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Subscribe to RSSIn light of Herman Cain's moment yesterday before a newspaper editorial board in which he had a difficult time coming up with an answer on whether he agreed or disagreed with President Obama on Libya, it's worth noting that he wrote a book in 1999 titled “Speak as a Leader: Develop the Better Speaker in You.” In that book, he offers advice about public speaking, particularly on how to handle media interviews.
In the sections about press interviews, he offers the following tips:
* Expect the unexpected question.
* There is no such thing as off the record.
* Think sound bites and plan some ahead of time if you know the topic to be discussed.
* Say it over and over.
He also suggests for those doing frequent interviews "a media training course…to learn effective communication techniques.”
“First, if you know the topic ahead of time," he writes, "plan the key points you want to make during the interview and be able to state those points in a variety of ways. If you will be doing frequent interviews with the press, then a media training course would be advisable in order to learn effective communication techniques. Second, there is no such thing as off the record. If you say it, then assume it might be used at some point. Third, expect the unexpected and be prepared to remain calm and professional.”
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This guy wants to be President yet he freezes on a simple question because too many things are "twirling" in his head? As for the book? I guess we can see his views on outsourcing, or as he would say "delegating" like all CEOs do. He needs to untwirl his head, read his own(?) book or get the hell out of the race.
You're not Fiesty!
What I like about President Obama is he frequently suprises one with the honesty of his answers in media interviews, so different from typical polical discourse. For instance, he will say "the situation in Iran is very complex and dangerous and there are no easy answers," instead of spinning an unrealistic point of view. I'm sure President Obama is briefed on potential topics, but he doesn't put his foot in it because he sticks with the truth.
A real presidential candidate would already know what his or her views on Libya and other foreign affairs matters are. Cain just learned last week what his views are on a whole range of things he never heard of, and they've gotten all muddled in his mind.
Cain's campaign is an embarrassment for America. We are better than this!
Bernard,
You know it's bad when the President of Afghanistan knows who Herman Cain is... and Cain can't return the favor.
Bernard, I agree with you. Hermie the Clown was probably JUST BRIEFED on the whole Libya situation and needed to be able to spin the answer so it looks GOP-centric.
I also believe that out of all of the clowns in the circus, Hermie is the only one that is really SERIOUS about the nomination. I watched the whole clip and the answer that Hermie gave was actually a GOOD one that SUPPORTS what the President did.
Even though it was clear that Hermie had to REALLY search his mind for the situation and had no real grasp on the issue, he gave a DECENT ANSWER. Now THAT, to me, shows a person who is SERIOUS about getting nominated, even though he did NOT do his homework.
It is too bad the Hermie the Clown will NEVER, EVER, EVER,EVER get the Republican nomination for President.
Pizza man is finished and never had the slightest chance in the first place. Like everybody from Palin to Trump to Perry to who can count them all; Pizza Man had his turn at being flavor of the month. It's Newt's turn this month and my guess is it will be Santorum's turn next month. But none of this matters. Romney will be the teapublican nominee and President Obama will be reelected. That's the way this story is going to end.
Yes! Cain/Perry in 20... uhh... what year?... umm... oops.
Everybody that sees my posts on a regular basis knows I’m pretty much into humor and am amused easily by the garbage the politicians throw out there on a non-stop basis.
However- having seen the clip of Cain’s ‘Libya’ response, I’m not in much of a humorous mood today.
I’m downright angry. I’m angry that there are so many people in this country that would promote such a damned-dumb dunce in thinking either we are that stupid as voting citizens, or because they can’t control their childish hatred of President Obama. That latter group includes people on right-wing radio, Fox ‘News’, the jackals in those ‘debate’ audiences, blog posters like Joanna Smith and No Jo (hell, even No JO’s screen name says it all, and she’s been using it since BEFORE Obama was even elected to the job) and many, many others. The same goes for completely unqualified people like Perry and Bachmann, too. Yes- they are all a joke, but at the same time, the joke’s not really funny at all.
dbo,
Despite my feeble attempt at humor (post #4), I share your anger. There has been a dumbing-down by the Right that has rendered their electorate unable (or unwilling) to see even the slightest glimpse of reason. I have personally lost several good friends as a result, which seems to me to serve as a microcosm of what's happening all over the Country, even in the Capitol. And that's NOT funny.
Don't be angry this is a soap opera. There playing to a small but very vocal part of there base. You know the ones that pay to watch Glen Beck. That one make me wonder, paying to watch Glen Beck. Some folks have more dollars than sense. The folks who who watch faux news, there just a small number. Remember its allot easier to attack. You can lie cheat & steal to look good in the republican/tea bag party. Thats just the way it is. So lets sit back & have some fun with them.
