Herman Cain Quotes Obscure 20th-Century Strike-Breaker and Misattributes it to Lincoln
In this brief clip from CNN, supposed GOP front-runner assails the "Occupy Wall Street" movement as a waste of time, and a front for the Democratic party and Barack Obama's re-election hopes. What caught my ear, however, was the line he uses and attributes to Abraham Lincoln:
You don't help the poor by hurting the rich.
Republicans have been using it for decades, most famously by Ronald Reagan at the 1992 Republican National Convention, when he said in his speech:
I heard those speakers at that other convention saying "we won the Cold War" -- and I couldn't help wondering, just who exactly do they mean by "we?" And to top it off, they even tried to portray themselves as sharing the same fundamental values of our party! What they truly don't understand is the principle so eloquently stated by Abraham Lincoln: "You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
None of which Abraham Lincoln ever said.
Those axioms were from one Rev. William John Henry Boetcker, a now obscure historical figure but in 1916 the director of Citizens' Industrial Alliance, which later became the Citizens' Alliance, a pro-employer organization notable for its strike breaking, anti-union efforts in the early part of the twentieth century.
Snopes details this authoritatively here.
I suppose none of this should come as a shock from any Republican, and especially not from a potential Republican nominee who takes his inspiration from children's cartoons, a man who until recently seemed more interested in selling his book than actually winning the nomination. And indeed this clip, and his later interview with Lawrence O'Donnell for MSNBC were done in a bookstore, Cain hawking his book and campaigning at the same time.
Republicans have been fabulously successful at creating and marketing their own mythology for at least the last forty years, unsurprisingly coincident with the decline of the middle class and ever greater wealth in the hands of the few. It's no wonder someone like Herman Cain doesn't understand the Occupy Wall Street movement or the real resentment out there just beginning to surface.
The only people seeking permanent help are the disabled, and they should get it. The problem is the disgusting repugnacan party doesn't want to offer any help to anyone. There are times in almost everyone's life when they need assistance. If you are so blessed that you never do then count yourself one of the very lucky few but don't assume that everyone is as fortunate as you are. The most distrubing thing about the repugnacans is their complete lack of empathy and, despite their claims, morality.
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"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
You don't hurt the rich by helping the poor.
say otherwise
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
black walnut redundant?
Our personal experience has been that helping only the rich has not only hurt the poor, it has created more poor.
"When you're president -- as opposed the head of a private equity firm -- your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot." - President Barack Obama
... facts don't matter to conservatives.
They're envious of only rich people setting policy.
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
He appreciates the Herman Cain Tour to make Romney appear rational and more moderate.
Instead of a black walnut come 2012 general election, we will get a macadamia nut.
Keep it up.
"When you're president -- as opposed the head of a private equity firm -- your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot." - President Barack Obama
Further proof that Republicans live in an alternate universe and create their own reality.
their reality becomes far more different from the one the rest of "mere" mortals have to face everyday.
When a person's every worldly need is met, then they have time to worry about other things like how to control the system, or impose their will on others... seldom you see any of these individual using their freedom from need (what being wealthy really is) to help others of figure out how to better other people's lives.
CTHULHU 2012 "Why vote for a lesser evil?"
for PizzaMan to be the GOP nominee to run against President Obama. It would amusing watching the racist bigots heads exploding.
Freedom Isn't Free, So Stop Whining And Pay Your Taxes.
Just another GOP mental midget.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
...to his "if you don't have a job or you're not rich BLAME YOURESELF!"...he's watched Scarah fool the suckers now for three years and feather her many nests with contributions and book sales cause she knows how to manipulate our shiny object media. He's doing the same thing...he KNOWS he hasn't a snowballs chance in the warm place to be president...but he'll be RICHER!!! Playing the American campaign game...
The GOP: Functional Illiterates For A Dimmer Tomorrow.
And you don't help the poor by slashing jobs left and right. Nothing's changing because nothing is being done.
I watched the interview with Lawrence O'Donnel last night, and was surprised to hear Cain was responding from a bookstore relatively nearby in a place called "The Woodlands".
"The Woodlands" is a fabulously wealthy development community about 35 miles north of Houston. They have their own malls, stores, everything. And all homes there start around $500K. Think of a huge 50sq mile "gated community" with no gates.
The minority population of "The Woodlands" probably mirrors the minority population of the GOP.
Interesting choice for a book-signing.
* There are two types of Republicans: millionaires and suckers.
"Mugsy's Rap Sheet": Recording history for those who seek to rewrite it.
Here in Central Florida, we have "The Villages". Populated for the most part by rich,white, retirees, it's the epicenter of the "I got mine, fuck everybody else" GOP
If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna get selfish, ignorant leaders.
George Carlin
. . . to figure that Abraham Lincoln wouldn't be spouting Calvinist claptrap.
Which is why it's so important to conservatives to ensure that history and civics are not emphasized in schools.
He isn't really misquoting that dirty liberal hippy Lincoln. Actually, he's quoting that conservative, immigrant hating, tax lowering, Russia destroying conservative God, Reagan, misquoting Lincoln.
No true conservative would quote Lincoln directly from the lips of Lincoln. Lincoln gave amnesty and a path to citizenship to all those illegal brown people, who came here to have half-white anchor babies.
the Wall Street protesters....doesn't understand the state of America...
of trying to channel Lincoln and apparently few even noticed.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
so un-American to suggest protesting the White House, or protesting failed policies during the Bush Administration. Support the troops, rising death tolls, loss of world good will and economic melt downs.....
We have come so very far from the Dixie Chicks...
"I'm not ready to make nice"
George Washington
We were expected to take the time and consider the less fortunate. Now we're expected to take the time and consider the more fortunate, and how to help make them even more fortunate?
We are now entering The Twilight Zone.
GOP talking points: all sound and fury signifying nothing.
Agreed
Republicans are proof that even sociopathology is class driven. If you have money but you're a deadbeat dad, you get a get out of jail card. If not, you're going to jail. If you hurt society by hurting yourself, you're going to jail for drugs, unless your Rush Limgaugh!
Sociopathology has been legitmized if you're a Republican!
Recovered believer of myth that no government is better than no government.
They seem to be hurting the poor to help the rich, however.
You'd think Republican fact-checkers could have figured it out by now. Oh wait, they don't do facts -- they don' need no steenkin fact-checkers.
Sorry, I forgot the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._H._Bo...
Whether Lincoln wrote it or not (still unclear after reading the Snopes link) it is CORRECT! Here is another one for you:
According to President John F. Kennedy:
Our true choice is not between tax reduction, on the one hand, and the avoidance of large Federal deficits on the other. It is increasingly clear that no matter what party is in power, so long as our national security needs keep rising, an economy hampered by restrictive tax rates will never produce enough revenues to balance our budget just as it will never produce enough jobs or enough profits. In short, it is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high today and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now.
Whew!!! It just infuriates me to hear that jerk! I would think even the Repukes had enough of this low-life!
Millions of volunteer workers all over the universe, out of the goodness of their hearts, not to receive a dime for their efforts helping another human being.
And then you hear this greedy low-life heartless fool, saying the inconceivable!!!
Bet it was not the protests of the civil rights movement..hehe
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