Category: Herman Cain

Memo From the National Affairs Desk to the Herman Cain Presidential Campaign

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To: Mark J. Block, J.D. Gordon
Re: U.S. Policy, South Pacific Region

The island republic of Vanuatu will, I think, play a key role in the Cain administration’s foreign policy vis-a-vis the South Pacific.

While the Republican Party Establishment has long ignored Vanuatu, my years of study of their culture, history, geography and economy have convinced me that this archipelago should be a vital linchpin of U.S. relations in the entire Hebrides/Solomon Islands region. A history of GOP indifference to Vanuatu has, however, enabled Democrats to portray Republicans as anti-Vanuatu, even though the policies of the Obama administration have had a devastating impact on the Vanuatuan economy. The natives have historically been pro-American in their sympathies, but the recent downturn of the island’s tourism industry — a direct consequence of policies enacted under Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner — have damaged U.S.-Vanuatu relations. An important diplomatic thrust of the Cain administration’s policy must therefore be to repair our standing with this traditional ally.

Of course, as you know, I am strictly a neutral objective journalist, and my assignment to cover the 2012 campaign would prevent me serving in any sort of official advisory capacity for Mr. Cain. However, if the topic should come up in a debate (and my sources say Romney’s oppo-research team may be preparing to hit Mr. Cain as “soft on the Vanuatu issue”), don’t hesitate to ask me to send you my extensive collection of materials compiled during my decades-long research into this topic, vital to U.S. national security interests. In fact, I think if you will ask around among well-informed conservatives, they will agree that no one excels my expertise on this subject.

Given the many crises that currently affect the United States, I’m sure that our policy toward Vanuatu may not be a “front burner” issue at this early stage of the campaign. Perhaps when I come out to cover the debate in Las Vegas Oct. 18, we can get together and discuss this in more depth. As I say, journalistic ethics would forbid me providing policy advice to a campaign that I’m covering — if I gave you my complete Vanuatu files, the Bachmann and Santorum campaigns may even accuse me of unfair bias — but after a quarter-century in journalism, I’m ready to explore new career horizons. Diplomacy strikes me as the sort of field where my unique combination of skills and knowledge might be useful, and when this campaign is over, I may be willing to give it a try.

Therefore, if Mr. Cain should require my services as U.S.ambassador to Vanuatu, I wish to inform you in advance that I would be honored to accept such an appointment, and will strive to do all in my power to restore America’s reputation in the archipelago that I call “The Key to the South Pacific.” While it would be quite a sacrifice for my family to re-locate to the embassy in Vanuatu, this is a sacrifice I’m willing to make, considering the crucial nature of the assignment.

Please keep this memo on file, because I know how things can get lost in the shuffle during the post-election “transition” process and wouldn’t want you to forget my offer between now and Jan. 20, 2013. Looking forward to seeing you in Vegas.

Sincerely,
Robert Stacy McCain

P.S.: I hope you don’t mind my publishing this on my blog, in the interests of “transparency,” as they say.

UPDATE: Understanding the seriousness of the issues involved, I shared this message with Bert the Samoan Lawyer, who replied:

Clearly the consulate on Vanuatu will need a Legal Liaison. I am brushing up now on all things consular.
Let’s see: Four gallons of grapefruit juice; four quarts of vodka, a fifth of Blanton’s small-batch bourbon; a fifth of Lagavulin single-malt, Islay whiskey; a basket of limes, twelve tabs of mescaline . . .
How difficult will it be to ship the convertible? Does Vanuatu have roads?
No matter. It will “stimulate” the Vanuatu economy to engage in some infrastructure construction . . .

Indeed, my arrival in Vanuatu in January 2013 — accompanied, of course, by the newly-appointed Legal Liaison — will have an immediate and positive effect on the economy. To begin with, I’ll have to hire some native girls to perform the important work of bringing me mai-tais whilst I conduct important business in my beachside cabana . . .

