Erick Erickson's Blog, page 96

Days of Whine and Poseurs

"For so long Republican congressmen have gotten to go home calling themselves conservative while doing jack for the cause. Heritage Action holds them accountable."

We've made a bit of a mistake as a conservative movement fixating so much on the race for the White House. There's a behind the scenes fight happening in Washington right now. Congressional Republicans are not just selling us out, they are hell bent — and I really do mean hell bent — on destroying the conservative groups raising red flags about what they are doing.

For so long the GOP in Washington could hide behind surveys like the American Conservative Union survey, which shows just how much more someone is Republican than Democrat. No one actually did a survey that showed just how conservative the Republicans were internally. What happened was a lot of Republicans took up the conservative banner as their own, claimed to be conservative, and really were selling out conservatives in D.C. as much as the Democrats.

Finally, the Heritage Foundation decided to do something about it. Much whaling, whining, gnashing of teeth, and the odd spectacle of Washington Republicans running to MSNBC to complain has ensued.

Now, my friends at the Heritage Foundation won't like me saying this, but I really believe that along with just about every other conservative group in Washington during the Bush years, Heritage got it in its head that it needed to be a team player with the Bushies instead of being the conservative standard bearer.

That's why we had that tit for tat in the last CNN debate where Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both blamed the Heritage Foundation for coming up with the individual mandate or something akin to it coupled with exchanges (Heritage isn't very good, or at least wasn't very good, on health care).

But the light went on at the Heritage Foundation. It is one of the few conservative organizations where the light didn't just go on, they replaced the 60 watt for a 100 watt bright light of conservatism. They did something else too — they decided to not just make sure to renew their commitment to conservatism, but to also hold accountable the supposedly conservative members of Congress through a 501(c)(4), Heritage Action for America.

And now we are seeing, coming off Capitol Hill, days of whine and poseurs. Republican members of Congress who are either not or barely are conservative are now being compared to actual conservatives. They can no longer hide. They are livid, petty, and lashing out. In fact, true to their nature, they are going on MSNBC of all places to whine and pose.

Now, I don't know a conservative outside the beltway who views Eric Cantor as being as conservative as Eric Cantor would have you believe. This is a man, you will remember, who told the press the reason conservatives voted against TARP was because Nancy Pelosi had been not nice. Seriously. His Heritage Action for America score is in the 60′s — right where I'd have put him.

What makes it so hysterical, but also so tragic, are the number of Republicans who have convinced themselves they are conservative when they not only are not, but have never been. You have porkers and budget appropriators who have expanded the size and scope of the federal government to reward their friends called out on their actions and all they can do is whine.

Consider, for example, what Ed Crane of CATO noted way back on November 13, 2000:

Over the past three years the Republican-controlled Congress has approved discretionary spending that exceeded Bill Clinton's requests by more than $30 billion. The party that in 1994 would abolish the Department of Education now brags in response to Clinton's 2000 State of the Union Address that it is outspending the White House when it comes to education. My colleagues Stephen Moore and Stephen Slivinski found that the combined budgets of the 95 major programs that the Contract with America promised to eliminate have increased by 13%.

Republicans did that. And many of the Republicans who did that called or still call themselves conservatives.

It is about time we had a group like Heritage Action for America in Washington to call out the poseurs and shed light on their posing. One of the best ways they have done it is to score sponsorship of legislation. This has the poseurs really livid.

It is one thing to vote on legislation that eventually makes it to the floor of the House. Usually, by then, the legislation has been watered down so everybody on the GOP side can sign on. So to overcome the watering down effect, Heritage Action scores sponsorship. Real conservatives should not be ashamed to actually have their name on conservative legislation. It is driving the squishy moderates crazy. For so long Republican congressmen have gotten to go home calling themselves conservative while doing jack for the cause. Heritage Action holds them accountable.

