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Herman Cain acknowledges his electric border fence idea isn't a joke after all
CBS News ^ | October 17, 2011 | Sarah Huisenga

Posted on 10/18/2011 4:39:29 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

PHOENIX - After first apologizing for suggesting an electric fence along the border, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain told reporters here Monday that he still thinks it's a good idea for controlling illegal immigration.

"I'm not walking away from that," he said.

Cain has spent the last several days explaining a controversial comment about building an electrified fence along the U.S. - Mexico border that he said could kill people trying to enter the country illegally. On Sunday, he said his comments were "a joke." But talking to reporters here after a meeting here with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has made a national reputation for cracking down on illegal immigrants, Cain reversed course.

Initially Cain apologied when told his remarks had upset some in the state. "Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa," he said, using the Latin formula for expressing contrition. But when a reporter challenged his description of his comments, saying he didn't seem to be telling a joke, the retired pizza executive acknowledged: "You're right." He said he still believes in the need for a border fence "and it might be electrified."

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Mexico; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aliens; border; cain; chiapas; closedbordercain; electricfence; guatemala; illegal; joke; mexico; nationalbooktour; openborderperry; patriotcain; rinoperry; wall
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To: Diogenesis
Seems Herman Cain does better when he parrots Gov. Rick Perry instead of going for "laughs." But Mitt still gets Herman's compliments.

[snip]

David Gregory: “Would you deport illegal immigrants in the country right now?”

Herman Cain: “Here is my approach to illegal immigration. Here again, this is what’s resonating with the people. How I would solve the problem. It’s not as simple as, would you deport. We must secure the border. It would be a combination of a physical fence, technology and in some areas we might have to put troops there. We must secure the border. Secondly we must promote the path to citizenship that’s already there. We need to clean up the bureaucracy. Third enforce the laws that are already there. The way you do that is number four, which is a bold idea – empower the states to do what the federal government can’t do and won’t do as far as dealing with illegals that are in the United States today.”

[snip]

Gregory: “Why you and not Mitt Romney?”

”Why me and not Mitt Romney? Mitt Romney is a great businessman. I have a lot of respect for him. He has been more of a Wall Street executive. I have been more of a Main Street executive.”

Meet the Press – October 16, 2011 Aprox 25 minute video

21 posted on 10/18/2011 4:57:27 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: ROCKLOBSTER
I don’t think rattlesnakes like water that much. Snakes don’t eat all that often.

I viewed it as being a dry moat. Since we don't have the alligators then we don't need the water.

22 posted on 10/18/2011 4:58:34 AM PDT by SoJoCo
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To: 9YearLurker
At least he doesn't need teleprompters.

Cain's not perfect, but he is honest and willing to admit his mistakes. Maybe that's what we need instead of prime time ready politicians.

23 posted on 10/18/2011 4:59:14 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: ROCKLOBSTER

>> I don’t think rattlesnakes like water that much.

I don’t know whether or not they *like* it, but I have seen enough of ‘em swimming in and across rivers and ponds around here to know that they’re *comfortable* in it.

>> Snakes don’t eat all that often.

Maybe that’s just because they’re tired of the same old stuff. :-)


24 posted on 10/18/2011 4:59:16 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Nervous Tick

Jeeze—nearly 4 years ago Mr. Cain gave some support to Mitt.

OMG! That’s horrible. Guess I’ll have to vote for ole pointy boots now........


25 posted on 10/18/2011 4:59:19 AM PDT by basil (It's time to rid the country of "gun free zones" aka "Killing Fields")
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To: SoJoCo

We should make the prez’s whole life (except for the obviously private bits) a reality show!


26 posted on 10/18/2011 5:01:20 AM PDT by Winstons Julia (when liberals rant, it's called free speech; when conservatives vent, it's called hate speech.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

At least Herman Cain will come out with details. Most other politicians won’t.


27 posted on 10/18/2011 5:02:30 AM PDT by McGruff
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To: mkjessup

Really? You want to go there?

Cain supported Romney!!!

At this stage, I’d rather have Rudy


28 posted on 10/18/2011 5:03:10 AM PDT by NYC-Conserv (Rush: Perry the ONLY conservative threat to Romney)
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To: Diogenesis
Rove-picked Gore-derived puppet for Romney.

Rick Perry has battled back Karl Rove in two elections:

1998 (where he wanted Perry to take hits from his democrat opponent in the Lt. Gov. race to help GW Bush win more votes when he tossed his hat into the ring in 2000) -- Perry won -- and became the first Republican Lt. Gov. in Texas since Reconstruction.

2010 (when the Bush-Rove-Hutchison-trial lawyer machine tried to win the primary for Kay Bailey Hutchison) -- Perry won and brought along a GOP super majority.

29 posted on 10/18/2011 5:03:23 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: basil

The poster to which I replied chose the subject — I didn’t bring it up, I’m just contributing to their original line of thought. Doesn’t that make it fair game?


30 posted on 10/18/2011 5:04:45 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

How does he plan to run it on the Rio Grande? Our horse fence runs along a creek and between the flooding, fast growing weeds shorting it and burning through and the horses stamping around in the mud making the poles fall down it needs frequent fixing. And THAT’S only 10 acres!


31 posted on 10/18/2011 5:06:02 AM PDT by cake_crumb (Obama: the Unholy Won.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

It seems Bachmann didn’t find Herman’s joke too funny, either.

*snip*
But Bachmann wasn’t laughing.

“That was a joke and this is no laughing matter,” she told reporters when asked about Cain’s comment. “It’s important that we take this issue very seriously in dealing with the fence, as all of the individuals in front of me are doing, they’re dealing with it very capably and very seriously.”

