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Herman Cain can help Mitt Romney win the GOP nod. Really.
Washington Post ^ | Oct 5, 2011 | Rachel Weiner

Posted on 10/05/2011 6:56:06 PM PDT by Clairity

While Cain is likely to hit a ceiling in the near future, he's effectively dug into Perry's base and helped expose the frontrunner's weakness. Fracturing the anti-Romney vote has made it all the easier for Romney to win.

With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie out of the race, no one is competing with Romney for moderate Republicans.

Cain himself might not be too upset with that outcome. While he's been a frequent critic of Romney on the trail, he endorsed the tenuous front-runner in 2008.

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


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cain; larazarick; romney
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To: GOPsterinMA
And spare me the “Perry backed Rudy” shtick. Rudy never mandated $50 abortions.

While I don't like that Cain supported Romney, you can't pretend that Perry supporting Rudy doesn't matter. Rick Perry was campaiging hard for Rudy Giuliani, a man who not only was trying to help get Perry's precious land grab, I mean TTC built, but a man who supported abortion, gay marriage, and gun control. Perry was going out there on national TV and telling America that Rudy Giuliani was the man for the job.

I've seen crazy stuff on FR lately - FReepers defending Perry speaking at La Raza's national conference and claiming that La Raza is a part of Perry's constituency and that Perry had to speak with them, but this is up there - trying to pretend that who Cain supported matters, but who Rick supports doesn't.
81 posted on 10/05/2011 8:05:40 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: Dagnabitt
The media wasn’t portraying Perry at the debates. Perry was doing it all himself and it was horrifying.

Lets see if he improves. If not there's something to worry about. A lot of posters from TX say he's a lot better than that.

On the issues he's solid and if we have a Pub House and Senate I'm confident he will push a conservative agenda. We know Romney won't.

82 posted on 10/05/2011 8:07:07 PM PDT by wmfights (If you want change support SenateConservatives.com)
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To: not2worry
You need to hear that Cain can't win and so do the rest of his delusional boosters. He can't win. Nobody remotely comparable to Herman Cain has ever won a major party nomination. He won't be the first. He's nowhere near that special.

There have been plenty of candidates like him. They all fizzled, just as he will. A few polls showing him in double digits mean exactly nothing. He has nowhere near the polling strength that General Wesley Wackjob Clark had eight years ago. Remember him? The hero of Waco, scourge of the Branch Davidians and Bill Clinton's favorite general. The DU crowd was really excited about him for a time, but he couldn't assemble a competitive campaign. Whatever happened to him anyway?

In a couple of months we'll be asking the same question about Herman Cain. He's a flyweight trying to contend for the heavyweight championship. There's absolutely no doubt that the effort won't end well.

The Cain campaign is a juvenile fantasy and we really don't have time for that sort of thing right now. We've got serious work to do. We have to beat both Romney and Obama to have any shot at recovery. The only candidate capable of taking the nomination from Romney and beating Obama is Rick Perry and dwelling on his faults is utterly pointless. He has faults enough, but as Clarity pointed out above his assets clearly outweigh them.

That's reality and it's high time everyone faced it. Rush spent much of his time for weeks trying to tell conservatives not to be distracted. Unfortunately many Freepers weren't paying attention which is why Freerepublic has become the Gardasil and Immigration Gazzette lately. Enough.

Herman Cain's candidacy is nothing but a distraction and it's one we can't afford. Time to put away childish things.

83 posted on 10/05/2011 8:07:29 PM PDT by fluffdaddy (Who died and made the Supreme Court God?)
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To: GOPsterinMA

The most obvious truth that many are totally ignoring.


84 posted on 10/05/2011 8:11:04 PM PDT by jgge
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To: jgge

You’re preaching to the choir!


85 posted on 10/05/2011 8:13:10 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (Note to Cainiacs: The Herminator endorsed Romney in 2008.)
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To: af_vet_rr
I am not ignoring the fact that Perry backed Rudy, not at all.

I'll ask this question: Policy wise, did Rudy pass anything anywhere near as destructive as RomneyCare, the blueprint for ObamaCare? Nope.

So, I'll have to go with backing Romney AFTER he got his “healthcare” plan passed was a HUGE f**k up for Cain.

86 posted on 10/05/2011 8:13:19 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (Note to Cainiacs: The Herminator endorsed Romney in 2008.)
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To: comebacknewt

Sarah may be able to flesh this mess out. She stands for conservatism and I hope that she will make the effort to support the most viable conservative to defeat romney. I am worried about VP sellouts (Romney/Cain as many slimy pundits are promoting) or other covert deals with romney. Sarah should threaten to go third party if she supports a candidate that double crosses her and sells out to romney.


87 posted on 10/05/2011 8:13:41 PM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est)
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To: fluffdaddy

Perry is uninspiring. That is job #1 for POTUS. He has to lead with his ability to articulate the American Dream and his vision of how anyone fortunate enough to be LEGALLY in this country, can attain it.

Perry is an inarticulate BOOB. The DUDE is a DUD!


88 posted on 10/05/2011 8:18:24 PM PDT by Awgie (truth is always stranger than fiction)
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To: grumpygresh

I hope you’re right.


89 posted on 10/05/2011 8:18:25 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (Note to Cainiacs: The Herminator endorsed Romney in 2008.)
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To: fluffdaddy

Excellent post.


90 posted on 10/05/2011 8:20:15 PM PDT by jgge
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To: fluffdaddy
Get it through your head that trying to bully or scare people into supporting your candidate only serves to make you and your candidate look desperate and weak. It doesn't convince anybody - people don't want weak candidates whose supporters resort to scare tactics.

Before you claim that these tactics work, take a look at the Ron Paul supporters. If these tactics work, then their boy Paul would have made it to the White House.
91 posted on 10/05/2011 8:21:17 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: Oceander

Conservatives held their nose once for mclame, but asking us to do that a second time will only lead to more attrition and a possible second zero term. Big donors and establishment types might be able to mount a good air campaign, but the ground game will suck. How much grass roots support can a rino get?


92 posted on 10/05/2011 8:21:37 PM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est)
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To: fluffdaddy
He's a flyweight trying to contend for the heavyweight championship. There's absolutely no doubt that the effort won't end well.

We've all seen Cain and Perry now on the campaign trail and in the debates. Perry basically made a fool of himself and people like him less the more they see of him. His trajectory is descending. Cain, on the other hand, has had strong performances and the more people see of him the more they like him. His trajectory is ascending. Perry is just a little behind Bachmann. No matter if you like them or not, and I do like Bachmann, they are going down and Cain is going up.

Spin your wheels all you want, but you are either going to support Cain or you are going to support Romney.

93 posted on 10/05/2011 8:22:03 PM PDT by Prokopton
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To: Awgie

The “dude is a dud,” how clever.

What’s your point? You go into an election with he candidate you have not the candidate you wish you had. Perry is not my choice, but he’s the only choice so he’ll have to do.


94 posted on 10/05/2011 8:23:07 PM PDT by fluffdaddy (Who died and made the Supreme Court God?)
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To: Clairity

Im tired of all this bs bickering. Sarah’s not in, Mitt is a Rhino(I spoke to him today), Bauchman is unelectable, and Newt doesn’t have the support. Ih yeah, Perry is from Texas. What not to love about Herman Cain? Let’s rally around him and get him elected dammit!! Lets unite ans win this election!!


95 posted on 10/05/2011 8:23:25 PM PDT by goseminoles
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To: bwc2221

Correct. Plus, I’m not so sure socialized medicine is more damaging to this Republic than open borders. There is a much greater chance of of dismantling socialized medicine (or its collapsing on its own) than there is of turning tens of millions of new socialism loving voters in to responsible voters.


96 posted on 10/05/2011 8:25:19 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: af_vet_rr
Nobody is trying to bully or scare you. We are just trying ease you out of your pipe dreams and back to the real world. Herman Cain is not going to win the Republican nomination. We face a binary choice — Romney or Perry. No purpose is served by pretending otherwise. Any effort expended on behalf of no hopers (Cain, Bachmann, Gingrich, Santorum etc.) is, at best, wasted.

Delusions can be sweet and we all understand how hard it can be to give them up. But you have to. It's as simple as that.

97 posted on 10/05/2011 8:33:09 PM PDT by fluffdaddy (Who died and made the Supreme Court God?)
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To: Prokopton

Cain won’t make it past the first couple of votes, if he makes it that far. Time to come back from Never Never Land.


98 posted on 10/05/2011 8:37:30 PM PDT by fluffdaddy (Who died and made the Supreme Court God?)
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To: fluffdaddy
The more you all try to make this be a choice between Romney or Perry, the more desperate you look. Nobody is going to read your posts and think "maybe they are right, maybe there are only two candidates in this race!" No, they are liable to read your post and think "why would I support a candidate whose supporters are so desperate that they are trying to scare me into supporting their guy?" It reeks to high Heaven of the tactics used by the Ron Paul supporters and we all know how those tactics work out.

And speaking of delusions, if you think Romney can turn a few RINOs and Mormons into a winning combination, think again. There are a lot of us who will never support Romney, and a lot of Republicans know that Romney is political suicide for the party. I'm not just talking about the man who runs this website, I'm talking about me and a lot of other Christians who will not vote for Romney, period.
99 posted on 10/05/2011 8:42:22 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: Clairity

I can help with these:

“After Texas Legislature passed law to give in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants, with only four votes against him, he didn’t veto the measure, ‘to make a statement’, when his veto would have been easily overridden.”

Let’s consider a few things here, shall we? First, the Texas Dream Act applies to ILLEGALS to happen to be children. Second, this was during Perry’s honeymoon - hell he could have gotten the Rubber-Stamp legislature to give him carte-blanche to sell off control of our highways and to start the biggest land-grab in the history of the country (wait...he did do that, we just haven’t discussed that little issue with him). Third, if Perry didn’t want the Dream Act, as you’re trying to imply, WHY THE HELL DOES HE KEEP DEFENDING IT, and then call us heartless?

“’Foot-in-mouth in the debate’ let he/she who never said something they regretted throw the first stone, especially after hours of everyone ganging up on him over one or two issues”

You could only wish. The reason this is KILLING him is because when people are tired, you start to see their REAL PERSONALITY come out. And people don’t like the little peak they got of Perry. He has NEVER had to deal with serious opposition either in becoming governor or maintaining the governorship...and now we know EXACTLY how he will treat people that want a secure border (and likely will treat people who oppose him on other pet projects of his, like selling off control of our highways), should he become president.

“Are Perry’s negatives so bad that we should rather have Romney walk away with the nomination and then be beaten by Obama? THIS is the real question. Let us take a step back and consider the above.”

Seems to me that there are now two top-tier candidates now, and that Perry is not one of them. So the line that it’s Perry or Romney is getting a bit STALE. This is particularly true if other conservatives line up behind Cain...and if they do (which I expect), then it’s over, and your DREADED NIGHTMARE of Romney never happens.


100 posted on 10/05/2011 8:42:25 PM PDT by BobL (I want a Conservative for 2012, not Perry)
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