Presidential candidate Herman Cain will join Lawrence on the show tomorrow night. It is something he said in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal that's catching our attention today.
When asked about the ongoing Occupy Wall Street protests, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and rising GOP-star said, "I honestly don't understand what they're looking for." He brushed off the widespread demonstrations as a staged display to "distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration."
"Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself!" Cain said. "It is not a person's fault because they succeeded, it is a person's fault if they failed."
Cain acknowledged the banks fueled part of economic crisis of 2008. He noted it's 2011, suggesting to hold the banks accountable now is just an excuse.
The 19-day-old Occupy Wall Street movement continues to gain momentum with the Left, as Democratic politicians, progressive groups and unions are joining the cause.
Members of the Service Employees International Union, the Communications Workers' union, the New York AFL-CIO and the United Federation of Teachers joined today's big march on Wall Street.
What's your take? Tweet me your comments or comment in the section below.
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the fact that the bush administration/the republicans tanked the economy is better left forgotten by cain and the republican party.
nice try suzy q, but those of us not being force fed liberal drivel on college campuses know the democrats were in the majority during most of the bush years. care to try again?
The fact that the Republicans had a lot of help tanking the economy by the Democrats and the rest of the world is better left forgotten by Obama and the Democratic Party and the rest of the world.
This election IS NOT going to be about DEM VS. REP !
It is going to be about ALL OF THE ISSUES being marched by the "99%" !
All three branches of 'OUR GOVERNMENT - " WE THE PEOPLE " have been hijacked the Constitution, and/or made it appear as non-existent!!!!!! ALL have taken OUR GOVERNMENT and held it hostage far too long!!!!!
This election will be about physical, mental, moral, social, and emotional change in ethics, policy making, and judicial oversight in this country! The '99%" have been literally robbed of 'equal and fair under the law' !!!!!
miguel,
i am surprised that you don't know that the republicans had the majority for 6 years out of the 8 that W. spent tanking the economy.
care to try again?
And for the third time this week (and it's only Wednesday)— a republican candidate shoots himself in the foot ending their political career. How fitting.
Didn't you know that only Democrats are suffering the current economic woes? Republicans are too stupid to realize that freedom of speech permits them to complain. Instead they continue topping off the tanks to their Middle East powered foreign cars while the bumper sticker reads "I support 'Made in America'"
Only Democrats are unemployed, or under-employed. Not a single unemployed American is a republican.
Only Democrats lack health insurance - Republicans ALL have gold star plans that they can afford. As long as they lie about their pre-existing conditions)
Banks can in their background check of a prospective loan recipient, find out if that individual is a republican (loan granted) or a Democrat (loan denied)
Only Democrats are foreclosed on - Not republicans. Shame that republicans cannot understand why the value of their property is falling.
and the list goes on and on.
Try voting your personal best interest and not vote what they tell you - if you cannot figure this out - we are all doomed.
It is only class warfare - is we fight back!
"only democrats" are suffering? you're either completely clueless or have no contact with the outside world -- or both. i, as most people, have friends of all political stripes that have been laid off. get real...
Obviously someone failed sarcasm 101...
This shows how republicans see things at the world. This Man is very rude and insensitive person. With this attitude how does he think people will vote for him.
Because of wall street and bankers, people lost their savings, 401k's and their hope. If he can't figure out this, he may have been in a desert somewhere. Cain is one sad, arrogant, and bully man. He doesn't know when to shut up.
i plan to vote for cain -- because he is trying to show us that we don't need to depend on government. fdr and lbj just gave you government freebies to insure future votes for their democrat party. guess what, if failed. just throwing money at people does not solve their problems. they need to learn to grow up themselves.
