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Last Sunday, I was watching ABC This Week, and GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain was on. He was quite impressive! To me, he seemed like a conservative version of President Barack Obama: smart, charming, articulate, cool, down-to-earth. I watched a YouTube video in which he was challenging President Bill Clinton in 1994 over health care, and he really shone in that! Sparring with Bill Clinton is no easy task, since Clinton is practically a walking encyclopedia. But Cain responded to Clinton's numbers with numbers of his own---and it was like both of them were walking calculators!
Moreover, I admired Cain's gentlemanly quality. In the video from 1994, he thanked President Clinton for bringing attention to the health care issue, and he expressed his disagreements with Clinton in a respectful manner. And, on ABC This Week, he mingled quite well, even with the Democratic pundits (such as Dee Dee Myers). He came across as someone who knew what he was talking about, and was able to conduct himself in a manner that is respectful towards others. Although I expected Romney to get the nomination, I thought it would be nice if Cain would be the one challenging Obama in the general election. Granted, I'll probably vote for Obama, but it would be nice to have a Presidential race that is about issues rather than attacks.
But I was disappointed after watching this video, in which Cain affirmed that he would not appoint a Muslim to his administration, as well as expressed concern that Muslims were trying to impose Sharia law on the United States. Maybe he's identifying a legitimate problem somewhere, but, when he says that he will not appoint a Muslim to his Administration, he's lumping all Muslims together, and I think that's wrong (see my post, "Islamophobia"). I'm not saying that he has to appoint a Muslim---but Cain's talking as if being a Muslim would disqualify a person from serving in his administration. In my opinion, that is prejudiced.
After watching Cain on ABC This Week and on the YouTube video, I was eager to register to vote here in New York, so I could vote for Cain in the GOP primary. Now, I am not so eager. And, to be honest, none of the other Republican candidates excites me. I was really enthusiastic about Ron Paul in 2008, since he was libertarian and controversially anti-war. I still like to watch YouTube videos of Paul's 2008 debates! But, this time around, I'm not rushing to register to vote so that I can cast my ballot for Ron Paul in the primary. For one, I have problems with someone criticizing the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And second, I've gotten tired of libertarians talking about "liberty" this, and "liberty" that, when, in my opinion, their idea of liberty leaves people vulnerable. "Liberty" was shouted to oppose an attempt at health care reform, and so the libertarian use of the word has left a sour taste in my mouth. Moreover, as I've said before, while I think that Republicans have good ideas on health care, my problem with them is that they are never aggressive in enacting them when they are in power. So I'll probably vote for Obama, notwithstanding his flaws, because at least he tries to fight for the vulnerable in society.
