So … How Was Your Monday?

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Mine could have been better, as I was compelled to endure the mortification of reading these sidebar headlines at AOSHQ:

Iowa social conservatives, who are practically Kos diarists, urge Cain to clear the air.

Haley Barbour, who only became a conservative, like, this morning, advises Cain to get all the facts out.

Johnny-come-lately conservative Bill Bennett, who is just seeking liberal approval, urges Cain to come clean

The predicate of those gags, of course, was Ace’s previous assault on Rush Limbaugh for having asserted that all rock-ribbed True Conservatives are standing strong with Herman Cain. So Ace is in the Gloat Zone, which isn’t exactly good news for Herman Cain and therefore was also enough to make my Monday especially Monday-ish.

So . . . what are we to make of this weird little story?

A former employee of the United States Agency for International Development says Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain asked her to help arrange a dinner date for him with a female audience member following a speech he delivered nine years ago. . . .
“I couldn’t swear that he had some untoward intentions, but we all thought his tone was suspect and we didn’t feel comfortable putting him in touch with that woman,” Donella recalled.
“I think [Cain] should not be a serious candidate for the presidential nomination because of what I’ve seen,” said Donella, an independent who said she voted for President Obama in 2008 and probably will again next year. “He’s not a person I would want running the country.”

You see how the Penumbra of Suspicion envelops everything at this point, and causes us to ask how the shadow can possibly be lifted. Whereas last week, I could shrug at the Cain critics who were carping about what they saw as the ineptitude of Team Cain’s response, now I’m wondering: What would a “good” response look like, given the changed nature of the story? Is any “good” response really possible?

See, it was one thing to hear people criticize Team Cain’s media strategy, because there isn’t a Republican operative above the rank of intern who doesn’t consider himself an expert on media strategy. That kind of carping is therefore routine and expected, and I could play the same game, if I wanted to degrade myself to the status of Wannabe GOP “Media Strategist.”

Squawking from a bunch of dime-a-dozen assholes doesn’t bother me much. What started bothering me late last week, however, was the hunch that all the clever media strategy in the world might be futile, and that the fate of Cain’s campaign was really not contingent on “strategy” at all. If I were in a position to advise Cain at this moment, the only thing I could advise him is to pray.

Pray real hard.

It is not generally my practice to preach here. Yet there are times — and this is one of them — when I’m reminded of the awesome sovereignty of God. It’s a Calvinist kind of thing, and it takes an enormous amount of faith in the Almighty to grasp it. In our secularized culture, people tend to look at you like you’re crazy when you start talking about God’s sovereignty, and His power to work His will.

Nevertheless I do not hesitate to say that if it pleases God that Herman Cain should be destroyed, no mortal power can save Cain. Yet if it pleases God that Herman Cain should be preserved and uplifted, no mortal power can destroy Cain. Therefore, if Cain is true to his professed faith, then in this dark hour, he must be praying mighty hard, and thinking of a stanza in an old gospel hymn, “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’ve come; and I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”

Having followed Herman Cain’s campaign since before there even was a campaign, I am struck by the fact that here we are — now just eight weeks away from the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses — with the long-shot underdog atop the national polls, where none of the political experts ever thought he would be. And I think any Christian must find this truly miraculous.

But for what purpose has such a miracle been wrought? If it has pleased God to bring Herman Cain this far, has he only been lifted up so that he might now be cast down? God moves in mysterious ways, and we cannot presume to know God’s plans and purposes. Yet if there is to be any hope for Cain now — when everyone thinks he’s doomed — that hope can only be for him to put his faith entirely in God.

So I’m willing to have people look at me like I’m crazy for expressing my belief in God’s sovereignty, and in His power to save whom He will, no matter how hopeless matters may seem to us, or to Brit Hume:

By all ordinary political logic, Brit Hume is right: It’s utterly hopeless. But if Herman Cain’s presidential campaign does somehow miraculously survive this crisis, you can be sure it wasn’t because of advice from “media strategists.”

Republican “media strategists” are mostly doomed to Hell, which is already overcrowded with Democratic lawyers.


103 comments

  1. I hope you’re not advancing a belief in predestination.  God has set the world in motion and he provides the tools for us to forge a relationship with him, but it is up to us whether we use those tools for good or ill.  We have Free Will.

    Instant Karma’s going to get you, but only if you set it in motion in the first place.