What a rich, stuck up, insensitive, jerk. I wouldn't support him if he was the last man on earth for president. He is a racist who doesn't deserve to be president. He is so hateful I cannot stand him. He is not fit to be president. He doesn't know any poor people. Guys like him never do. SO he makes stuff up. He doesn't understand what is going on America and so detached from what is going on as with all Republicans. He doesn't understand what its like to live from paycheck to paycheck or live without medical insurance. I really don't think he actually cares about that either. All he cares about is how much money he and his cronies are making at the expense of the American people. That is what Cain is about. America is the farthest thing from his mind.
interesting comments, turtle man. i don't know what is so "racist" about cain, and you never explain that issue, so i'll ignore it. but yah, he is rich -- so what? do you have a problem with someone who comes from a family of little, works hard, succeeds and then is rewarded for his work with a large salary? that's the american dream, my friend. i don't see anyone complaining about steve jobs multi-billion dollar empire. was he not uber-rich?
some people seem to have a problem with the upper class, because instead of studying in school, the slackers were busy partying, doing drugs or whatever. as americans, we all have equal opportunity. you are not guaranteed equal results in life. the hard work is up to you if you want to achieve great things. it's not too late, turtle dude...
Cain acts like we are all pea-brained and have forgotten the $6 Trillion surplus Bush/Cheney turned into a $6 Trillion DEBT... AND a WAR-FOR-PROFIT, WHICH IS MASS MURDER OF OVER ONE MILLION HUMAN BEINGS, TREASON, THE DEREGULATION OF WALL STREET, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS, LABOR LAWS, KILLING EDUCATION... AND TRYING TO PRIVATIZE EVERY DAMNED THING THEY COULD GET THEIR HANDS ON.
How many thousands of factories have closed since Bush took office?? And CAIN IS blaming US for not having a job?????????? It's like blaming the RAPE VICTIM.
Heard on "Ring of Fire":
THE CLOWN CAR HAS UNLOADED!
(Mike Papantonio, I think) Good one!
hmmm, by your comments you seem to be in the "blame bush for everything" camp. your college professors would be so proud!
anyhoo, i'll take your "thousands of factories closing under bush" comment and blow it away with this -- clinton signed nafta into law. moron. that made it more profitable for companies to relocate. in addition, american businesses are at a disadvantage with china (and others) shipping everything over here, but not paying any tariffs to make up for the fact that they pay their workers squat. how are we supposed to compete with that? answer -- we can't, so to stay in business, american companies have to adapt and move factories overseas. tell congress and obama to level the playing field for businesses and they will come back. there's your econ 101 lesson for the day...
NOW we know WHY the Republicans (UNDER BUSH) changed the STAR on their LOGO to the SATANIC STAR!
First time in U.S. HISTORY that a candidate/campaign changed our FLAG's STAR on their logo.... WHY?
To understand Cain better you must know he is a member in good stand with ALEC.
American Legislative Exchange Council.
I cannot put a link in here but Google ALEC-WATCH, and you will see what a dangerous organization these people are.
They are closely tied to the Koch Bros and the John Birch Society.
There is a million links to these people.
Go to U-Tube and there Cain is lecturing the people at ALEC.
They are the reason for all of the right-wing Governorship across this land and the neanderthal laws being passed in the right wing states.
This is a very dangerous man. His connections with ALEC need to be brought into the light.
ALEC is very anti consumer and very pro business.
A lot of people complain that people are just looking for handouts, I don’t see people looking for handouts I see people looking for jobs seeking handouts in desperation because they can’t get jobs.
To blame people who are not given the opportunity to work is rude crude and ignorant, only when you have given someone a chance to prove themselves maybe just maybe you might have a reason to say that they are to blame.
Sadly I was liking Cain as a candidate but he is finished with me now, what has happened to the USA? is there no leadership anymore? it sure doesn't look like it.
marky mark, you are assuming there are no jobs out there, when there are. people have plenty of "opportunity" to work. it's just that a lot of people don't want to work at something that is "beneath them". decades ago, people would take any job to feed their families. these days, people will just line up for their 99 weeks of unemployment and cry that they can't afford their cable or cell phone bills.
