Herman Cain And The Politics Of Race

National Public Radio ^ | November 11, 2011 | Karen Grigsby Bates

[2ndDivisionVet]

Republicans are the party of Lincoln, but for the past several decades they haven't been the party of the people Lincoln freed. The overwhelming majority of black voters lean Democratic, and that, says black Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, can only be explained by one thing: groupthink.

"Many African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view," Cain told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Cain and his conservatism have been riding high in the polls — tying with, and in some cases outdistancing, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the one-time frontrunner in the Republican race.

Cain has a devoted following in the Tea Party wing of the GOP. At the recent Americans for Prosperity Foundation's two-day conference in Washington, D.C., he got a roar of approval when he introduced himself as "the Koch brothers' brother from another mother." Charles and David Koch are multibillionaires who have funded myriad right-wing causes in recent years. One of their favorite ones lately has been Cain.

Jack E. White, a writer and political analyst who is a frequent contributor to the black website TheRoot.com, says Cain is attractive to conservative white voters because "he tells them what they want to hear about blacks, and in turn, they embrace him and say, 'See? That proves we're not racist.' "

Cain has said poor people are poor because they want to be, and says that while racism may still exist, it is only marginally relevant in the 21st century. His public appearances are often sprinkled with cheerful, folksy expressions and spontaneous outbursts of gospel songs.

"He's even willing to be a minstrel for them," White says, "referring to himself in some terms as cornbread, and referring to his father speaking ungrammatically, saying things like, 'I does not care ...' "

The Appeal Of A Regular Kind Of Guy

But that may, in part, be why Tea Partiers are comfortable with Cain.

"He's more earthy, down-homey, regular — not uppity," says Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, whose latest book is The Persistence of the Color Line: Racial Politics and the Obama Presidency. Kennedy contrasts Cain's image and background with President Obama, whose dual Ivy League degrees, obvious relish for intellectual conversations, and vacations on estates in Martha's Vineyard and Hawaii are sometimes off-putting for white voters who see themselves as "regular" people.

Cain himself likes to point out that of the two, he is the "authentic" black man — that, despite his wealth, he's as regular as can be. His parents, he said, started from nothing, and made sure he and his brother went to college. He was raised with the same ethos echoed in millions of black households since emancipation: Work hard. Save your money. Get as much education as you can, and make sure your children do, too.

Despite that, Cain has had little traction with black voters. Kennedy says that's because "black people know if Herman Cain had his way, their lives would be diminished. They intuit that Herman Cain's policies are against their interests."

Not A Colin Powell Republican

Vincent Hutchings, who studies the impact of race on politics and political campaigns at the University of Michigan, says Cain is a unique amalgam of things, and believes another kind of black Republican would not have gotten conservative support.

"They wouldn't have done this with, say, the equivalent of Colin Powell," Hutchings says. "Colin Powell was seen as a moderate to liberal Republican. He was also black, but he wouldn't have served the ideological purposes of that faction."

So, many white conservatives continue to embrace Cain — even in the face of recent sexual harassment allegations — while black voters steer clear.

Harvard's Kennedy says many black Americans found a recent ad run by Cain supporters to be particularly offensive. In it, Americans for Herman Cain compare then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas' angry statement about harassment charges he faced in 1991 to Cain's current predicament. Thomas' denunciation of what he called a "high-tech lynching" became the crescendo of the Cain ad. The tag line before the fade: "Don't let the left do it again."

Suddenly, race was relevant.

"Of course, as soon as he gets into trouble, race, race, race, race, race," Kennedy notes, dryly.

He adds, "That analogy is one that rubs a lot of black people the wrong way, because if you're lynched, you don't get to talk about it."

Cain has emphatically denied the harassment charges, and so far, they seem not to have hurt him at the polls. CNBC's Maria Bartiromo was loudly booed at Wednesday's debate in Rochester, Mich., after she asked Cain whether he thinks he has the character to be president. His answer: "The American people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations."

So far, Cain still enjoys steadfast support from his white conservative base, despite publicly being accused of sexual harassment by two white women. That he didn't risk the same fate as Emmett Till, who was murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman, is for many an odd measure of racial progress.

Hutchings, the Michigan professor, says the harassment charges may cause a drop in his support eventually, but for now, Cain is still able.

"I would be loathe to write off Herman Cain at this point," Hutchings says. "He may be crazy, but he's crazy like a fox."

[2ndDivisionVet]

I surely hope that the Left really believes the $#*+ that they're shoveling.

[Irenic]

'See? That proves we're not racist.

I guess this is a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I personally can't stand Cain but some of this crap slung at him is ridiculous.