I don’t see how this helps—saying something, then saying something is a joke, then turn around and say it is not a joke.

How are people who don’t spend a lot of time investigating candidates supposed to make a decision? One can’t see what the truth/plan is.


32 posted on 10/18/2011 5:06:02 AM PDT by Irenic
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

He changes his story twice in a couple of days?

Wow... And he wants to be President?

I keep saying it... He’s gonna really embarrass us.. Even if he’s your first choice, don’t slam on the other conservatives on case Cain crashes and burns... Worst thing that happens is we end up with Romney... Unfortunately, Cain wouldn’t be too crushed in that scenario


33 posted on 10/18/2011 5:06:02 AM PDT by NYC-Conserv (Rush: Perry the ONLY conservative threat to Romney)
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To: McGruff
At least Herman Cain will come out with details. Most other politicians won’t.

Those are details? Besides he keeps changing the "details."

These are details from an executive who actually has to deal with it.

Oct 6, 2011 Interviewing Rick Perry On Illegal Immigration [10 Points]

[snip]

"I have long been a proponent of strategic fencing because it is a critical component of border security, and it works when used in the right places.

I think what caused the hang up was that after it was passed, it was amended to give Homeland Security complete discretion on how, when and whether the fence ever gets built. Obviously with this president, that means it will never be completed.

If I’m elected, I will direct my Secretary of Homeland Security to expedite construction of strategic fencing along the border, especially in high traffic areas where manpower alone is insufficient to do the job.

But it’s important to remember that fencing is only one component of an overall border security strategy. A fence is only as secure as it is manned.

That’s why I would increase manpower on the border, starting with thousands of National Guard and border patrol agents, and I’d also make greater use of unmanned aerial vehicles to help gather real-time law enforcement intelligence.

We know for a fact that increased manpower is effective, because we’ve proved it in Texas with our $400 million border security effort."

[snip]

The federal DREAM Act is an amnesty bill, and I strongly oppose amnesty. The Texas educational residency bill was vastly different.

Because the federal government has failed in its basic duty to protect our borders, states are forced to deal with illegal immigrant issues.

In Texas, we had to deal with the children of illegal immigrants residing in our state and attending our schools, as the federal government requires states to educate these children through the public school system. Lawmakers in Texas – indisputably one of the most conservative states in America – were virtually unanimous in their decision.

The Legislature determined the payment of in-state college tuition is available to all students who have lived in Texas for at least three years and graduated from a public high school. If you meet those requirements, you pay in-state tuition, whether you relocated from Oklahoma, Idaho, Canada or Mexico. The only difference is that Texas residents who aren’t documented must be on the path to pursue U.S. citizenship to be allowed to pay in-state tuition.

There were a number of reasons the bill received widespread support among conservatives. Importantly, it has never had a cost to Texas taxpayers. In fact, our institutions of higher learning would actually lose tens of millions of dollars in lost tuition payments if the law were repealed.

And it would lower the odds that these students would receive subsidized health care or end up in prison. Protecting taxpayers was a serious concern, given that a Supreme Court decree already requires taxpayers to pay for K-12 education for undocumented students.

[snip]

34 posted on 10/18/2011 5:06:18 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: I-ambush

The Berlin Wall was a very popular tourist spot too.


35 posted on 10/18/2011 5:07:40 AM PDT by cake_crumb (Obama: the Unholy Won.)
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To: Diogenesis
I believe in empowerment zones. Most of the unemployed black Americans in this country are in these mostly economically depressed areas. It could be, and I’m only using this as an example, because we haven’t finished establishing the parameters yet. Instead of in a designated empowerment zone, it being 9-9-9, it could be, as an example only, 3-3-3.

What this does, because you have a lot of African-Americans located in cities like Detroit, disproportionately, it would encourage businesses to stay in business there or to move there. It would encourage people to work there, because if you live in the empowerment zone, you’re going to pay a smaller percentage in taxes.” Herman Cain CNN

36 posted on 10/18/2011 5:08:21 AM PDT by normy (Don't take it personally, just take it seriously.)
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To: cake_crumb
.......And THAT’S only 10 acres!

Exactly. People need to know the facts before going off half-cocked.

37 posted on 10/18/2011 5:08:32 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Is your blind following as a perrywinkle driving you insane?

Knocking mitty for his mittycare and even knocking Cain for his 9-9-9 interim tax plan is fine because both are defined policies; but to go berserk over whether Cain wants the fence to have electricity flowing through it is nutz.

The thing that bothers you so much is the fact that perry is weak on ILLEGAL ALIENS and has protected and promoted them for 10 years.

GWB was the same way, because he came from a state that has five million ILLEGAL ALIENS living and working there and both have compromised their values for votes.

It embarrassed Bush and Perry and you, and you all go hyper to attack any one that contrasts that position.

38 posted on 10/18/2011 5:08:32 AM PDT by USS Alaska
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To: mkjessup

February 4, 2008
Why I Support Mitt Romney: Leadership Substance
by Herman Cain

http://004eeb5.netsolhost.com/hc098.htm

The dynamics of political party connections, the political process itself and public perceptions have once again yielded the top two contenders of each major party in the 2008 presidential race. And once again, the public can only hope that the ultimate winner of the White House will be a candidate with the most leadership substance.

My vote is for Mitt Romney.


39 posted on 10/18/2011 5:08:51 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: bcsco
You need to change Perry’s comments to “Snore”, “Snore”, “Snore”.

I believe that would he Harry Belafonte. Lol

40 posted on 10/18/2011 5:09:32 AM PDT by NYC-Conserv (Rush: Perry the ONLY conservative threat to Romney)
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