Tag Archives: Herman Cain

Dec 3 2011

Herman Cain forced out of race

The Lib media and GOP establishment got their way, and successfully destroyed another conservative. They always succeed because the Right is made up of invertibrates who cower in the face of every Leftist attack.

Cain says he will endorse a candidate in the near future. I hope that it is Michelle Bachmann, and that she picks up his voters. But, who knows? The Left and GOP demand a progressive, and a progressive they will probably get, be it Newt or Mitt. Meanwhile, the most corrupt and irresponsible administration in American history laughs and prances merrily on its way.

Nov 28 2011

Herman Cain slays the tax monster in 9-9-9: The Movie (Updated)

Herman Cain released an intriguing trailer to an upcoming bigger video showcasing the merits of his 9-9-9 plan. He told FOX and Friends that the full 9-9-9 movie video would be released later today.

via Gateway Pundit

UPDATE: Here’s the promised movie. It’s actually a 6 minute mini-presentation, and it is VERY well done. Entertaining, too. It’s a shame the Cain Campaign wasn’t able to release this earlier, as it would have demolished the false accusations thrown against it. If America were serious about fixing the tax code, and the economy, they would give Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 the attention it deserves.

Check it out:

Nov 13 2011

AARP poll: Herman Cain continues to hold on to GOP lead in key states

The Hermancain is still blowing at gale force, and this race is far from over, no matter what the political elite and state-run media say.

An AARP-financed poll released Friday shows Cain ahead of Romney 25% to 22% in Iowa and 28% to 27% in South Carolina. Cain is running a close second in the next key state, Florida.

The media and Republican establishment are outraged that Americans refuse to buy into their incessant hammering of Herman Cain.

But Americans are fed up with both of these tyrants and, so far, are refusing to allow these organizations that hate their guts to choose their candidate for them, as has happened too many times in the past.

New York Daily News – It might be time to stop laughing at Herman Cain.

His presidential campaign, once considered a vanity project designed to sell copies of his new book, continues to chug along the tracks, refusing to be derailed by scandal or the lack of a well-organized staff.

Cain has a lead in a handful of national polls over the heavily favored Mitt Romney — and some political observers believe a once-unthinkable path to the Republican nomination could emerge for the charismatic former pizza CEO.

“No one believed he’d get as far as he has and yet he’s still in this thing,” said Charles Bullock, a political scientist at the University of Georgia, Cain’s home state. “A lot of voters see him as being authentic and a straight-talker,” added Bullock. “He’s not a politician, and that’s a strength right now.”

Cain’s engaging personality and catchy 9-9-9 flat tax plan have overshadowed his lack of experience on matters like foreign policy — and his surprising rise has been aided by his opponents’ weaknesses, pundits noted.

[...]  An AARP-financed poll released Friday shows Cain ahead of Romney 25% to 22% in Iowa and 28% to 27% in South Carolina. Cain is running a close second in the next key state, Florida. (more >>>)

Nov 10 2011

Herman Cain still leads in Florida primary by 6 points

Despite the filthy media assault on Herman Cain (and sadly, blogger pile on, too), Florida Republican voters are showing class and grit by not falling for the smear campaign that was launched against the conservative outsider.

Herman was leading the pack in numerous polls when the attacks were launched. He gave up some ground, as anyone would considering the length and intensity of the attacks, but as this poll demonstrates, he is still going strong.

Cain – 30%

Romney – 24%

Newt – 19%

By the way, if you still don’t smell a Democrat rat, read Ann Coulter’s new piece, ‘David Axelrod’s pattern of sexual misbehavior’. The only one with a pattern of sexual misbehavior is the Obama campaign.

Also, see ‘Expert in voice analysis says Cain is truthful’. (h/t Iowntheworld)

Rasmussen – As he continues to battle media coverage over past sexual harassment allegations, businessman Herman Cain leads other Republican hopefuls in the first Rasmussen Reports look at the GOP primary race in Florida.

The latest statewide telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary voters shows Cain with 30% support while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney picks up 24% of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich draws support from 19% of Florida GOP voters with no other candidate picking up double-digits.

Nov 7 2011

Poll: Iowa voters keep sane in insane world – Herman Cain leads by 15

The latest polls out of Iowa show Herman Cain with a commanding 15-point lead over Mitt Romney, followed by Newt Gingrich in third place.

Cain – 30

Romney – 15

Newt – 12

This is quite impressive considering the intense media onslaught against him, by both the Left and, even worse, the GOP establishment. I hope the American people see through this vicious smear campaign and don’t let the media wear them down, but I’m afraid many Americans might not have the stamina and guts to withstand the drip…drip…drip media water torture.

