At most every point of Cain’s quixotic candidacy he has left clues, dropped breadcrumbs, indicating, clearly, that his is a political send-up, a satirical candidacy. From quoting Pokémon (not making this up) to modeling his “999” tax plan on the tax pan from the video game Simm City, to his embrace, last week, of the rather infamous Koch Brothers, to even the alleged scandal over sexual harassment, breaking into song when asked about it–if you step away and put all of these pieces together, it becomes amazingly clear: Cain is having fun at our–and America’s–expense. He is selling books and raising his speaking fees through the roof. He may actually be doing a lot more. The one thing he is not doing, however, is running for president.
An alternative theory as to why we’ve only got bozos here: the serious candidates were waiting for the clowns to flame out and drop out before entering the race, but to their horror saw the public embracing these people. It’d actually be a horserace against the likes of Perry and Cain, and winning that sort of race is almost as bad as losing it. So they’re staying out until their own side stops being so idiotic.
Also, the later they get in, the less vetting/flogging they’ll have to endure. I’m sure somebody if not several somebodys might try and jump in at the ninth hour.
The more I consider that, the more I feel a chill. No matter one’s own political leanings…
Priest, you said exactly what I feel about this Cain guy. I saw the Rachel Maddox program you mentioned. While watching it, the Citizen Kane image popped right into my head. And don’t forget the line he stole from Rush Hour 2 about “…the brother from another mother…” I think it was on PoliticsNation I saw a banner which said, KOCH-CAIN. I’m going to stop watching those show for awhile. I don’t watch reality shows. If I want toilet humor I’ll watch Family Guy or Robot Chicken.
What are your thoughts on the Occupy the Nation movement, the global economic crisis, the Penn State child molestation incident, and the Iranian growing nuclear program?
To change subject, your comic book work has been mention in recent weeks in several fan related places. Someone wrote something about the Black Panther/Quantum and Woody crossover, someone wrote about your final issue of Deadpool, and there was something else but I can’t remember it.
Thelmon– whoa, that’s a list! Basically, I think the world is going to hell. That, or it is already there. Thx for the heads up! –cjp
I think it will be interesting to see what happens when the caucuses and primaries actually start taking place in 2012. I wonder if Cain will still win some of them. I suppose he may. I still have yet to hear a proposal from this man that interests me.
From my vantage point, whatever may have passed for a “moderate Republican” has, over time (decades), been squeezed into the fringe of party loyalists, while the post-Reagan/Bush 1/Bush 2- neo-con/tea-party culture has become the mainstream identity of the party.. I saw Piers Morgan interview Colin Powell and I thought about how he has been regarded by conservatives since he left the Bush White House, especially after his public endorsing of Obama. I remember Michael Steele himself was quoted as saying (I’m paraphrasing) that moderates are welcome to join the GOP, just don’t expect to change anything (and even after the GOP congressional wins in 2010, he still got bounced from the RNC chair). Curious.
Another one I saw recently: Cain said “We need a leader, not a reader” (source: http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/cain-we-need-a-leader-not-a-reader.php ).
This is a pretty close paraphrase of a line spoken by President Schwarzenegger in The Simpsons Movie. My first thought was that it was a funny coincidence, but when I remembered he’d been caught repeatedly (and apparently accidentally) quoting Pokemon, it occurred to me that no, maybe he WAS really quoting Simpsons and not realizing it.
At this point you’ve got me half-convinced that he was doing it on purpose.
I honestly would not be surprised if the day soon comes when Cain just admits it’s all been a joke.