Earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, otherwise known as CPAC, Herman Cain made the statement that "The objective of the liberals is to destroy this country. The objective of the liberals is to make America mediocre." When asked if he still believed that by David Gregory on this week's Meet the Press, Cain decided to double down on his remarks. Naturally one of the reasons he gave here is that heaven forbid, liberals would like to see defense spending cut.
Cain hasn't shown much interest in understanding foreign policy and has said he'll have to rely on advisers to guide him along if he is elected president, but he seems to be dead sure that we have to continue spending outrageous amounts of money on America's militarism.
GREGORY: Let me move on to some other issues and some of your views, which I think a lot of Americans haven't heard about. A lot of attention on these Wall Street protests right now.
CAIN: Yes.
GREGORY: You've written about, you've reacted to it. Do you empathize, as the president does, with the message of those Wall Street protesters?
CAIN: What is their message? That's what's unclear. If that message is, "Let's punish the rich," I don't empathize with that message. They should be protesting the White House. The White House has basically enacted failed economic policies. The White House and the Democrats have spent $1 trillion that did not work. Now the president wants to pass another $450 billion. They have their frustrations directed at the wrong group. That's what I'm saying.
GREGORY: You've talked as well about liberals in the country. You gave a speech in February where you didn't mince words. This is what you said.
(Videotape)
CAIN: The objective of the liberals is to destroy this country.
(End videotape)
GREGORY: To destroy this country. How so?
CAIN: Economically. Look at this economy. David, the engine of economic growth is the business sector. We are growing at an anemic 1, 1 1/2 percent. If we allow this economy to continue to go down, it would destroy our economic capability. And, as a result, we are now looking at how much in defense we can cut. That's destroying it. It...
GREGORY: You think liberals actually seek to do that, that that's their mission, to destroy the economy?
CAIN: I--that's the conclusion that I have drawn.
GREGORY: Not mismanagement.
CAIN: No!
GREGORY: But it's their mission.
CAIN: It is their mission. Because they do not believe in a stronger America, in my opinion. Yes.
GREGORY: You've also said that stupid people are ruining America.
CAIN: Yes.
GREGORY: Who exactly are you talking about?
CAIN: People who are uninformed. People who will not look at an alternate idea. People who are so dug in with partisanship and partisan politics. Open-mindedness is what's going to save this country. The reason that my message is appealing is because it's simple and people can understand it. You know, a good idea transcends party politics. But there are some people who will not even consider 9-9-9 or any other proposal if it's coming from someone of the opposite political persuasion.
GREGORY: Is race a factor in this campaign?
CAIN: Absolutely not. I have a lot of black people that are saying that they are going to vote for me if I get the nomination, and they're going to vote for me in the primary, not because of my color, but because of my ideas. They love the simplicity of 9-9-9. They love the simplicity of my approach to energy. We need to become energy independent. People are connected with my ideals and solutions. Many of the other candidates running for the nomination, they're talking about the problem and they're talking about generic solutions. I am putting specific solutions on the table.