People are struggling to survive medical care is through the roof, insurance is through the roof, deductibles are high, then you have rent, utilities, transportation and pay is in the basement. Even though you are just making enough money to barely survive you are making too much money for assistance and you’re the lucky one you have a job. You could have that student loan debt, a degree and find yourself over qualified for every job available. Yeah people can sit on their butts in front of their computers and say move to where the jobs are but that is easier said then done not everyone is without ties. I grew up in a time before the selling of the country when you could get two or more jobs easily and we had opportunity. It’s not the same for people today struggling just to barely survive. We don’t have honest investments we have parasites that play every loop hole to create an unbalanced playing field, loot companies then jump with their golden parachutes leaving the workers and stockholders holding the bag .Corporations seek out third world countries for their corrupt governments, slave labor and freedom to pollute, you don’t compete with that you end it’s profitability, don’t feed money into those economies. It won’t be easy at first the world is like a drug addict and unless it gets off it’s addiction to these globalized lies, it’s going to fall into slavery with the top 1% it’s masters.
Cain is so out to lunch it would be hard for him to find his way back. "Blame yourself"? Are you serious? The worst unemployment rate since WWII, economic polices under GWB that almost sent us into a depression, stagnant wages for 30 years or more, steep rises in the cost of education that produce excessive debt -- all the fault of the job seekers? Please Please Please -- let him win the Republican nomination (I know, it will never happen), so Obama can win by 65% of the popular vote.
this is so funny. cain says basically that you control your destiny. stop blaming the government or anyone else. gee, it seems to me the man of the hour steve jobs started apple by first selling computers out of his garage. what's your excuse now???
Well I do find this site http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ appalling myself. An entire generation defining themselves by what they don't have! The people who survived the Great Depression of the 1930s I know did not define themselves by what they didn't have. The NYC 99 Occupy crew is going to find it harder to leave the street than to get there if they don't find some more serious inner strength. http://carinat.newsvine.com/_news/2011/10/06/8177892-appalled
On the other hand repentance and redemption and a loving God is Christian. Self blame is not. Cains "self blame" further sadly defines the Republican party as unfaithful.
I don't mind his bluntness, it's refreshing.
I do think people should take more responsibility for their own debt and poor financial situations.
However, if this guy won't win any votes by telling people what they don't want to hear!
I don't think he said blame yourself if you don't have a job.
He said blame yourself for failure. Guess that is what is called "taken out of context."
Cain is right on target (if I can use such an inflammatory phrase....please forgive me all you Dems who think censorship of thought and use of the English language is entirely appropriate provided such censorship originates from you socialists).
Listening to you cry babies one has to wonder how this country's forefathers, how the pioneers, how are great grand parents and grand parents, how any of them ever managed to survive and forge a great nation. How was all that possible without all of the entitlements and handouts you think your fat butts deserve.
You sit around and bitch about the republicans and tap on your keyboard, then go to the unemployment office, get your checks or play games on your smart phone, surf the web, keep in touch with all your other little socialist whiners, get off on porn, then get back to bitching about the republicans when you get bored.
Your forefathers knew that any chance they had depended upon their own capacity to work and sacrifice and save and take a few risks and to think and to work some more. NO one owed them anything...and NO one owes YOU anything.
Get off your butts, stop whining, and do something useful. Your future truly depends on you. That's the way its always been - sorry to break it to you that way but maybe mommie and daddy sheltered you whiners a bit much...compared to the human experience throughout the ages, you wimps have it EASY!
This is what Cain was talking about. Deep inside, you know its true, its just easier to sit and bitch isn't it?
Get off your butts and stop whining?
Go where, to the factory in your town? No, you can't do that, it's been shut down and shipped overseas. Work in the new call centre of the company who laid you off? No, thats overseas too as its cheaper for the company to pay Amit in Bombay to answer the call than Bob in Hackensack. Prehaps get a job flipping burgers? Well that degree in mechanical engineering you worked so hard at for years would be wasted, you are totally over qualified and the job pays a quarter of what you were earning so you are short on all your bills, but as there are no engineering jobs in the US at the moment anything will do. But wait. McD's are not hiring as they have already filled the 62,000 vacancies they had this year so don't need more people. Okay. Try for some seasonal work, it's coming up to the holiday season. No, that won't work either, companies are not hiring in the volumes they were. Seems that as peope have less money to spend due to stagnant wages, rising living costs and unemployment sales are down. Who would have thunk it.
