Rare is the politician that is willing to admit when he’s wrong – about anything. Even rarer is the politician that’s willing to admit when he doesn’t have an answer. I think we may have finally found the exception to the rule.
Sunday, Herman Cain made an appearance on Fox News Sunday – his first national interview on the “Sunday Circuit.” After exchanging pleasantries and handling a few opening topics, Cain was asked by host Chris Wallace about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was prompted to share his thoughts on the week’s developments between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Cain gave a rather general answer which led Wallace to dig a little deeper.
He asked Cain to share his thoughts on the “right of return” – a fundamental point of contention in the “peace process” and one that Cain clearly had never heard referenced before. He froze; but eventually received enough of a lead from Wallace to piece together an answer, and the interview moved on. But the damage was done and the web went abuzz with commentary on the gaffe.
I saw the interview for the first time Monday morning and immediately posted this – Herman Cain Shines, Struggles in Appearance on Fox News Sunday – not knowing that others had already pounced on the misstep.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed with Cain’s performance and part of me thought the interview may have been his last. And then came this.
In an interview (already scheduled before Sunday’s misstep) with Sean Hannity, Herman Cain responded to his critics… (Video Below)
HANNITY: ”A lot of people think you didn’t understand the ‘right of return’…?”
HERMAN CAIN: “They are exactly right Sean. Chris caught me off guard. I didn’t understand the right of return. That came out of left field.
And of all the questions I anticipated him asking me, I didn’t even conceive of him asking me about the right of return. I now know what that is. The thing that you’re gonna learn about Herman Cain is that if he doesn’t know something, he’s not going to try and fake it; or give an answer that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
I had to listen to it three times just to make sure I heard what I thought I heard. Did he really just say “I didn’t understand the right of return”?
I think he did.
Reactions?
First off. I still don’t give Cain a pass for not knowing what it was. In a week where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not just a topic but the topic, not knowing a fundamental point of contention is simply unacceptable for a candidate seeking the office of the Presidency. Busy week; even busier weekend with the campaign kickoff in Atlanta; still absolutely unacceptable. It reflects poorly on Cain for his lack of preparation and it reflects poorly on his campaign and the people he surrounds himself with that they didn’t make sure he was thoroughly briefed on the background of the most important news story of the week. He should have known what it was; or at the very least – heard of it.
But… and there’s always a but. I have to commend him for coming out and admitting his ignorance on the issue the way he did Monday night. It takes a very big man to own a mistake like that. Frankly, even admitting that he didn’t know such a thing could be a third strike for some; and he made the effort to admit his mistake all the same. Sure, he wasn’t left with many options. He clearly did not know the answer. But he didn’t go the usual route and run from it or try to spin the budding controversy as an “unfair question” or the result of being “taken out of context.” He owned it.
So what’s the takeaway here? I have to admit I’m kinda torn. I was and am very disappointed that Herman Cain was that uninformed on a matter so important and so close to the top of the political “hot sheet”; but I still can’t help but feel that when I wake up tomorrow, I’m probably going to like the guy a little more than I did before I heard the interview with Wallace. Call it refreshing, a change of pace, a breath of fresh air, or whatever you’d like. I just kinda like it. Dude was being honest. He made a mistake. He didn’t know; and he admitted it.
Like I said, I’m not giving the guy a pass for not doing his homework. He doesn’t deserve one. Not on this issue. Not when the Presidency is his goal. And certainly not when the future of Israel is the topic up for discussion. That said… I think he just earned a second chance…
One can argue whether “right of return” is fundamental or not (I for one have never heard of it till today, and I submit the bulk of the public hasn’t either).
Herman admitting his mistake is **way** more important than having all the answers. I’ve been following Herman (and Boortz) for years, and I trust his ability to come up with “common sense solutions”.
I suspect the mud thrown at this gaffe won’t stick.
I agree with you that Mr. Cain seems more than capable of coming up with “common sense solutions.” I wouldn’t question that in the slightest. In fact, I think that is his most desirable quality as a candidate.
As to this being “mud”, I simply cannot agree with your contention. It was a very bad misstep. You are correct that the matter probably flew beneath the radar of most Americans before the gaffe, but that still does not make it any less damaging. Just because 90% of Americans couldn’t tell you what the “Commerce Clause” actually refers to, doesn’t mean it is any less fundamental to any number of debates.
Herman Cain has been extremely careful (almost to a fault) not to weigh in on foreign policy matters, but he had chosen to weigh in on this one. Given that his caution still allowed him to speak on the matter, I would have expected him to have been thoroughly briefed on the core tenets of the debate.
But as to Cain. I still very much like the guy. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe the tone of your comment sounds like you think I’m a Herman Cain hater. If that is the case, you are 100% incorrect in your assumptions. I’ve been ringing the bell for his candidacy for quite some time now – long before most of the other Right Wing outlets picked it up. Try Googling Who is Herman Cain; or even Herman Cain, generally; and you will find plenty from Republican Redefined. Even with my humble block traffic, I’m still near the top; because I was among the first to be there.
That said, just because I like a candidate does not mean I have to look the other way when he/she screws up. How could I have any credibility if I simply gave passes to those I liked for doing that which I’d hammer someone else for?
And take that even a step further. If Herman Cain didn’t understand that fact, would he have admitted he was wrong in the first place? No. He would have simply expected those who support him to cover it up and help him collectively hope it just went away.
I didn’t write about it in the piece bc most of my readers don’t really care to hear about the inner workings of a blog/site, but Cain did us the biggest favor we could have ever dreamed of receiving. He had a terrible moment and he owned it. He gave us an opportunity to call him on it; and then to commend him for being a man about it. He gave us a pass on having to put our credibility on the line by ignoring it. I really hope that sentiment rubs off on some of the other Republican front-runners/darlings/starlets. If not, this is going to be one hell of a fight as we move through primary season should a few candidates who will go unnamed decide to enter the race.
Thanks for the comment Quentin. I do appreciate it; and I sincerely hope you continue fighting the good fight for Mr. Cain if he is your preferred choice for the nomination.
[...] but at first glance I don’t think it was really that effective. Couple that with his past “Right of Return” missteps and it could prove to be an area of weakness that I thought he would have corrected by [...]
There’s a new article on @PolicyMic about Herman Cain what is your reaction? I don’t agree 100% with their analysis of Cain, but I can’t help but sympathize with his analysis of the GOP candidates at large, none of them seem to be distinguishing themselves very well and they may have trouble bridging the moderate vote.
Why Herman Cain is Destroying the GOP | Tom McKay http://www.policymic.com/articles/why-herman-cain-is-destroying-the-gop
[...] Right of Return [...]
[...] the Herman Cain “Right of Return“… uhhh… Right of Return??? performance with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday? Remember the negotiating with terrorists [...]
[...] – probably because he’s managed to do just that through the course of this campaign: Right of Return, Muslims in his Cabinet, Loyalty Tests, Negotiating with terrorists, Ubbeki- bek-beki-stan, NeoCon, [...]