Friends, this is the first time we've had a conservative group really holding Republican feet to the fire in the name of conservatism like this. The reaction we are seeing from Republicans on the Hill is that of men who think themselves gods who are finally being held accountable as public servants after, in many cases, getting a free ride within the conservative movement.

Consider joining Heritage Action for America and advance accountability within the GOP.

Morning Briefing for November 1, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For November 1, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Days of Whine and Poseurs

2. The Herman Cain Allegations

3. Obama Administration Flip-Flops on Charitable Giving

4. Nancy Pelosi Goes 'Rogue': Boeing Should Either Close Down SC Plant Or Unionize It

5. Telling the Truth About Medicare

6. The Cost of Voting No on Ohio Issue 2

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

———————————————————————-

1. Days of Whine and Poseurs

We've made a bit of a mistake as a conservative movement fixating so much on the race for the White House. There's a behind the scenes fight happening in Washington right now. Congressional Republicans are not just selling us out, they are hell bent — and I really do mean hell bent — on destroying the conservative groups raising red flags about what they are doing.

For so long the GOP in Washington could hide behind surveys like the American Conservative Union survey, which shows just how much more someone is Republican than Democrat. No one actually did a survey that showed just how conservative the Republicans were internally. What happened was a lot of Republicans took up the conservative banner as their own, claimed to be conservative, and really were selling out conservatives in D.C. as much as the Democrats.

Finally, the Heritage Foundation decided to do something about it. Much whaling, whining, gnashing of teeth, and the odd spectacle of Washington Republicans running to MSNBC to complain has ensued.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. The Herman Cain Allegations

Back when I was a lawyer I handled several sexual harassment suits. None of mine settled for less than the high end of six figures.

Reading about these two complaints, my gut reaction to them is that settling for five figures, which could be as little as $10,000.00 and as high as $99,999, was "go away" money.

If the Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, at the time one of the top 25 trade associations in Washington, D.C., were sexually harassing someone, that someone could get a lot of money. It just strikes me that a settlement for less than six figures is money paid to deal with the nuisances of an employee fired or otherwise let go who decided to raise the specter of harassment to get more money to leave without causing a scene.

Dealing with harassment claims, no matter how substantive or frivolous, is one of the costs of doing business in America that causes more and more businesses to not do business in America.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Obama Administration Flip-Flops on Charitable Giving

The Obama administration firmly believes that one of the contributors to our national debt and budget deficits is the fact that the wealthy give to charity. His jobs bill makes this clear by proposing a cap on the deduction high income earners (the one's most likely to take advantage of the deduction as well as provide the largest contributions) can claim when engaging in philanthropy. Currently, anyone earning over $250k per year is able to deduct up to 35 cents for every $1 they contribute to charity for up to 50% of their income. Under President Obama's proposal, that would be dropped to 28 cents per $1.

According to the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University, the impact on overall charitable giving would be "relatively small" even had the administration administered these caps in 2009 & 2010.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Nancy Pelosi Goes 'Rogue': Boeing Should Either Close Down SC Plant Or Unionize It

Yeah, the former Democratic Speaker of the House went there…

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Telling the Truth About Medicare

By far, our largest unfunded liabilities are Social Security and Medicare. According to recent actuarial reports, Medicare faces a $25 trillion liability and Social Security has an unfunded liability of $21 trillion. And those numbers are regarded as low-ball figures, due to their unrealistic accounting for cost-cutting measures. They already represent the largest expenditures of the federal government, with Social Security and Medicare consuming 20.2% and 14.6% of the budget respectively. Those numbers are slated to skyrocket as the retirement population doubles over the next three decades. Hence, any meaningful discussion of balanced budgets must include a plan to fix these two entitlement behemoths – brought to you by previous Democrat presidents.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

6. The Cost of Voting No on Ohio Issue 2

Opponents of the reforms in Issue 2 blame busted local budgets on the way Governor Kasich handled the $8 billion deficit Ted Strickland left behind. In effect, government union bosses who thrive on a broken status quo insist the problem is too little spending. Like all leftists who decry spending cuts, union bosses want to raise our taxes.

