The End for Cain?

 

                  Another woman has come forth claiming to have had an inappropriate relationship with Republican candidate Herman Cain. This is the fifth woman to claim such a relationship however it seems that this situation was a consensual affair that lasted more than 13 years. The former CEO and GOP candidate has announced to his own advisers that he would be reassessing the campaign. After poor results in many polls and shaky debate performances, the Cain campaign may be rethinking their pursuit for the Republican nomination. The emergence of yet another claim that may cloud the minds of republicans is seen as an immediate threat to Cain and his ability to gain support as the Iowa caucus approaches. 
                 Atlanta business woman Ginger White made the announcement on Monday in an interview with the city’s news station WAGA.  In the interview, previewed in the video above, White insists that she was aware of the inappropriate nature of her relationship with Cain. She claims that the relationship lasted almost 14 years and ended merely months before Cain’s announcement of his bid for the Republican nomination.  Also confirmed to another source, is that her relationship with Cain was also sexual.  Evidence that supports White’s claims can be found in cell phone records that indicate strong communication between White and a phone number alleged to be Cain’s.  Upon receiving these records WAGA sent a text message to the number, Cain called back and subsequently acknowledged his knowing of White. These cell phone records also reveal that there has been communication between both White and Cain as recently as September. There was also a phone call placed from Cain to White at 4:26 am, suggesting a relationship that was beyond a simple acquaintance. 

GOP Candidate Herman Cain

       The Cain campaign’s reaction to the allegations from White has been not surprisingly somewhat wobbly.  A statement from Cain’s attorney Lin Wood to WAGA did not suggest the allegations were false. "No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life,"( http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/29/politics/cain-accusation-affair/index.html).  Wood’s statement did not clearly deny the allegations nor did it claim them to be false. Despite the statement, Cain appeared on CNN vehemently denying White’s allegations.  During the interview he also revealed the toll such allegations are having on his family. He expressed that the continuation of his campaign relies on the way in which his family reacts to the news.  It seems that Cain is concerned with only how this news will affect his marriage and family life. Considering there have been four other women to allege inappropriate behavior with the business man, the strain on his family has no doubt grown.

                The Iowa campaign chairman for Cain, Steve Grubbs has confirmed that the candidate has announced to advisers that he will be taking a step back and reassessing the campaign. A source close to the campaign sited that the reassessment is mostly due to the lack of money and support for the campaign. The source also stated that the layoff of advisors is likely and depends on fundraising efforts. Cain is still scheduled to speak about foreign policy in Michigan. If Cain does ultimately decide to drop out of the race, there is a significant amount of supporters and votes that will be transferred to another candidate. It is most likely that such support will end up with Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich due to similar conservative stances. Hopefully, Cain will use this latest scandal to finally leave the race that he has struggled to stay on top of. 

Sources:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/cain-reassessing-candidacy-as-new-allegations-emerge/?ref=politics 

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/29/9093531-cain-tells-staff-hes-reassessing-campaign 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/29/politics/cain-accusation-affair/index.html 

Obama Sound Bite the Focus of GOP Attacks

                A comment made recently by President Obama at the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation Conference has become the ammo for many Republican attacks. The most notable of all is former Texas Governor Rick Perry’s newest television campaign advertisement.

                 The Perry campaign used a sound bite from one of Obama’s appearances at APEC last weekend in Hawaii. The President says in the video that Americans are getting “a little bit too lazy”. These are the words that have become the focus for many Republicans who make the case that President Obama is blaming Americans of the financial crisis. Others claim that this is not the first comment from Obama seems to put down or discourage Americans.  As seen in the television advertisement, Perry makes it clear that he opposes the statement going so far as to call it “pathetic”. He also speaks about the “socialist policies” that President Obama has enacted that are “bankrupting America”. Perry includes his own plan, if elected president, which includes a balanced budget 
amendment to the constitution and a plan to “uproot and overhaul” the three branches of government.

President Barrack Obama at APEC, Source:Google Images

                This advertisement is the first negative attack on President Obama in the campaign brought to you by Perry. This very well may be his tactic to gain ground after a huge decrease in the polls. Perhaps Perry is attempting to salvage his reputation that has recently been tarnished due to a slew of fumbles and misstatements. The ad is scheduled to air in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to hold their caucus and primary. The negative attack on Obama is surely Perry’s last effort to gain support and votes that he may have lost during the course of the campaign. As we are nearing the first caucus, in about a month, voters will begin to choose their candidates.