  2. A little off topic, but why on earth did Cain let Newt pull a Madonna on him – sharing that debate stage with Gingrich was a mistake.  Cain was (and is) ahead of Newt, but the internet seemed to come away with the same impression I did, in that Newt was head and shoulders seemed the better candidate of the two.    ( I won’t vote for Newt, because I get hung up on things like voting records, but sadly most people don’t think like that.)

  3. I like Cain (though I’ll vote for a bag of Cheetos to help rid us of teh Unicorn King), but what is puzzling me is not the timing, but the time frame. All the shrinks and womynists tell us this kind of serial sexual harassment/assault proclivity is pathological, yet all the accusations come from the period he was at the (DC-based) NRA; nothing before, nothing after, just this brief, three year period where we are to believe his inner freak was released, then he shoved the genie back in the bottle… how’s that work?

  5. Cain is probably done, and at this stage he’s probably waiting for the opportunity to make a graceful exit. If I’m right, I hope he doesn’t wait too damn long because he might ruin the opportunity of another candidate to draw enough conservative votes to keep Mitt from sailing to the convention nomination in tow.

    I’m thinking he’s out after Iowa. He probably won’t do any better than third place, and more than likely fourth or fifth, frankly, so that would afford him the excuse he needs. I hope he doesn’t wait until after South Carolina, because he could cause Mitt to win there, and if Mitt wins that and New Hampshire, the best thing I can tell you is start buying stock in Magic Mormon Underwear, cos it will be the next big fad.

    Mrs. Cain, by the way, is probably going to be the excuse he gives, and its probably going to be a a damn good reason. Can you imagine the conversations that’s been taking place in that household?

  6. It’s hard to remain objective about a candidate when you’ve already decided to favor him.  This is as true of “Cainiacs” as “Perrybots.”

    So far, these accusations haven’t changed my opinion of Cain, but there appears to be at least some shred of credibility to Bialek.

  7. Don’t care.  If the GOP wants my vote, they’re going to have to do things my way.  I’ve done things their way for all these years, and look what it’s brought us. 

  8. Uh, yeah, he’s done. Registered Republican 2006. Its not likely somebody would have planned that far ahead to attack a man nobody could have had a clue would be a presidential contender five years later. I think its time for Mr. Cain to do the right thing and bow out.

  9. Ro 8:29,30 and Eph 1:5,11 use the word predestination in NIV, predestinate in KJ, and similar wording in many other translations.  If one examines, the whole of scripture or even just the new testament, it is clear there is no free will in salvation, and just enough free will in every day life that the individual can be held accountable for their actions, but not so much that the grand scheme for each human and all mankind is altered.

    Proverbs 16:9 NASB “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”  Whatever choices you make each day, are part of a set of choices that were presented by divine plan, and so each choice is, in succession.

  11. My thoughts, too. I’m very, very far from having even the remotest authority on this subject, but my ignorant understanding is that, yes it’s true that “God moves in mysterious ways, and we cannot presume to know God’s plans and purposes,” but that also means that we cannot presume to know that whatever happens to Herman Cain was divinely dictated in ways that us mere mortals would understand.

    Since we cannot comprehend how God moves in His mysterious ways, our simplified default assumption is that Free Will governs human action. Higher judgment is reserved to God, but here on earth we hold malefactors accountable for their misdeeds. If what’s happening to Cain is what I suspect it is – another high-tech lynching – then it’s our responsibility to expose the evildoers, hold them accountable, and not presume that Cain’s take down happened for some higher reason.    

  12. As a pastor and a praying person I very much appreciate your comments on God’s sovereignity and the vital importance of prayer, Stacy. You may be crazy, ;^) but not for those reasons, IMO. I have been praying more, I think, since Obama became President, not because I am under the illusion that America is the Kingdom of God but because Obama needs healing and so does our nation and I am not sanguine about its future. Then again, my hope comes from am entirely different direction. As the hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”  Also, Scripture says, “Put not your trust in Princes.” I don’t put it in either a Democrat or a Republican, but I would feel better if our next President was not Obama. I have been praying for Cain too.

  13. 1. Respond to the allegations with humor, not anger.  Anger doesn’t get you anything except looking like you’re under the hammer.  Humor lets you pass things off as if it were all some massive joke.

    2. Refer to Bill Clinton.  As in “I am thinking of asking Bill Clinton to advise my campaign….”.  Quite a few people have fond memories of Clinton in the White House, which is frankly odd to me, and nobody of course can forget his sex issues.

    It also highlights the vast disparity in treatment by the press, without making it a primary issue.