[Rashputin]

"I surely hope that the Left really believes the $#*+ that they're shoveling. "

They don't, they believe it's expedient to say that crap at this moment. The "left" in this country is really a hard core, died in the wool, racist, fascist, nobility, that has worked to install themselves as an all powerful national nobility ever since they lost the Civil War. Just like they found it expedient to preach States Rights in order to get those who had no dog in the fight to defend the right of the nobility to own slaves, they now find it expedient to analyze black folks as if the majority of them are something other than bought and paid for hedonists.

That's the way the democrat fascist party has always worked, buy a group, milk them for all they're worth until a more stable group can be purchased, then abandon and work to destroy their former supporters. That way they're never in danger of major revolts they have to put down. People think that the '68 riots were due to the younger fascist taking over, but that's not the reality of the situation. The riots and changes in the democrat fascist party during the late sixties were to rid the party of those conservative Southerners and blue collar folks who remained in positions of power within the party and were a drag on their eugenics and economic agenda. It's just like the situation in Germany when the "Night of the Long Knives" took place but in the US fascist equivalent situation, it was Rohm crowd who won, not the Hitler crowd.

Just like their German equivalent, the Nazis, the democrat fascists are always doing whatever is expedient to further their agenda, not what they believe in for the long run. They know if they win the battles by doing whatever is expedient, that eventually they're going to be the only ones standing, can replace the Constitution with one party rule, and then do whatever they like. They thought they had reached that point when Barry was elected and are now in shock as reality sinks in and they see they're still a long way from their goal. If the elites running the democrat fascist party weren't every bit as stupid as the sheep they convince to vote for them, they'd have known that their 2008 victory was an aberration not a corination.

[Yardstick]

Wow, what a contemptible piece of writing.

[Windflier]

"...another kind of black Republican would not have gotten conservative support."

Baloney. Allen West is a black Republican, and has a completely different life story and personality than Herman Cain, but he would be enthusiastically supported by most conservatives if he were to run for higher office.

What ignorant liberal writers don't understand about the right, is that it's our principles that bind us - not race. If they didn't bring up race so much, most of us would hardly ever think about it.

[goat granny]

and don’t forget West is good looking and I like good looking men. Cain has a great sense of humor that most women love except those on the left and has a great smile. Both have the balls to tell the left to shove off. That makes them men...I like men...:O)

[Minn]

and believes another kind of black Republican would not have gotten conservative support.

That conservatives would not support a non-conservative as enthusiastically as they support a conservative just shows how racist they all are, or something, I guess.

[TChad]

Jack E. White, a writer and political analyst who is a frequent contributor to the black website TheRoot.com, says Cain is attractive to conservative white voters because "he tells them what they want to hear about blacks, and in turn, they embrace him and say, 'See? That proves we're not racist.' "

But what has Jack E. White done to prove that he's not a child molestor? Not enough. Not nearly enough. And I guess we all know why, don't we?

Is it time? Can we defund the vile NPR propagandists yet? Can we? Please???

[csense]

Jack E. White, a writer and political analyst who is a frequent contributor to the black website TheRoot.com...

Ah yes, The Root, whose founder and editor in chief is Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Why am I not surprised.

[Darkwolf377]

Thomas' denunciation of what he called a "high-tech lynching" became the crescendo of the Cain ad. The tag line before the fade: "Don't let the left do it again." Suddenly, race was relevant. "Of course, as soon as he gets into trouble, race, race, race, race, race," Kennedy notes, dryly.

The leftists are a bunch of folks who portray themselves as being non-racist, but that simply is not the case. They think of race in a CERTAIN WAY, and they think that way, if labelled 'non-racist,' will be accepted as what they call it.

This quote is the crux of it. Race will always be an issue if someone is black in a country where blacks are in the minority. This is not something to be afraid of anymore than saying the sky is blue--it is a fact, without any bias or particular significance.

This is the game leftists play with that fact: Leftists scream racism thinking if they say it first, then they are safe from that label, because if you call THEM racist in turn it looks defensive ("No I'm not, YOU are!").

Thus, they have positioned themselves as the arbiters of proper conduct where race is concerned because... they say so.

It's a game, and they know how to play it.

Race is suddenly relevent because these black men are hated for their character, their beliefs, and instead of attacking those beliefs (which are separate from POLITICS, and they are beliefs the black community espouses, whether the leaders believe them or not), they attack their personal lives, going straight for the most racist fears of the past--black men's sexuality, and in Cain's case, the specter of the black man who is 'after' blonde white women.

Leftists know this, and they attack using it because they know if they attack Cain (or Thomas) for the beliefs they espouse, they will be seen as being against hard work, family, religion. These are values black families espouse, and which have been attacked since the Great Society programs (which accelerated the splintering of black families under FDR).

