The New Brain Freeze on Libya Video That Will Doom Herman Cain’s Campaign? (VIDEO)
There’s a new video that’s now surfacing on the cable shows and on various political websites — one that could be the final nail in the coffin of Herman Cain’s sagging campaign. It shows Cain having a Rick Perry like brain freeze when asked about Libya during an interview session with the editorial board at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. These extended interviews campaigns have with editorial boards used to be a bit more provincial, ending in Q&As run as long Sunday features.
But these are the days when video can go viral — and this is going viral very fast. Cain has already come under considerable criticism — even from some conservatives — for him being policy challenged when it comes to foreign affairs issues. Watch him get a softball question and completely bungle it — further undermining his image. Remember that this piece of video is JUST getting circulate and has not reached the late night comedians yet.
Some thoughts:
TWO OTHER VIEWS:
–Crooks and Liars’ Karoli:
I’m not sure how to describe this. I’ve seen it described on Twitter as Herman Cain out-Rick Perrying Rick Perry, but it goes so much deeper than that.
In this interview, Herman Cain is asked a relatively simple question — at least, to the extent that Republicans have a set of talking points on this — about Libya and the President’s handling of it. We’ve all heard the Luntz talking points about “leading from behind”, letting Al Qaeda take over the rebellion, and so on. I could recite them in answer to a question like this without thinking too much about it. This is why Republicans win media battles. They adopt a single set of talking points and don’t deviate from them.
Well, except for Herman Cain, who seems to even have trouble pulling up the right set of data points when asked the question. He hesitates, hesitates again, repeats what he thinks are the complaints about how the President handled Libya, and ultimately just tries to craft a non-answer to a simple question.
Cain’s detractors have consistently dismissed the former restaurant industry executive and motivational speaker, claiming that he is not a serious candidate. The homespun and folksy manner in which he speaks on the campaign trail may have resonated with a disenfranchised Tea Party base, but in the context of actual foreign policy, Cain’s critics see banal and oversimplified explanations. The brain freeze exhibited in the clip below evokes that of Rick Perry’s notorious debate gaffe from last week, though this was in a far less public setting.
If a working knowledge of current foreign policy is a prerequisite to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate, then the following video suggests that Cain is, in fact, not ready for prime time. If his presidential run somehow gets derailed, however, he can still hold on to his dream of becoming the Secretary of Defense.
—The Huffington Post’s Luke Johnson:
Cain has made multiple foreign policy gaffes in his campaign. Earlier this month, he warned China was “trying to develop a nuclear capability,” though the country tested a nuclear device in October 1964. When asked whether he was prepared to answer “gotcha” questions in October, he said, “When they ask me who is the president of Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan I’m going to say, you know, ‘I don’t know. Do you know?’” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Afghan President Hamid Karzai later joked about the exchange….
This stumble is just the latest to roil the GOP primary. At a debate last week, Cain’s rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, was unable to remember the three federal agencies he would cut as president. After naming two, Perry took nearly a minute to regain his bearings before conceding, “I can’t think of the third one. I can’t. Sorry. Oops.” He later clarified that he had been thinking of the Department of Energy.
UPDATE:
…The Cain campaign tried to downplay the clip later in the day.
“The video is being taken out of context,” Cain spokesman JD Gordon said, according to MSNBC. “He was taking questions for about 30 to 40 minutes on four hours of sleep. He didn’t say anything wrong or inaccurate; it just took him a while to recall the specifics of Libya.”
Gordon added, “It just took him a while to gain his bearings.”
UPDATE: Cain tonight said that he was pausing to collect his thoughts and its a compliment of sorts that people are analyzing his pauses. .He declared just now on CNN: “It was a pause! That’s all it was! Good grief.”
You can leave your comments below about whether it was just a simple pause to collect his thoughts or indicated a)a tired candidate b)a candidate who has trouble on foreign policy issues. Cain’s problem is credibility. Will this explanation hold? My view? I suspect he was tired and stressed out.
Which does not help his problem with the accumulation now of negative media imagery.
Or the credibility of answers he gives to unwelcome questions.
13 Responses to “The New Brain Freeze on Libya Video That Will Doom Herman Cain’s Campaign? (VIDEO)”
I actually read the transcript of this before I watched the video. If you read his words the response wasn’t terrible, although it certainly lacked specifics. Watching him shows the response in a different light, the guy is stumbling and bumbling and trying to remember his talking points. If he was tired then he should have had the sense to call off the interview and get some sleep. This sure isn’t a guy you want receiving the 2:00 AM phone call.