    3. Hold a YouTube contest of “Guess my Gesture!”.  Top prize $10,000, with 5 runner up prizes of $1,000 each.  Hey it’s a hard economy and people got bills to pay.  And seriously.  WTF is a gesture that is “non-sexual” and yet would make a woman “uncomfortable”?

    Again humor is the key.

    4. Bialek.  Point out that finally someone stepped on up and actually made an accusation.  Point out, with humor, that Cain hasn’t been able to figure out what precisely he was supposed to have done 15 years ago.  Point that in retrospect that he’d rather have twittered his junk on the internet because the media didn’t seem to be all that interested in that.

    5. Bialek again.  Sue her.  That’s right.  File a lawsuit against her forcing her to go through these allegations under oath and in a court of law.  Force her “witnesses” to do the same.  File the suit so your lawyers get to depose her. 

    It’s pretty obvious to me that she’s looking for either payback or a payday.  The accusations aren’t about sexual harassment because she didn’t work for NRA while Cain was there.  It’s not sexual assault because Cain stopped when she asked him to.  Thus the worst that can be said is that he made a pass and she declined.  That’s hardly worth anything.  And if she writes a book, goes on tv or does anything to make a buck off this, then Cain gets it all.  Or at least makes her pay in blood for it.

    Especially in today’s society that thinks 12 year old kids need to be taught fisting, golden showers and anal sex and where one of the more popular dances is “grinding”.  Hell grinding is about 10x more than what Bialek is accusing Cain of doing.

    6. Play hardball.  This is the Bigs, not minor league.  You want minor league, stay in the sticks.  In the Bigs you play big or you go home.  Now is the time to unwrap the Louisville Slugger and start hammering people about the head and shoulders.  Hammer the anonymous accusers for remaining anonymous.  Hammer them every single day.  Demand that they come forward.  Demand that the documents be unsealed.  Demand demand demand demand demand. 

    And if they don’t or won’t.  Then that undercuts their accusations and makes them look like fools.

  15. I’m also a firm believer in God’s sovereignty, but like Andrew Klavan wrote yesterday, we live in a fallen world which isn’t fair or just.

    A few thoughts… If Herman Cain has been born into God’s family as His adopted son, then God might care more about curing the problem of Herman Cain’s adulterous heart (IF he has this sin there) than about the intricacies of our national debt and tax code, or even our liberties. I believe God would allow a natural disaster, for example, to save one of His children. He works in mysterious ways.

    I am cut nearly to the quick over this. I had thought/hoped for a while that something like a third Great Awakening might be occurring — I have witnessed amazing things this year in the church and also through the Tea Party. I am NO type of TV evangelical follower, but I believe God did an amazing work through Edwards and Whitfield and that He might be doing it again.. I thought Herman Cain believed the things he talked about at the Tea Party rallies. I saw people break out in song…. Fellow conservatives (like Dan Riehl) call him a charlatan?! What to think now?

    I think we all need to pray hard. Our spirits are low. Thanks for the reminder RS.

    And there IS an election in my home Commonwealth of Virginia today. I’m hoping for an overwhelming switch to a Republican Senate. See you at the polls, Virginians!

  17. Americans, including conservatives, can understand and forgive quite a bit in our political leaders.  What cannot be forgiven in any way, shape or form is indecision, incompetence or a lack of moral courage.

    This is why Obama still has fairly decent numbers.  It appears that he still has some courage, even if it is entirely misplaced.  This is why Americans stood behind Bill Clinton, he gave the appearance of someone with personal issues but who was decisive when it was needed and was competent at his job. 

    Everyone has worked with, or works with currently, a total fuck up.  Someone who has a personal life of a Greek tragedy.  But who is otherwise good at his job.  You commiserate with the guy when he talks about it but otherwise he’s dependable.

    That’s really what Americans want.  Someone they can depend on in the White House that isn’t going to totally fuck up the country.

    Next time some reporter asks Cain about these allegations he should say “And?  What’s your point?  What does any of this have to do with the issues that confront America today?”.

  18. Your heart is in the right place, but I suspect you’d have a difficult time codifying what it means for GOP politicians to do things your way.

    I consider myself strongly on the right side of the spectrum, yet on many philosophical, political, and policy questions, I rarely see clear, easy answers. That doesn’t mean we cannot hold our leaders to account concerning their records and governing philosophies – we must – but it’s much more important for us to shift the larger political culture than it is for us to babysit politicians. 

  21. Your heart is in the right place, but I suspect you’d have a difficult time codifying what it means for GOP politicians to do things your way.