I wouldn't be angry either...the election is a long, long way out and polls aren't very significant yet. This is the very extreme, small part of a party that's lurched so far right, the choices of candidates are going to be very limited...They're not terribly discerning and yes, they're flailing around for a candidate, but it's not like there's a lot to choose from here. When you look at their litmus tests, there isn't an intelligent Republican of the last quarter century who would fit their criteria. How are you going to find someone who thinks the way forward is to go back and fight every fight America has fought yet again, from Darwin to Social Security to Medicare to Roe v. Wade. but once this wreck of a party gets past the "anybody but the Mormon" thing and finally realizes it will be Romney and they will lose badly, the issues and hopefully the rhetoric will rise just a bit past this nonsense. (now if we can just all agree we've heard enough of Donald Trump).
Cain has brought out the ugliestattacks on both Obama and the Democrats. It appears at times that somehow personal deficiencies and being a buffoon and poor decision in ones personal life are now also the responsibilities of Mr Obama and the Dem's party. It is easy to pass blame it is very hard to man up and say yes I am responsibly for my actions. Herman Cain has failed repeatedly in this area. No worries. I have lost friends too over the Obama years. Be okay with knowing you stand for a better America. Next it'll be the Stay Puff Marshmallow man scared him as a child
What has the American political scene devolved into?
Can you try to imagine John Kennedy behaving as Ricky & Hermie & Bachmann have the past week?
SCARY!!!
It makes one wonder if someone would use him for Vice-President. He has that rabid attack dog mentality. Kind of like the half governor. The only thing will mittens will pick him? Thats brings up the next question. Would he be a good pick? Would Newt be a good pick? Should mittens pick anyone from this field?
Speaking of the half-term governor, Smitty, last night I watched an ABC special on Gabby Giffords' recovery and was jarred by a clip of Sarah Palin running off her mouth, in the part of the report reminding viewers of the political atmosphere during which Giffords was shot.
oh, be careful about even mentioning the Palin crosshairs threat with the actual shooting...drives right wingers absolutely nuts. That's not at all what they mean when they lecture about "personal responsibility". They mean for someone ELSE. Good to see her though, wasn't it?? ( I mean Giffords). That's courage.
Forrest Grump wants to know why Cain always refers to himself in the third person, Forrest Grump thinks it makes him sound like a narcissistic nut job, Forrest Grump thinks people that refer to themselves in the third person are phony jerks or have some mental problems, that's what Forrest Grump thinks.
He has a mouse in his pocket that he keeps his hand on. His name is Hermmi to.
I hear you, Forrest. Gingrich is brilliant but soulless, Romney meets the qualifications on paper, at least but is slicker than a Yugo salesman saying it's just like a Jaguar and the others are the equivalent of the three stooges or the Marx Bros. Hunstman is the only one I see as being truly qualified so that puts him out of the running for the nomination. Shame on him for being sane, educated and smart. It's like the GOP can't see beyond winning the nomination. The middle of the road, right and left, is where most of America is.
I agree with everything except the part about Newt being brilliant, he has a good vocabulary and uses it to say nothing of value or importance, mostly it is inflammatory babble such as his theory that Obama is heavily influenced by "Kenyan anti colonialism". How about my theory that Newt is heavily influenced by egotistically anti social capitalism. If he was so smart or honest he would not have been run out of Congress. If somebody just talks honestly and intelligently republicans call them an elitist with a liberal education, when Newt uses a good vocabulary to say nothing republicans call him an intellectual. Newt is a fat ass social misfit with a good vocabulary and nothing more. He sells a few books, very few, he has never had a best seller, he does self promoting infomercials and calls them documentaries. The hard core republican base does not understand what he is saying most of the time so they think he won the debate. Newt won't win a general election, and frankly he is more concerned with marketing his books and living high off of campaign cash, he is Sarah Palin with a good vocabulary. Elizabeth Warren is brilliant, Chris Rock is brilliant, Tina fey is brilliant, Newt not so much.
No, I've seen Newt under a spotlight and he's fairly darn brilliant, blinding even. It wouldn't hurt him to get a little sunshine.
I've seen Newt too and no,I don't think him brilliant...he seems that way though when standing next to very dim bulbs. he does make a good professor, big ideas all tumbling forth in some kind of froth, but he's not much on execution and even worse at actual governing as we can recall...plus there's the tin ear about his own actions look (the divorces under less than honorable circumstances...the extravagant spending like the Tiffany accounts...the absurd overstatements and pronouncements that he then has to correct and clarify...the inability to actually work with a staff...the inability to plan a successful, sustained, campaign...No grand posturing and bluster is more his thing. Quite entertaining though.
AP, it's a joke, you know, pasty white skin -- so blinding.
Gingrich is a relatively intelligent, fat Donald t'Rump. Same ego, same bleached blonde arm candy fetish, same morals, same refusal to believe we're done with him.
That video was nothing short of painful to watch. How low has the bar been dropped as it relates to running for President of the US? My 8 year old gave the equivalent answer as Cain and looked a little bit better than he did squirming to get out the answer he gave.
If he does not look like a man who had no expectation of being of where he is and is trying to catch up, I don't know what is.