Cain: The Last Hope Against Romney?

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Michale Merritt offers an odd criticism of Herman Cain:

That’s because Cain has no national security experience. He’s never worked in the field; he’s a businessman, so it’s not so surprising. He’s also never held high office before, so national security hasn’t come onto his radar from that perspective either. Unlike Perry, Romney, Johnson, and Huntsman, Cain has never had to deal with these issues. He doesn’t, as Republicans used to say, have “executive experience.”

Cain’s business background — as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and president of the National Restaurant Association — doesn’t count as “executive experience”? But never mind that: How does Mitt Romney’s term as governor of Massachusetts qualify him as a national security expert? And who is Michael Merritt, a 25-year-old with liberal arts diploma, to be offering these assessments?

We’ll leave this aside, not because Merritt doesn’t deserve a more thorough punk-smacking, but because we want to link T.C. Lynch at Leather Penguin, who notices something in an article about erstwhile Chris Christie fundraisers:

Understand something, Tea Party Sheeples: these people are better than you. Notice that in that entire article, the name “Herman Cain” never makes an appearance; he doesn’t exist in their world view, and anyone considering his candidacy to be credible are just run of the mill, bien-pensant fools, who don’t understand the Big Picture.

Read the whole thing. You may have noticed that some of our Republican friends seemed to lose interest in the GOP nomination fight just about the time Rick Perry melted down and Herman Cain surged into contender status. These people are already making peace with the idea of Romney carrying the 2012 Republican banner.

Far be it from me to accuse these Republican friends of racism, because I don’t think that’s really the problem. Rather, I think they have internalized the mystique of the Cult of Expertise, the belief that being president of the United States is a job that only experienced professionals can perform. And I think it’s high time that we destroy that myth, demonstrating once and for all that the professional political class is our fundamental problem.

Populism is an appropriate response when the elites have shown themselves incapable of governance. With all caveats about Cain’s political inexperience considered, and no illusions of him as “Hope and Change” rainbows-and-unicorns saviour a la Obama, I believe he is a man fully qualified to fulfill a vital purpose at a crucial time.

Some of our Republican friends are guilty of “fighting the last war,” when Republicans invested their hope in the “experience” argument on behalf of John McCain. But this is a new election, and Americans are eager to hear a new argument on behalf of a new candidate. I’ve got no grudge against Romney, but if the Republican Party nominates the “It’s His Turn” candidate this year, they will have missed a chance to rally the kind of populist wave that might finally bring real reform to Washington.

Herman Cain in D.C. Area Today

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Two events:

This basement-office pundit game gets old after a while. It’s been more than three weeks since my last road trip (to cover the Sept. 12 Tampa debate) and the hunger to go out and do some actual shoe-leather work has been gnawing a hole in my soul.

It’s 146 miles round-trip — I’m going.

 

The Herman Cain Story

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A new Pew Poll shows the astonishing surge for Herman Cain in the GOP field since the Sept. 22 debate in Orlando. Cain trailed Rick Perry by four points Sept. 22-25, but by Oct. 1-4 Cain led Perry 18-15, while front-runner Mitt Romney softened slightly, declining from 25% to 22% in the span of little more than a week. If this trend continues another two weeks — as the Republican candidates meet again in debates Oct. 11 in New Hampshire and Oct. 18 in Las Vegas — the contest may begin to be viewed nationally as a race between Romney and Cain.

Was this all a result of a single debate debacle for Perry and of Cain’s surprise win Sept. 24 in the Florida Straw Poll? Or is it the fact that Americans are learning more about Cain and liking what they see?

Moneyrunner got an e-mail today with a brief biography of Herman Cain that concludes this way:

He did all this starting from rock bottom (his father was a chauffeur and his mother was a maid). When you add up his accomplishments in his life—including reaching the top of three unrelated industries: information systems, business management, and banking—Herman Cain may have the most impressive resume of anyone that has run for the presidency in the last half century.