    I consider myself strongly on the right side of the spectrum, yet on many philosophical, political, and policy questions, I rarely see clear, easy answers. That doesn’t mean we cannot hold our leaders to account concerning their records and governing philosophies – we must – but it’s much more important for us to shift the larger political culture than it is for us to babysit politicians.

  23. I don’t like Allred, particularly her selective choices of people to go after and ones she ignores, but one thing you can’t say about her is that she is sloppy or careless. She wouldn’t take on a case if she thought there was a chance it would make her look foolish or waste her time.

  25. Bialek’s supposed Tea Party connection does not grant her accusation any additional credibility. She didn’t strike me yesterday as a political crank, but rather as a failed diva.  

  26. I am not voting for Romney.  Period.  I don’t care what the reason, occasion, situation or what have you.

    I vote for conservatives.  I support conservatives.  If the nominee is not a conservative then that nominee does not get my money, time, effort or vote.  Period.

    If the GOP wants my money, time, effort and vote then the GOP will allow a conservative to be the nominee.  Otherwise I will go third party.

  27. You’re right, but you’re forgetting one vital, important fact. Clinton did finally admit that he had an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky. It was only then that Americans were finally willing to forgive him and move on, and they then resented the Republicans in ever greater numbers for continuing to push the matter. Nobody cared that Clinton perjured himself, as far as most were concerned, it was a private sexual matters and none of anybody’s business.

    The problem with Cain is if he comes clean, then he’s already painted himself not just as a serial sexual harasser, abuser, and cheat, but he will be admitting he’s been a flat-out liar.

    I’d also point out that so far, not one woman has claimed she has actually had sex with Mr. Cain, so he can’t even successfully pick up a woman, which might be unforgivable in its own right.

    If you’re a successful CEO and you can’t even successfully initiate a sexual liaison, not even a one night stand, during the course of an out-of-town business conference when the booze is flowing and the women are floozing, there must be something personally wrong with you. And yes, there are people who are going to see it that way.

  28. You’re contradicting yourself: “Nobody cared that Clinton perjured himself . . . it was a private sexual matter . . .” but the problem for Cain is “he will be admitting he’s been a flat-out liar” concerning a private sexual matter.

    You do have a point, though: assuming that Cain did the things alleged (a big IF), then what are some reasons why the low-information public would react one way to Clinton and another way to Cain? Actually, the answer relates to RSM’s theme in this post – i.e. his “hunch that all the clever media strategy in the world might be futile . . .”

  30. I fully agree.  Note the term I used: “shred of credibility.”  There were a few comments around here yesterday saying that there was no evidence of anything to do with anything Tea Party.  So at least that part of the story seems to have panned out.  We’ll see how the rest of it does.  Or not.  Or she may just encourage (provoke?) others to speak out less anonymously.

    I thought it was an odd getup for the circumstances.

  31. Smitty, enduring the “mortification” of Ace’s recent behavior bears about as much stigma as putting up with the behavior of a country club trophy wife on her third Long Island Ice Tea.  He’s not being candid with his readers, he’s not being candid with you, he knows it and he doesn’t care.

  33. Clinton used lawlerly weasel words, and never actually admitted to having intercourse, so he could say that in a technical sense he never actually committed adultery with her, thus never lied. Yes, it was bullshit, but after so long people stopped caring. And he was already president.

    Cain’s not actually being accused of having sex, he’s being accused of sexual harassment, and frankly, of acting creepy. His enemies in the media are trying to pain him, fairly or unfairly, as a pervert, and they are succeeding. And he hasn’t done much of a job fighting them. Granted, the more he fights the more it distracts from his campaign, but he’s really on the ropes here. There’s nothing he can do.

    Does he issue denial after denial and risk looking like a liar (and maybe being proven to be one) or does he just continue to ignore the charges and run the risk of looking like he just doesn’t want to face the music?

    Somebody else said something about Cain suing the woman, but the only problem with that is, suddenly his entire campaign is the focus of a lawsuit, with him having to devote his time to depositions, hearings, legal strategy, and all the media bombardment that would be sure to bring.

    To say nothing of the very pertinent fact that he would be inviting a counter-suit. You think Gloria Allred wouldn’t jump on that with fangs barred?

    How many people are going to keep giving money to this campaign at this rate?

