Shocking Win For Herman Cain

Image via The Other McCain

Allow me to quote myself:

"Great lines, great delivery, great defense of conservative principles. Cain got his mojo back."

That was my reaction to Herman Cain's performance the recent GOP debate. Republicans in Florida were impressed, too.

This from Stacy Mccain:

Cain upsets Perry at Florida straw poll
– USA Today

Cain wins GOP straw poll; result could
carry weight in presidential race
– Tampa Tribune

Hermain Cain wins Florida
straw poll in stunning victory
– Miami Herald

Discussion: Memeorandum

UPDATE:

Our friends over at Pundit Press believe that this powerful statement earned Cain a great deal of support...

UPDATE II:

Maybe Morgan Freeman can play President Cain in a movie!

New York Times Chart of the Day

Cain on top.

Coming from the NYT, this is taken with a grain of salt, but here's interesting analysis of the GOP race from Nate Silver. Go Cain!

UPDATE I: Robert Stacy McCain is intrigued.

UPDATE II: HUCKABEE IS OUT

UPDATE III: RSM... "I owe a hat-tip to RightKlik for his Twitter tip about the Nate Silver 538 chart showing that Herman Cain stands to benefit most from Huckabee’s 2012 no-go."

Thanks!

Discussion: Memeorandum, X-posted

Herman Cain is Volcanic!

Google Bomb! Herman Cain is so hot, he's volcanic!

A conservative candidate for President … #2 on Google Trends …amazing!

Learn more here.

Have you heard of Herman Cain?

If you haven't, it's time to get educated.

Hat tip to our favorite pleurisy survivor, Robert Stacy McCain ― here's reaction to the very first presidential debate ahead of the 2012 election...

Take-home points from last night's debate via John Hayward at Human Events:

The great truth that every Republican presidential candidate must accept is that tonight – and every night, until November 2012 – they dine in hell. They will do battle with an incumbent who presents his re-election as a moral imperative, supported by a media culture of suicidal liberalism that does not want to be told America can no longer afford its appetites. They must relish uneven playing fields, nervous voters, and the difficult process of fusing emotion and reason into inspiration.

The ideal candidate must understand that America’s greatest days lie ahead of her… on the far side of the most perilous hours she has faced in a century. They are battling for executive power over a system that will fight like mad to defeat them, and die of complications from its victory. They will represent an electorate that is tired of apologizing for capitalism to people who want to kill it.

Herman Cain seemed to fit that description best on Thursday night. He’ll face some different opponents in his next debate. The smart ones will watch the tapes from South Carolina, and be ready for him.

Other Reactions:

• CBS: "Herman Cain makes splash at first 2012 GOP debate"
• Larry Kudlow tweets: "Herman Cain wins GOP debate in S.Carolina hands down... Problem-solver."
• Gateway Pundit: "Herman Cain Is BIG WINNER at First GOP Debate"
• John Hayward: "...the most commanding orator of the group," "supreme confidence"
• Lucianne: "Frank Luntz was blown away about the overwhelming support Mr. Cain received after the debate."
• Jill Victoria: "Wow! So proud and impressed that Herman Cain is trending worldwide!"
• Erick Erickson: "...Cain dominated. He went from being unknown to a household name."

Sam Foster called it early.

X-posted

UPDATE: Google Bomb... Herman Cain is so hot, he's volcanic!

Discussion at Memeorandum

Hail Mary Pass for the GOP?

To paraphrase British historian Paul Johnson, I like the cut of this man's jib:

This is the Republican Party's best shot at sneaking in an actual true blue authentic conservative, who can take on all of Washington's sacred cows and then become the most vilified person in the country.

The man for that job is Sarah Palin.

Would a President Huckabee put his office and popularity on the line to take on the highly unpopular, yet urgently necessary issue of entitlement reform? Not likely.

Could you see a President Romney taking the risk of being vilified as a xenophobic racist by demanding an enforcement first approach to illegal immigration? No way, Jose.

How about a President Mitch Daniels going up to Alaska and drilling for oil like a crazed dentist? Good luck.

Sarah Palin? Check. Check. Check.

Why not offer Americans a candidate who is as far to the right as Obama is to the left? How about this rock star?

X-posted

Memeorandum thread

Herman Cain Moved Them To Tears

Herman Cain made such an indelible mark at CPAC, I'm compelled to post his speech in its entirety with some of the reactions from the internets. First, the speech with a brief intro from Ed Morrissey:

"If you watch one speech in its entirety, this may be the one to choose. Herman Cain, so far the only declared candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, stole the show yesterday with his speech in the late afternoon. People left the ballroom saying that he moved them to tears..."

WATCH THIS:

Wondering why Cain was showing his sleeves? His explaination via his twitter feed is, "I told y'all I don't have any tricks up my sleeve. No TelePrompter required..."

Roughly two hours before businessman Herman Cain is scheduled to take the stage at CPAC, he still doesn't know exactly what he's going to say.