Go read the whole thing, and then ask yourself: Why do all the “experts” keep saying Herman Cain can’t possibly win?

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers! We will celebrate like the natives of Vanuatu when John Frum finally returns.

UPDATE II: You know what black America really needs? More self-righteous lectures from white liberals!


Storm Center: J.D. Gordon Takes Charge as Herman Cain Communications Director

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Cmdr. J.D. Gordon (USN, Retired), former Pentagon spokesman, is now
communications director for Herman Cain’s presidential campaign.

Saturday, I was the first to report that former Pentagon spokesman J.D. Gordon was taking over as de facto press secretary in the wake of Ellen Carmichael’s resignation. Today, I had my first phone interview with Commander Gordon, USN (Retired) — a career Navy man, like my co-blogger Smitty — and was quite impressed.

Commander Gordon understands my “never burn a source” rule, so most of our conversation occurred somewhere in the range of “background,” “off-the-record,” and “don’t ever breathe a word of this to anyone.”

First things first: In reporting the story Saturday, I got some things wrong and must now clarify any misperceptions accidentally created.

Gordon joined the Cain campaign on Sept. 1 and his title is “Vice President, Communications; Senior Adviser, Foreign Policy & Security.” This reflects Gordon’s dual areas of expertise, as a career public affairs officer with extensive knowledge of national security. (You can read his biography here.)

Gordon’s first task was to help inform Cain on foreign policy and military issues — which many of Cain’s critics had seen as a weakness — but Gordon’s portfolio also included supervisory authority over communications, i.e., he became Ellen Carmichael’s boss.

Anyone with sufficient math skills to add 2+2 could see that the sum of this equation would be “trouble,” which is nobody’s fault: Not Ellen’s fault, not J.D.’s fault, not Herman’s fault.

“Growing pains,” just like Carmichael had told me when a couple of Cain’s Iowa staffers left the campaign in July.

For more than a year, Carmichael had reported directly to Herman Cain, and the insertion of Gordon in the chain of command changed that. As I say, this is simple mathematics, rather than any sort of “sources say” revelation. What I heard from Gordon confirmed what I’ve been told by Carmichael and, while both spoke to me in that nebulous shadow realm of background/off-the-record, it’s fair to say — and again, nothing “exclusive” here — that conflicts arose.

“Differences of opinion,” you might say.

Perhaps you can imagine what happens when a veteran naval officer and a 2009 LSU graduate suddenly become colleagues in the middle of a presidential campaign with a long-shot candidate who is suddenly becoming a contender.

Hell, I could pitch that story in Hollywood as a situation comedy.

A laugh riot. Madcap hijinks ensue. Twenty-six episodes for the first season with a three-year option. (Attention Charlie Sheen: Call me, OK?)

The Odd (Campaign) Couple has a spinoff called Amicable Parting of the Ways, but is anyone surprised? It’s nobody’s fault, nobody’s bitter, and everybody speaks well of each other, and a publisher would have to offer me a hefty book advance in order to get me to do the “insider tell-all” version of that story. But I digress . . .

This unfortunately necessary drama ended Friday. Ellen Carmichael’s now working on a state election campaign in her native Louisiana and when that’s over, she’s coming back to D.C., where she has several stellar offers as an editorial commentator and/or public-relations specialist. Her future’s so bright, she’s gotta wear special heavy-duty infra-red shades.

It’s a win-win, happy endings for everyone including J.D. Gordon and the surging Herman Cain campaign. Gordon’s professionalism has earned him the respect of influential Washington journalists, among them top network TV correspondents and producers, and Gordon has already been working hard to build relationships with the reporters covering the 2012 GOP campaign.