Hang strong, Herman. Stay smart, America.

Real Clear Politics – Despite being embroiled in controversy last week, Herman Cain leads the Republican presidential field by 15 percentage points in Iowa, according to a new poll taken four days after news broke that the Atlanta businessman had been accused of sexually harassing women while head of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.

Cain attracts 30 percent support from Iowa GOP caucus-goers, according to the Insider Advantage poll. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney places a distant second with 15 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich rounds out the top three with 12 percent. The remaining candidates poll in the single digits: Texas Rep. Ron Paul garners 9 percent, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann — who won the straw poll in Ames in August — receives 8 percent, Texas Gov. Rick Perry earns 6 percent, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has 2 percent.

Cain leads among each age group by double digits except for voters 65 and older, who back Romney over Cain, 25 percent to 14 percent. Cain also leads among minority groups. He holds a 17-point edge over Gingrich among male voters (Romney comes in third) and a 12-point lead over Romney among females (Gingrich places third).

Though he leads his GOP rivals in the Hawkeye State, Cain has spent little time in Iowa recently, and has a thin operation there. He spent last week in Washington, D.C., meeting with lawmakers and addressing conservative groups as the story of the allegations unfolded. Iowa will have the first say in nominating a Republican presidential candidate, as it will hold its caucuses on Jan. 3.

For this poll, Insider Advantage surveyed 507 likely Republican caucus-goers on Nov. 3. The sampling error is plus or minus five percentage points.

Ed Morrissey writing at Hotair makes these noteworthy observations. He writes:

[... ]  That isn’t the only surprise in the poll. Cain’s double-digit lead will come as a disappointment to the other candidates, who have spent more time and have better organization in the state.  For most of those in this poll, the money they have spent in Iowa has not paid off at all, and now they have to watch as a candidate who has barely done anything in a state well-known for its demands on presidential aspirants has apparently fallen under the Cain spell from long distance. Rick Perry has to feel especially frustrated, considering the time and energy he has expended there.

Finally, take a look at Gingrich’s slow climb in Iowa as well.  Romney would benefit from a second-place finish in Iowa, since it would beat expectations.  No one expected him to compete well, and he has been deliberately low key in his organizing there.  But a third-place finish behind Cain and Gingrich would be a bigger problem for his campaign to explain.  Gingrich now leads Romney among male voters, and Gingrich’s charm offensive of the last few months might garner him more momentum in Iowa as the caucuses approach — especially after his Reagan Dinner performance that came the day after this poll was taken.  If Cain stumbles and Romney doesn’t catch fire, Gingrich is putting himself in position to reap the benefits.

Nov 2 2011

Rasmussen: Cain train still on track, leads Romney in South Carolina by 10

Herman and wife, Gloria

The Cain Train continues to roll, despite the sabotage of the media-made phony controversy which rolled out some logs on the track before him.

Rasmussen has him leading in South Carolina, beating Mitt Romney by 10 points. This after two days of ‘scandal’.

Cain’s one-to-one match-up with Obama remains unchanged, Obama beating him 43-38%. But that is meaningless at this point. After all, Rasumussen also reports that a generic Republican is earning 47% support, while Obama picks up 42%.

Included among Rasmussen’s latest poll dump, was one that says 79% of American Adults think political correctness is a serious problem in America today, up five points from a year ago. Just 16% feel it’s not a problem for the country.

This might partially explain Cain’s success with his recent ‘smoking man’ ad, and the pick up in donations it helped to bring into his campaign.

Rasmussen – In South Carolina, businessman Herman Cain leads the GOP field with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney ten points behind. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the only other candidate in double digits. The survey was conducted on Tuesday night following two days of media coverage concerning allegations of sexual harassment against Cain.

Nov 1 2011

D’oh! Smear backfire – Herman Cain flooded with donations, making for his biggest money day yet

Cain supporters gave the media a ‘gesture’ of their own — the mighty middle finger. Reports are that the Hermancain may have raised over $300,000 in a single day. A clear response to the recent Politico-led attack on his character.

Knowing a media hit job when they see one, thousands of indignant, patriotic Americans, sick of the mainstream media and establishment Republicans choosing their candidate for them, came to Cain’s support with open wallets.

It will be interesting to see the next round of polls and how he weathered this phony storm.

The Washington Times (h/t Weasel Zippers) — Two sources within the Cain campaign are telling me that although Mr. Cain was hit with sexual harassment accusations in the ’90s from two females who worked for him, when he was president of the National Restaurant Association, Monday’s online campaign fundraising for the campaign was the best ever up to this point.