Cain told Hotline on Call that he prefers when giving major speeches to let the audience dictate his message, a free-wheeling style that's practically unheard of among presidential hopefuls.

"I have some idea of what I'm going to say, of course," Cain said, laughing. "My outline is in my mind. I already know the first 80 percent of what I'm gonna talk about, but that last 20 percent I don't figure out until after I get in front of the audience. I like to get a feel for the audience and read their reaction to certain things, and based upon their reaction I'll decide where to go next."

Cain's speech rocked the crowd. Predictably, the paranoid, race-obsessed left wing is wetting their pants:

Let’s consider the routine. First, Cain enters the stage to Motown music. Then Cain feigns swimming after rolling up his sleeves to show them his black skin and how he is a hardworking negro (not like those other ones). Cain bellows in a preacher affected voice and channels the folksy negro down home accent of his late grandpappy. In the money shot, Cain gives the obligatory “black folks who are not Republicans are on the plantation” speech to the joyous applause of his White benefactors. And he doubles down by legitimating any opposition to President Barack Obama as virtuous and patriotic regardless of the bigoted well-springs from which it may flow.

Meanwhile, the daft punks at Politico pretend to be nonplussed:

He had one or two memorable lines, such as: “Stupid people are ruining America.” But one or two middling zingers do not a credible candidate make. Given his flat performance, Cain’s going to have to work extra-hard going forward to win a place in the 2012 process.

I marvel at the lengths to which white liberals will go to abuse and discredit their black conservative enemies. They rarely treat white conservatives in the same demeaning fashion.

Unlike the Democratic activists who write for Politico, John Hayward actually witnessed the speech:

He was a formidable presence when he took the stage on Friday.

Other people talk or shout from the stage, but Cain sings. He doesn’t deliver lines to them like Mitt Romney, or feed off their energy like Donald Trump. He belts out the music of his vision, and invites the audience to sing along, or at least tap their feet to his rhythm...

He mentioned he has lived on this Earth for 65 years, but when he sings of America, he loses fifteen years in the blink of an eye.

More reactions to Herman Cain's CPAC speech:

The Boston Herald: "...Riveting."

The Right Scoop: "Herman Cain gave an electric speech..."

"Herman Cain Rocks CPAC"

Nice Deb: "...Herman Cain is my pick for 2012. Listen to this, and tell me if don’t agree."

Finally, more hate-filled trepidation from the left.

Vintage footage: Herman Cain vs. Bill Clinton...

X-postedMore Discussion

Stupid People Are Ruining America

Highlights from Herman Cain's CPAC speech:

UPDATE: Don't miss the rest of this great speech!

Get ready, America, for The Hermanator Experience

It looks like Herman Cain is dead serious about running for president.

The progs at The Atlantic have written up a pretty good piece introducing the uninitiated to "The Hermanator Experience." They called him crazy (without citing any evidence) and then proceeded to slather him with praise:

Although often outrageous, he has a shrewd sense of his appeal. At a GOP confab in New Orleans last year, Cain railed against liberals, who, he said, slander conservatives as “racist, redneck tea-baggers.” He paused for effect, then brought the house down: “I had to go look in the mirror to see if I missed something!”

Last year, Cain addressed more than 40 Tea Party rallies, hit all the early presidential states, and became a YouTube sensation. He pops up regularly on Fox News. He has devoted followers—on Twitter, on the radio, and in the real world too. He calls himself the “dark horse.” People love it. In December, he was the surprise choice for 2012 GOP nominee in a reader poll on the conservative Web site RedState.com, narrowly edging out Palin. “I’m 70, 80 percent there,” he told me. The only question is money. If he can raise enough, he’ll get in the race.

Cain would surely enliven the proceedings, and might even steal a debate or two. But is he for real? Maybe. “The people posting about Cain on Facebook and Twitter are the activists I look to for the pulse of the Tea Party,” Tim Albrecht, a top aide to Iowa’s Republican governor, Terry Branstad, told me. “They’ve taken an increased interest in him.” Get ready, America...

Read the rest here.

And don't miss what Matthew Newman has to say.

Or this from Red State: Herman Cain ... America can be great again.

X-posted.

Herman Cain: Obama's Nightmare!

There's been a lot of Herman Cain buzz in the conservative mediasphere lately. Without further ado, here are the highlights:

Matthew Newman:

[Cain] is known among conservative circles because of his role in helping fight Clinton’s version of nationalized healthcare in 1994 ― that’s when he became a conservative legend. As the President of Godfathers Pizza at the time, he challenged Bill Clinton personally to a town hall style debate/meeting and [Clinton] accepted. The result? Cain pointed out the flaws in the plan when he bold face asked Clinton what he should say to workers he could no longer afford to keep on staff due to the increased health care costs from the “employer mandate.” Clinton said that there would be a number of subsidies for small businessmen to which Cain replied, “Quite honestly, your calculation is inaccurate…In the competitive marketplace it simply doesn’t work that way.” This helped reshape the debate...

