Herman Cain, 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, revealed exactly how in touch he is with the pulse of America. When interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, about the grass roots movement “Occupy Wall Street,” Cain announced, “Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself! . . . It is not someone’s fault if they succeeded, it is someone’s fault if they failed.”
Think Progress reported the following on Cain’s comment: “But Cain’s claim about the unemployed is especially heartless and uninformed. There are simply not enough jobs to go around, with 4.32 unemployed people for every job opening in the country. So even someone looking hard for a job will have a difficult time finding one. Moreover, Cain fails to understand the astronomical income inequality in the U.S. and the negative effect it has on economic growth.”
To further illustrate his ignorance, Cain also claimed, “I don’t have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration.”
Well, without facts, who can really argue with him? I’ll give it a try though.
The citizens behind the “Occupy Wall Street” movement aren’t pleased with Republicans or Democrats! (as mentioned in the Huffington Post). They are angry with politicians in general. They aren’t trying to help Obama or hurt him. They are trying to bring attention to the plight of the everyday citizen, who flounders in an economy that favors the top 1% of American income earners.
They are upset that the individuals who caused the banking crisis remain unaffected and free, while the average American still suffers from the fallout of the banking scandals in 2008. But as Cain said, “We aren’t in 2008; we’re in 2011.”
Who can argue with that logic? What happened in 2008 couldn’t possibly be affecting the nation still in 2011! I mean slavery in this country ended in 1863, and our country has long since moved passed that, right?
Cain obviously has no concept of the struggles of the typical American. To blatantly tell an interviewer that the unemployed should blame themselves is ridiculous, especially in this job climate. Jobs are simply not there, so how can the unemployed be blamed?
With Cain now tied for first place with Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential nod (both candidates are at 17% among Republican primary voters, as reported by CBS), I am concerned that someone as out of touch with the average American might one day represent their interests in The White House.
