I can understand why it was eclipsed by Herman’s jib-jab, lie-a-minute, pants-shitting clusterfuck of a response to the allegations of sexual harassment, but smoking man fucked his campaign where it really hurts: right in the money hole.
Herman Cain’s two top campaign aides ran a private Wisconsin-based corporation that helped the GOP presidential candidate get his fledgling campaign off the ground by originally footing the bill for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses for such items as iPads, chartered flights and travel to Iowa and Las Vegas – something that might breach federal tax and campaign law, according to sources and documents.
“Might” is just to keep the editor satisfied — charities can’t run candidates for President, period. Unless that piece is completely mistaken, Herman is going to be spending some quality time with the Federal Election Commission and perhaps federal prosecutors. In addition to Mark Block, Herman’s chief of staff and noted tobacco user, and Linda Hansen, his deputy chief of staff, the Koch brothers are also involved.
As usual with Herman, the fun is going to be watching the establishment Republicans trying to get the 27% to pay attention to something that any serious person realizes is a gigantic negative for the Cain candidacy. With the noise machine cranking up to combat the harassment lies promulgated by the liberal media, that’s going to be a tough job, even for Karl Rove.
Ron
But, money = free speech or something. And Citizens United, Also! too!
Nevgu
JACMPBM
Just Another Cain Masturbation Piece By Mistermix.
mistermix
@Nevgu:
JATCBNWCROCTSHL
Just another trolling comment by Nevgu who can’t read or comprehend to save his/her life.
TheMightyTrowel
I worry that this will be a second citizen’s united – what seemed like an out and out over the top breach of ethics and funding systems turned into the new status quo.
justawriter
Gotta love me a Cainwreck. (dedicated to former Twins relief pitcher Jesse Crain whose appearances were inevitably referred to as Crainwrecks.)
Ben Wolf
@mistermix
It won’t matter in terms of votes. Obama ran for president while not American, so the right will have no problem with Cain running while a thief and cheat.
Elizabelle
@TheMightyTrowel:
Yup, potentially more “defining deviancy down, GOP political style.”
We as citizens and voters can’t let them and the FEC scam this one.
Elizabelle
@mistermix:
thinking of a delicious slice of coconut cream pie.
methinks nevgu = “never gonna understand”
you had it right with “troll”
Nevgu
@mistermix: How original typing monkey. Care to share any other lemming thoughts.
Nevgu
@mistermix: How original typing monkey. Care to share any other lemming thoughts.
RSA
Establishment Republicans are in a bind because of their decades-long opposition to government regulations. To the average low-information voter on the right, FEC rules are probably be seen as arbitrary at best (and at worst a way of tilting the field toward Democratic candidates). How can they convince the 27% that breaking these rules is significant, when they’ve so consistently said that government rules get in the way of doing real work?
Raven (formerly stuckinred)
@RSA: By lying?
scav
For slightly more interesting Conversations With Robots than the witterings of our stock market popup eliza, try John Finnemore. You receive an engaging sharp end of estimate!
MattF
Well, innocent until proven guilty and all that. In fact, WaPo article makes it clear that this is no-kidding illegal:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns/herman-cain-campaigns-financial-ties-to-wisconsin-charity-questioned/2011/10/31/gIQAJ61gZM_story.html
Keith G
Well yeah. The soon to come federal felony indictments are certainly going to be a gigantic negative.
Cain’s sell by date expired some time ago, but his strength is being a pitchman getting the rubes to latch on to an overvalued, if not totally empty, product. Cocksure messaging will not be enough. His faults/wounds are becoming far too numerous to be survivable (for a candidate who wants to win) in all but the shortest term.
amk
teh turdblossom-
“Republican super-strategist Karl Rove declared on Fox News Monday night that Cain might only be able to right his campaign if the NRA shares additional facts to confirm his claim that any allegations of sexual harassment against him were dismissed as false.
“I suspect there’s gonna be a demand for the National Restaurant Association to release details of the investigation that was done” into the harassment complaints, said Rove, who dismissed suggestions from the right that Cain had been targeted for his race.
“He should be prepared for things like this because he’s a serious presidential candidate,” the former White House adviser said. “We want our presidents to be as far above reproach as possible.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67307.html#ixzz1cSOj74eB
Love the rethugs eating each other.
RSA
@Raven (formerly stuckinred):
Good answer. It’s worked for them for a long time.
arguingwithsignposts
heh. oh, irony, we hardly knew ye.
amk
Eurozone debt crisis – Markets dive on Greek referendum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/business-15533940
yet that blackity black ‘herb’ cain doesn’t give a shite about the soshalist europe’s problems. “amurika rulez”.
Mark S.
This will probably be common occurrence in a Cain administration. Especially when he appoints Smoking Guy as Attorney General.
norbizness
Romney should feed caucus/primary voters in key states Godfather’s pizza, that should just about kill off the campaign.
burnspbesq
@Nevgu:
Yawn. You’re as reliable as the milkman, except that what you bring is neither nutritious nor delicious.
rikryah
he’s a grifter
rikryah
Lawrence O’Donnell brought up how the harassment thing obscured the campaign finance law breaking
Mino
I read that Rove associates are well-embedded in the NRA. I expect they’ll be happy to release those records. Heh. I don’t think there is much doubt that Rove authored the leak.
And on Cain, it could well be deliberate to get to the Supremes and totally wipe out campaign finance laws. It does supply a reason for the boys to be burning money on Cain.
chopper
@Nevgu:
how much money you make this week off the stock market, dogg? is it a million?
SenyorDave
At this point, there isn’t anything Cain could do that would dissaude his supporters, except the proverbial “being caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl” (although they might let him slide on the dead girl part).
I just remind myself that he is getting 30% support of the 27% , so that works out to 8.1% of the total population (and they are the craziest of the craziest).
Steve M.
Koch and Koch sock puppets are going to get in trouble because they violated the law? Election law? You are just making a sly joke, aren’t you?
TomH
Hey, now that Cain has b*ttf**ked himself, it’s just about time for a surge of Santorum! Ricky don’t lose those poll numbers!
MTiffany
Bachman, Perry, and now Cain; it’s like GOP Inc is just trying to exhaust the tea party talibangelicals with one unelectable whackadoodle after another until out of sheer frustration they’ll capitulate and tolerate Mittens.
http://youtu.be/Fad_GwuPsHE
AnotherBruce
@amk: Karl Rove should know all about “reproach”.
evinfuilt
I love that, that is balls out awesome. His staff didn’t know? His staff runs the charity.
Mr Cain, it looks like you’re the next one being kicked off the island, but for consolation, enjoy your days in court.
Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937
I googled ‘Cain Koch’. It turns out that is somebody’s name. Ughhh!
Thoughtcrime
@Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937:
But…
If you want to get down, down on the ground; ‘Koch Cain’
He don’t lie, he don’t lie, he don’t lie,
‘Koch Cain’
MeDrewNotYou
@Thoughtcrime: This thread is somewhat dead, but that deserves recognition. Your internet is in the mail, sir.