Newsweek:

The Clintons would later blame "Harry and Louise," the fictional couple in the ads aired by the insurance industry, for undermining health reform. But the real saboteurs are named Herman and John.

Neal Boortz:

OBAMA'S WORST NIGHTMARE IS.... Our friend Herman Cain!

Cristy Li:

Herman Cain is everything that Barack Obama is not ― a seasoned man of faith... an experienced business executive, a natural communicator...

Cubachi:

Although Herman Cain is not a household name, he is one of the most electric and inspiring conservatives whose name is being floated around for 2012. Among those of us who live and breathe politics, we all know too well that Cain can engage an audience and give a speech like no one else. A professional businessman and conservative talk radio host, Cain is slowly gaining traction as a person to take seriously as a candidate for president.

The Lonely Conservative:

Cain is conservative through and through, and he really knows how to work a crowd. Stacy McCain noticed that even Allahpundit is considering climbing aboard Herman Cain 2012 bandwagon. He can count me in, too. Not only is Cain a true conservative with a gift for public speaking, he also has an impressive resume.

The Daily Caller:

Cain, who on Friday is scheduled to appear on Greta Van Susteren’s show on Fox News, has been traveling to early caucus and primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire to reach out to grassroots movement and potential donors.

If Cain decides to run, he’ll certainly face high hurdles in getting attention in a race that could include Republican stars like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

But his visits to early primary states appear to be paying off....

Sayeth Tim Albrecht "a Terry Branstad aide who knows his way around the politics of the first caucus..."

Prediction: Herman Cain is going to have some serious legs when he begins visiting Iowa.

News from New Hampshire:

Veteran GOP operative and former congressional staffer David Tille has become active on behalf of conservative author and potential presidential hopeful Herman Cain. Tille drove Cain during Cain’s visit to the Manchester GOP Christmas Party last Friday and plans follow-up meetings with Cain’s camp.

h/t: The Other McCain

Gatordoug:

I like Cain a lot, and he is one of those possible candidates that I would love to be able to choose from. We have several very exciting candidates and I hope the Republican leadership will stay the Hell out-of-the-way and let Republican voters decide who OUR choice is! Herman Cain 2012? Bring that on!

Anthropocon:

It pleases me that Herman Cain seems to be leaning closer to running for president. Even if he doesn’t win the nomination his presence will push the debate in the direction it needs to go.

The Other McCain:

People who meet Herman Cain become Cain boosters.

I haven't met Herman Cain yet, but I first blogged about Cain in July of 2009 after hearing him speak at an Atlanta-area tea party that I attended. He broadcast his radio show live from the tea party and his presentation was phenomenal. On my long drive after the tea party, I listened to a repeat broadcast of the show and I coordinated my stops with the commercial breaks so I hear it all again without missing a minute. Cain's message was that good!

If there's any room for doubt about what this blogger thinks about Herman Cain, let me be clear: Herman Cain 2012!

Visit Citizens4Cain.

Citizens4Cain Facebook page

Citizens4Cain on Twitter

Vote for Herman Cain in the Red State poll!

X-posted

A Tale of Two Tea Parties: Atlanta & Cobb

We here at RightKlik had the good fortune to attend two Metro Atlanta tea parties over the 4th of July weekend, at the Capitol in Atlanta as well as at Jim Miller Park in Cobb County.

In spite of the obstacles thrown in their way, Atlanta area Tea Party patriots gathered together on the Independence Day weekend to make their message clear.

Although Obama sympathizers managed to derail what would have been the area’s largest Tea Party, they could not stifle the movement. Over 7,000 patriots came to Jim Miller Park in Cobb County on July 3.

Michael Naragon was at the Cobb Tea Party in Marietta and describes the event:

"The featured speaker for the night was the dynamic Herman Cain, a conservative talk radio host who [was broadcasting live on] 750 WSB Atlanta."

Herman Cain

"As with all Tea Party events, signs were everywhere."

"...No one seemed to mind the change of venue forced by the pro-Obama Simon/Gwinnett Place Mall. The Cobb Tea Party folks were very well organized, and the assembly came off like clockwork. In other words, it was very unlike Washington."

As expected, because of last minute sabotage from friends of Obama, the Atlanta Tea Party was reduced to a tiny gathering. By my liberal estimation, only about 250 people were present. Organizers pledged to come back with a vengeance in the fall.

Meanwhile, at Miller Park in Marietta, the Cobb Independence Day Tea Party spontaneously continued into a second day with reportedly more than 2,000 people in attendance on the 4th.

Atlanta Tea Party on the 4th

UPDATE I:

Better, longer Herman Cain clips from his appearance at the Peachtree City Tea Party on July 4, 2009. After a mega-biographical intro, Herman Cain begins speaking at the 03:58 mark:

"We've got some altering and some abolishing to do!"

PART II:

"We're on a collision course with economic disaster."

PART III:

"My Choice... not some bureaucrat"

PART IV:

"The Power of One"

UPDATE II: Mary Grabar reports.