Cain rises in Post-ABC poll despite scandal; most Republicans dismiss allegations

[Douglas Carpenter]

Source: Washington Post

By Jon Cohen, Friday, November 4, 9:00 PM
Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign.

Seven in 10 Republicans say reports that Cain made unwanted advances toward two employees when he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s--allegations which have been stiffly rebutted by Cain’s campaign--do not matter when it comes to picking a candidate.

snip:

The poll was conducted Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, starting the evening after Politico first reported the harassment allegations. Support for Cain was basically steady over the four nights of interviewing, even as new charges against him surfaced.

Nearly a quarter of all Republicans and GOP-leaning independents now back Cain as the party’s nominee, his best showing in Post-ABC polls this year, and up significantly from early October. At 23 percent nationally, Cain is neck-and-neck with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (24 percent) atop the GOP field


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cain-rises-in-post-abc-poll-despite-scandal-most-republicans-dismiss-allegations/2011/11/04/gIQApcgSlM_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboNP

[JCMach1]

1. Need any more evidence they are not a reality based party...?

[Fool Count]

2. Hardly surprising. Being a sexist pig and harassing women at work

is a badge of honor for this constituency. Won't really fly that well with general population though.

[RoccoR5955]

3. If he was a Democratic candidate,,,

They would tar and feather him, demand his removal, deport him, execute him, hang his head on a pike for public view, and burn his body.

But he's a RepubliCON. They'll pin a medal on him!

[rfranklin]

4. Remember their attitude toward consensual sex under Clinton?

They were outraged, outraged, I tell you.

But, then again, this is all a smear cooked up by the liberal press and some lying whores, according to Rush Limbaugh and the echo chamber.

[DallasNE]

21. Oh, So True n/t

[Psephos]

35. Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Elizabeth Gracen, et al., weren't consensual.

Fuck the pugs. This is about keeping a clean Democratic house. Rewriting history to cover someone who treated women badly is wrong.

Yes, I am still pissed that the Clenis taint put Bush within reach of the White House, where the Supremes could then finish the job.

It makes me cringe to see people of the left protect a serial woman abuser because of politics.

[JI7]

38. the thing wingnuts went after Clinton for was Consensual

i think some of the others were BS, specially willey and Broaddrick.

[Psephos]

39. They went after him because they loathed him, and they used whatever tool was at hand.

Consensual or not made no difference. There was no way he could be impeached for events in the past, so they used events in the present. The recklessness of Clinton to give them such a bludgeon still takes my breath away. As I mentioned up-thread, we paid and are still paying for that with the Bush legacy.

I barely scratched the surface with the names in the title line. Google is your friend. In such situations, I will almost always give the woman higher credibility than the man, *especially* when the relative power position so vastly favors the man. That goes double when the charge is made so many times by so many women. (Remember the "Bimbo Eruption" task force on his campaign committee? What does that tell you?)

It takes extraordinary cognitive dissonance to ignore how he treated women (including his wife, whom I supported vigorously here for President). Ugh. Having a D behind your name should not be a free pass for serial abuse.

I'm proud of the D and have no problem calling out anyone who trashes what it stands for.

[hughee99]

40. Having a "D" behind your name used to be enough in some states

to get people to completely over look any "personal issues". Being from MA, I've seen it first hand. I'm not sure if that's still the case anymore, though, which is encouraging. I agree with you on this.

[Roland99]

5. "most Republicans dismiss allegations". Of *course* they do! They're all hypocrites!

[Tsiyu]

6. Proves they are all led by the nose

I am laughing my ass off.

All week, nearly every Rightwing blowhard with a microphone has been whining and wailing and gnashing teeth over "poor Cain, the media hates him!" "What an injustice against Cain!" "The media is unfairly targeting this poor, poor man!"

Limpballs actually brought up Ted Kennedy's sins (need I repeat them?)

C'Mon Rushbag, beating up on a dead guy to prop up your Pervert Du Jour? Really?

The truth is, nobody on the left really gives a damn which one of the lunatics the GOP runs; they're all equally unfit for office.

Do you care? I don't care. Rush and his fellow criminal Talk Hosts ain't fighting the left on Cain; they're fighting against forces on the Right who are getting cold feet about this candidate.


But the GOP obviously wants Cain for some reason (race?) and so that has been this week's Talking Point until you want to throw up if you hear any more about "Poor Cain and his persecution."

