Herman Cain refused to wade into the controversy over whether it is accurate to call Mitt Romney a Christian or not.
“I’m not running for theologian in chief,” he said on CNN’s State of the Union this morning. “I’m a lifelong Christian and what that means is one of my guiding principles for the decisions I make is I start with do the right thing. I’m not getting into that controversy. He’s a Mormon. That much I know. I’m not going to do an analysis of Mormonism vs. Christianity for the sake of answering that.”
When CNN host Candy Crowley pressed him, saying it appeared he was dodging the question, Cain remained adamant. “If that what it looks like, I’m dodging it because it’s not going to help us boost this economy and you know that’s my number one priority,” he said.
Asked about comments that no one lacking political experience could win the White House, including those made at Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball site (“A Cain nomination would be an aberration of historic proportions: American political parties typically don’t nominate people without previous officeholding experience for president.”), Cain pushed back.
“Get ready for an aberration of historic proportions, and here’s why. I give dozens of speeches a week,” Cain said, noting that he had been to Iowa 24 times and that the idea he was ignoring Iowa was simply a “misperception.”
“When I give speeches to rallies, town hall meetings, whatever the audience, no matter how big or small, and I get to my lack of having held public office, I get a spontaneous applause. I’m saying this, the people who are criticizing me because I have not held public office, they are out of touch with the voters out there,” Cain argued.
“People are saying they like the fact that I have not held public office and they love my concrete, specific ideas about how we need to fix this economy and the other problems,” he said.
He also struck back at the stories that he was ditching his campaign temporarily to promote his book This is Herman Cain!
“I can promote a book and campaign at the same time,” he chuckled.
The media needs to quit writing Cain off as a fringe candidate. He's a very smart man and have a concrete vision for this country.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePope John Paul II declared Mormon baptisms invalid, and thus not Christian, on June 5, 2001. The declaration was signed by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. - The decision was based on the grounds that Mormonism is polytheistic, and thus its use of the Trinitarian formula is invalid because Mormons believe that the Three Persons are separate gods.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePsst... The same people who say Mormons aren't Christians also say Catholics aren't Christians. Trust me, I'm related to a person who feels this way, and she's not alone. Besides, it doesn't matter what the Pope declared... Jesus knows I'm a Christian and that's all that matters.
Oh, and Go Cain!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, if the Pope said mormons aren't Christian then it must be so... unless of course you count the fact that his opinion doesn't count for more than anyone else's. This sort of circular reasoning is silly at best.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's not about Romney's ‘faith’ or Perry’s ‘feelings’. It is about leadership and who the people want. Not the media's favorite. Not the Parties favorite. It is about who 'We the People' want. When will the powers that be understand that? Yes, Perry and Romney have tons of money and rich 'backers' from the public and private sectors. Yes they 'look' the part. But their records don't impress and when they open their mouths they don't inspire and we hear a lot of blah blah blah. People are using the term...Rinos...to describe them. They seem to prefer the ‘shallow end of the pool’. Money can’t buy you love or the Presidency. 'We the People' have a desire to elect strong men and women with undying principles, common sense, and open minds. These people love the ‘deep water’. They can 'see' the need for bold changes to a 'broken system'. We have a horrible economy and debt that is nearing 15 trillion. The old system, with BOTH parties playing along, is the reason we are in this mess. That is undeniable. When people say Cain or Paul can't possibly 'fix' this fiasco because of a lack of experience or expertise or wisdom it is laughable. If our, current and recent, past leaders possess all of those fine 'qualities' why are we still in this GIGANTIC mess???Something just isn't right. We’ve had a huge failure of leadership. A trashed economy, a horrible tax system, and unfathomable spending (for decades)...Let’s just agree the system is broken and the folks that have broken it can't be 'trusted' to fix it. That is the belief of conservative America and the Tea Parties...like it or not.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse‘We the People’ have had the course. We want something different. We are telling you that poll after poll after poll. AND we are going to make it happen come hell or high water. 2012 is going to be the start of something significant and fresh. America is coming back stronger than ever before. Vote for Cain, Paul and other patriots. Vote for fiscal responsibility and personal freedom! Take back our Republic!
Awesome synopsis!
You really do understand what it is all about!!!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree 100% with every word of your post!
Enough of the junk to distract from the real issues, let's get down to the real fundamentals.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAside from "999" (which, some conservative critics say, would actually increase taxes on 60-70 percent of Americans), what "specific ideas" does he have about "other problems"?
He doesn't seem to have a firm grasp of foreign policy, has joked about a "Great Wall of China" on the border - not sure about what else he has up his sleeve.
The "idea" he had I hated the most was to talk to Ms. Amanpour about Rick Perry as though the man was personally responsible for a rock on some rental property.
Hear that "boo" coming from the audience, Mr. Cain? It's me.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseA real leader with real world executive experience and a proven real world success! Proud to be a Cainiac!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReal world experience? Doing what?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat, the nomination and election of Barack Obama wasn't an aberration of historic proportions?
A Cain Presidency would, relative to that of his predecessor, represent a return to the historical mainstream!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"American political parties typically don’t nominate people without previous officeholding experience for president"
One word. Ike.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo previous office holding experience? How about Eisenhower? To call being a general"office holding" would be a stretch.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseConservatives new theme:
Yes we CAIN!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow about "Cain vs. Unable!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHerman Cain has just as much chance of winning the nomination as Michelle Bachmann. That is, no chance at all.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHerman Cain has a spectacular chance of winning the nomination. Why? Because he is the best guy running. It's a matter of getting the message out.
People like you are defeatists -- you believe that life's battles are lost without ever fighting. You are a true pessimist.
Herman Cain is the ultimate optimist. Americans love an optimist; and Herman's got it! He's just like Reagan in that way.
David Welker: check your gut! You need not to be such a pessimist!!
Cain is the remedy for what ails this nation!!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseApparently, you believe that if you repeat this enough times in a sufficient number of comment threads, it will become true. Tough luck.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe's learning to avoide tripfalls it looks like.
Re: David Welker. I'm sure he'd be more supportive if he thought Cain was clean and articulate, or light skinned and didn't speak with a negro dialect.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseno, no, he is obsessed with the sales tax issue.
As far as I am concerned - I would die a happy man if I see the abolition of 16th amendment and liquidation of IRS in my lifetime. Even a slight chance that Cain presidency may lead to fair tax puts him on top in my book. Get Big Brother out of my paycheck, please, faster!
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