For proof, consider Ohio school districts' five-year forecasts from October 2010. Based on papered-over Strickland state figures – before Governor Kasich was even elected – districts projected major shortfalls by 2015. If we vote down Issue 2, how will local leaders cover these deficits? Layoffs, higher taxes, program cuts… choose any combination of the three.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

7. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

I read historic biographies. They are the books I like most. I don't have much time for fiction, so I would at least like to read something well written about someone real who did something historic. John Adams by David McCullough remains one of my favorites. William Pitt by William Hague is another.

I sat down last week on my iPad and began reading, until my hard copy arrived, Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. Wow.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

I read historic biographies. They are the books I like most. I don't have much time for fiction, so I would at least like to read something well written about someone real who did something historic. John Adams by David McCullough remains one of my favorites. William Pitt by William Hague is another.

I sat down last week on my iPad and began reading, until my hard copy arrived, Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. Wow.

I am am Apple fan. I have, right now in my office, my iMac, iPhone, iPad 2, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Airport Base Station. Throughout the house there are plenty of other Apple gadgets. Growing up, most of my friends were hackers who wanted to rip open a computer, take it apart, and play. I just wanted to use the computer. I wanted a Mac.

My school education happened in Dubai at the Jumeirah American School. Encounters with computers came in the first grade with the Apple II. By fourth grade, all the students in my grade were required to take Logo programming on an Apple IIe. By my ninth grade year I routinely used the Apple IIgs and occasionally got to dabble on a Mac.

Jobs was in exile by then.

This biography gives a historic account of a man who had and will continue to have a profound impact on the world. It is weird to encounter a historic biography about a man only just buried. But it is historic nonetheless.

Jobs was more than a bit of a jerk, but he was also brilliant and able to pull out of people some of their best work. He was on many patents not because he per se invented the product or process, but because he perfected them in a way others could not.

The biography really gets me focusing as well on what I want to do when i grow up — exactly what can I accomplish and how do I accomplish it. The end result is not to be another Steve Jobs, but the best you that you can be. While not all the management tips would be useful, e.g. berating someone until they cry in front of a crowd, many of them are, including going on intuition as much as reasoned thought.

You don't have to be an Apple fan to appreciate this biography. It is a reasonable and non-technical read about a man who changed all of our lives.

The Herman Cain Allegations

Back when I was a lawyer I handled several sexual harassment suits. None of mine settled for less than the high end of six figures.

Reading about these two complaints, my gut reaction to them is that settling for five figures, which could be as little as $10,000.00 and as high as $99,999, was "go away" money.

If the Chief Executive Officer of the National Restaurant Association, at the time one of the top 25 trade associations in Washington, D.C., were sexually harassing someone, that someone could get a lot of money. It just strikes me that a settlement for less than six figures is money paid to deal with the nuisances of an employee fired or otherwise let go who decided to raise the specter of harassment to get more money to leave without causing a scene.

Dealing with harassment claims, no matter how substantive or frivolous, is one of the costs of doing business in America that causes more and more businesses to not do business in America.

We don't know a lot of the facts, but Ben Domenech does raise a good point I remember well from 2008. In his Transom this morning, he writes:

Many staffers were struck throughout the 2008 campaign by how often leaks about certain candidates would come out right before previously scheduled media availabilities or TV appearances, forcing a candidate to immediately answer difficult questions to a horde of rabid journalists or duck the avail and make it seem even worse. Now Cain has this story drop at 8 PM on a Sunday night—whole cloth, with no evidence of investigation beyond calling the people named in the documents—a mere 12 hours before he's supposed to have a full day of media availability in Washington, DC at the American Enterprise Institute and the National Press Club. I feel like I've seen this movie. There are only two candidates running this time who ran then, and I don't think Ron Paul even has an oppo research arm. Curiouser and curiouser.

I think people are finally starting to take Herman Cain seriously.