Human Events is reporting that Cain Campaign Manager Mark Block says the campaign raised $250,000 in online donations in one day. However, one Cain campaign source confirmed to me that the fundraising for Monday is well over $300,000.

The Cain campaign sent a quote to the Water Cooler blog regarding Monday’s online money haul saying, “The campaign views the increased donations as an outcry of support for Herman and that the base is rallying around him.”

Nov 1 2011

Herman Cain stands strong, doesn’t back off his condemnation of Planned Parenthood

Good for Herman Cain for sticking to the truth.

CNSNews.com – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is not backing down from a statement he made to CNSNews.com on March 15 that Planned Parenthood is really about “planned genocide” because it targets black babies for abortions.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer asked Cain about the assertion on Sunday.

“I want to ask you, since we’re on the subject of abortion, there was at one point back there when the question of Planned Parenthood came up, and you said that it was not Planned Parenthood, it was really ‘planned genocide’ because you said Planned Parenthood was trying to put all these centers into the black communities because they wanted to kill black babies before they were born,” said Schieffer.

“Yes,” said Cain.

“You still stand by that?” asked Schieffer.

“I still stand by that,” said Cain.

Cain originally made the assertion on March 15 when he spoke at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and CNSNews.com’s White House Correspondent Fred Lucas asked Cain if the Republican-controlled Congress should stop federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

“Here’s why I support de-funding Planned Parenthood, because you don’t hear a lot of people talking about this: When Margaret Sanger–check my history–started Planned Parenthood, the objective was to put these centers in primarily black communities so they could help kill black babies before they came into the world,” Cain responded.

“You don’t see that talked that much about,” Cain said. “It’s not Planned Parenthood. No, it’s planned genocide. You can quote me on that.”

In response to a follow-up question from another reporter at the Heritage Foundation event–who asked if Cain wanted to defund Planned Parenthood because of what it is doing now or because of why it was founded–Cain said he believed Planned Parenthood was continuing to carry out its original mission.

“It’s carrying out its original mission,” said Cain. “I’ve talked to young girls who go in there and they don’t talk about how you plan parenthood. They don’t talk about adoption as an option. They don’t say bring your parents in so you we can talk to you before you make this decision.

“Talk to some young lady who has gone into some of these centers to see what kind of conversation takes place,” said Cain. “They have basically carried out their original mission. There’s not any planning other than to abort the baby.

“When they have an objective to put 75 percent [Planned Parenthood facilities] in African American communities, says to me they are targeting blacks,” Cain said. “They are doing the same thing at the other 25 percent, I guess.”  (more >>>)

Oct 31 2011

Video: Herman Cain calls harassment hit job on him “baseless” and “false”

Herman Cain refutes the vile charges made against by Politico, and insists on his complete innocence.

Rush Limbaugh went on a great rant about the Democrat smear campaign on Herman Cain, and blasted Liberals for hypocritical racists that they are.

Real Clear Politics -Rush Limbaugh opines on the Politico article accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment in the 1990s. Cain responded to the charge earlier today.

(click to watch)

Partial transcript from Limbaugh’s opening monologue:

The Politico and the mainstream media has launched an unconscionable, racially stereotypical attack on an independent, self-reliant conservative black because for him that behavior is not allowed. Now, if we had…

I want to look at a couple things today from a different perspective. What would the left be doing right now if, let’s say, there were an assault on Obama of this nature. Let’s say that some conservative publication ran a story exactly like this: Unnamed sources, 15 years ago, with every detail of Obama sexual harassment. What would the Democrat national committee and what would the media be doing? They would be going after the women. They would be targeting these women, and they would name names, and they would destroy them. That is what the Democrats and the media would do. They would set out to find out who these women are that talked to the conservative publication and they would destroy them.

They would call these women racists for trying to destroy a black politician. They would claim that they’re working for the Republican National Committee. They would claim that these two women (or these women, whoever), had been hired by the Republican National Committee to engage in this smear and lie campaign against Obama. They would go after these women. They would destroy them. They would make the women the bad guys. They would dig into every minor thing in these women’s lives that they have ever done. They would trash them, they would make them prove the unprovable — because this is war, and that’s how they fight it. Anything goes, as far as they’re concerned, and they cannot allow a black or an Hispanic to rise to the top of a political establishment that is not Democrat.

Oct 31 2011

Media smears Herman Cain with charges of sexual harassment

The ultimate evidence that Herman Cain is now recognized as a legitimate contender and a threat to Liberals has arrived. It began with the Goebbels media challenging Cain’s ‘authenticity’ as a black man. Only black Democrats can be authentically black, don’t we know.

