Posted on 10/23/2011 1:32:35 PM PDT by rzman21
John Rossomando Follow John on Twitter
Confucius once said that you don’t mean what you say unless you say what you mean. But increasingly Herman Cain has shown a difficulty in conveying what he really means.
And this becomes even more crucial as Cain’s views fall under the microscope that he largely avoided prior to unleashing his stroke of marketing genius with his 9-9-9 plan.
But pitfalls such as the details of that plan or his stance on abortion show he either hasn’t thought through his strategy or recognized the need to message discipline. He showed excellent discipline as recently as earlier this month when MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell attacked him for not having participated in the civil rights marches or the Vietnam War in the 1960s.
“The danger of anyone becoming president without any political experience is not just that he doesn't know many things, but that he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Cain has an additional problem: He doesn't know what he thinks,” writes columnist Steve Chapman at TownHall.com. “Not that he is bashful or tentative in expressing his opinions. On the contrary, he is all blunt candor and glib certitude. The problem comes only afterward, when he has to take responsibility for what he said.”
Abortion is the is key issue apart from gay marriage for social conservatives, and Cain cannot afford to give muddled answers.
Answers like abortion is “ultimately the decision that a family or mother [to] make” and that government shouldn’t be involved in the decision don’t cut it. People want clarity, not someone who sounds like a politician and who takes both sides on every issue.
Until now, Cain’s biggest selling point has been his willingness to tell people like it is and not sound like a politician. But now unless he learns message discipline, he will flame out and become “the flavor of the week.”
If Cain wants to win, he needs message discipline and needs it now because he will not just find himself outclassed by Mitt Romney or Rick Perry. He will find he can’t keep up with the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or his dirty-tricks squad.
It’s now or never.
What gaffs?
Good point.
So what? His poll numbers just continue to rise...
Horsecrap and all this ‘article’ does is rehash an AP opinion piece from Friday...another trash post from a trash blogger.
WTF is this? Some lame new basement blog? Pathetic.
I guess I'll stay home. They're all gaffe machines.
Any one of us who had cameras and mikes stuffed in our faces all day long, with people firing gotya questions at us, would be gaffe machines.
If a candidate doesn't commit gaffes, does that necessarily mean they're a good candidate? Or, could it mean they're a more accomplished liar with a better memory?
I read one pundit who said, and I thought it was a good insight, that Cain’s lack of political experience won’t be a problem for him as President, but it may from time to time trip him on the campaign trail.
You nailed it, Cripple Creek.
This is the downside of not being a professional politician.
I’ll outbid all Cain’s gaffs with one word: Obama.
That word is the daddy of all gaffs.
Time to kick off the “DRAFT PALIN” movement.
Has Obama’s lack of political experience been a problem for him?
Yes it has
Will Cain’s lack of political experience be a problem for him?
Yes it will
But then I find the “999” plan to be a annoying in the extreme. It reminds me too much of the cheap marketing ploy of pricing something with a 99 for the last two digits so people who aren’t real bright will by it.
I suspect that Herman has priced pizza at $9.99 in the past and old habits die hard.
Interesting this is coming from Conservative Home given Cain is about far more conservative as many, if not all, of the GOP candidates.....=.=
This sleazoid should either produce a verbatim quote indicating that Cain said that or shut his foul mouth. Herman Cain said nothing of the kind. His pro-life credentials are unimpeachable. He's put his own money behind them, which is more than you can say about any other candidate.
Someone with tons of money is orchestrating this lie about Cain. Someone like Romney, Perry, or their assassins.
This sleazoid should either produce a verbatim quote indicating that Cain said that or shut his foul mouth. Herman Cain said nothing of the kind. His pro-life credentials are unimpeachable. He's put his own money behind them, which is more than you can say about any other candidate.
Someone with tons of money is orchestrating this lie about Cain. Someone like Romney, Perry, or their assassins.
Yes it has
Will Cain’s lack of political experience be a problem for him?
Yes it will
Sorry. I strongly disagree.
It's not Obama's lack of political experience that has been a problem for him or, more importantly, for the nation. It is WHO HE IS and WHAT HIS WORLDVIEW IS that has been a complete and utter disaster for the nation.
And this would have been a disaster for the nation no matter how much political experience Obama had had.
Likewise, Cain's lack of political experience will not necessarily be a problem for him or the nation (at least in the White House; it's more of a brouhaha-maker on the campaign trail, though). What's important to how a man governs is WHO HE IS and WHAT HIS WORLDVIEW IS.
Dead wrong. Abortion is about life, and life is the premier right. Gay marriage is about a natural and a healthy culture, so it's very important. However, without Life, you aren't worrying about anything else. You're dead.
Cain has some explaining to do, but he needs to do it thoughtfully.
He is right that LIFE is a personal decision. Where he went wrong is that the LIFE in question was not the life of the mother, or the life of the family. It was the life of a unique little human being who had not been convicted by a jury of his/her peers.
There isn’t a single one of them gaffe free.
I am sick of it.
How about obama’s string of gaffes?
If “gaffes” destroy a candidate, then why is Perry still around? He’s almost as bad as Biden
The point of the article is that Cain needs to be more conscious of what he says or rather how he says it.
If I have a choice of the three top-tiered candidates, I’d vote for Cain. But message discipline is what got Reagan elected in 1980.
He had better learn it, or he will become yesterday’s news.
One can support a candidate, but that doesn’t mean turning them into an idol.
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