Get off your butts and stop whining? Why not focus on getting those idiot republicans to pass a jobs bill that will actually help people find a job instead of wasting time increasing the amount to pay a law firm to defend DOMA or trying to give the religious right a reach around by wasting time trying to pass bills defunding NPR? Wouldn't that be a better use of your time then sneering at people without work?
I’m between a rock and a hard place, I’m not happy with Obama but all the Republicans seem to offer are fruit loops, is there any leadership in The USA anymore?.
see that's the thing, uk-person. "get the repub's to pass a jobs bill". the government was not meant to find you a job -- hello! cain is the only person running that has succeeded in business. that's the kind of person we need leading the country -- not some teleprompter specialist who just rewards his union supporters with loads of our tax dollars. wake up...
what an idiot. yes thank you Cain for clearing that up for us, all you Wall st. protesters can go home now. Mr. Cain, i have a suggestion for you, open mouth and insert foot.
and you along with all the others won't be doing anything to promote jobs!
"promoting jobs" is very simple, and i think cain is the only candidate willing to do what is necessary. enacting tarriffs on foreign contries products to level the playing field for american companies. scrap obamacare and simply reform the healthcare system we have now. secure the border and enforce the laws we have to keep illegals from sapping tax dollars.
but yah, it's much easier just to get a bunch of liberal politicians to agree to tax the upper class so they can continue to spend without a budget.
Robert Johnson- founder of BET, is another guy with words for Obama.
herman cain should be ashamed of himself where was he when the tea party were acting like asses?now he has the gall to call wallstreet protesters anti american that makes him very anti american in my own opinion
I have a small retail lumber and flooring company in the north east.
My inventory is growing daily, soon I might have to lay off employees..It is not their fault...
The housing crisis, caused by the Bush banking deregulation, have flooded the markets with properties. Mortgages that where given to anyone with a pulse...
Herman Cain... I blame the Bush cronyism that caused deregulation. A freshman in high school could have predicted what would happen...
Can you be specific as to what banking deregulation Bush I did?
(1) Yst = "t + $s + (1Branchst + (2Bankst + OtherControlsst + ,st
where s indexes states, t indexes time, Yst is the dependent variable of interest, "t is a yearspecific
fixed effect (estimated by including a set of year indicator variables), $s is a statespecific
fixed effect (estimated by including a set of state indicator variables), Branchst is an
indicator set to one after a state permits branching (by means of merger and acquisition), and
Bankst is an indicator set to one after a state permits interstate banking. Thus, the deregulation
indicators equal one in all state-years following deregulation, and they equal zero in all stateyears
prior to deregulation. 3
Yeah- It was my suspicion that you didn't have a clue.
Until Obama, the biggest regulator in history was Bush II. That point is well documented and recorded. S-Ox was in and of itself the largest financial regulation package ever put through. I'm not for sure how Bush II stands compared to Obama, though- as the largest regulator. It is a good lie though, to keep the innuendo about Bush and de-regulation going.
