Cain: I couldn't support Perry as the nominee

I get that they’re competing for the same base, but … isn’t the standard answer to this question, “Of course, I’ll certainly support any Republican nominee over Barack Obama”? Or is Cain simply saying that if he drops out, he couldn’t in good conscience endorse Perry in the primary? Blitzer’s clearly asking about the general election if/when Perry’s the nominee but I’m not sure that’s what Cain has in mind. Frankly, I’m also not sure what his specific problem is with Perry on immigration. Does he mean e-Verify? He’s talking about enforcing the laws and securing the border, but that’s boilerplate. Is it the in-state tuition for illegals? If there’s something disqualifying about Perry, let’s specify, please. Especially since Cain’s apparently capable of forgiving an awful lot when it comes to other candidates in the field:

Advertisement

Cain, who supported Mitt Romney in 2008, said he could support the former Massachusetts governor again if he committed to repeal ‘Obamacare’ soon after taking office

“If he stuck to that commitment, I could support him. But if in any way he wanted to compromise and go for a mandate, I couldn’t support him,” Cain said, referencing the issue considered Romney’s most significant political vulnerability. “But I believe that he has backed off that and he’s saying that he would repeal Obamacare.”

So the guy who inspired ObamaCare is okay because he’s now pretending to hate mandates in order to win conservative votes, but the guy whose immigration record is no worse than that of the last two GOP nominees is off the table because he won’t pander as shamelessly as Romney by reversing himself? Okay then.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement