Tragically, the lone black GOP candidate has contributed nothing substantial to the national discussion on the future of our country. He has not offered a decipherable agenda of how he’s going to lead the nation, only hate — hate of Obama and hate of Muslims. He has not expanded the GOP “tent” to fit more African Americans into the fold. It’s not clear that he even wants more blacks to join him in the Republican party. So what exactly is his purpose?
The only thing Cain has going for him is his metaphorical bat he uses to try to bash Obama’s skull and the ailing economy that’s offering stubborn resistance to any prescription offered to cure its ills.
Lacking substance or original ideas, Cain clings to regurgitated topics like President Obama and the tired birther issues. He says Obama was raised in Kenya one week, then turns around and tells another reporter that he doesn’t know if Obama was born in America or not because he has not “reviewed all the various ‘proof’ one way or another.”
It is clear that Cain is a shameless, unprincipled panderer feverishly operating to curry favor with conservative, white, middle-class voters. Nothing details Cain’s penchant for ingratiating himself with the Tea Party and extreme right wingers when he renounces the term ‘African American.’
“I am an American, black, conservative,” he said in explaining his view on the matter. “I don’t use ‘African American,’ because I’m American, I’m black, and I’m conservative. I don’t like people trying to label me. ‘African American’ is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not ‘some people.’ ”
The only thing missing on Cain is cheap perfume and clear high heels. And he’s for sale, auctioning off his soul for the highest bidder.
It was chilling watching Cain receive thunderous applause for exhibiting blatant bigotry and prejudice against Muslims. He said, initially, that he would not hire them into his presidential administration, then backpedaled with Michael Jackson fluidity to state that he would subject any Muslim interviewee to a more rigorous interview process than Christians or Jews.
“You have peaceful Muslims, then you have militant Muslims, those that are trying to kill us,” Cain said, playing the role of custodian as he tried to mop of his mess. “I was thinking about the ones that were trying to kill us.”
He plays to his all-white audience’s fears and private prejudices. If blacks were the majority and in power in America, Cain would not have to say: “I’m sure my ancestors go all the way back to Africa, but I feel more of an affinity for America than I do for Africa. I’m a black man in America.”
It is also clear that Cain only says these things in order to score points with white voters. How it impacts African Americans is not his concern. I just hope he enjoys the trinkets, doodads and crumbs that fall from his heroes’ table because that’s all he is going to get out of this presidential race.
–terry shropshire