But, as the absurdity inherent in those charges couldn’t slow down the Cain Train, the Liberal hitmen at Politico have taken their calumny to the next level, using the same tactics the racist Left used against Clarence Thomas in the early 1990s – charging sexual harassment. The Cain campaign, of course, condemns the malicious smear.

The Blaze writes:

In a statement to The Associated Press Sunday night, Cain‘s campaign said that the POLITICO report isn’t true and represents unfair attacks.

Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon said the political press was “dredging up thinly sourced allegations” from Cain’s tenure leading the trade group in the 1990s. Gordon said the report includes “unsubstantiated personal attacks” and said the press is “casting aspersions on his character and spreading rumors that never stood up to the facts.”

Ann Coulter came to Herman Cain’s defense, pointing out the racism and hypocrisy of the Left.

Daily Caller – Politico dropped a bombshell story Sunday evening, charging that GOP presidential front-runner Herman Cain was accused of sexual harassment by two unnamed females in the late 1990s when he was CEO of the National Restaurant Association.

During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Geraldo at Large” just an hour later, Ann Coulter likened the allegations to those Clarence Thomas faced in the early 1990s during his Supreme Court confirmation process. “Liberals are terrified of Herman Cain,” she said. “He is a strong, conservative black man … They are terrified of strong, conservative black men.

“It’s outrageous the way liberals treat a black conservative,” she told Geraldo. “This is another high-tech lynching. … Nothing liberals fear more than a black conservative. Ask Allen West. Ask Michael Steele. Ask Clarence Thomas. And even what the allegations are here, I mean, just shows you how the civil-rights juggernaut has gone off the rails. The idea of civil rights laws to begin with ironically was to protect blacks from Democrats from the South who won’t protect them. Now it’s you know, white women from Scarsdale who say, ‘Oh, I don’t like that he called me honey.’”

Coulter also questioned some of the details of the report and if they merited the definition of harassment.

“It’s not groping, it’s not touching or demanding sex,” Coulter said. “It’s that he had remarks that they found inappropriate. One is he had inappropriate gestures that were not overtly sexual. Well, what were they then? This isn’t dropping your pants and saying ‘kiss it.’ [Bill Clinton] This is an outrageous attack on a black conservative who is doing extremely well and will be our vice-presidential candidate.”

Roger Simon of PJmedia wrote: Politico and Cain: Return of the High-Tech Lynching

Politico typically buries the defense of Cain on page four of their article.

It’s interesting that his supporters use their real names (unlike his accusers). Ron Magruder, Denise Marie Fugo and Joseph Fassler, the chair, vice chair and immediate past chairman of the National Restaurant Association board of directors at the time of Cain’s departure, said they hadn’t heard about any complaints regarding Cain making unwanted advances.

“I have never heard that. It would be news to me,” said Fugo, who runs a Cleveland, Ohio, catering company, adding such behavior would be totally out of character for the Cain she knew. “He’s very gracious.”

The support goes on, but we all know that will never make the front of the news. As Glenn Reynolds points out, another black man ran for president and mainstream media has surfaced almost nothing about him after all these years. We don’t even know something so trivial as his college grades, although Rick Perry’s emerged seemingly minutes after he declared his candidacy.

They also gave him a pass on spending twenty years in the church of a virulent racist. No one in the media asked him a serious question about it, nor did they ask him in any depth about his friendship with a unrepentant Weatherman. That’s just cute.

But never fear, when it comes to a black conservative, Politico is on the case. Never mind that what really happened is of course just as unknown to them as it is to us. That’s not the point. A man like Cain cannot be allowed in the White House. Why… why…. he might just…. harass an intern!

This will surely be picked up by the Liberal comedians and late-night talk show creeps. They will further the smears under the guise of comedy, none of which they would ever dare to use with a Democrat.

Hopefully, Herman will stand tall and throw it back in their faces.

Stacy McCain at Theothermccain has some updates on the story: Cain Spokesman: ‘Smear Campaign Meant to Discredit a True Patriot’UPDATE: Former Campaign Aide Says Cain’s Behavior ‘Never Even Bordered on Inappropriate in the Slightest’

UPDATE:

Over at Hotair, both Ed Morrissey and Jazz Shaw weigh in on the controvery in their usual thoughtful fashion.

I think, however, they are a little too generous in their regard for the story. Even according to the original Politico story, Cain didn’t do or say anything worse than what might have offended the unnamed women’s feminist sensibilities. To my mind, this is a hit job, pure and simple. Politics is ugly, ugly business, and this race will prove uglier than most.

It’s a tactic right out of Saul Alinsky’s handbook, Rules for Radicals  – ‘Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.’

There are few charges worse for Republicans than sexual harrassment, and the Left knows it. For a Democrat, such charges are résumé enhancers, as Rush might say. But, for Republicans it’s nasty stuff. It’s the accussation alone, not the facts or the truth, that the state-run Goebbels media will run with.

