Update: check out this creepy and very unclassy detail now being reported:
She said she didn’t witness any “inappropriate sexual behavior” at the group dinner. But she claimed he asked the waiter for two $400 bottles of wine, and then stiffed the rest of the group when it came time to pay.
Reeling under allegations of sexual misconduct, and with calls to respond more credibly now popping up on the conservative side of the aisle, Herman Cain vowed to set the record straight, scheduling a presser for this afternoon and it’s sure to be entertaining:
(Politico) In a sign that he’s begun taking those calls more seriously in the wake of Sharon Bialek’s graphic charges earlier in the day, Cain moved late Monday to schedule a press conference for Tuesday afternoon — and prefaced the event with a defiant statement. After attacking Herman Cain through anonymous accusers for a week, his opponents have now convinced a woman with a long history of severe financial difficulties, including personal bankruptcy, to falsely accuse the Republican frontrunner of events occurring over a decade ago for which there is no record, nor even a complaint filed,” said Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon.
I hope he does. Right now Obama beats Cain in the general by 15 points. As long as Cain is in the race he’s dragging down the entire GOP, and with them the 0.01% they directly work for and the creepy dominionists they nurture.
I just hope he’ll be able to hang on long enough to secure the nomination against Romney – if he implodes too early, Romney’s road is clear (for the moment), and he’d be much more of a problem in the general election.
But at the moment it still looks like Cain might make it – the party establishment has considered him unelectable to begin with, but they can no longer control their base. And for at least a considerable subset of that base, disrespecting women counts as more of a feature than a bug.
Of course Cain won’t be the Republican candidate – he’s just the latest in a line of idiots the rabid right have swooned over, and he doesn’t even have a significant campaign organisation. It’s quite clear there is no credible candidate who also appeals to the teabaggers. Barring something very nasty appearing from his own past, Romney will be the candidate. But at least one wingnut will probably stand as an independent, greatly enhancing Obama’s chances of re-election – a lot of the right just won’t vote for a Mormon. Rooting for one of the wingnuts to win the nomination is foolish: Obama might well have lost without the stock market crash shortly before the election, and there is no guarantee something similar will not happen this time. Then the “hopeless” wingnut could win. Romney would be bad news, of course, but religious delusions aside, he does at least appear to have some links to reality.
Pretty much what KG said, and yes Mittens actually has a very good hand on reality. Mittens knows that he’s the only viable candidate and it matters not a whit what he says or how he says it and that as the Republican candidate, considering the degree of hatred that the Republican base has for Obama coupled with the dissatisfaction the remainder of the American populace has with Obama’s performance that he has a good shot though not that good. The few people on the right that would have a chance, like that Sanitation contractor from N.J. are biding their time for 2016.
The accusations against Cain are worrisome, but until more evidence surfaces I will be more concerned with his demonstrated ignorance of international affairs. As for Romney, I’m still waiting for him to actually say anything, as opposed to barfing up oatmeal.
Worst. Field of. Candidates. Ever.
KG @ #2:
I’d respectfully disagree here, because I really believe the country is in no state to survive another Republican presidency without some permanent damage. Romney is, on a personal level, much more competent and less deranged than Cain, but with the ideological climate prevailing in the GOP at this point, that would not prevent him from being forced to implement a whole host of severely flawed policies if elected. The difference between a Cain presidency and a Romney presidency would be far smaller than the differences between the candidates would suggest, and even the lesser of those two evils is too much by far.