                Many Democratic strategists have called that advertisement absurd and that the quote was taken completely out of context. At the conference Obama was speaking about American businesses and their lack of effort to gain foreign investment.  Obama campaign advisor also went so far as to say that Perry and Romney, who also commented on the statement,

“…apparently [Romney and Perry] don’t think the president should encourage CEOs to promote the United States abroad in order to create American jobs and attract investment at home,” he said. “They have opposed the president’s efforts to create 2 million jobs now, and instead of laying out their own plan to do so, they have endorsed a radical budget plan that would wipe out investments necessary to create jobs in programs like education, research and development and clean energy and shift a greater tax burden away from millionaires and billionaires onto the backs of the middle class and seniors.” (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68534_Page2.html#ixzz1dvj9RnTa)

                Perry was not the only Republican to voice his opinion on the matter. As stated previously, candidate Mitt Romney also shared his views on the President’s comment.  Romney stated that he believes that Obama simply does not understand this country. There was also opposition coming from the smaller campaigns. The comment has already become the subject on the campaign trail for many Republican congressional candidates. Among those included are Senate hopefuls from New Mexico and Virginia, both of which are swing states.

                It is very obvious that such a strong statement, when taken out of context, by President Obama has a powerful effect in today’s political climate. It is easy to use such a controversial sound bite in order to portray a candidate in a negative light and this will no doubt be the last example in the campaign. The uses of negative ads are persistent during campaigns. If the campaign up to this point has proven anything, it is that these candidates can easily and willfully take one another down by any means necessary. 

Sources:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/16/perry-ad-calls-obama-comment-pathetic/ 
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68534.html 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/rick-perrys-comeback-strategy-attack-obama/2011/11/16/gIQAYSjuRN_blog.html

Campaign Advertising

1                 The following video from the C-SPAN video library includes a correspondent from The Atlantic, Molly Ball. A recent DNC campaign advertisement about candidate Mitt Romney’s stance on abortion was shown. The advertisement is meant to give Romney negative attention for his support of the amendment in the Mississippi constitution that would redefine “personhood”. The amendment was not passed.

Campaign Advertising on Television

                      The following clip is from a discussion about campaign advertising with two political consultants. They talk about what a perfect television advertisement consists of such as its length and content. Also mentioned is an example of a great ad from the campaign of Walter Mondale.

Examples of Campaign Advertisements on Television

               The following video contains several television advertisements for the candidate Mike Dukakis during the 1988 campaign for the Democratic nomination. The advertisements effectiveness as well as their issues was also discussed.

Flavor of the Month

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Source: cnn.com

                 

                 The latest of Republican candidates to become the so-called media darling of the month is Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. For many, this may come as a surprise. Analysts were quick to write of Gingrich months ago when a questionable Tiffany’s & Co. account became top news, when the he set sail on a Greek Cruise in the midst of a campaign, and finally when, perhaps as a result, top aides in the campaign team quit. But, alas, this is the Republican race for nominee where we are all quickly realizing nothing and no one is predictable, or logical. A recent CNN poll found that Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was leading the group with 24%. A close second was Gingrich with 22%, only two points shy of the top and what could be the poll’s margin of error. Essentially Romney is now tied with Gingrich and one must ask; why?

Herman Cain

                Many factors contribute to the recent rise in popularity for Gingrich. One thing is clear in this debate, almost all candidates have had their moment in the sun with the exceptions of Representative Ron Paul and Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.  When Former Governor Rick Perry entered the race in August, he experienced an immense amount of popularity; the same can be said for businessman Herman Cain in October. However, now both of those candidates are facing the toughest times in their campaigns. Perry has been dealing with a series of horrific debate performances and blunders. Similarly, Cain has been caught making gaffes and giving controversial statements. At the debate on Tuesday, Cain expressed his support for water boarding and its use for interrogation. This is a far cry from the stance of Senator John McCain, who ran in 2008. McCain has publically been opposed to the technique and believes it to be torture. The most recent Cain blunder came on Monday and could be the reason for his decline in the polls. While being interviewed by journalist s in Milwaukee, Cain was asked how he felt about the war in Libya. Cain struggled with the question and took a long, uncomfortable pause. The video can be found at the end of this post.

                 The sharp decrease of support for Cain is not the only reason Gingrich has experienced more popularity. The Gingrich campaign believes that the Former Speaker’s steady performances in all of the debates contribute to the rise in the polls. In the two most recent debates, Gingrich has been able to remain the most calm and has been the least likely to attack his fellow candidates. This surge in the polls has also resulted in a huge increase of fundraising for the campaign. At the end of the third quarter, Gingrich’s campaign had been in debt for $1.2 million, unable to raise sufficient funds. In the last five days the campaign has claimed to raise $1 million. Since October 1^st, the campaign has raised $3 million with much of that coming from online donations. Even more impressive, the day after the CNBC debate Gingrich claims to have received $160,000. This money will no doubt aid Gingrich in his fight to win the nomination.

                So what is the flavor of the month to do in order to hold on to his new found popularity? Gingrich’s main goal should be to acquire all of the non-Romney votes within his party. With only six weeks until the first decision is made in Iowa, many Republicans are now beginning to pick a candidate as well as pay close attention to the race. The vicinity to the Iowa Caucus makes this month ideal for Gingrich to gain support.

 


Sources:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/14/gingrichs-fundraising-rises-with-poll-numbers/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/goodbye-cain-boomlet-hello-gingrich-newtlet-the-note/
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/14/whats-behind-gingrichs-jump-in-the-polls/
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/15/8816660-first-thoughts-newt-mentum