Herman Cain Criticizes Arab Spring At Republican Debate In South Carolina

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

Herman Cain said during Saturday night's GOP debate on foreign policy that President Barack Obama's reaction to the Arab Spring, the democratic uprisings in several Arab countries earlier this year, has allowed the movement to go in the wrong direction -- a surprising statement against democratic movements.

"You have to look at Libya, Egypt, Yemen and all of the revolutions that are going on and how the administration has mishandled them," he said. "As a result, this has gotten totally out of hand."

He said the revolution in Egypt, where citizens ousted long-time President Hosni Mubarak, could strain relations between the United States and Egypt, and he warned against the increased power of opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood, which formed a political party earlier this year.

"Our relationship with Egypt may not survive," he said. "It turned out that the opposition was more of the Muslim Brotherhood, which could end up with a majority of control of this new government."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/12/herman-cain-arab-spring-gop-debate_n_1090549.html

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'Democracy' is only ok when it benefits the 1%.

[Scuba]

1. They don't want democracy, they want oilocracy. n/t

[Renew Deal]

2. His comments are shameful.

According to Cain, democracy is only acceptable if he agrees with the people's position. Otherwise he prefers brutal dictatorship. Cain is a snake.

[Chipper Chat]

3. Exactly.

That's like saying "people in Libya are worried that the TEA PARTY might take over the American government." Huhn, Herman? Hunh?

[harmonicon]

4. Of course that's his position.

That's been the position of every US president, secretary of state, etc. for the past 110 years, at least.

[nbcouch]

12. Yes

With very few exceptions, if it is the desire of the United Fruit Company, or Anaconda, or whoever the corporate rulers du jour are, that a dictatorship shall be maintained, or even that democracy shall be replaced by dictatorship, our government with its full military might stands ready to serve - more so in the Western Hemisphere, of course.

[DBoon]

14. Didn't Bertolt Brecht make a cynical comment to that effect?

When the DDR crushed a worker rebellion in 1953:

Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

[lbrtbell]

26. HE is shameful - n/t

[24601]

5. Why was there an Arab Spring at the debate? Oh, it's HufPo - forget

about dangling participles and the such.

On the substance - Irish Spring just resulted in more effective bathing. Arab Spring on the other hand is producing less secular governments. If you like combining Mosque & State, then you'll love Arab Spring/Summer/Fall/whatever.

Cain has a stranglehold on the obvious here. Accurate but not exactly a newsflash that Theocracy goes hand in glove with Arab Spring.

[lunasun]

6. Oh Plleeez.....

Democracy only for those with whom you or your party agree

[24601]

11. Not what I said at all and you know it. It's a recognition of what is,

and my words carry neither advocacy nor condemnation. The logical inference is that you're just trolling for an argument; however, you have my sincere apology if I have actually over-estimated your cognitive capability and you really are so obtuse that you fail to recognize that these nations are going to emerge less secular that they were. That they are is a fact - whether that's good or bad is a matter of individual opinion.

It's not often I offer an apology - but it is appropriate when dealing with the unarmed. Of course if you really understand but were just stirring things up, consider the offer rescinded.

[nbcouch]

13. If the people want theocracy

should they not have it? Recognizing that theocracy is not what we want for ourselves, except perhaps for a small but vocal minority, isn't self-determination the goal, whatever the result?

[24601]

15. I'm recognizing only that Arab spring nations were going to emerge

less secular. I'm not offering a view whether that is or isn't good, bad or whatever. It is, however, a fact.

[nbcouch]

19. It seems to me

that you are, actually - "If you like combining Mosque & State, then you'll love..." If what emerges in Egypt, for example, is less secular, but the people still have control, they can reject theocracy in time if they find it too restrictive or otherwise inconsistent with their desires. But they have overcome dictatorship, with non-violence, and that was no mean feat. They have, at least for the time being, established self-rule. We ought to congratulate them for whatever choices they make next, because they themselves have created the opportunity to make them.

Here's another perspective on the question: in Iraq under Saddam Hussein the people were ruled by a dictator, but it was a secular state. As a result of our efforts at regime change, they at least nominally have self-government now. I am and was very much opposed to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but I have to recognize that progress has been made toward self-determination there (at a wildly unacceptable, unjustifiable cost, but that's a different topic). However, it seems Iraq too is gravitating toward an Islamic state - perhaps they're already there.

I'm of the opinion that self-determination for all peoples ought to be the goal, and not necessarily one type of government or another. This is one of the lessons we ought to have learned from the wretched history of our own interventionism, in particular, from our overthrow of popular socialist systems in various sovereign states.

[harmonicon]

25. Do you not see your position as paradoxical?

"I'm of the opinion that self-determination for all peoples ought to be the goal, and not necessarily one type of government or another."

Sure, Iraq had a dictatorship (though, nominally, a sort of democracy - just like now! calling it "democracy" doesn't make it so), but that is one form of government. In fact, it was the form of government that the Iraqi people had chosen for themselves, without outside intervention. How is a foreign power toppling a government self-determination? We've now done the same to Libya; toppling a government set up by the people of that country so that it could be replaced. That's not self-determination.

