By Frank Whalen
In a stunning upset to “GOP frontrunner” Rick Perry, Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain emerged victorious in the recent Florida Republican straw ballot. Cain received 37 percent of the vote, more than double the support for second place Perry. But in the aftermath of Florida’s straw ballot, reports came in that Cain’s campaign has little money, barely any organization and is still trailing far behind the other leaders in the polls. So why is the Republican Party and the mainstream media still promoting him in the top tier even after marginalizing other good Republicans like former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer or former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson? The answer may come as a surprise to many diehard supporters of the Republican Party. And, Cain seems to have some scandals swirling around his campaign that may emerge to cause problems.
Associated Press reported that former Iowa straw poll coordinator Kevin Hall revealed: “Herman Cain’s presidential campaign tried to conceal the role of a top adviser who had been ousted as leader of a gay pride group in Wisconsin amid a financial scandal.” Hall said in testimony: “A conservative candidate, Mr. Cain is on the record as stating that he believes homosexuality is a sin and a choice. They know that, if his top adviser [Scott Toomey], his highly paid adviser, is openly gay, it would cast a negative light on Mr. Cain and would cost him in his efforts to become president. Basically, the campaign is trying to cover up the fact that Mr. Toomey was still involved. They asked me to help them cover up that fact.”
On May 23, Andy Kroll of Mother Jones reported that efforts have also been made on Cain’s behalf to conceal associations that cast a negative light on his business savvy.
“Scrubbed from Cain’s official story is his long tenure as director at a Midwest energy corporation named Aquila that, like Enron, recklessly dove into the wild west of energy trading and speculation—and ultimately screwed its employees out of tens of millions of dollars,” reported Mother Jones.
FOREIGN POLICY
Relatively silent on foreign policy issues, Cain has been open about a few things. During the Sept. 22 Fox News-Google GOP debate, Cain stated emphatically that the nation’s Middle East policy should be as follows: “Any country that messes with Israel is in fact challenging the United States.” These words originate from a presidential candidate that displays a complete lack of understanding on the issue of Middle East peace.
Cain has also taken no position on Afghanistan, claiming that there was too much information he couldn’t access. However, in a May 15 interview with the popular news website “Raw Story,” he was quoted as saying, “On the other hand, I do know enough about our solid relationship with Israel, from decades of observation, that I would make it even stronger.”
CAN CAIN REPRESENT THE PEOPLE?
The question remains: Who is Cain really? His background is filled with examples of successful business experience, a man who clearly has managed large ventures with skill. He also was a member of the board of directors to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 1992, serving as its chairman from January 1995 toAugust 1996.
Cain’s affiliation with the Fed is particularly troublesome. In December 2010 he dismissed the need for an audit of the privately owned and controlled Fed, telling radio talk show host Neil Boortz: “There’s no hidden secrets going on in the Federal Reserve to my knowledge. I tell people, we’ve got 12 Federal Reserve banks. Find out which district you are in, call them up and go from there.We don’t need to waste money with another commission or an audit.” Such an attitude obviously didn’t fly with those who’ve become more aware of the Fed’s status as a privately owned corporation. During an exchange with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) at the Oct. 11 Bloomberg debate, Cain flip-flopped by saying: “I do not object to the Federal Reserve being audited. I simply said, if someone wants to initiate that action, go right ahead. It doesn’t bother me. So, I’ve been misrepresented in that regard. I don’t have a problem with the Federal Reserve being audited. It’s simply not my top priority.”
News With Views contributing writer Kelleigh Nelson stated in a June 21 article: “Herman Cain is not a constitutional conservative, and [he] is definitely not my choice.” She went on to write, “After doing the research, I’m appalled at how much he is like the typical establishment Republican.”
Frank Whalen has been a radio talk show host since 1994 and worked as a consultant for Maxim magazine.