I agree with Professor Jacobson at Legalinsurrection who says conservatives must not allow themselves to be bullied, that they should stand with Herman Cain, and not fold up like timid ninnies as they did with Sarah Palin and so many others. Okay, he said it better, so here it is.

[...] How should we react?  The instinct to defend a conservative is a good instinct.  We’ve seen too many times, with Sarah Palin and recently with Rick Perry, how the MSM will give every benefit of the doubt to those who make accusations.  We must fight against the use of mere accusations as evidence of actual misconduct.

If supporters of other candidates — particularly bloggers — gloat over Cain’s problems, post it in the comments and when I get back I’ll take a pixelated 2″  x 4″ to their heads, because piling on a fellow conservative is inexcusable.  It’s the principle I’ve been following for the past three  years when Republicans piled on and took cheap shots at Palin, and it’s a principle I’ll apply to Cain.

Oct 30 2011

Herman Cain squeezes past Romney in new Iowa poll

The Cain Train has overtaken Mitt Romney for the lead in the important Iowa primary race. Cain has surged 13 points since the first Iowa Poll conducted in late June.

Herman Cain – 23%

Mitt Romney – 22%

Ron Paul – 12%

Michelle Bachmann – 8%

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry – 7%

DES MOINES, Iowa – Herman Cain and Mitt Romney top The Des Moines Register’s new Iowa Poll, with the retired pizza executive edging the former Massachusetts governor 23 percent to 22 percent in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Cain has surged 13 percentage points since the first Iowa Poll of the caucus cycle, conducted in late June. His rise has come despite spending little time in Iowa recently, campaigning here just once since the Aug. 13 Iowa straw poll, where he placed fifth.

Likewise, Romney has campaigned in Iowa just three times this year, but he retains a core network of supporters from his near-constant presence in the state during his first presidential bid four years ago.

In the new poll, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas is the only other candidate in double digits, in third place with 12 percent.

The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3. The Iowa Poll, a Register exclusive since 1943, is a much-watched indicator of how candidates are faring in the nation’s leadoff caucus state.

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, winner of the Iowa straw poll, has seen her popularity wane. In the June Iowa Poll, she enjoyed support of 22 percent of respondents, trailing poll leader Romney by a single percentage point. She has dropped to 8 percent and fourth place in the new poll.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was not yet a candidate when the June poll was conducted. But he soared to the top of national polls when he entered the race in August. However, after a string of much-criticized debate performances, his star dimmed nationally. He’s at 7 percent in the new Iowa Poll, tied with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich for fifth place

Oct 29 2011

Money pours into Herman Cain campaign after airing edgy ad

(click to see ad)

Proving the naysayers wrong yet again, Herman Cain is beginning to rake it in from donors.

Only a week or so ago, pundits on both the left and the right mocked Herman Cain for his empty campaign coffers.

Almost to spite the ruling elite, it seems, Cain supporters immediately began to open their wallets, and money soon began to flood in.

The same pundits and tightasses sneered at his funky ‘smoking man’ ad. “He’s finished!” they insisted.

Reality begs to differ.

Relatedly, National Review Online is reporting that Herman Cain is taking it to the next level by holding a series of “major town-hall meetings” in early primary states. They predict that packing school auditoriums and conference halls with supporters will enable Cain to leap ahead of his competitors, generating buzz and enthusing grassroots activists.

Washington Wire – (h/t Weasel Zippers) Mr. Cain’s camp, as of the latest tally Friday morning, says the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO has pulled in nearly $5 million in donations — earlier reported as $3 million — since the start of October, with the cash surging even faster since his aides earlier this week posted a quirky web video ad that featured his campaign manager, Mark Block, puffing on a cigarette.

“Our donations online have shot up a lot since that ad,” says Mr. Block, who claims the weird, 56-second spot has now entered the eyeballs of at least four million people on YouTube, CNN, Fox News and other cable stations that have aired it repeatedly since Monday.

“Yes, the smoking part of that ad was controversial — and I don’t in any way condone smoking — but the message that Herman Cain is a different kind of presidential candidate is certainly resonating across the country,” said Mr. Block. He insists that the sheer oddity of the ad has helped burnish Mr. Cain’s image, contrary to the reaction of most other Republican campaign operatives.

Mr. Block says the bulk of the campaign’s donations have come in online, averaging around $60 a pop. “The money we are getting is wildly beyond our expectations,” he said.