Are these brains tanking their own chances of even being President? Herman Cain seems to be the same as the last Presidential candidate John McCain just as he made a speech on the Senate floor calling the Tea Party hobbits and illegal aliens starting the wildfires then going on Fox and backpeddling because they vehemently disagree with their views Then you watch this clown attack Rick Perry for a rock and something written on it and then the next day downplay what he stated he didnt mean this This is what we are going to get someone who makes a statement from their true feelings and they retract it to appease their party A leader needs backbone to lead Not a person who backpeddles on their beliefs this shows that they are nothing more than a puppet on a string He may be right on this If you voted for a Republican or Tea Party candidate to go to Cpngress then it is your fault you dont have a job!! These people seem to either think we are stupid or dont care what we see for ourselves they are using this term to do everything to remove the President Regardless they were not sent to Washington to just remove the President Is this what they are paid to do go and start immediately on working for the next election and leave people in limbo suffering losing their homes and dignity of taking care of themselves If this is what they are supposed to do no matter what they will never achieve anything at all and they seem to be exactly what they want to cut and that is PURE WASTE
Is this one for real first it was the African American were brainwashed and comes on and claims he only said it was some that were Now it is the rest of us that are brainwashed and he is going to cure us all with his 99999 system I think he made the right decision trying to save to tour and peddle his book because he is not going to be the President Everybody claims Mitt Romney is a flip flopper This one cant even stand up for his own beliefs let alone ours He needs to go back to making pizza in other words dont quit his day job I thought Michelle Bachmann was the expert on putting her foot in her mouth And to his answer on Hank Williams Jr i BELIEVE even if he doesnt agree with the Presidents policies he should show a little respect for the President who is in no way anything like Adolf Hitler What an embarrassment he is?? He would be a perfect partner for Mitt Romney he is no different in the flip flopping himself
Mr Cain is a far better and intelligent man than Lawrence. He is more articulate, more impressive and far more compassionate than Lawrence. Herman Cain is an outstanding man who has much to offer this country and his achievements did not depend on hand outs from the government. Lawrence, you look so ignorant when you try to set up your guests with twisted words when we know that if you interview liberals you give them slack. Too bad you were not so tough on our now President when he was a candidate because we would not have elected him and we would not have bought into all his hopeless programs.
Right on. We just watched the cruelity of an abusive act of discrimination against a fine man. One of the best examples of a true American this country has ever produced.
herman cain will never never never ever be president!! he is what we call a brazen "UNCLE TOM" one that will sell his people down the river for his own personal and selfish gains. he is a farce, and as for us choosing to be poor or out of work cause its our fault, well the same thing, he is a sorry excuse for a human being, and once again, he will NEVER NEVER NEVER ever be president, something for all that he goes on about, one human being of color will no matter what else will be said about him, will and forever be defined as the first African American President of these here The United States of America, an amazing feat that thank God herman cain will NEVER NEVER achieve, even in his wildest dreams, and its an AMEN to that one!!!!!!
Herman Cain did not participate in the first draft lottery. I was subject to the first draft lottery, and I graduated high school in 1979. Cain, having graduated high school in 1963, would have been beyond draft age by the time of the first lottery.
Typo. I graduated in 1970.
Before anyone accuses me of being a rapid Republican, let me say I'm an Independent social liberal/fiscal conservative, recently-retired military officer who has voted for both republicans and democrats.
With that in mind, I was disgusted with Mr. O'Donnell's "questions" regarding Mr. Cain's not serving in Vietnam. The phrasing--asking how vets should feel about him "avoiding" Vietnam...I thought only Bill O'Reilly could claim to be a journalist and utter that type of childish gibberish. As a 23-year veteran myself--I have no problem with Cain's response. Some of us choose to serve; some choose not to but would if asked; some won't serve even if asked. I respect the first two groups and take Mr. Cain at his word that he was in the second.
I note that Mr. O'Donnell was born in Nov 1951--my math says that he turned 18 in Nov 1969. So, Lawrence....YOU had a good 3+ years to step up and volunteer to go serve in Vietnam. Did you? If you did, thank you for your service, and you should respect Mr. Cain's right to exercise the freedom you fought to protect. If you did not volunteer to go to Vietnam, shut up and stop acting like you have a right to speak for those of us who did serve in this nation's military. Undeserved self-righteousness is an ugly, ugly trait.
I used to enjoy your show and your commentary, but your behavior tonight was reprehensible. You've lost this fan forever.
Herman Cain!!!!? One Clarence Thomas is enough.
herman cain is not a clarence thomas. i don't think herman cain even has a law degree, why would you say that?
I blame Lawrence O'Donnell, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, and the other seditious progressive democrats that have control over our government....they are the reason this nation is in a mess and on the verge of collapse, not Wall Street...
When will you people admit 'Socialism' does not work?
p.s. Hey Lawrence...I liked how Herman made you stupid tonight...har...dee...har...har! When are you going to ask questions about real issues, instead of your 'GOTCHA QUESTIONS' from your Saul Alinsky playbook?
"Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict. "-- Saul Alinsky