The Caine Mutiny

Posted at November 2, 2011

It appears as if the “non-politician” GOP candidate is now getting a dose of what it means to be a politician in the highest stakes race of them all. Although I hardly agree with most anything that comes out of Herman Caine’s mouth (other than the fact that the U.S. tax system could use some simplifying), I am nevertheless put off by this attempt to tear him down. Would any of these allegations have come out if he were still a non-contender? I seriously doubt it. No one would have cared. But as soon as his poll numbers began showing him as a front or co-front runner, out come vague allegations of “sexual harassment.” Sexual harassment……in the U.S. simply commenting that a female co-worker or employee “looks very nice in that dress” can get you nailed with one of those charges. And then what, you’re potentially branded forever as a pervert. I haven’t heard a word about what Herman Caine supposedly did that brought these charges some twenty years ago….and that now have so conveniently risen their ugly head in an attempt to suck the wind from his sails. But politics is a blood sport and Caine is learning that right lesson now. I just wonder who really is responsible for breaking this story…..the dems (who don’t really like to see conservative blacks do well in any sort of poll), or the republicans and in specific perhaps one of Caine’s competitors? Who knows, but in my opinion it is dirty pool and highly irrelevant to the issue at hand. And that is who is the best person to be the next President of the U.S.

Personally I don’t believe it is any of these characters on the right who have made such hearty fools of themselves in recent debate showings. Let’s see….their idea is that there should be less government and more power to private interests. Hmmmm…sounds familiar. What exactly are “private interests” any way….you mean the ones that they count on to fund their campaign war chests. The tea party movement has branded more government as socialism. Less government, or, even better, no government is capitalism. In my mind there is, or can be, a healthy balance between the two. No one wants totalitarianism in which government controls every aspect of our lives. However, neither is it a good idea to continue to allow capitalism to “run amok” as I am fond of saying in this blog. But isn’t it a little absurd that all in this GOP field staunchly defend the rights of gazillionaires not to pay one red penny of additional taxes…..why? The claim is that they will then fold up their card tables and remove themselves from the capitalistic game, thus causing rampant unemployment as those underlings who rely on their benevolence would soon go without. In reality for those guys to pay more taxes really means little more than they might have to sail a smaller yacht. I am really not that concerned about rich people having to cut down to $500 a night rooms rather than $1,000 on their vacation budgets. I mean come on, it really is absurd. Of course government has an important role to play in putting the brakes on “capitalism run amok” and making sure that society as a whole is at least somewhat “fair.” Now there’s a dirty word. But “life isn’t fair” I can hear many of you die-hard capitalists say (or, better, whine). Yea well maybe it isn’t and never will be, but it’s an idea worth striving for. And we’ll never get there as long as the Herman Caines and the rest of the tea party thinking crowd get their way and one of these “get government out of the way and let corporate America rule” candidates ends up being the 45th President of the U.S.A.