# The "Make Fun of Herman Cain" Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 2, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647 "2011-11-02T16:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/221 "2011-11-17T19:00:00Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Apparently Herman Cain no habla Cubano. [link](http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-cain-cuban-20111117,0,5913167.story) While there are a whole ton of other problems for him in that link, I’m not going to be too harsh on not knowing what language is spoken in Cuba. If he would have assumed Spanish and been wrong, he would have gotten beaten up for that too. So he didn’t assume he knew, and he asked a question and we bitch about that? Again, there were lots of policy flubs, and yes if he knew he was going to a cuban restaurant, he should have done his homework. But seriously, Obama did say 57 states. Michelle Bachmann did say “John Wayne from Waterloo IA” which is John Wayne Gacy, not the actor John Wayne. Every time I have to give a speech there is a good chance I am going to screw something up. I agree, knock him down for not knowing a whole slew of things, but for asking how to say something in Cuban? Nah, there are substantive things to dislike, but this ain’t one of them. I debate with a coworker who is republican, and he always tries to throw in that 57 states thing. The truth is the more people speak in public the more likelihood that they will screw something up, let’s stick to substantive issues instead of minor flubs. Cain has plenty of substantive problems. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/222 "2011-11-17T19:20:17Z")
> [@otternell](#): > > While there are a whole ton of other problems for him in that link, I’m not going to be too harsh on not knowing what language is spoken in Cuba. If he would have assumed Spanish and been wrong, he would have gotten beaten up for that too. So he didn’t assume he knew, and he asked a question and we bitch about that? Again, there were lots of policy flubs, and yes if he knew he was going to a cuban restaurant, he should have done his homework. > > But seriously, Obama did say 57 states. Michelle Bachmann did say “John Wayne from Waterloo IA” which is John Wayne Gacy, not the actor John Wayne. Every time I have to give a speech there is a good chance I am going to screw something up. I agree, knock him down for not knowing a whole slew of things, but for asking how to say something in Cuban? Nah, there are substantive things to dislike, but this ain’t one of them. > > I debate with a coworker who is republican, and he always tries to throw in that 57 states thing. The truth is the more people speak in public the more likelihood that they will screw something up, let’s stick to substantive issues instead of minor flubs. Cain has plenty of substantive problems. The Obama 57 states slip was just that. No one actually thinks Obama believes there are 57 states, but if Republicans need one to hang their hats on, fine, Obama said 57 states. Cain, on the other hand, is demonstrably clueless. The man knows nothing, and it is becoming increasingly evident with every passing day. Republicans must suddenly be peeing in their pants at the prospect of Cain getting the nomination and having to debate Obama. Too bad he won’t get the chance. It would have been hilarious. I’m now of the opinion that even Palin would have debated Obama better than Cain. Yeah, she would have BS’d, word-souped, and winked her way through it, but I doubt she would have brain-farted it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/223 "2011-11-17T19:36:19Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m now of the opinion that even Palin would have debated Obama better than Cain. Yeah, she would have BS’d, word-souped, and winked her way through it, but I doubt she would have brain-farted it. I would pay good money to see a Palin-Cain debate. I’d pay double if it was conducted by a no-nonsense moderator who called them both out on their bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/224 "2011-11-17T20:15:08Z")
I’m pretty sure that would devolve into a literal spitball fight within 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/225 "2011-11-17T20:23:43Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’m now of the opinion that even Palin would have debated Obama better than Cain. Yeah, she would have BS’d, word-souped, and winked her way through it, but I doubt she would have brain-farted it. Absolutely, her ‘all true Americans agree with me’ confusion amalgamation is a magic trick that appears to kinda work. She’s even more believable playing the media victim card when confronted with the light of reality. Cain just takes it on the chin, his eyes roll back, spits out a tooth and still doesn’t put his fists up. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/226 "2011-11-17T21:50:22Z")
> [@otternell](#): > > The truth is the more people speak in public the more likelihood that they will screw something up, let’s stick to substantive issues instead of minor flubs. Cain has plenty of substantive problems. It’s different for Cain because this is just another piece on top of the mounting pile of evidence that he has zero knowledge of foreign policy. If this was his first misstep in speaking about other countries I would laugh and move on. But between the Ubeki-beki-stan and his flubs on Libya and Iran and now this, it’s just more evidence that he doesn’t have the chops to be President. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/227 "2011-11-17T22:33:38Z")
Indeed. It’s not just that Cain is flubbing, it’s that he’s constantly and consistently dropping the ball. For fuck’s sake, needing a good minute of deep thought to remember what’s even _happening_ in Libya, a country that we were at war with very recently, is ridiculously bad! Not to mention that what seemed to bring him back on course was the realization that, “oh, wait, it’s something obama did–it _must_ be bad!” That’s what you’d expect from a partisan redneck who doesn’t know Osama Bin Laden from Saddam Hussein, not the potential leader of the free world! What’s more, it’s not even just that he seems to be IMMENSELY ignorant of foreign policy, but also that he seems almost _proud_ of it. I would let flubs like this fly if it were a candidate who had demonstrated a general understanding of foreign policy; who at least _seemed_ to know what they were talking about. Cain is not that candidate. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/228 "2011-11-18T14:18:25Z")
pizza man just got Secret Service protection available to candidates at their request. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/229 "2011-11-18T14:51:31Z")