During the last two fund-raising periods, covering six months, Mr. Cain raised $4.7 million from donors and chipped in $675,000 of his own money. But that was before Mr. Cain took off in national polls and became the latest favorite of conservatives who aren’t wild about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

If his cash inflow for this month doesn’t slack off in November and December — a big if — Mr. Cain would notch one of the best quarters of the campaign so far. Only Mr. Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are the only candidates so far to have tallied more than $15 million in any one quarter.

The campaign, in turn, is spending a lot more, especially on staff. Mr. Cain had 37 paid staffers working for him in early September. That number now sits at 60, Mr. Block said.

Oct 27 2011

New Fox poll has Herman Cain in the lead

The Hermancain seems to have weathered the numerous attacks on him over the past couple of weeks pretty well. Look for the state-run media and establishment Republicans to kick up their attacks on him another couple of notches.

Herman Cain – 24%

Mitt Romney – 20%

Newt Gingrich – 12%

Rick Perry – 10%

Fox News – Herman Cain has taken the lead for the Republican presidential nomination as voters continue to deny Mitt Romney clear frontrunner status, according to a Fox News poll.

Cain’s support has quadrupled among Republican primary voters since late August, according to the poll. Cain leads the pack at 24 per cent of the vote.

While it is the first time Romney has trailed Cain, it is the second time he has been ousted from the lead since July.

Romney received 20 per cent support of primary voters, according to the poll. That is down from 23 per cent last month and a high of 26 per cent in early August.

Newt Gingrich now comes in third with 12 per cent — edging out Texas Governor Rick Perry. The former House Speaker — like Cain — has seen his support quadruple since late August.

Perry’s support has dropped to 10 per cent, down from 19 per cent in September. After his mid-August announcement, Perry captured 29 per cent of the vote and took the frontrunner role from Romney. (more >>>)

Oct 25 2011

Video: Edgy new Herman Cain ad lights-em up (updated)

Blowin’ smoke at political correctness.

Herman Cain’s new ad only cost as much as a pack of Marlboros. (Updates to the story below.)

Hotair’s Allahpundit writes:

“In the next spot, Block should have a smoke in one hand and a can of Schlitz in the other. And as the camera pulls back, there’s Cain next to him, eating a slice of Godfather’s and giving a big thumbs-up.”

Heh. I like it.

Glad to see that Prof. Jacobson at Legalinsurrection also approves of the offbeat ad. He writes:

This ad by the Cain campaign is being called one of the worst political ads ever.

I disagree.

Sure it’s different.  I’m at the airport this morning, and a female anchor on CNN previewed the ad by saying, “I don’t know what it means!”  But we’re talking about it, and there is a subliminal message of defiance when the campaign manager starts smoking at the 0.40 mark.

Now if he were carrying a rifle too, it might have been the best ever.

The above ad wasn’t the Cain campaign’s first mind-bender.

Back in August the Cain campaign put out, ‘He Carried Yellow Flowers.’ It’s even quirkier. Running for president doesn’t have to be dull. To my mind, Cain is saying that Liberals and pantywaist Republicans have America wound tighter than the hair plugs in Joe Biden’s head. Cain reminds us that it wasn’t always so. That once upon a time, Americans were comfortable with who they are, and not obsessed with how others perceive them.

UPDATE: 

Herman Cain has won the coveted Dale Peterson endorsement. Peterson knows a good ad when he sees one. His popular ad earned him 2,445,140 views on Youtube.

MSNBC – The (Mobile, AL) Press-Register is reporting that Peterson will introduce Cain at a campaign event in Tuscaloosa, AL, on Saturday.  Though Peterson’s campaign was unsuccessful, his ads — in which he called his opponent “a dummy” — have made him a popular figure, both on YouTube and in GOP speaking circuits.

UPDATE:

Jimmy Kimmel gives a chuckle over the ad that now has over a million views on YouTube.

In case you missed it, here’s an early Cain ad. It has Joe the Plumber endorsing the Hermancain.

Update:

The Huntsman juggernaut is trying to cash in the Cain phenomenon by hooking their daughters to Herman Cain’s caboose. It’s a nice try. Playful without being mean.

Still, it misses the hidden punch to political correctness that Herman’s ad delivered, and that is what made it great. Pretty daughters, though.

Hotair’s Allahpundit points out some ironies regarding the “Smoking Women” ad:

Here’s the newest viral sensation among the politerati judging from my Twitter feed this afternoon. It’s cute, and the girls seem sweet, but do you think Huntsman thought six months ago while he was sitting in the embassy in Beijing that he’d be relying on this for online buzz? He’s fabulously rich and has tons of valuable public service experience, yet somehow his most memorable ad of the campaign is his kids putting on Groucho Marx mustaches to parody a beyond-parody ad thrown together to promote a former pizza executive whom he’s trailing by 25 points. And the margin would doubtless be more, if only conservatives weren’t so racist.