[24601]

28. Fine for your view - just don't try to speak for me because you're

inferences are inaccurate.

[grantcart]

24. There is no evidence to that effect

And in the Islamic world the more democratic a country is the more secular it is.

The three largest Islamic countries are all secular democracies.


Indonesia
Pakistan
Bengledash


Beyond that

Malaysia
and so on.

The more deocratic the institutions the more secular a country is whether the population is Christian or Muslim.

[24601]

16. Delete Dup

[the_chinuk]

7. He DOES understand that pro-autocracy Arabs can't vote for him, doesn't he? k/r n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

9. He doesn't care because he's only there to sell his book. n/t

[Moonwalk]

8. I'm wondering what, exactly, Obama was supposed to do about--

Arab Spring. I understand the GOP yearns for the good old days when the U.S. went in, squashed democratic revolutions and put U.S. friendly dictators in charge of puppet governments, but it's kinda hard to do that now. Isn't that what we tried to do in Iraq? Get rid of one dictator in order to have a "democracy" that would elect the president of our choice? How well did that work out? And how does Cain feel about *that* investment of our time, money and resources? What's more, anytime this fool-proof plan did work in the past (Iran), it usually created an even bigger revolution with even worse results for us.

I do wonder if the Repukes will ever realize that in this era of global information, it's getting a bit difficult to insist that we're bringing democracy to the world by instilling or supporting an oppressive, U.S. friendly-and-supported dictator.

[Iliyah]

10. Actually the gopers want to purge

every religion except Christianity from the face of the earth. If going into a country to instill goper's religion by force so be it because their "gawd" demands it.

Y'think Mittens going to win the gopers nom, yes he will, will he become president, no he won't. Why, because he is a Mormon and great many of the tea brats hate him enough not to vote for him. I wouldn't be surprised if a third party rises because of it.

Cain is a sinner like the rest of the field. Gopers say one thing and do totally the opposite which is not Christian ways.

Mittens and the rest of the goper field want to start WW3 while they sit in their peralie mansions.

[Raschel]

18. +1

[CanonRay]

17. Hey Hermie, it's THEIR country

or doesn't that matter to you?

[tpsbmam]

20. Hey, Hermie, slavery was okay, too. I mean, it was certainly working out for the white 1%!

Boy, that sure didn't work out for the Southern 1%, what with losing all that free labor 'n shit. And the civil rights movement......pshaw! Now we have to pay everyone equally (or pretend we do) and have to give African Americans all these rights, like running for office. What a load of bullshit THAT revolution was, huh Hermie? Should have just let the system be as it was, huh buddy?

:sarcasm: (just in case anyone was in doubt....ya never know these days)

What a total waste of oxygen this POS is! He's not even honest enough to acknowledge that he's reaped the rewards of the revolutions previous generations fought and died for. Hell, we're all beholden to them -- those who fought for workers' rights, women's rights, children's rights, civil rights, etc etc. But god forbid Hermie acknowledges any of that!

[alp227]

21. so who's more ignorant, Palin or Cain?

sheesh, only in America can someone as stupid as them run for president and be considered serious

[JCMach1]

22. Cain, at least she had the sense not to run...

Although, I bet she's kicking herself... She would be in the lead right about now...

[potone]

23. What irks me more than the stupidity of this statement is the arrogance of it.

It both assumes that it is the business of the US to "manage" the democratic revolutions and assumes that we could intervene effectively. I would have thought that our experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq might have cured us of these delusions, but I guess not. Some of these fools talk about attacking Iran.

[SoapBox]

27. Man...Clown Cain is such the TOTAL asshole.

Scum.

[krucial]

29. Herman Cain

this does not surprise me.Herman cain was one who hid back in the 60's and did not takepart in the civil rights moevement because he thought MLK and the people in the streets were trouble makers,so one whould not look for athingng much different to Heman cian

[krucial]

30. Arab spring

This does not surprise me.Herman Cain was one who hid back in the 60's and did not takepart in the civil rights movement because he said he thought MLK and the people in the streets were trouble makers,so one should not look for anything much different from Herman Cain.
And like the FBI,probably thought MLK was a communist and the most dangerous man in America,like the head of the FBI back then,Edgar Herbert Hoover.

These people are enemies of the worlds poor people pushing for real freedom and Democracy every where and anywhere.
And would rather the people are kept in check by these despots,Tyrants and dictators we support and help to keep their people oppressed.
As an African American myself,I find Herman Cain,to be a sexual pervert,a pathological liar,a male chauvinist pig,and is disgrace and a crying shame

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[RFKHumphreyObama]

31. Herman Cain wants democratic change

As long as it is controlled by the CIA and the Koch brothers.

[discocrisco01]

32. If Ali

I heard today that Ali called Fraiser an "Uncle Tom" and whole bunch of words at Joe Fraizer in the Thirilla in Manilla. I am sure that Ali was at prime today, he would not have kind words about Mr. Cain.

[No Elephants]

33. Herman who?