On Sunday evening, October 30, Politico broke the story that two women had complained about Herman Cain while at the National Restaurant Association. In that first week, Politico ran several dozen stories about the accusations without telling us what the accusations were, while characterizing the accusations as sexual harassment.
During the subsequent three weeks, the name of one of the accusers in the Politico story, Karen Kraushaar, was released, but she has refused to release details of the accusations she made, despite initially indicating she would do so, and it turns out this was not her only employment complaint. Another accuser with a dubious background, Sharon Bialek, came forward, but she was not part of the original Politico story and her supposed corroboration also was suspect.
While the media regularly referred to 4 or 5 accusers, we only knew the names of two of them and only knew the accusations of one of them.
But back to Politico.
After hundreds of articles at Politico, what do we know about the specific accusations against Herman Cain which gave rise to Politico’s original reporting: Nothing.
After hundreds of articles at Politico, what do we know about the specific evidence against Herman Cain which gave rise to Politico’s original reporting: Nothing.
Truly incredible.
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Well, we also know that Rachel Maddow has been telling people that Herman Cain has said that his campaign is a joke on Republicans, he really is a performance artist, and not a real candidate for the presidency.
I think somebody is very, very afraid of Herman Cain, and it has not so much do with his policies as the reduced opportunity to continue to loot our government.
It is the seriousness of the allegations that matter.
Kind of makes you wonder what they are planning for Mitt if they anoint him as the GOP nominee…
Exactly. It will probably turn out to be just like what they did to Palin.
The GOP nominee will get the Spencer Ackerman treatment, plate glass window, fictional charges of racism, etc. Remember McCain’s “affair” with a young lobbyist?
The Journolist-Alinsky media never fail.
What we have going on here with Mr. Cane is SOP in the Democrat Playbook … create a false back story about a Republican and then, even after your fabrication has been proven to be completely without merit, ignore the facts and forever after use it to vilify him; viz. the Newt Gingrich story about how he tried to get his hospitalized, cancer stricken first wife to sign off on a divorce agreement just after she had come out of surgery.
New strategy, should the “misconduct” attack fail
He’s a witch!
(very effective in Salem, I understand)
Worked in New Jersey 2010 — especially with RINO help.
and I again thank you for a FAIR coverage of this.
Professor, I just read a WSJ editorial in what they termed, President Lisa Jackson (EPA). It describes how she is dictating the terms of multiple industries by fiat.
No need for free markets, if consumers don’t have an interest in “green” cars, she will remove any freedom to choose.
My question is how much different from this orthodoxy are Mitt and Newt really? Newt has danced on the head of a pin when it comes to his answers about alleged man-caused global warming, alarmingly saying he will wait for the science community to decide (this on the heels of yet more disclosures of the tainting of science by once esteemed scientific bodies).
We know where Mitt is, and it appears just slightly distance from Obama, so he is easy swayed.
So, are we going to do away with the EPA dictatorship or not with these two GOP prospective nominees?
Not going to get a perfect GOP nominee. No such creature exists. We have to settle for the best of the field, which is OK because all of them with the possible exception of Huntsman are a better choice than Obama.
I personally believe the alleged sexual allegations against Herman Cain were of little consequence. In fact, I was more than eager to support Herman until the general lack of knowledge about pertinent global issues became overwhelming.
But I do think somehow that Politico needs to be held to account. They are not an organization of journalists but a propagandist outfit promoting stories both real and imagined.
Do these people ever get held to account? I know they are the first to cry for freedom of the press, but with responsibility comes accountability, or so it should.
If Obama gets re-elected you can bet that some Politico writers will be making the move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Cain could’ve beat Obama in so many demographics.
He was the biggest threat and when he started to catch on he had to be squelched and squelched hard.
Notice no comebacks on the lying bastards.
I’ve said this before and I hope it reaches people: This election will be Conservative American Public against the Elite Media and political establishment.
It’s not so much about Obama as about the ultimate fate of this country in the next 4 years.
The Media will be in full force, Race card playing, sexist name calling, faked records, leaked records. Anything to besmirch and smear the Republican candidate and Conservatism.
They will pull out all stops. You thought they couldn’t demonstrate more who they vote for? You haven’t seen anything yet.
