Herman Cain Versus “Occupy Wall Street” – A Perfect Contrast Between Today’s Conservatives, Liberals Print
By Timothy H. Lee
Thursday, October 06 2011
In contrast to Herman Cain’s coherence, we have witnessed over the past week the emergence of the left’s aimless 'Occupy Wall Street' protest movement.

Two seemingly unrelated phenomena speak volumes about the current state of today’s conservative and liberal movements. 

On the right, Herman Cain’s star shines brightly. 

On the left, the farcical “Occupy Wall Street” protest has become the desperate darling of dejected liberals. 

First, Mr. Cain. 

The former Naval ballistics mathematician, CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and current Baptist minister won the Florida Republican straw poll by more than a two-to-one margin over Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, despite a campaign machine and war chest miniscule in comparison to theirs.  Cain’s victory appears even more impressive when one considers that every past winner of the poll eventually proceeded to win the GOP nomination.  Moreover, delegates voting in the Florida poll are first selected by Republican party officials, unlike other straw polls in which costly and painstaking organizational mobilization of grassroots activists determines winners and also-rans. 

Not that Cain is any less popular among grassroots activists, however.  He also won a Tea Party convention poll back in March of this year, so he has already demonstrated greater staying power than other candidates and potential candidates whose stars imploded just as quickly as they had expanded. 

So what underlies Mr. Cain’s success? 

Part of the answer lies in Cain’s rhetorical talents.  He speaks in a clear, consistent, concise, understandable manner, and possesses the rare ability to express complex, proven concepts in everyday terms.  As far back as 1994, as shown by a suddenly famous YouTube video clip, Cain even outwitted that supposed rhetorical genius Bill Clinton in a televised debate over HillaryCare. 

But it’s more than that.  In the words of former Pillsbury President Win Wallin, “Herman always seemed to have his act together.”  Cain’s oratory skills are matched by his demonstrated real-world business success, his remarkable personal likeability and optimism, the sense that his message of thrift and proven principles truly reflects his core beliefs. 

In contrast to Herman Cain’s coherence, we have witnessed over the past week the emergence of the left’s aimless “Occupy Wall Street” protest movement. 

Even the movement’s liberal cheerleaders can’t seem to ascertain exactly what its unbathed, indolent, vaguely Marxist throngs advocate. 

You know things are bad when the movement’s website posts a “Proposed List of Demands for Occupy Wall Street Movement!” but immediately follows that “list of demands” with the disclaimer that “There is NO official list of demands”: 

“Admin note:  This is not an official list of demands.  This is a forum post submitted by a single user and hyped by irresponsible news/commentary agencies like Fox News and Mises.org.  This content was not published by the OccupyWallSt.org collective, nor was it ever proposed or agreed to on a consensus basis with the NYC General Assembly.  There is NO official list of demands.”  (emphasis in original) 

Got that? 

For what it’s worth, however, that list of demands that isn’t really a list of demands lists several interesting demands.  “Demand one” calls for “restoration of the living wage,” which it claims will come about “by ending ‘Freetrade’ by re-imposing trade tariffs on all imported goods entering the American market to level the playing field for domestic family farming and domestic manufacturing as most nations that are dumping cheap products onto the American market have radical wage and environmental regulation advantages.”  But then the list of demands that isn’t really a list of demands contradicts itself with “Demand nine:  Open borders migration.  anyone [sic] can travel anywhere to work and live.” 

And get a load of “Demand eleven”- forgiveness of “all debt on the entire planet period”: 

“Immediate across the board debt forgiveness for all.  Debt forgiveness of sovereign debt, commercial loans, home mortgages, home equity loans, credit card debt, student loans and personal loans now!  All debt must be stricken from the ‘Books.’  World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must be stricken from the ‘Books.’  And I don’t mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period.” 

And just in case you were wondering, the protest supports the reelection of Barack Obama, so instead of “Fight the power!” or “Hope and change!,” they apparently demand “More of the same!” 

Obama himself managed to echo his supporters’ incoherence this week, when he told ABC News that private banks “don’t have some inherent right just to, you know, get a certain amount of profit.” 

So on the conservative side, we see the rise of Herman Cain, a man with an actual record of real-world accomplishment and coherent message.  On the liberal side, you have a directionless and incoherent protest movement that can’t even seem to produce a list of demands. 

Conservatives have reason to be proud.  Liberals had better reassess their movement.  And independents should take a good, long look at the contrast.