I would also note to the Cain campaign that they need to let the candidate deal with this himself. The communications director's call in to Geraldo last night disqualifies him from doing so. And if he keeps on, it's only a matter of time before reporters start asking the communications director about his own history at the Pentagon where he accused a female reporter of sexual harassment.

Will the Tea Party in Oregon Primary Him?

He was elected in 1998, and is serving in his 7th term.

The Almanac for American Politics says, "he is a conservative on fiscal issues but more moderate on cultural issues." The Almanac doesn't know what it's talking about.

He is certainly bad on a host of cultural issues in his support for using federal funds to clone humans, conduct stem cell research that destroys human embryos, and subsidize Planned Parenthood. He is against the Mexico City Policy (tax dollars for international organizations that promote abortion), for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and for legislation to create thought crimes, otherwise known as "hate crimes" legislation. He is not moderate on cultural issues—he is a liberal.

But he is certainly not conservative on fiscal issues. Just this year, he has refused to cut funds to the Legal Services Corporation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Labor Relations Board. He voted against an amendment designed to cut the full $100 billion that House Republicans had promised on the campaign trail, as well as an amendment designed to do one better and get spending down to its 2006 level.

He opposed the conservative RSC budget. He supported the two mammoth trillion debt limit increases that included next to nothing in savings attached to them. He recently supported violating the Ryan budget by $24 billion in order to avoid another spending fight with a weakened Obama Administration.

He voted to expand a grant program under Obamacare and Trade Adjustment Assistance, (welfare for workers impacted by trade). He opposed cutting community development block grants, beach replenishment grants, corporate welfare to subsidize exports, and cuts to a host of other spending programs.

That's just this year.

In the past, he supported multiple highway bills, as well as legislation to bail out the highway trust fund that is being used to subsidize local parking lots and scenic bike paths. He supported bloated energy bills, containing all sorts of subsidies to energy companies. He supported multiple farm bills, including voting to override a rare veto on fiscal grounds from President Bush. He also voted to override President Bush's veto of the earmark-packed Water and Resource Development Act, and he voted to block the Bush Administration's efforts to get a handle on waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid. He voted to expand student loan and small business subsidies.

And of course, he supported No Child Left Behind, the Medicare prescription drug bill, Sarbanes-Oxley, and TARP, while opposing common sense reforms to the federal budget process.

He is currently a 50% on the Heritage Action scorecard.

He is the definition of a leadership lackey—one who is in such lock step with Leadership's voting recommendations and sentiments that they gratuitously appoint him to their table as the unelected "chairman of the Republican Leadership." (The position has no actual role.)

He represents a +10 GOP district that elected George Bush by 61% and John McCain by 54%. If you think that the support for McCain was a little low, the recent Republican nominee for governor in 2010, received 70% of the vote in this district. This is a solid Republican district.

He is Greg Walden, and he represents Oregon's 2nd district. He needs to be primaried.

Mitt Romney: The Magically Malleable Man of Mystery

Mitt Romney is probably thanking his lucky stars the Politico decided to drop a Sunday night hit piece on Herman Cain alleging Cain sexually harassed at least two women. Had it not happened last night, this morning the political world would be talking about George Will's stinging take down of Mitt Romney and conservatives who support him coupled with Chris Wallace's observation that Mitt Romney won't come on the Sunday shows to be asked tough questions.

I'll address the Cain issue later today, but I don't want to ignore the Mitt Romney issue just yet.

Back after the 2008 campaign ended and John McCain was winding down his campaign, a McCain staffer sent me the 200 pages of opposition research the campaign had compiled on Mitt Romney. The staffer told me I might find it useful by 2012. Between computer changes, email changes, etc. I lost it.

Late this spring, another former McCain campaign affiliated person sent me the same document. Ten pages in that document sum up why conservatives should think long and hard before embracing MItt Romney. And once they've thought long and hard about it, they should think some more.

These are ten pages that explain completely why so many conservatives do not and cannot trust Mitt Romney.

