And so we have the first casualty of the 2012 campaign -- before anyone had a chance to vote.
If the same standard used to judge Herman Cain had been used on Bill Clinton, we would have had a different president in 1997. What is especially emetic is that what Clinton did -- as president, in the Oval Office -- was proven, but no proof is or will be forthcoming against Cain, who simply applied for the job. His 'true' crime was not knowing his place.
Welcome to the new realpolitik, where candidates can be removed from the ballot before one vote is cast, and that by innuendo and gossip. From now on, every talking head on the news shows should either be shown sitting under a hair dryer or standing at the back fence. Print 'journalists' should communicate by party line, and I don't mean the one they all toe.
I want to be very clear that I do not believe that journalists are solely -- or even principally -- responsible for this disaster. The lion's share of the blame divides between the 'major' parties; one helped it happen, and the other stood by and watched it happen. I'll leave you to figure out which is which, because it really doesn't matter.
The great danger is that when something is rewarded, we get more of it. Therefore, what happened to Cain will happen again, probably in this cycle. Look for Bachmann to be targeted next. What is more, it will keep happening in future elections; the assassins will get bolder and bolder, while the choices we are allowed will get narrower and narrower. Ballots with only one name on them are not far off.
Welcome to the new realpolitik, where candidates can be removed from the ballot before one vote is cast, and that by innuendo and gossip. From now on, every talking head on the news shows should either be shown sitting under a hair dryer or standing at the back fence. Print 'journalists' should communicate by party line, and I don't mean the one they all toe.
I want to be very clear that I do not believe that journalists are solely -- or even principally -- responsible for this disaster. The lion's share of the blame divides between the 'major' parties; one helped it happen, and the other stood by and watched it happen. I'll leave you to figure out which is which, because it really doesn't matter.
The great danger is that when something is rewarded, we get more of it. Therefore, what happened to Cain will happen again, probably in this cycle. Look for Bachmann to be targeted next. What is more, it will keep happening in future elections; the assassins will get bolder and bolder, while the choices we are allowed will get narrower and narrower. Ballots with only one name on them are not far off.
Where to go from here? Still chewing on that one. If any Democrat were running against "Obama", I would be sorely tempted to vote for that person in the primary election just to help split the "Obama" vote -- I cannot in good conscience support any of the RINO herd that remains on the GOP side. At last, something good can come of open primaries.
Of course, the general campaign will now be all about race; during the primary season, once Bachmann is eliminated, it will be the 'underdog' against a bunch of white guys. Anything they say against him will be racially motivated, as will any vote for them. Cain would have eliminated all of that garbage, which is one of the main reasons he had to be removed from the contest.
December 3, 2011: a sad day for American politics, and a sad day for America.
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