Oct 22 2011

Firmin’ Herman Cain takes lead in Nevada straw poll

The Hermancain continues to gather strength across the nation. Voters in Nevada are not tilting his way. Earlier this week Cain also took the lead in Iowa, beating Romney by ten. He already won the Florida straw poll.

Cain – 31

Romney -  29

Gingrich – 20

Paul – 10

Perry – 4

Bachmann – 1

Washington Times – LAS VEGAS — The good news continued for Herman Cain Friday, as the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO won the Western Republican Leadership Conference straw poll of GOP presidential contenders, edging out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — and leaving Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a distant fifth place.

Mr. Cain, whose longshot campaign got a major boost by winning a major Florida straw poll last month, received nearly 31 percent of the vote and Mr. Romney pulled in nearly 29 percent of the vote. Mr. Gingrich, who has also risen in recent national polls after his campaign’s shaky start, secured more than 20 percent of the vote. Texas Rep. Ron Paul finished with about 10 percent, Mr. Perry received almost 4 percent, and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota received just 1 percent.

The results follow Mr. Cain’s surprise victory in the so-called Presidency 5 straw poll in Orlando last month, which was seen as a big blow to Mr. Perry’s front-runner status at the time.

Oct 20 2011

Rasmussen: Herman Cain storms to head of the line in Iowa, leads Romney by 7

Despite all the recent attacks, the Hermancain continues with gale force winds to his back.

Rasmussen – Thursday, October 20, 2011

Reflecting national trends, businessman Herman Cain has now jumped to the front of the Republican pack in Iowa.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Iowa caucus-goers shows that Cain is in front with 28% followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21%. Congressman Ron Paul is a distant third at 10% followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9%, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann at 8%, and Texas Governor Rick Perry at 7%. The sixth place finish for Perry is a sharp decline from early September when Perry was the frontrunner both nationally and in Iowa.

Oct 17 2011

Herman Cain sings ‘Imagine there’s no pizza’

This is great.

Here’s Herman Cain some 20 years back when he was running Godfather’s Pizza. He takes the famous Lennon song, Imagine, bakes it, and throws some mozzarella and anchovies on top. Herman has some pipes, too!

Hot Air – An instant classic via the Omaha World-Herald, which dug up this ham-tastic 20-year-old performance at the Omaha Press Club as part of its look back at Cain’s years in Nebraska working for Godfather’s Pizza. Watching it, two things are clear. One: Lennon’s ode to possessions-less brotherhood actually makes a hell of a corporate jingle. And two: The inauguration ball is going to be amazing.

Lyrics as transcribed by Dave Weigel are printed below the clip. I admit, I got a little misty at the line about making a lot of dough.

Lyrics >>>

Oct 17 2011

New Rasmussen poll: The Hermancain still leads, blows past Obama 43 – 41%

The long knives have been out for Herman Cain for the past week, and none longer or sharper than those carried by the Republican establishment and their scribblers. They mock him. They lie about his 9-9-9 plan, and they insist he is “a joke“.

A new Rasmussen poll, however, begs to differ, showing that the Hermancain is still blowing at gale force, puffing up the skirts of the Republican elite.

According to Rasmussen, only Cain is beating Obama in a face off, registering a Hermancain category 1 strength at 43 -41%. Hopefully, as more people pull the bananas out of their ears and give the man a listen, he’ll be at category 4 strength by the end of the year.

Rasmussen — Whether Herman Cain’s surge in the polls is temporary or has staying power, he’s enjoying a big enough bounce to take a very slight lead over President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 matchup. At the moment, the Georgia businessman is the only Republican with a lead of any kind over Obama, although former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has held a similar advantage several times and is currently trailing the president by just two points.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters shows Cain attracting 43% support, while Obama earns 41%. Given such a matchup, eight percent (8%) prefer some other candidate, and another eight percent (8%) are undecided.

Cain is tied with Romney for the lead in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.  Nobody else is even close at the moment.

Oct 13 2011

Paul Ryan and Haley Barbour give Herman Cain the thumb’s up

Some positive words for the Hermancain by two heavyweights.

House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan says he “loves” Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says that he thinks Herman Cain could sweep the South, and that his family would vote for him.

Update: Art Laffer, a former member of Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board and the man who created the Laffer Curve, is also in favor of Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. (video below)

Daily Caller — House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan says he “loves” presidential candidate Herman Cain’s signature “9-9-9″ tax plan.

Ryan told The Daily Caller in an exclusive interview that Cain’s plan shows the GOP presidential campaign season has entered into a more advanced stage where ideas — not just personalities — have come to the forefront.