In my opinion, he disgraces the Name of my Lord by declaring that it was the Lord who impressed upon him to run. If that was the case and Cain really feels like he is Moses, Moses didn't tout his own credentials when dealing with the Egypt, he only spoke about the Lord. I have no book, but my advice to Cain would be to say "The Lord has sent me on the quest...and the Lord will see me to the victory". Nothing about anyone else, nothing about Cain, only about the Lord.
Herman, if you really, truly believed that it was the Lord who sent, than it will be the Lord who delivers you. My belief is that you don't and that is why will see pride coming before the fall.
Obviously the book was ghost written for him by someone else! Why else would he violate every principle that he laid out?!
Pathetic, but Herman Cain is not jusst a clown. He's a mean clown, who has no respect for women (i.e. his gratuitous comment about "Princess" Pelosi and the thoiusands of woomen he didn't attempt to bully into sexual misconduct, using his status as boss to force needywomen into sex that they didn't want nor seek. Reminds me of the pre-1900 and on later, truth be told, days, when the boss of the factory where workers "sweated" and worked 18 hour days six days a week for punking pennies, would of course require any passably attractive female in sight to succumb to his "desires" or get fired and let her family starve. The Republicans are all the same, be they blac, white, or any other color: Exploitative, consciousless, ignorant and egomaniacal fools who think they are the elite simply because they had some luck in this life.....Make no mistake about it, Herman Cain is just another Clarence Thomas. Ready to sell out their black skin for the benefits of being Uncle Tom to their real masters, the corporate and right wing nut jobs. LThey are seeking some kind of ego gratification by being tolerated and thinkthis puts them in a safer place than standing up for their own racial dignity and their unfortunate brothers and sisters (and of course all the poor, elderly, middle class and women) in the U.S. whom they are supposed to be helkping, not hurting. Of course Cain hasn't made it to the White House and pray to god he doesn't. He's just a glorified pizza man and I'll bet anyon edollars to doughtnuts (or pizzas) that he outsourced the writing of his so-called book. It reads much too literate and as if soomeone with connected brain cells actually wrote it. He's incapable of such an action anbd I doubt he's capable of reading and understanding the book his ghost writer did for him. So long, Herman, onto the dustbin of history, as hopefully are headed Newt, Santorum, Bachmann, Perry, Mittens Romney and all the other @!$%#s who now dominate the Republican party. Wouldn't it be g reat if like the Whigs, the Republicans disappeared as the result of their own wacko tendencies and their vicious attitude toward Americans who are not just like them. They are a detriment to America and to a democratic society that we pretetnd out republic is (isn't and hasn't been sinc eRonnie Reagan took over). Pray folks and let your "leaders" know what you want, whether they listen or not....at least your conscience will be clear that you TRIED to stand up to power, if you could find their e-mail address that is. Failing that, prayer always helps you feel better. And maybe it really helps in the end, if enough people do it.
Cain's response reminded of me of a school student trying to get out of answering the question without having to say "I don't know."
This man is not fooling American women. We have dealt with the likes of him our entire working lives. His wife has that deer in the headlights look because she has not yet come to terms with the allegations.
Not to mention the fact that he has to think so hard when someone mentions the word Libya and then he degenerates into brain farts.
You hit that one on the head. Can't blame the wife though for being put in that ridiculous position...the man only came home on weekends...what is she supposed to say except, I don't THINK he'd do that....pretty weak, but then he's been weak since day one.
Lydia, Lydia...I do not know this Lydia and I certainly didn't harass her. Oh, Libya...Herman Cain doesn't know about this Libya but he sure is gonna try to fake it.
Forget Cain ... he fumbles with his mouth and hands
Herman Cain doesn't even follow Herman Cains advice. Herman Cain probably didn't write Herman Cain's book.
Or read it, for that matter.
DemocracyInAction9999999999
Right on. I also think she knows the truth, as she said she knows Herman. He may be a great husband to her with respect and kindness but to other women who he believes is beneath him or needs him he feels like he can do and say what he wants because of who he is. I would bet that she has had to deal with this most of their married lives. Have you noticed how when he tries to make a point he jerks his body back into an arrogant stance? Like squaring his shoulders back with that look of gratification on his face? Signs that most women see as "warning, warning, beware". I know I do.
Cain is the personification of dumbed-down hubris, a happy marriage of arrogance and stupidity, a witless knucklehead impostor who embarrasses himself most every time he opens his mouth. But then, how is he any different from Perry? Not much. Indeed, these characterizations pretty much describe the entire Republican field except Romney, Huntsman and Paul. As desperate as conservatives are to find someone other than Romney, it looks like none of the above is America's answer to their candidacies.
Try to imagine Cain debating Obama--as a Democrat, I think it would be both downright hilarious and pathetic. So, here's hoping that the Koch Brothers and their wealthy friends can impel Cain's candidacy all the way to the nomination.
Planning ahead for the debates against Obama - buy stock in that electronic gadget that Bush wore for the debate; you know, the one that showed through his suit and he blamed the bulge on 'bad tailoring' much to the indignation of his tailor?
cain is a joke he should go back and manage his pizza parlor because that seems like thats what he do best