And the brainwashed minions have listened to their Talking Heads and have done exactly what the Right wing AM Radio Propaganda Tools have told them to do. They are so predictable it's hilarious.

If Rush told them all to jump off cliffs....but wait...he already has - politically - and they have responded!!!!!

This is really too funny for words....

[nadine_mn]

7. As Jon Stewart said the other night, these aren't "allegations"

Its a fact that a settlement was paid out...

To embrace the 'this is a fake campaign' theory - maybe Cain 'leaked' the info himself and is pissed as hell that his numbers are rising.

[MinneapolisMatt]

8. LMAO!

:beer:

[Demstud]

9. It makes sense if you think about it...

I figure there's better than a 50/50 chance anyone who has both risen through a male dominated corporate ladder, is involved in politics, and actively fights against women's rights (like most Republican candidates) has sexually harassed a woman (or worse) at some point. After making that assumption, it's just a matter of figuring out which candidate acts toughest against minorities, is the most corporation friendly, and will harm relations with Europe the most. Cain is an ex-corporate CEO, and a black man who believes most other blacks are brainwashed. That's two out of three so far. I know nothing of his foreign policy views yet, but it's not hard to see why he's done so well in the primary polls.

[lunatica]

12. He seems to know about yousbekkypakypakypakystan

[Botany]

10. Cain rises in Post-ABC poll despite scandal;

Source: Washington Post

Cain rises in Post-ABC poll despite scandal; most Republicans dismiss allegations

By Jon Cohen, Friday, November 4, 7:00 AM

Businessman Herman Cain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are running nearly even atop the field of 2012 GOP
presidential hopefuls, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows, with most Republicans dismissing the harassment allegations
that over the past week have roiled Cain’s campaign.

Seven in 10 Republicans say reports that Cain made unwanted advances toward two employees when he was head of the National
Restaurant Association in the 1990s — allegations which have been stiffly rebutted by Cain’s campaign — do not matter when it
comes to picking a candidate.

snip

“I think mostly garbage that they throw at people who want to be president,” James Kindsch, from
Middleton, Wisconsin, said in a follow-up interview.

“I don’t believe it,” said Paul Bradley from Fishersville, Virginia, adding: “the further in the past they happened, the less accurate
they are.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cain-rises-in-post-abc-poll-despite-scandal-most-republicans-dismiss-allegations/2011/11/04/gIQApcgSlM_story.html

---

In case you ever wondered how some people could vote for W bush despite his failed businesses, history of drugs and alcohol use,
and going AWOL from the military here is some proof that they either have no shame or really believe the narrative that we have a
liberal media that is out "to get conservatives."

[lunatica]

11. They're confident the women won't speak plublicly

[joeglow3]

14. THIS is the key

Too many people are too invested in this story now. If no one comes forward, it is too easy for the thugs to say "see. they had nothing but made shit up to smear him." Sadly, our ignorant population will lap that up.

I pray one of the three comes forward so we can expose this lying adulterer for what he is.

[No Elephants]

16. Usually, when you settle, you agree to silence.,

[LanternWaste]

27. I'm under the impression

I'm under the impression (as per a PBS Newshour story on Monday evening) that this particular confidentiality agreement applied to all parties involved. It would seem that since Cain himself breached the agreement by speaking on and of the incident, it may allow more leeway for the others to speak.

[No Elephants]

41. But, didn't a story say Cain never signed the agreement, only

the woman, her lawyer and two lawyers for the Restaurant Association?

If he did not sign it, how could it require him (as opposed to the Restaurant Association) not to speak?

[Red1]

13. Anita Hill Shakes Her Head...So Sad..

[newspeak]

36. yeah, and the MSM has compared this to thomas

what the congresscritters, even some democrats, did to anita hill was downright appalling. I have the anita hill hearing on tape. These men, to me, are no way in hades honorable or moral. Because the allegations were settled monetarily, you know that there was substantial proof, or else they wouldn't settle-would have been considered frivolous. So, since Cain's team denies it, then they are also some major fabricators. Wouldn't trust them to walk my dog.

Also, we must have a load of misogynist pigs in this country and women who love having that boot on their neck to still be for this man. Not even talking about his (give more to the rich because they don't have enough) 9-9-9 plan. Or his blaming those who are unemployed and have put in numerous applications and vied with thousands of people for one damn job--it's all those peoples' fault they don't have a job. The guy has no empathy whatsoever, and is totally clueless.

[ejbr]

15. One word....

AWESOME!

