Trial By Ordeal
October 24, 2011 - by
In 1996 six months after Steve Forbes began his campaign for President his brother Tim told me, Here’s how Presidential campaigns work: They stand my brother up on stage then they strip all his clothes off and beat him to a pulp. But in a way it makes sense. Because, I guess, people figure if he’s tough enough to survive all that he’s tough enough to be President.
The only thing that has changed in the last 15 years is the 24-hour news cycle, which means a candidate can be stripped and pulverized in a week – as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry and Herman Cain have now learned.
Last week in Las Vegas Bachmann, Romney, Perry, Santorum, and Gingrich all let fly at Cain, saying his 9-9-9 plan raised taxes on 84% of the people. Cain glared back, snapped, Absolutely not so, added, Read my plan, you dummies, then flat out denied his plan raised taxes period.
Before the week was out the 24-hour news cycle had nailed Cain. He had to ‘tweak’ his plan to untax the people he’d said he didn’t overtax in the first place. So, now, the 9-9-9 plan’s the 9-9-minus 9 plan and in the next debate Cain’s sure to be asked, Herman, did you read your plan?
Posted in National Republicans
Trial By Ordeal
October 24, 2011/
In 1996 six months after Steve Forbes began his campaign for President his brother Tim told me, Here’s how Presidential campaigns work: They stand my brother up on stage then they strip all his clothes off and beat him to a pulp. But in a way it makes sense. Because, I guess, people figure if he’s tough enough to survive all that he’s tough enough to be President.
The only thing that has changed in the last 15 years is the 24-hour news cycle, which means a candidate can be stripped and pulverized in a week – as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry and Herman Cain have now learned.
Last week in Las Vegas Bachmann, Romney, Perry, Santorum, and Gingrich all let fly at Cain, saying his 9-9-9 plan raised taxes on 84% of the people. Cain glared back, snapped, Absolutely not so, added, Read my plan, you dummies, then flat out denied his plan raised taxes period.
Before the week was out the 24-hour news cycle had nailed Cain. He had to ‘tweak’ his plan to untax the people he’d said he didn’t overtax in the first place. So, now, the 9-9-9 plan’s the 9-9-minus 9 plan and in the next debate Cain’s sure to be asked, Herman, did you read your plan?
Posted in National Republicans