Herman Cain's candidacy was severely harmed by the allegations of sexual harrassment that Politico broke at the end of Oct. 2011. However, Cain seemed to be riding out the storm and carrying on with his campaign. Then on Nov. 28, 2011, a Georgia woman Ginger White claimed a 13-year affair with Cain.
November 28, 2011
Rather, this appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults - a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public. No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life. The public's right to know and the media's right to report has boundaries and most certainly those boundaries end outside of one's bedroom door.
Mr. Cain has alerted his wife to this new accusation and discussed
it
with her. He has no obligation to discuss these types of accusations
publicly with the media and he will not do so even if his principled
position is viewed unfavorably by members of the media.
Atlanta station FOX5 did
the reporting over the Thanksgiving weekend: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/ginger-white-claims-affair-herman-cain-20111127-es
EMAIL from Friends of Herman Cain
November 29, 2011
To reassure you Mr. Cain is moving forward with his campaign, here are official statements released to the media and others: (Feel free to share.)
To:
Iowa Cain Supporters
As
you may know, a new accusation was leveled against Herman Cain
yesterday. On a conference call this morning, Mr. Cain made several
important points:
1) He reiterated that he had tried to help Ginger White with her
problems and tried to get her on her feet financially.
2)
He discussed the emotional toll these allegations had taken on his
family, but emphasized that he was moving ahead with the campaign,
including a foreign policy speech tonight in Michigan
3) He said the
campaign was reassessing where it was similar to the reassessment that
was made after the Iowa Straw poll and the Florida straw polls.
This is what I take from the call and what I believe:
1)
News reports have been quick to report the allegations, but few have
been fair about reporting the background of the accuser. Credit to the
New York Times for including this paragraph in their story:
New York Times, 11-28-2011: "Ms. White is an unemployed single mother. Before the interview, Fox learned that she had filed a sexual harassment claim against an employer in 2001. That case was settled. The station also found a bankruptcy filing nearly 23 years ago in Kentucky, and several eviction notices in the Atlanta area over the past six years.
The station also reported that Ms. White had a former business partner who once sought a "stalking temporary protective order" against her for "repeated e-mails/texts threatening lawsuit and defamation of character." The case was dismissed, but it was followed by a libel lawsuit against Ms. White. A judge entered an order against Ms. White because she failed to respond to the lawsuit, Fox reported"
2)
Both John McCain and Bill Clinton had similarly difficult times in
their presidential campaigns (McCain in the summer of 2007 and Clinton
during the fall of 1991) and they both weathered the storm and emerged
to be their parties' nominees.
3) I believe in Herman Cain and
his ideas. We need to get back on message and make it to the Iowa
Caucuses. My request is that you don't let anyone pick your candidate
based on these allegations. We have a strong Iowa ground game and we
are looking forward to making it to January 3rd with a strong team
intact.
Thank you for your support and thank you for taking a long view of our
sometimes challenging electoral process.
Cain
Campaign,
Iowa
State
Director,
Larry Tuel's statement:
"We are building a great ground game for Herman Cain in Iowa, and we have nearly 900 precinct captains in place.
Nothing that has occurred has changed our plans. Whatever reassessment is going on in the national campaign, our mission is to keep building our ground game in Iowa and prepare to storm the gates January 3rd.
Despite
the allegations and overwhelming press coverage, we have an increased
number of supporters since yesterday and our list of precinct captains
continues to grow. The only conclusion I can draw is that Mr. Cain's
support is not waning. Certainly our supporters are looking for an
explanation and we provided it to them. We are all believers in Herman
Cain in this office and are looking forward to seeing this campaign
through to the Iowa Caucuses."
Response from Cain's national campaign spokesperson, JD Gordon:
"It's a reassessment of where we stand and the road ahead, similar to other times in the campaign's history.
Mr. Cain told staff simply that, just as every time significant events occur, a reassessment is prudent. A good businessman looks at the entire landscape before making decisions. He is, and has been, committed to promoting the issues and solutions that will make this nation stronger. Nothing about that has changed.
We're looking forward to getting back on message tonight with the Foreign Policy and National Security speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan."
EMAIL from Friends of Herman Cain
November 29, 2011
Dear
Patriots
and Supporters,
As you probably heard yesterday, a troubled Atlanta business woman used
national media outlets to promulgate a fabricated, unsubstantiated
story about a 13 year affair with me. I am writing you today to
assure you that this woman’s story is completely false.
I do know Ms. White. I have helped her financially at times over
the past few years, just as I have helped many friends and
acquaintances throughout the years. I thought Ms. White was a friend in
need of a supportive hand to better her life.
Ms. White has made it apparent that she was abusing the friendship.
But now I am asking for your friendship. I am also asking for
your prayers and support. This is a trying time for my family, my
campaign, and for me. It is also a trying time for our country as
we are all distracted from the truly important issues facing our nation.
This evening I have an important speaking engagement at Hillsdale
College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where I will be outlining my foreign
policy and national security plan. While recent events have taken
a toll on me, the people in the audience this evening will not know it.
I will deliver my message with vigor and enthusiasm.
Let me assure you, I am not deterred. America’s future is too
important. We will continue on this journey to make America great once
again.
Thank you and God bless.
Sincerely,
Herman Cain
EMAIL December 1, 2011
