Herman Cain’s Latest Attempt at Damage Control is Amazing


Herman Cain’s presidential campaign is all but over. The latest Des Moines Register poll puts his support in the critical early caucus state at just 8 percent—down 15 points from last month. Also: He’s been accused of various forms of misconduct by a bipartisan coalition of five different women, ranging from alleged sexual assault to an alleged 13-year extramarital affair, somehow managing to make Newt Gingrich look like a family man in the process.

On Thursday night, Cain told Sean Hannity that he would decide whether or not to quit the race by Monday. On Friday, he decided the timing was perfect to launch a new website, “Women for Herman Cain.” This is the logo:

What is this I don't even.What is this I don’t even.If that seems like some sort of stock image, it’s because it is. Here’s the exact same shot in an ad for a South African sugar company (“pure sweetness,” I’m told, was a rejected Cain campaign slogan). Here are those four women, in a photo titled “four happy young women with many colorful balloons.” Here are those four same women, with balloons, but without birthday presents:

Courtesy of ShutterstockCourtesy of ShutterstockThe fact that these women can summon such enthusiasm for multicollored balloons sort of puts their energetic support for Cain in perspective.

Somehow, though, that’s not the most tone-deaf part of the site. No, the most tone-deaf part of the site comes in the testimonials that follow, from female Cain supporters. For instance, here’s Barbara from Nipomo, California:

“Dear Mrs. Cain Don’t pay attention to these pathetic husbandless women who are jealous of women like you in happy long-term marriages. These vindictive women can’t find a husband or keep one. They are like stalkers who try to latch on to any man who shows a bit of kindness or attention to them. When these unstable women come out of the woodwork to make accusations about Herman just say, “Honey, get a life, I believe my husband.” We want you to be our First Lady Mrs. Cain!”

Here’s Angela, from Nixa, Missouri:

You are a triple threat to the Left!! I believe these “women” are looking for money and attention and have been groomed by the “Demonacrats” to be a bunch of bad actress’.

Here’s Cheryl, in Georgetown, Texas:

[A]s a REAL woman I do not believe for one second any of these “women” that have crawled out from under a rock somewhere to defame you and bring pain to you and your family. They are pitiful creatures at the very least, and evil at the most. Isn’t it convenient that they have suddenly become offended by supposed advances by you now after all these years, my goodness, poor babies, how have they been able to bare up under the pain for all these oh so many years… LIARS, LIARS, LIARS…GO GET THEM HERMAN AND PLEASE DO NOT QUIT!!!!

Not to quibble, but why is “women” in scare quotes? Does Cheryl know something we don’t?

The “Women for Cain” site isn’t the only questionable content on the Cain site. The main page is also promoting an article which refers to Ginger White, who alleged she recently broke of a 13-year affair with Cain, as a “another loser looking to cash in.” Given that the only other accuser who come forward on her own terms hasn’t cashed in at all, that’s a totally nonsensical statement. (The column doesn’t even rule out the idea that Cain did have a 13-year affair with White.)

Update: Here are a few more, from the Women for Herman Cain sister site, “Encouragement for Herman Cain“: “Mr. Cain, Woodward and Bernstein proved that they could drive a president from office through egregious slander,” writes Sean from Vancouver, Washington. Nixon was set up? Suzanne from Tucson chips in: “I will be praying for Mrs. Cain, so she can grow a thick skin for the future. Please bring her everywhere with you on your campaign from now on. She can only help you. I promise you, your sweet wife vs butch bully Michelle Obama as First Lady — makes it an EASY CHOICE for Americans!!”

Update II: Cain has taken down the stock image, and the proposition that made the entire thing work. Now the site just says “Women [big space] Cain”:

No words.

(h/t/ @delrayser)

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate