Cain Again Changes His Story

Why negotiate against yourself? When somebody comes forward and they have a claim against me and they’re willing to take a lie detector test, I’ll take a lie detector test. I’m not gonna take one against anonymous, no documentation. That’s not good business.

–Herman Cain, presidential candidate, explaining why he is backing away from his earlier proposal to clear his name concerning sexual harassment of female employees by taking a polygraph test.

NBC’s David Gregory’s “Grand Wizard” Freudian Slip

David Gregory is walking back an analogous term he used during a Today Show interview, in which he said there is no “grand wizard” at the GOP calling the shots on the Herman Cain scandal. Gregory later tweeted, “”Wizard” remark this morning was a very poor choice of words. Did not mean to make that connection at all. Was not thinking. I apologize”.

In fact, Gregory’s comment was perfect. While he might have been visualizing the wizard in Oz, the term “grand wizard” is normally associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

Considering the Republican and tea party embrace of the Koch Brothers-funded ALEC legislative goals of drug testing welfare recipients; making it harder for the poor and young people to vote, in violation the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and imprisoning people who came here illegally and denying an education to their children who are native-born Americans, it’s not a real reach to wonder if there aren’t Klan sympathizers in the Grand Old Party.

Republicans Don’t Care About Sexual Harassment

54%

Proportion of Republican voters who said they were unconcerned that Herman Cain settled two sexual harassment claims while he was a lobbyist with the National Restaurant Association, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. The poll was taken in between the third and fourth women coming forward with similar experiences of Cain.

The (Tea) Party’s Over: Top Republicans Shunning Florida Tea Party

ScottTeaSign
So last year.

When you think of the Florida tea party, the names Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio come to mind but neither man came to their state’s tea party convention this weekend.* A new trend of ignoring the once ascendant Koch-funded effort seems to be under way.

It’s hard not to think there’s a connection between the decline in the popularity of the tea party and the generally more favorable ratings for the Occupy movement. Nowhere was the so-last-year quality of support for tea partiers more evident than at their own Florida convention.

Of the major presidential candidates, only Rick Santorum confirmed to the Tampa Tribune this week that he’s attending. Ron Paul’s campaign couldn’t be reached for comment; the event isn’t on his campaign web site schedule, although event organizers said he’ll be there. Spokesmen for Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney all said they won’t make it…

“It’s like they’re throwing a party and the guests of honor aren’t going to show up,” said retired University of South Florida political scientist Darryl Paulson, a Republican.

[…]

Perry’s Texas, Hunstman’s Family Company Taking Taxpayer Millions

hypocriteIf there’s anything Republicans enjoy, it’s deriding the Affordable Health Care Act, or as they sneer, “Obamacare.” So who do you think was first in line to scarf AHCA funds that help early retirees?

That would be Gov. Rick Perry’s own Texans, followed by employees of Huntsman International, owned by the family of Jon Huntsman. Both men, of course, are running for president against Obama.

If you’ve ever wondered how wealth travels upward from the 99% to the top, here’s a vivid illustration.

“Some people have described this program as ‘Cash for Clunkers,’ in the sense that if you want it, you have to get in line first,” said Paul Fronstin, an economist with [nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute]. “There was a lot of advice given to be first in line.”

…Texas, it seems, heeded the advice. So did Huntsman International.

[…]

Faux Outsider: Cain Was a Lobbyist In Bed with Big Tobacco

If you’re having trouble grocking Herman Cain, a recent article in the New York Times will make your mental light bulb shine.

Cain, who has been the next Reagan since he won the straw poll at Florida’s Presidency 5 confab in September, says his main virtue is that he is an outsider to politics. And while it’s true that Cain has never held elected office, he is only an outsider in the Jack Abramoff sense of that word.*

…the role that helped propel Mr. Cain into politics was that of an ultimate Washington insider: industry lobbyist.

[…]

Perry’s Wife Not Clear on the Concept of Unemployment

He resigned his job two weeks ago because he can’t go out and campaign with his father because of SEC regulations…My son lost his job because of this administration.

Anita Perry, wife of Gov. Rick Perry (Tex. – GOPvangelical), responding sympathetically to a voter at a South Carolina diner who told the Perrys he is working as a handyman since losing his job. Griffin Perry resigned as an investment advisor at Deutche Bank to hit the campaign trail with his dad.

Scott Gives Himself Do-Over on Jobs Promise

I could argue that I don’t have to create any jobs. I just have to make sure we don’t lose jobs.

Gov. Rick Scott (Fla. – GOP/Tea), explaining why he shouldn’t be held to his campaign promise to create 700,000 new jobs on top of projected growth in Florida. Scott has focused — like most tea party Republicans who campaign on jobs — on issues like drug testing applicants for public assistance, gutting environmental protections, restricting access to voting, and micromanaging public education.