Herman Cain’s leadership philosophy [borrowed from the Simpsons](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/herman-cain-leader-reader_n_1099854.html): > [@](#): > > According to numerous sources, [including The Associated Press](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111117/us-cain/), Cain said Thursday at a New Hampshire campaign event, “We need a leader, not a reader.” The quote was reported on Twitter by [ABC News’ Susan Archer](https://twitter.com/#!/TheOnlyArcher/status/137235854564397056) as well as [AP’s Steve Peoples](https://twitter.com/#!/sppeoples/status/137236310061617152). AP provides [some context for the statement](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111117/us-cain/), explaining, “He defended recent stumbles on foreign policy and said the president doesn’t need to know every detail about every country.” > > [TPM’s Benjy Sarlin notes](https://twitter.com/benjysarlin/status/137242390904836096) that Cain’s quote bears a striking resemblance to a joke from [2007’s “The Simpsons Movie.”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462538/) During a scene in the White House, Arnold Schwarzenegger (the President of the United States in the film) is presented with a series of options on a major decision and immediately picks one of them without reading it. Explaining how he came to the decision so quickly, [the character of Schwarzenegger says](http://youtu.be/C9f1TYyvEx8), “I was elected to lead, not to read.” ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/230 "2011-11-18T14:57:11Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Herman Cain’s leadership philosophy [borrowed from the Simpsons](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/17/herman-cain-leader-reader_n_1099854.html): and Pokemon and Simcity ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/231 "2011-11-18T15:01:18Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > and Pokemon and Simcity Anybody else getting suspicious that Herman Cain is really one kid on another kid’s shoulders, wearing a grownup’s overcoat? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/232 "2011-11-18T15:48:07Z")
Or an elaborate prank. I am so envious of the US political process. Canada used to have joke candidates at the federal level (like the Rhino Party) but they were never very funny and everyone ignored them, even before changes to the process effectively legislated them out if existence. What a wheeze it must be to live in a country where you can have candidates like this guy and he doesn’t even stand out that much from his competition in the primary. Sent with my fat fingers using Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/233 "2011-11-18T16:28:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Anybody else getting suspicious that Herman Cain is really one kid on another kid’s shoulders, wearing a grownup’s overcoat? Brilliant. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/234 "2011-11-18T16:33:27Z")
And the dumb kid is on top? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/235 "2011-11-18T17:32:48Z")
**Herman Cain Campaign: Secret Service Needed To [Protect GOP Candidate From Journalists](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/18/herman-cain-secret-service-protection-media_n_1101422.html):** > [@](#): > > Herman Cain is the first 2012 Republican presidential candidate to receive Secret Service protection, and now his campaign is saying it made the security request because of journalists. > > [According](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/cain-to-receive-secret-service-protection/2011/11/17/gIQAsCiwVN_blog.html) to _The Washington Post_, Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon said Thursday night that the campaign wanted Secret Service protection after an [article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cain-campaign-reviewing-security-after-reporter-skirmishes/2011/11/17/gIQAqi3aUN_story.html) was published detailing a series of tussles involving journalists at Cain events. Maybe Herman’s wish for [his preferred code name](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68686.html)will be granted: > [@](#): > > Herman Cain mused in his book “This is Herman Cain” about what he would want his Secret Service code name to be if he ever got that far in his White House quest. > > From Summers: Explaining it in his book, Cain says Nathan Naidu, one of his aides, already refers to him as “Cornbread” on the campaign schedule. Cornbread, cornpone, it’s all the same, he’s getting cornholed. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/236 "2011-11-18T23:20:54Z")
Cain claims “the Taliban” has taken control of Libya… [http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/11/18/372716/cain-flubs-libya-again-claims-taliban-has-taken-control/](http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/11/18/372716/cain-flubs-libya-again-claims-taliban-has-taken-control/) ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/237 "2011-11-21T18:56:03Z")
[http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/19/cain-would-overturn-the-supreme-court-if-they-overturned-doma/](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/19/cain-would-overturn-the-supreme-court-if-they-overturned-doma/) Third thread that this link fits into. Golden! ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/238 "2011-11-21T21:59:28Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Or an elaborate prank. I am so envious of the US political process. Canada used to have joke candidates at the federal level (like the Rhino Party) but they were never very funny and everyone ignored them, even before changes to the process effectively legislated them out if existence. What a wheeze it must be to live in a country where you can have candidates like this guy and he doesn’t even stand out that much from his competition in the primary. > > Sent with my fat fingers using Tapatalk. Sometimes I feel like this too - how much more _entertaining_ is the election process in the States than here in Canada. Then I get kind of afraid that the political structure of the USA appears to value _entertainment_ over, you know, politicking. It would be much funnier if their antics had no effect on the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/239 "2011-11-21T22:59:21Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Then I get kind of afraid that the political structure of the USA appears to value _entertainment_ over, you know, politicking. Appears to? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647/240 "2011-11-21T23:53:53Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Appears to? I thought I’d be generous before someone came in and told me exactly how wrong I was because of [insert functioning example here]. I’m nice that way. I am Canadian, after all! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-make-fun-of-herman-cain-thread/601647.md?page=13)