Let me say that if Mitt Romney were the Republican nominee, every Republican would be wise to support him. Beating Barack Obama is the paramount goal of 2012. But for almost eight years, a number of prominent conservatives and conservative groups became all encompassing cheerleaders for Team Bush, even after Team Bush clearly showed it wasn't all that conservative. Before hopping in bed with another candidate, conservatives should be sure he is the real deal.

Beating Obama is grand. But doing so without selling out key principles or putting conservatism in the hands of someone else who would kill the free market to save it should not be done if it can be helped.

Very few conservatives dislike Mitt Romney. The problem, as George Will alludes to, is that few actually trust him. The McCain opposition book, written by a guy who'd go on to be Mitt Romney's head of research, shows why.

"After studying Presidential nominations for 30 years, I've never seen somebody who has so completely renounced his past record when he decided to run for President, said Northeaster University Professor William Mayer to the Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman on May 22, 2007. That's how page 168 in the McCain opposition book began. The heading on that page is "Flip-Flops". The next ten pages contain every reason why conservatives are suspicious of Romney.

"Romney Was Pro-Choice, Then Not Pro-Choice, Then Pro-Choice Again, Then Pro-Life," blares the first subheading in this section. There are ample newspaper quotes citing Mitt Romney's conversions back and forth.

"Romney supports a federal health care plan option that includes abortion services, would vote for a law codifying the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion and backs federal funding for abortions as long as states can decide if they want the money, [a spokesman] said." (Ed Hayward, "Anti-Abortion Group Endorses Romney Bid," Boston Herald, 9/8/94)
"Romney supports a federal health care plan option that includes abortion services, would vote for a law codifying the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion and backs federal funding for abortions as long as states can decide if they want the money, [a spokesman] said." (Ed Hayward, "Anti-Abortion Group Endorses Romney Bid," Boston Herald, 9/8/94)
"[Massachusetts Citizens for Life] considers Romney to be an abortion-rights supporter, as do national antiabortion groups such as the Family Research Council. … [Romney aide Eric] Fehrnstrom said the governor's position has not changed on either sex education or abortion." (Scott S. Greenberger, "Roe V. Wade Omitted From Proclamation," The Boston Globe, 3/25/05)
"I am firmly pro-life … I was always for life." (Jim Davenport, "Romney Affirms Abortion Opposition During Stop In SC," The Associated Press, 2/8/07)

But it was not just abortion.

In 2006, Mitt Romney said illegal immigrants should have a path to citizen. In a Lowell Sun article on March 30, 2006, Evan Lehmann quoted Mitt Romney saying "I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country … With these 11 million people, let's have them registered, know who they are. Those who've been arrested or convicted of crimes shouldn't be here; those that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship, as they would from their home country."

Romney went on to support John McCain's immigration plan, denying it was amnesty. In March of 2007, Mitt Romney spoke "approvingly of efforts by McCain and Bush to solve the nation's immigration crisis," according to Scott Helman's Boston Globe article. By May of that same year, Romney had begun attacking McCain's plan as amnesty and told CNN's "The Situation Room" that he opposed a path to citizenship for illegal aliens.

He refused to support George Bush's tax cuts in 2004, but in 2007 claimed he had always supported them. In 2002, Romney refused to sign the Americans for Tax Reform pledge, but in 2007, Romney signed it.

In 2002, Mitt Romney wanted heaving federal regulations on campaign finances. Back in 1994, Romney even wanted a cap on congressional election spending and wanted to ban political action committees. By 2007, Romney was attacking McCain-Feingold, which did much of what he previously had wanted.

In the 1992 Presidential Primary in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney voted for Paul Tsongas. He contributed to numerous Democrats and, in 1994 while running as a Republican, praised Bill Clinton as doing "a lot of things that make sense."