  36. The California State Bar’s ethics operation was defunded under Gray Davis, if I recall.  Not kidding.  Can’t remember the last time I heard of a CA lawyer getting disbarred.  Imprisoned, yes…

  39. I think this is going to blow up in the media’s face. Cain’s support will grow and no one will be pressing him on 999. Disclaimer, I do not like Cain’s national sales tax because I think it will be abused just like all taxes always are. Perry needs to disavow amnesty, Romney develop charisma, Gingrich become lovable. Impossible tasks all. All Cain has to do is show that he is being lynched because some white women say he did something inappropriate to them.

  41. Having heard El Rushbo make his statement on the radio, and having read Ace’s accurate transcription of it, unless Ace is personally identifying with David Frum, he’s got no bark in this battle.

    The term noticed most often in the comments at Ace’s place: “Little Green Aceballs.” That should hurt.

    So, is Ace actively working to be part of the inner-beltway Republican Media? As for Cain:

    1. First it was un-named sources with vague accusations of sexual harassment. Because of no names, and no specifics,

    2. A named source (Bialek) with a specific accusation is brought forward. A woman who’d been fired for making a baseless accusation of sexual harassment, sought a private meeting with Cain to regain her job. Bialek is represented by Gloria Allred – the first clue that Bialek is less than a savory character in her own right. Because of that, we next see

    3. A women, an Independent (who voted for Obama), who worked at US AID (part of the Department of State, which was shut down for gross financial mismanagement), makes the accusation that Cain had her act as his sexetary: arranging private meetings with other women.

    Cain did violate Rule #1 of dealing with women: never, ever meet with any woman alone/without witnesses (other than spouse). But what is getting lost to the sheep, and Ace, is how the attack on Cain is evolving to meet EVERY criticism. As Instapundit might say “unexpectedly.”

  42. I’m not sure why anyone would be interested in you hearing about someone being disbarred.  But out of curiosity, a couple of seconds on google brought up:

     http://www.callawyer.com/discipline.cfm

    The most recent listed on that page was:

    DISBARMENT

    Edgar L. Borne, III, State Bar #87315, Los Angeles (January 12, 2011).

    And from the front page of http://www.calbar.ca.gov/ I found a link to the California Bar Journal dated November 2011, with a story about: “GERALD MICHAEL SHAW [#60001], 63, of Claremont stipulated to disbarment July 8, 2011…”

    I don’t recall when, exactly Davis was recalled, but I’m quite certain it was well before either of those incidents.

  43. Now knowing previously that this woman ambushed Herman Cain at Teacon, I’m starting to get a whiff of a setup stench.

    We need to pursue this angle.

    A month ago, I attended the Salahi auction at their defunct Oasis winery. All of their formerly-beautiful grape vines looked thirsty and brown and nearly if not totally dead. The smell of mildew in the winery was overpowering, and there were visible rodent carcasses.

    Michaele Salahi, White House gate-crasher, is still in the news sporting a 350K diamond from her new honey.

    So this woman accuser type is well known – leaving a trail of destruction, but onto the next thing. But the question is, is Herman Cain one of them? I don’t think so, but I will be watching him today.

  44. I appreciate the correction; I’m quite sure the ethics board was defunded. I remember reading about it in the LA Times and/or LA Weekly. Plainly the funding was restored and that’s all to the good.

  45. My focus is narrow. I am a fiscal conservative, and politicians who are trying to gently satisfy all the philosophical and policy questions ultimately only serve to buy time for the special interests to gain footholds, thus nothing ever changes.  If our ultimate goal is to be prosperity, and I think it should be,  then slash the size and scope of government fast and hard across the spectrum – let the chips fall where they may.   

  46. For Cain to have run for President with this sort of back ground would mean Cain is completely delusional…or a sociopath.  He does not strike me as delusional.  He does not strike me as a sociopath. 

    So what if these are lies?  We are watching a man being destroyed because he is challenging others in a run for President. 

    And some of those leading the charge are so called conservatives? 

    This is depressing.

  47. This latest accusor’s story does not mesh.  She is not a tea party member.  She is in debt.  She gave Herman Cain a hug last month?  Why not just tell him she is coming out unless he does first?  Who gives a guy she described a hug? 

    I think this is a take down.  And a lot of conservatives are standing on the side lines. 

    Pathetic. 

  48. What “case” could she bring? Even if it was true, with evidence to back the accusation, it occurred in 1997; I gotta believe DC law’s ‘statute of limitation’ would have kicked in by now in regards to this kind of charge, which would preclude Allred from filing suit.

  50. “It’s a Calvinist kind of thing”

    Be you Calvinist or Wesleyan, it’s probably hubris to attempt to read the mind of God from such a relatively tiny sample of His footprint.

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