10:19 AM
What has happened to Gloria, Sharon and the other ladies who first started the smear of Cain? They served their purpose at the time and faded away for the current lady, Ginger, to appear. How many more ‘women’ have the libs paid off to come forward? We may not find out now that Mr. Cain has dropped out. He was never my choice but find it difficult to denigrate him when there has been no proof offered, only innuendos.
Kissmygrits on December 4, 2011 at 10:22 AM
http://kingsjester.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/herman-cain-and-the-liberal-double-standard/
Good take. excerpts from kj:
They covered for Clinton, even though an actual woman stood up and faced the cameras with her name on record, specifically said what her charges were and HAD TAPES of Clinton.
The Politico piece wasn’t even from anonymous women, it was anonymous friends of these anonymous women. One was never revealed and the other never faced the cameras and we still have NEVER HEARD what her allegations were, even though she was released by the NRA to talk. Certainly no tapes or any other proof.
This created the firestorm and piling on. Then the copy cats. So we finally got 2 women to actually talk on camera, but neither one had any proof whatsoever. No tapes, no dresses. One had 2 autographed books with a friendly inspirational type message. Both women had troubled backgrounds and were not credible, even though the stories hinged on their credibility alone.
Most importantly of all,
Including his state troopers. Cain had no reputation as a womanizer(and was much older for stories to have circulated)and instead everyone who did go on the record and everyone who knew him said this didn’t sound like him.
Maybe there might be proof one day, but when these stories were broke and continued for weeks (drip by drip on purpose) they should never have been written. They never were written even a few years back (even about Republicans) when there was even a pretense of journalism.
they smell blood in the water, people. It will not go easily from here on out for ANY conservative. Unless we wake up and don’t pile on with liberal narratives.
Elisa on December 4, 2011 at 10:30 AM
That’s great for Canadians and People from south of the border. It is not going work so well for getting the rest of the people to self deport. So that means we are left with a larger than necessary underground illegal population than we otherwise would have. Which defeats the purpose of much of the efforts. The larger the underground, the more draw there is for new illegals to enter and join that underground.
astonerii on December 4, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Yup. They don’t even need to be paid off or even paid off down the road when no one is looking.
There are millions of troubled women out there who seek attention, are delusional or women scorned from illusions alone who might have had crushes or women who resent certain type of men, etc. All sorts of reasons.
If true, fine, but without proof, as you said, it is only innuendos. We don’t take down men with gossip in this country. At least we didn’t before.
Elisa on December 4, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Some thoughts:
Herman Cain: “I am at peace with my God.”
This man is a Baptist minister and (by all indications) sincere in his faith. Even singing Amazing Grace from his heart when asked to sing at the National Press Club when the allegations first started.
If he is not innocent, his statement today would be a huge blasphemy. Like I’ve said before, if he is lying (and he could be) then he is a Dr. Jeckel/Mr. Hyde pathology persona. You can’t simply be a good liar or delusional. You would have to be seriously warped to be so calm and peaceful. I know other religious leaders have fallen or been fake, but frankly they did not surprise me.
Secondly, his wife was by his side holding hands and then smiled and greeted supporters. Gloria Cain is not a politicians’ wife. She has stated that she used to watch these women who stood next to their philandering husbands at podiums and said she would never do that. She would even shy away from the spotlight if there were no allegations. Her presence there means she totally believes Cain and supports him and still loves him. She doesn’t strike me as a fool and she seemed to be a confident woman during her interview.
Thirdly, if Newt doesn’t implode and his poll numbers stay strong, I think Cain will endorse Newt, not Romney. I think he has more respect for Newt and affection for Newt and Newt is closer to his conservative beliefs than Romney. Obamacare is a big deal for Cain.
But I also think that Cain might be disappointed in Romney’s reaction to Cain’s problems. Without saying if the allegations were true or false, Newt defended Cain as a man and as a candidate. Romney was given the opportunity when asked in a debate to say something in Cain’s defense and declined. I think I saw disappointment in Cain’s face. Romney could have simply said a general statement of mild support without taking sides on this. He didn’t. Like on all issues, Romney took no stand and said nothing of importance.
Lastly, Cain called some of the other candidates first as a courtesy which was not necessary. The guy is a class act.
If proof comes out he lied, then I will believe it. Right now I don’t know and feel he is innocent until proven otherwise. If he lied, the shame is on him, not his supporters. Because again, the way he is denying this is the way an innocent man would, unless he is psychologically warped.
We shouldn’t pile on (even if we don’t support someone) because the media and liberals have already knocked off Palin and Cain in ways I’ve never seen in 40 years of watching politics. Whether true or not, the media didn’t have enough to go on. But they took him down anyway.
If conservatives don’t stick together and instead follow whatever memes the establishment and media feed us, then none of our guys will ever stand a chance. They are now emboldened.
Elisa on December 3, 2011 at 3:17 PM
Elisa on December 4, 2011 at 10:38 AM
Anything less leaves an imprint of vague validity and encourages repetition against the next target.
platypus on December 3, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Oh so True!
RedLizard64 on December 4, 2011 at 11:57 AM
The self proclaimed ‘CEO of Self’ meets his destiny.
lexhamfox on December 4, 2011 at 4:02 PM
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