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Should the sexual harassment accusations cost Herman Cain the GOP nomination?
Results so far:
| Yes | 51% | 337 votes | Total: 660 votes | |
| No | 49% | 323 votes |
Yes
by Carolyn Tytler
Created on: November 09, 2011
Three women have recently accused Herman Cain of acts of sexual impropriety. A fourth woman, Sharon Bialek has now come forward alleging that she was also sexually harassed by the U.S. presidential hopeful. His three former accusers declined to be interviewed, but it was revealed that Mr. Cain settled one of the former allegations by paying off the complainant. Ms. Bialek's appearance will probably put an end to Cain's chances of becoming president. In this writer's view, that is a fortunate occurrence for the following reasons:
The president as family man.
The family is the basic unit of society. The nation's perception of their president's family life is especially important because he should represent society's norm, the prototype of a conjugal relationship to which all citizens should aspire. Herman Cain has been married to his wife Gloria for 43 years. He is a father and grandfather. So far so good, but four allegations of sexual harassment, one of which required a payoff to be settled out of court, casts a dark shadow over his supposedly ideal marriage.
The president as role model.
All American youngsters want to grow up to be president. As the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, the holder of that high office has greater authority and power than any other leader. Every good parent wants his or her children to emulate a person of honor, honesty, and sterling character. At present, it is very questionable whether Herman Cain embodies any of these qualities. The stakes are too high to gamble on a candidate of dubious moral standards and personal ethics. Our youth are the future of the nation and they deserve a quality role model.
The president as leader.
The role of president is demanding, and his decisions bear serious consequences for America and the entire world. The welfare of millions of people depends on his wisdom, good judgement and self-control. If even one of the accusations levied against him is true, Herman Cain lacks all these qualities. An effective president must have the respect of his country's citizens and that of other world leaders. Unfortunately for Herman Cain, if the allegations are proven true, he will command no respect. He will be the target of jokes and snide remarks. He will not be trusted or taken seriously because he will be recognized as a deceptive cheater.
Could this be the reason why Gloria Cain has not been with her husband on the campaign trail? Perhaps she lacks the strength and emotional resilience of Hillary Clinton who was able to overlook her husband's sexual indiscretions and move forward. Throughout history, there have always been philandering spouses on the local, national and international scene, but to elect one as president of the United States at this crucial juncture in that nation's history, would be a tragedy indeed.
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No
by Alex Lekas
Created on: November 08, 2011 Last Updated: November 10, 2011
He-said/she-said, hypocrisy, and timing
When Herman Cain ran for the US Senate from Georgia in 2004, no one accused of him anything. When Cain's presidential run was in its improbable stage, the only accusations were of aspirations outpacing reality. But when Cain's poll numbers put him atop the Republican field, the woodwork came alive with the sound of oh-so-conveniently opportunistic accusations of sexual misconduct. While there is no statute of limitations on truth, there should be one on allegations that can be neither definitively supported nor definitively proven. And then we wonder why more people do not run for political office.
Maybe Cain acted inappropriately, maybe not; that's the problem with claims that cannot be supported with evidence. More disturbing is the rank hypocrisy from those who side with the accusers, many of whom took an entirely different stance when:
-Bill Clinton used a girl younger than his daughter as a humidor, and that was on top of the serial dalliances that were alleged by women who used their names and provided dates, times, and places.
-John Edwards, a man who never failed to exploit personal tragedy for political gain, who not only had an affair while campaigning for the Democratic nomination, he fathered a child with the woman.
-Barrack Obama claimed that he was the only man in the congregation who did not hear what Jeremiah Wright was all about, and the only man in Chicago unaware of Bill Ayers' past.
Politics is nasty business and Cain's campaign did him no favors with its slow response in dealing with the first accuser. Of course, the first accuser did not really "accuse" Cain of much; she, through Politico, chose to imply that something of a vague nature had occurred. Another would-be victim either lobbed a similar grenade or allowed it be lobbed, then hid conveniently behind her lawyer. Now cometh Sharon Bialek, literally led by the hand to the podium by Gloria Allred, the attorney who makes Donald Trump look media-shy by comparison.
Bialek offered up a graphic tale of: two people who were alone, so no one can verify or debunk her claim; a woman comfortable enough with Cain to have asked him help in finding a job but now seeking something else. But what? Bialek claims to want nothing of substance, though it's fair to ask where was she when Cain first announced his candidacy, when his campaign began gaining traction, when he won a couple of straw polls? Evidently, unprovable allegations are no fun against a candidate barely treading water. But, they are a lot more entertaining than pesky things like the economy, questionable federal loans, and the administration's hand in trading two Middle Eastern dictators for sharia-based government.
Learn more about this author, Alex Lekas.
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