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Cain says ‘black people are thinking for themselves’ but produced ads in ’06 with a different message

As media outlets have been suggesting ad nauseam, presidential contender Herman Cain’s recent confusing, contradictory statements about abortion might

Jul 31, 202085.7K Shares1.9M Views
As media outlets have been suggesting ad nauseam, presidential contender Herman Cain’s recent confusing, contradictory statements about abortionmight precipitate the candiate’s downfall, following recent climbs in political polls.
But old comments Cain has made about abortion — in the form of a controversial radio ad campaign— could also further tarnish Cain’s reputation. Though as Right Wing Watch has recently pointed out, few press outlets have asked Cain about his role in the campaign, which the George W. Bush administration called “inappropriate” and the Republican National Committee (RNC) deemed “racist.”
In 2006, a political action committee called America’s PAC formed with the goal of spending $1 million on a radio ad campaign targeting African-American and Hispanic voters to support GOP candidates. Some of the ads referred to women as “ho’s” and accused the Democratic Party of trying to “decimate” black babies via abortion. Other ads implied that blacks and Hispanic men “don’t work for a living” and cheat on their wives. The New York Sun reportedin October 2006 that Cain was the spokesperson of the ad campaign, even voicing some of the ads himself.
From the Sun:
Mr. Cain, who once managed the Godfather’s Pizza chain and ran unsuccessfully for the Senate from Georgia in 2004, said he was not troubled that [America's PAC lead financial backer] Mr. [J. Patrick] Rooney, who is white, is funding ads using black voices who claim to speak on behalf of the black community.”You don’t have a lot of black billionaires who would want to fund something like this,” he said.
Right Wing Watch has also uncovered a LifeNews.com articlefrom 2006, which implies that Cain helped pay for the ads.
Dialogue from the ads, as reported by Sun:
“Black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies. The Democratic Party supports these abortion laws that are decimating our people, but the individual’s right to life is protected in the Republican platform. Democrats say they want our vote.Why don’t they want our lives?”
Another radio spot, wherein two men converse:
“If you make a little mistake with one of your ‘hos,’ you’ll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked,” one of the men says.
“That’s too cold. I don’t snuff my own seed,” the other replies.
“Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican,” the first man says.
Another spot, which, according to the Sun, attempted to link Democrats to white supremacist David Duke (who served as a Republican in the Louisiana Legislature), referencing to a recent trip Duke had made to Syria to speak at an anti-war rally.
“I can understand why a Ku Klux Klan cracker like David Duke makes nice with the terrorists. What I want to know is why so many of the Democrat politicians I helped elect are on the same side of the Iraq war as David Duke.”
Audio of a 2006 radio ad from America’s PAC:
On Monday, Cain appeared on Fox & Friends, whose hosts sympathized with candidate, praising his “great sense of humor” and asking him to defend respond criticisms that he perpetuates racial stereotypes. At one point Cain was asked to defend a recent commenthe made saying that African-Americans are “brainwashed.”
Cain responded: ”Some of them arebrainwashed … but I always say the good news is a large percentage of black people are thinking for themselves.”
Watch the full clip:
Paula M. Graham

Paula M. Graham

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