More troubling, in 1994 Mitt Romney campaigned against the Contract With America calling it "too partisan." He also insisted he was an independent during Ronald Reagan's years in office, balking at Ted Kennedy's attempts to connect Romney to Ronald Reagan. By 2005, Mitt Romney claimed Ronald Reagan was his political hero.

On the second amendment, Mitt Romney supported the Brady Bill and Assault Weapons ban in 1994, but by 2007, Mitt Romney opposed gun control measures. At one point in 2007, Mitt Romney claimed he owned a gun and then admitted he did not.

The list goes on and on from gays in the military to gay marriage to stem cell research to global warming. Romney has shown himself to be not a principled conservative, but, as Jon Huntsman described him, a well lubricated weather vane.

Conservatives do not dislike Mitt Romney. They just don't trust him. His record is the very reason why. On every significant issue of the past decade, Mitt Romney has managed to be on every side of each issue except one — he has consistently been in favor of government dictated and government managed healthcare.

Before conservatives decide to go down the aisle with Romney, they better be damned sure no other candidate is worth it.

Morning Briefing for October 31, 2011

RedState Morning Briefing

For October 31, 2011

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Mitt Romney: The Magically Malleable Man of Mystery

2. The Oppo Dump on Herman Cain Begins in Earnest

3. UFCW Bosses Busted For Racketeering, Extortion, Money Laundering & More…

4. The CBO Has Been Occupied by OWS's Intellectual Inequality

———————————————————————-

1. Mitt Romney: The Magically Malleable Man of Mystery

Mitt Romney is probably thanking his lucky stars the Politico decided to drop a Sunday night hit piece on Herman Cain alleging Cain sexually harassed at least two women. Had it not happened last night, this morning the political world would be talking about George Will's stinging take down of Mitt Romney and conservatives who support him coupled with Chris Wallace's observation that Mitt Romney won't come on the Sunday shows to be asked tough questions.

I'll address the Cain issue later today, but I don't want to ignore the Mitt Romney issue just yet.

Back after the 2008 campaign ended and John McCain was winding down his campaign, a McCain staffer sent me the 200 pages of opposition research the campaign had compiled on Mitt Romney. The staffer told me I might find it useful by 2012. Between computer changes, email changes, etc. I lost it.

Late this spring, another former McCain campaign affiliated person sent me the same document. Ten pages in that document sum up why conservatives should think long and hard before embracing MItt Romney. And once they've thought long and hard about it, they should think some more.

These are ten pages that explain completely why so many conservatives do not and cannot trust Mitt Romney.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. The Oppo Dump on Herman Cain Begins in Earnest

Hours after the Politico's Roger Simon accused the GOP of being racist, the Politico begins a sincere effort to destroy the black guy running to be the GOP's Presidential nominee. The opposition dump on Herman Cain has begun in earnest. Before getting into the details, let's pay attention to what this means.

It means for certain that Herman Cain's lead in the polling is real — very, very real. People are taking him seriously. Mr. Cain is about to spend a week in Washington answering questions and giving speeches. Someone wanted to make sure he has a miserable week.

The allegations are pretty straight forward. At least two women complained of sexual harassment by Herman Cain when he ran the National Restaurant Association. How did this play out? Well, the Politico says it learned about the allegations and then began putting together a roster of board members, etc. Someone tipped them off obviously.

The Politico also says it was not widely known, even on the board. It also says "The first woman was identified to POLITICO by a former association board member and her identity was confirmed by two additional sources." The board member learned about it all in 1999 during an event in Chicago.

The hunt will now be on for who that board member is, among others. Even now I'm sure there are people cross referencing National Restaurant Association board members from 1999 with other campaigns.