“We need more bold ideas like this because it is specific and credible,” Ryan said. “I’m more of a flat-tax kind of a guy.”

The budget chairman went on to say that ideas like Cain’s plan could help shape the debate over tax reform moving into 2013.

“It’s great to see such bold ideas,” Ryan told TheDC.   Keep reading…

Here’s the Daily Caller on Barbour’s comments.

Daily Caller – Should black conservative Herman Cain be the Republican Party’s nominee for president, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he would not face a problem sweeping the former states of the Confederacy.

On the Thursday broadcast of Laura Ingraham’s radio show, Barbour made the case, saying an election pitting President Barack Obama against Cain would ultimately be a referendum on Obama.

“If this election is where it ought to be — and that is a referendum on how President Obama is doing — Republicans are going to win,” he said. “If Herman Cain is our nominee against Barack Obama, I think he’ll sweep the South.”

Barbour added an anecdote about his family, and how they would support Cain, as proof that would be the case.

“I think if [the election] were today, my wife would vote for Herman Cain,” he said.

“One of my sons — I have grown children, you know — from the first day said, ‘Dad, do you know Herman Cain?’I said, ‘Sure, I’ve known him since I was chairman [of the Republican National Committee].’ He said, ‘Man, I like him, I like what he says.’”

“And that is one of [Cain's] great strengths,” Barbour continued. “He is likable. He does not give you the impression that he is full of himself, but rather than he is a straight-talkin’ person who … calls it like he sees them. He’s not trying to sugar coat anything and at the same time he is not trying to be shrill and a chest beater. He’s a straight talker and I think that makes him very, very attractive to people.”

Oct 13 2011

Double whammy, Herman Cain on top in 2 more polls

The Hermancain’s surge can no longer be denied. In poll after poll, firmin’ Herman is leading the other GOP candidates. Both a new PPP poll and a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll show that Cain is Able.

Regardless, Republican elitist nitwits insist that Herman Cain hasn’t a prayer; that the race is over; and that Mitt Romney is the candidate.

(Update: Now a third poll, this one, Rasmussen, also shows Cain in the lead, tied with Romney.)

Public Policy Polling – Yesterday PPP released numbers showing Herman Cain leading Mitt Romney 30-22 in Iowa and our monthly look at the national picture finds the exact same numbers.  Cain is up 30-22 on Romney with Newt Gingrich sneaking past Rick Perry for 3rd place at 15% to Perry’s 14% with Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul tied for 5th at 5%, Jon Huntsman 7th at 2%, Rick Santorum 8th at 1%, and Gary Johnson 9th with less than 1%.

The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll also show Herman Cain in the lead.

MSNBC – Fueled by Tea Party supporters, conservatives and high-interest GOP primary voters, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain now leads the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

And in yet another sign of how volatile the Republican race has been with less than three months until the first nominating contests, the onetime frontrunner, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has plummeted to third place, dropping more than 20 percentage points since late August.

“Cain is the leader … That’s the story,” said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

[...] Cain checks in as the first choice of 27 percent of Republican voters in the poll, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 23 percent and Perry at 16 percent. After those three, it’s Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 11 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 8 percent, Bachmann at 5 percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman at 3 percent.

Oct 10 2011

Another poll shows Herman Cain beating Obama, this one 43%-41%

This is the second poll I’ve seen where the Hermancain beats Barack Obama. The previous one was a Zogby poll, here. In that poll, Firmin’ Herman also led B.O. by 2%.

Pollposition.com – In a hypothetical head-to-head presidential race, Republican Herman Cain edges Democrat Barack Obama, according to our latest national scientific opinion poll.

The poll found Cain topping Obama by a narrow 43%-41% margin, with 15% saying they had no opinion.  The 2% difference falls within the poll’s 3% margin of error.

Poll Position’s scientific telephone survey of 1,135 registered voters nationwide was conducted October 9, 2011 and has a margin of error of ±3%.

Via NRO’s Jim Geraghty (h/t Weasel Zippers):

I’m not terribly familiar with this firm, Poll Position, and they’re using automated voice survey techology (robo-pollsters, like Rasmussen) but their new survey result is worth mentioning because of the tidal shift it might represent: Herman Cain beating Barack Obama in a head-to-head matchup.

Yes, that Herman Cain, the widely-liked former pizza executive who most folks didn’t take seriously because he had never been elected to any public office before.

They find Cain with 43.3 percent and Obama with 41.3 percent. In their results, Cain takes 24 percent of the African-American vote.  Keep reading…

Dennis Miller, who has endorsed Herman Cain, came up with the below slogan. Good one, Dennis!

Some previous posts about the Hermancain: