What was he saying...
Rusty Tanton has written a new column for Georgia Political Digest on the comment recently made by Herman Cain:
Despite losing that race, you had built up good will among movers and shakers within and outside your party. Inevitably, it would propel you into a successful statewide or national race in just a few short years. "Cain for Governor in 2010!" I can almost hear them chanting. Alas, poor fella, you got cancer earlier this year. Our hearts bled for you more. When you beat it, we wondered, "How remarkable would this man be after kicking cancer's butt?"Tanton ends with this:You answered us this week with a resounding "not very."
But, by going the Ann Coulter route and juxtaposing an anti-Wal-Mart position with Hezbollah sympathizing, well, your creativity and mental capacity comes into question. Any idiot can casually throw around accusations of treason when they don't agree with someone.As Cain's spokesperson told the AJC, "He was referring to the militant rhetoric that liberals use against capitalism and the economy," she said. "The column was basically saying liberals need to be reminded that we're not at war against American companies that contribute jobs, wages and fuels our economy."The Herman Cain I remember from a couple of years ago was a showman, but not a cheap shock jock. Maybe that's the image I hold onto because I've never listened to your radio show.
Consider your good will with me officially squandered.
As soon as I read Mr. Cain's column I told a friend that he was going to take heat for what he said. I even called it "rough" on this site. But he wasn't saying that Democrats are are terrorists or traitors, rather their rhetoric against capitalism and the free market is something that could be compared to some of the rhetoric that islamic radicals use against the west. Cain was not implying anything other than that...and I don't think anyone can deny that the modern Democratic Party has been center for collectivist thought and politics in this country, though the Republicans aren't too far behind them.
The only thing Cain is guilty of is bad timing.
Comments
Rusty Tanton is an idiot. Period.
Posted by: Wayne LaPierre | August 25, 2006 10:27 AM
Haha, Wayne, you made the quote log on my site with that one.
Posted by: Rusty | August 25, 2006 10:37 AM
I have to agree that I was disappointed with Cain's column. He could have gotten his point across without the namecalling.
And he makes this analogy in bad faith. Does anyone really think Wal-Mart's opponents want to do the same kind of harm to the company that Israel's opponents want to do that country? Of course not. This is as wrongheaded as people who try to compare Falwell or Robertson to the Taliban by calling them "theocrats" as if they are advocating the same tactics such as stoning adulterers or executing homosexuals. It's simply a stupid analogy that apparently was made just for its shock value.
Cain would gain greater credibility if he assumed that Wal-Mart's supporters were sincere in their beliefs that the company is exploiting their employees and then proceeded to rationally take apart their argument. Instead he makes a clumsy analogy that tries to tie criticizing a major corporation with calling for the destruction of an entire people.
This is just another example of the Coulterization of American political discourse. It's not enough to show that your opponents' ideas are wrong, you have to also show that they have an ulterior motive when promulgating them.
I expected more out of Cain.
Posted by: Doug Kidd | August 25, 2006 02:46 PM