All-purpose Herman Cain fun thread

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

McCain had the lobbyist innuendo in the NYT, along with the W. scorched earth rumor that he had a mixed race child out of wedlock.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

The Times was ready to run with that story and McCain beat them down with all kinds of threats.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

In that case, you either run it or you don't. What the Times eventually ran was embarrassing.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

What the NYT did there was terrible. McCain's not perfect, but he didn't deserve that shit by any stretch.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history


Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain for the first time has offered a detailed recollection of what led an employee of the National Restaurant Association to lodge a sexual harassment charge against him when he was CEO of the organization.

Cain spoke in response to detailed questioning from Fox News' Greta van Susteren, who led Cain through the facts of the case in an extended interview. That interview was taped to be shown on Fox Monday night.

Cain told van Susteren that he remembered one woman who was a writer in the Association's communications department. "I can't even remember her name, but I do remember the formal allegation she made in terms of sexual harassment," Cain said. "I turned it over to my general counsel and one of the ladies that worked for me, the woman in charge of human resources. They did investigate…and it was found to be baseless."

Van Susteren asked Cain how often he saw the woman. "I might see her in the office because her office was on the same floor as my office," Cain said. Van Susteren asked whether the woman traveled with Cain, who spent a lot of time on the road speaking to restaurant associations around the country. "No, never," Cain said.

Cain said the woman was "younger than I was," but he could not recall her age. Pressed, he said, "It would have had to have been late 30s, early 40s."

Van Susteren asked what Cain did that led to the accusation. There were reportedly more than one accusations in the complaint, but Cain said he recalled just one incident. "She was in my office one day, and I made a gesture saying -- and I was standing close to her -- and I made a gesture saying you are the same height as my wife. And I brought my hand up to my chin saying, 'My wife comes up to my chin.'" At that point, Cain gestured with his flattened palm near his chin. "And that was put in there [the complaint] as something that made her uncomfortable," Cain said, "something that was in the sexual harassment charge."

Van Susteren asked whether the woman complained at the time. "I can't recall any comment that she made, positive or negative."

Cain also offered new information about the settlement of the case. Politico, which broke the sexual harassment allegation story, said that the woman received a money settlement "in the five-figure range." When van Susteren asked about that, Cain said, "My general counsel said this started out where she and her lawyer were demanding a huge financial settlement…I don't remember a number…But then he said because there was no basis for this, we ended up settling for what would have been a termination settlement." When van Susteren asked how much money was involved, Cain said. "Maybe three months' salary. I don't remember. It might have been two months. I do remember my general counsel saying we didn't pay all of the money they demanded."

As for reports that a second woman also complained about his behavior, Cain said, "I am totally unaware as to any formal charges coming from this other person." Cain said he was told the woman's name by reporters at Politico. "I have no knowledge that she made a formal complaint," Cain said.

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/cain-details-gesture-led-sex-charge

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history


Sounds like a liar to me.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

What's the evidence that Politico is a "right-leaning" site?

I find it plays pretty straight down the middle. In fact, I've seen both sides complain that it leans towards the other side. If it's pissing off both sides, that's a pretty good case that it's fair.

And, while I could see someone arguing one way or the other, I'm surprised to see you describing it this way so matter-of-factly.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

Actually, YF, I don't much notice a bias when I read it. In fact, none at all. I see it frequently described as a right-leaning site and thought that was accepted knowledge. Maybe not.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

The president and CEO of Politico is Fred Ryan who was Reagan's chief of staff (post-presidency) and chairs Reagan's library board of trustees.

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaigh calls it mouthpiece for the Obama White House.

I think they take leaks from all sides.

If you want to get something out there, you want it to run in either the New York Times or the Washington Post.

If they won't take it, you give it to Politico. Everyone in politics reads it, and it will get picked up elsewhere as a result.

In my mind, they're almost the TMZ of politics. I don't see that as being biased one way or the other.

I saw one of their editors on MSNBC today, and he said they got a tip, but wouldn't get into where the tip cam from. (Though, when it comes to politics, I almost feel like the press ought to at least broadly identify where a tip came from.)

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

So? Does he involve himself in editorial decisions?

Do you think John Harris or Jim VandeHei would work for him if he did?

They like to break news. If there's a bias to that, I haven't seen it.

They've also addressed the charge head on: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3013.html

 

Re: Herman Cain's sexual harassment history

Oh, as long as they've addressed the charge, very well then.

Fox News has also "addressed the charge" that it's a GOP house organ.