They will pull double reverses. Claiming to like a Republican and then awwwww he’s a racist/sexist/philanderer/liar/liberal whatever label they think will do the most damage then when he’s trashed and almost out, they’ll trash the Republican’s for rejecting him.
Obama can do or say just about anything in the next 12 months; it won’t get reported. In fact if you notice, he’s been keeping a fairly low profile lately and it will continue until the Republican Primary is over and the candidate selected. Then he’ll come out swinging.
But not very hard. He’ll let the media do the trash talking and the smears while he be all reasonable and friendly and nice. His handlers will have him under strict control with no ad libs or absent teleprompter.
If Obama wins 2012, the U.S. will never be the same again.
I’m not sure I get the purpose of this post. You are absolutely correct that Politico is (yet another) MSM outlet that with apparent maliciousness and ill intent slimed a Republican candidate. In spite of the fact that the accusations were and continue to be mostly groundless, Politico has not suffered what they are due.
And? I recall Duranty’s Pulitzer prize is still unrevoked.
I really liked Mr Cain’s possibilities and looked forward to a good run for him. Unfortunately, Mr Cain’s apparent inability to “handle” this pseudo-scandal has been informative – and this in spite of the fact that most, if not all unaffiliated conservatives rallied to him. Personally, I think “we” are better off for this having occurred.
All candidates should be vetted, and I believe the Cain campaign would have lost steam regardless. But in judging the accusations, we should have had facts not mere characterizations.
Mission accomplished since the point of the entire exercise was to besmirch the reputation and good name of a man who espoused conservative principles, and to thereby introduce doubt. By my lights Cain is as honorable a man as any decent person could be.
Sin no. 1 to leftists is espousing any idea that might lessen the power of the created government to control the people, turning upside down the entire thesis of the Founders in establishing limited government.
Yikes, what have we become!
[…] It’s been four weeks since Politico broke the story of accusations against Herman Cain… After hundreds of articles at Politico, what do we know about the specific evidence against Herman Cain which gave rise to Politico’s original reporting?: Nothing. Truly incredible. Obama halted deportations by Executive fiat, last August, in a move that the cynical among us see has helpful toward his reelection: Hispanic voters are a key voter bloc as Mr. Obama seeks re-election next year, but many of them felt he broke his promise to them to work on legislation once he took office. Thursday’s move already was paying dividends as Hispanic advocacy groups praised the steps. Every move Obama makes, now, is designed to frame the debate for his reelection. […]
It could all be revealed as false, and yet, the damage is done. Which was the point. To throw a good man off his game, by forcing him to defend his goodness.
Couple that with the grueling, exhausting debate and campaigning schedule, the prepping, the practicing, the weariness – and the constant scrutiny of the cameras – any man will slip in answering a question, and then they pounce.
C’mon, Cain would be Solomon compared to Obama – there would be reasoned debate, not PASSITNOW, RRRRightAWAY!, NOWorwe’reallgonnadie – there would be no voting on a bill no one had read, there would be no deem and pass. Tort reform, and many other options, would have been on the table, as any honest person knows it should be –
So sad, that Politico chose to play this dishonest game. Look what it may cost the world. And for what?
The reason that we’re no longer hearing much if anything regarding the sexual abuse accusations is that they apparently were manufactured in the first place. It’s not wise to heap attention on a fire that has a short supply of fuel.
Cain was and could still be Obama’s worst nightmare for he possesses every attribute to counter those of Obama. Self made vs. silver spoon etc.
I’ll continue to support Mr. Cain and may I add tht he might be on the cusp of a resurgence in the polls…
Er… The “tht” should be “that” in the last paragraph above.
For your punishment, you are to write the word ‘J-O-U-R-N-O-L-I-S-T’ one hundred times on the blackboard. Spelling courtesy of Ezra Klein. Its also known as the Unofficial Campaign To Re Elect Barack Hussein Obama
[…] After hundreds of articles at Politico, what do we know about the specific evidence against Herman Cain which gave rise to Politico’s original reporting?—Nothing. […]
[…] to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”) applies. As William Jacobson wrote over the weekend,“After hundreds of articles at Politico, what do we know about the specific accusations […]