[Glimmer of Hope]

32. Indeed! I hope he can hang in there.

[No Elephants]

17. Herman who?

[greenman3610]

18. I doubt that Cain's history plays as well..

with independents, and women.
I think this is great news - keep Cain, Perry, Bachmann in the race as long as possible, I say.

[apnu]

19. Republicans aren't phased by the allegations because being accused of sexual harassement is a...

... badge of honor to them. At least that's the way it is with almost all the Republicans I know.

(edited because I didn't have a complete thought, so the post was confusing)

[bongbong]

20. Teabaggers

The teabaggers hate anything that has something to do with the "Federal Reserve".

The Pizza Man was governor of the Kansas City Fed.

So naturally the teabaggers love him. Why "naturally"? Because they ALWAYS vote against their own interests!

[Iliyah]

23. Some in the goper

party do have some denial issues when pertaining to their party members. Trash others who don't believe like they do and justify it as God's calling. These people are the total opposite of the Christian faith.

[yellowcanine]

22. Polls schmolls. We will see what happens at the polls which count - when people actually vote.

Cain is not going anywhere. He is incoherent on foreign policy and domestic issues and that is what is going to carry the day in the end.

[crim son]

24. Yeah, because unwanted sexual advances are cool; it's the ones

where the interest is reciprocated that the perpetrators deserve to be tarred and feathered. :sarcasm:

[0rganism]

25. We could not hope for a better outcome

Never in my wildest dreams did I dare to hope that Herman "Herb" Cain could become the GOP nominee. After the Romney campaign (probably) floated this scandal to knock him back into the 2nd tier, after he showed ignorance that China has been a nuclear superpower for over 40 years, he's still leading in the GOP polls. This is almost too good to be true.

Cain is Obama's shortest path to a second term. It's like they want to throw this one away.

[tjl148]

26. Careful

I'd be careful what you wish for.

[0rganism]

29. *shrug* SOMEONE is going to be the GOP nominee

From what I can tell, all of the GOP prez candidates with the possible exception of Huntsman would be a complete disaster for this country.

So it really just boils down to which one is easiest for Obama to beat like a rug. Cain looks really weak for the general election, IMHO, especially if his campaign finance shenanigans raise fresh stinkage. Hell, I don't think Mr. Cain even wants the job -- he'd prefer to up his book sales and speaking fees, methinks, and get himself a permanent slot in the Faux News "contributers" lineup.

[tjl148]

34. Maybe...

I agree if there are problems with his finances. I just think that after Romney he would be toughest to beat. Perry is far right and would not like to debate Obama. Just curious, who do you think would do better in the general election then Cain or Romney?

[newspeak]

37. and Cain is not far right?

Blaming people for not having a job? A plan to give more money to the wealthy while screwing what's left of the middle class and poor? Joking about playing a religious hymn instead of "hail to chief" when he does the walk? And, it really is good to find out what he really thinks of women.

[Imajika]

33. Why? Cain is a complete joke?

If the baggers' want to commit suicide and nominate Herman Cain, well, more power to them.

There is no chance this goofball would have the slightest prayer of defeating President Obama. It would be one thing if he were an extremist with actual political experience, someone like Perry for example - then we might have cause for concern. But Cain is a nobody and hasn't a clue how to run a real campaign. He was in this to sell a book, and certainly didn't expect to be leading any polls. This guy is doing well solely because the Republican base is throwing a temper tantrum, he is Christine O'Donnell on a national level. If they actually nominate him, Obama will win in a landslide - and we might even take the House back as a result.

[coalition_unwilling]

28. Repukes backed Clarence Thomas against highly credible

harassment allegations by Anita Hill. So this goes way, way back.

IIRC, one of the Repuke lines back during the Clarence Thomas hearings was that Hill had "asked for it," supposedly by her sexually suggestive dress or behavior. It was all bullshit and I really hold Joe Biden personally responsible for the farce those confirmation hearings degenerated into.

[LanternWaste]

30. There's a scandal I don't think the FEC will be dismissing...

There's a scandal I don't think the FEC will be dismissing...

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/watchdog-asks-f-e-c-to-investigate-possible-violations-by-cain-campaign/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

31. Republicans like rich people with sex scandals

it is a requirement of Republicans to be lewd.

[truthisfreedom]

42. Cain rises in polls, Cain falls in polls... hey, kids, the silly media season is just beginning.

Liberal media my ass.