Now, the news: The candidate once known as “Herman Who?” has suddenly become the hottest “get” in media, and will appear Sunday on both CBS Face the Nation and Candy Crowley’s CNN show State of the Union. The Cain campaign is also getting ready to announce new staff hires, and has picked up several recent endorsements. Furthermore:

In addition, I’m not sure if this was “background” or not, but Gordon wished me a happy birthday (I’m 52 today), offered to buy me a beer if I make it to D.C. tomorrow, and said — this is a direct quote — “Your readers really ought to hit your freaking tip jar.”

 

 

Trust me. That’s in my notes.

Update (Smitty): linked by our CPAC friend Nice Deb.

 

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Ezra Klein: Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan Shows ‘Lack of Policy Seriousness’

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On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” the Washington Post’s resident Juice Box Mafioso said he doesn’t think Herman Cain’s phenomenal surge will continue because of the Atlanta businessman’s “lack of policy seriousness.” Klein singled out Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan — 9% personal income tax, 9% national sales tax and 9% corporate tax — by saying “nobody knows how much revenue it would produce.”

It is true that no one has produced an estimate of federal revenue under the Cain plan. However, it is also true that Cain’s proposal for bold reform has been praised by economists including Wall Street Journal senior economics writer Stephen Moore.

And it is furthermore true that Ezra Klein never criticized President Obama for a “lack of policy seriousness,” although the president’s policies have led to economic disaster.

Just sayin’ . . .


New Polls Confirm Presidential Surge of Best-Selling Author Herman Cain

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Three national polls published since the Florida straw poll on Sept. 24:

ABC News/Wash Post (9/29 – 10/2)

Romney 25% … Cain 17% … Perry 17%

Quinnipiac (9/27 – 10/3)

Romney 22% … Cain 17% … Perry 14%

FOX News (9/25 – 9/27)

Romney 22% … Cain 17% … Perry 19%

Furthermore, the liberal polling firm PPP conducted surveys in three states — North Carolina, West Virginia and Nebraska — and found Cain leading in all three! And here’s your “unexpectedly” news of the day:

Herman Cain is surging in the polls and on the best-seller  charts.
“This is Herman Cain,” a newly released memoir by the businessman and Republican presidential candidate, was in the top 10 on Amazon.com as of Tuesday afternoon.
Interest in the book has soared since Cain unexpectedly won the Florida straw poll on Sept. 24.

Just checked the Amazon Associates sales report. So far, we’ve sold three copies of This Is Herman Cain! and for each $13.75 you spend to buy his book, my commission from Amazon is 55 cents. If you bought 10 copies of This Is Herman Cain! I’d get $5.50. Wouldn’t This Is Herman Cain! be an excellent Christmas gift for your family and friends?

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From Doug Hoffman to Herman Cain: Continuing the Tea Party Momentum

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“Busting the balls of the Establishment is a process not an event.”
— Robert Stacy McCain, Nov. 12, 2010

Steve Foley and I were having a laugh yesterday about the success of the Herman Cain campaign, which has made us look like geniuses, having lined up early with the self-described “dark horse” who’s now gaining ground on the front-runners.

Steve launched Citizens4Cain.com in January, when the general attitude toward Cain was “Herman Who?” But the online grassroots army had actually been in the planning phase for weeks. Steve and I had our first phone conversation about it sometime in November, after I’d mentioned Cain near the end of a Nov. 13 post about the blog-war between Patterico and Jeff Goldstein.

It’s kind of characteristic that I’d bury something like that near the end of a long post about something that would only interest a relative handful of diehard readers. Dan Riehl used to chide me about doing long posts, or doing multiple updates to a post on a breaking story, because that’s not the way you’re supposed to do it. People like blog posts to be short, and it’s better to have updates as new posts of their own, rather than to update a previous post.

Sometimes, however, doing it the “wrong” way is the best way to do things, as for instance when — in one of the most crucial presidential elections in American history — you decide to back a hopeless longshot with zero name recognition that everybody says can’t possibly win.

Genius, you see? Continue reading From Doug Hoffman to Herman Cain: Continuing the Tea Party Momentum →