But who ratted out the information is far less consequential than if it was true. We're going to see a few things happen I suspect.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. UFCW Bosses Busted For Racketeering, Extortion, Money Laundering & More…

A powerful United Food & Commercial Workers local union (348s) in New York was closed for business on Thursday as police arrested three family members who run the union local.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. The CBO Has Been Occupied by OWS's Intellectual Inequality

One fundamental liberal desideratum is the achievement of equal results at the expense of equal opportunity. Conservatives believe in implementing policies that protect our God-given rights, which provide every human being with an equal opportunity to succeed. Liberals reject policies that foster unfettered equal opportunity because they invariably produce unequal results, being that human beings have different talents, capabilities, work ethic, and luck. On Tuesday, the CBO decided to throw in with the left-wing affinity for highlighting income inequality and advocacy for equal outcomes – outcomes that would be dictated by our venerable federal government.

While the focus on income inequality in itself is a dubious endeavor for the CBO, their conclusions are downright scandalous. Their most outlandish conclusion was that income inequality has increased between 1979 and 2007 due to a decrease in "government transfers" and tax cuts for the rich.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

The Oppo Dump on Herman Cain Begins in Earnest

Hours after the Politico's Roger Simon accused the GOP of being racist, the Politico begins a sincere effort to destroy the black guy running to be the GOP's Presidential nominee. The opposition dump on Herman Cain has begun in earnest. Before getting into the details, let's pay attention to what this means.

It means for certain that Herman Cain's lead in the polling is real — very, very real. People are taking him seriously. Mr. Cain is about to spend a week in Washington answering questions and giving speeches. Someone wanted to make sure he has a miserable week.

The allegations are pretty straight forward. At least two women complained of sexual harassment by Herman Cain when he ran the National Restaurant Association. How did this play out? Well, the Politico says it learned about the allegations and then began putting together a roster of board members, etc. Someone tipped them off obviously.

The Politico also says it was not widely known, even on the board. It also says "The first woman was identified to POLITICO by a former association board member and her identity was confirmed by two additional sources." The board member learned about it all in 1999 during an event in Chicago.

The hunt will now be on for who that board member is, among others. Even now I'm sure there are people cross referencing National Restaurant Association board members from 1999 with other campaigns.

But who ratted out the information is far less consequential than if it was true. We're going to see a few things happen I suspect.

First, a great many liberals who defended Bill Clinton will come forward to express outrage. Second, a few conservatives who went after Bill Clinton will defend Herman Cain. Third, many people will quietly brace for more to come out.

The Politico did not release names nor a lot of information. If there is a there there, more will trickle out and each trickle will weigh down the Cain campaign, taking it further and further off message.

We have never seen a candidate publicly vetted before like this. The closest comes with the rise of Mike Huckabee in 2008, when we witnessed what seemed like a never ending media attack. It was, in reality, the other campaigns running as quickly as possible to the media to pour out all the dirt they'd rapidly accumulated.

But Mike Huckabee rose only just before Iowa. The media and the campaigns were caught off guard. This time, people don't want to be caught off guard. They want to make sure Herman Cain cannot become Mike Huckabee for 2012.

Mitt Romney Leads George Will to Write in All Caps

George Will's column is not out yet, but it is making waves. The Politico has a snippet of it. It is not good for Romney. Will goes all caps on Romney writing, in part, "Republicans may have found their Michael Dukakis, a technocratic Massachusetts governor who takes his bearings from 'data' … Has conservatism come so far, surmounting so many obstacles, to settle, at a moment of economic crisis, for THIS?"

This is MItt Romney's biggest problem. On May 22, 2007, Northeastern University Professor William Mayer told Jill Zuckman, "After studying Presidential nominations for 30 years, I've never seen somebody who has so completely renounced his past record when he decided to run for President." Consider, for example, a few pages from the opposition research book the McCain camp prepared against Mitt Romney in 2008. There was an entire section on Romney's flip-flops. You can see part of it here.

The most striking thing to me is that some of Mitt Romney's positions have flipped again for 2012.

Romney has a real trust problem he has to overcome. It seems too much an opportunist. Republicans are happy to support him, but they sure don't want to settle for him.

I'm in for Boortz

I'll be on radio from now until 1pm ET today for Neal Boortz.

You can listen live right here and call in at 1-877-310-2100.

Consider this an open thread.