It’s an embarrassment this guy and Gingrich are leading the GOP polls the same way it has been an embarrassment when Trump and Bachmann were up there. My only consolation is that it’s still early and primary voters have time to regain their senses.
Why should I care about “what candidate knows what” about Libya? It’s a “come and gone” event. None of these Arab Spring events will turn out good for America anyway. Blasé past small potatoes. Unless SOMEBODY WOULD PLEASE report on the humanitarian mess going on there. Precious little.
All these false accusations against Herman Cain is distracting him. How would you like a conspiracy of political operatives pretending to be media hounding you everywhere you went? It’s like the media is trying to affect the outcome of the nominations rather than just report the facts. It’s a media manipulation of our election process!
There was hardly any follow-up at all when the French head-of-state called the Israeli head-of-state a LIAR! With our president affirming at least partially! Nothing HERE also! That’s a big deal man…A BIG DEAL and it’s NEWS!
…but no, Herman Cain on some goofy woman or past event has the center stage. I’m so disappointed.
Is it possible that age may be a concern in Cain’s case? I actually never knew how old he was until today when that idea struck me, so I looked it up and discovered that, if elected, he will have turned 67 before he takes the oath of office. That is not horribly old, but you know, I’m only 53 and have kept myself in good shape and hell, I’m starting to feel my stamina and mental sharpness declining. Campaigns are messy but they do serve to highlight candidates’ weaknesses, and I do wonder if Cain’s age is starting to show as such a weakness. Sad to say, IMHO it is definitely showing for Ron Paul this time around. Maybe for Herman too.
Cain was tired, but he also clearly bumbled the question. At the end he clearly did not know whether he agreed or disagreed with the way President Obama handled the situation. I believe everyone who posted here on TMV concerning Libya, whether or not you agree with their opinion, is more qualified than Cain to be president. I think if he had a clear set of guiding principles then the worst he could have done in the situation was to answer with generalities. He might have taken some heat for a general answer, but at least the stumbling bit would not have been there. But he clearly didn’t know the issues.
Maybe Cain is just a camera-shy genius? Maybe he’s actually got some great ideas about foreign policy, but freezes up when confronted by a camera?
Deep down, he’s an introvert seeking attention, but when he actually gets what he’s looking for, he’s wracked with self-doubt, and it impedes his ability to think and speak extemporaneously?
If this is the case, then the best thing that the media could do would be to stop asking him so many questions. Instead of trying to hound the poor man for answers, just turn your cameras elsewhere and leave the guy alone for a change.
I mean after all the media is just one giant conspiracy out to destroy conservatives, so it shouldn’t hurt his chances if you just don’t cover him at all. In fact it might even help. His poll numbers go up, his self-esteem remains intact…it’s a “win-win.”
Again, this should not shock anyone.
I think I need to stop commenting on Herman Cain. When I saw the title and the allegation of problems with the interview, my first thought was, “Okay, what has this idiot done now?” I will no longer comment on Mr. Cain. I will hope that no one else ever needs to comment on him in the future as well.
@stockboy: “here on TMV concerning Libya, whether or not you agree with their opinion, is more qualified than Cain to be president.”
this is just the most stunning assertion, I can just see it now, you can be sec of defense, and we can get kathy gill to be sec of state, and get dorian to be vp and joe G can be prez, and I think i would probably be, as shrink, sec of the interior. And then we could get Prairie to be second prez (there are always more than one prez, right) and patrick could be department of justice. And then we’d need a whole new supreme court and allen could be general justice, and shannonlee could be and eellis , jspencer, ro ro, shaun, steve, cstanley, vera, taylor and all others we know could be major consigliaris in DOJ or CIA, or HS. Or they, and everyone else could have their first pick of jobs too, like senator, lobbyist, hobbyist, lol. I think we should meet tomorrow and start planning our campaign. Can you imagine? We’d make merry pranksters look like sane people. I hope you are laughing with me…
I’d rather be ambassador to the Bahamas.
ok shannonlee, that was a really smart choice! See, you’re already thinking like a pol. Get your white linen shirts ready. lol
This guy Cain is a self centered ego maniac. It’s similar to the “Peter principal” theory. Cain the molester is now way over his head. Scary thought that this person could become our next president. What is happening to this country?…..it’s embarrassing; first Sarah Palin, next Rick Perry and Herman Cain.
Hard to believe!
The Issue is Moot! Case dismissed, signed; General Justice Allen***
Give pizza a chance.
I’ll take the SECDEF job, I was a lieutenant in the army, I’m qualified. Right? Right? Anybody?