The writer cannot grasp that indeed Thomas WAS the victim of a lynching for uppity blacks because he was uppity AGAINST THE LEFT. He didn't know his place in the liberal worldview. In his mind (if he believes this) the only 'uppity blacks' were those under racist landowners, or whatever cliche they choose to believe.

The writer can't recognize who are the current 'landowners' who keep blacks in their place...because he's one of them.

[csense]

"He's even willing to be a minstrel for them..."

Of all the vile things that were said in this article, this is what struck me the most. The Democrats not only wnat to destroy Herman Cain on a political level, but a personal and cultural one as well. They want his dignity. This is personal with them, or at least in their minds it's personal, and as much as I like Herman Cain, I don't think he has the political experience to stand his ground, nor do I think there is enough time for him to learn it.

This is why I don't think he'll make a good candidate for the general election. Personally, I think he'll be a disaster, and I've said that before. I know that may not be a very popular opinion, but my loyalty is to my country, not to any individual person who may be running in this race.

[PhilDragoo]

The most maddening thing about Herman Cain is that he's amassed his impressive curiam vitae without the benefit of the Volkfuhrer.

Compare and contrast.

The cypher known as Obama floated out of the mist in a basket woven of Islam and Communism.

"Mentored" by the avowed Communist and sex-fiend Frank Marshall Davis during whiskey and marijuana sessions with the alleged grandfather Stanley Armour Dunham, there are no girlfriends of record because Michelle is the Trinity/Dohrn beard.

The insufferable arrogance of the narcissist is grafted onto twin streams of anti-freedom, anti-woman Marxist-Muslim dogma.

The worth of the individual is measured in submersion to the will of the dictator, submission to the dictates of the imam.

In the Left zeitgeist revolution breaks the chains of the working class so it may carry the elite's ornate sedan chair.

Herman Cain does not recognize these slavemasters.

He must be destroyed before American blacks awake with a terrible headache and a clarifying vision of what they might attain.

The rage of all these from the ivy-league Gates to the militant Farakan to the extortionist Jackson is at the threat to their rice bowl from Herman Cain.

The blacks are just one more stream to file into the styrofoam Nuremberg party rally.

Not go out and achieve success as free men.

Cain delenda est.

[calex59]

While this piece may seem like it is neutral on Cain, it is actually a hit piece, the constant reference to Kennedy and his BS statements says it all.

[mazda77]

I personally can't stand Cain but some of this crap slung at him is ridiculous.

Did you ever think to consider why this is?

[Savage Beast]

"Many African- Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded"

Yes. And they call themselves--in classic newspeak--"liberals".

Big Brother has made great strides in the U.S.A. And he is watching YOU!

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“They wouldn't have done this with, say, the equivalent of Colin Powell,” Hutchings says. “Colin Powell was seen as a moderate to liberal Republican. He was also black, but he wouldn't have served the ideological purposes of that faction.”

Um, of course conservatives aren't going to embrace a moderate to liberal black, just like they aren't going to embrace a moderate to liberal white, or Asian, or anyone else. What a pointless and idiotic statement. We embrace Herman Cain because we respect him and share his ideology. You and your fellow leftists don't embrace black conservatives because they don't share your ideology. But in your case there's an additional reason you oppose black conservatives. You fear that they might disassemble your lock on black votes. That, my friend, is driven by your underlying willingness to sacrifice blacks on the alter of your personal ideology - and that's racism.

[jdsteel]

Actually, like a broken clock, he is right on this point. Another “kind of black” named Colin Powell would not get Tea Party support. But of course that has nothing to do with the color of his skin. It has to do with his POLITICS, you idiot.

[Windflier]

West is good looking and I like good looking men. Cain has a great sense of humor that most women love except those on the left and has a great smile. Both have the balls to tell the left to shove off. That makes them men.

You've got a point there. Courage and humor are both traits of sanity, which is exactly what you want in a leader. Note that Newt is also rising in the polls. I think it's because he's showing real spine in these debates.

In times like these, courage is a most attractive trait.

[driftless2]

Another leftist-slanted article written by a committed leftist who only quotes other committed leftists. What a great piece of unbiased journalism! (smirk) The truly sad fact is the left refuses to face the questions posed by Cain about the state of black America.

In short, what do black Americans support? Do they want to be thought of as permanent victims perpetually relying on gov handouts, or to they want to stand on their own two feet? I mean, what is the kind of country Cain wants for all Americans? He wants a country where you work hard in school, stay out of trouble, work hard to get a job, and then play by the rules. Wow, what an awful message to tell black Americans!! Well, this weird and crazy Cain person must be struck down for telling people to work hard and play by the rules. He has some nerve. So say the leftists. Jack White is an especially odious piece of work.

[Windflier]

It has to do with his POLITICS, you idiot.

Read my post again. Apology accepted in advance.