The Lessons of Cain

I think a bigger lesson… it still matters to a few whether a man is faithful to his wedding vows.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

Cain paid a female friend w/o wife’s knowledge

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2011/12/01/herman-cain-begins-to-outline…
GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain says that he gave the woman who claims they had a 13-year-long extramarital affair money without his wife’s knowledge.

Cain told the New Hampshire Union Leader that he helped Ginger White with “month-to-month bills and expenses.” Cain says that she sent him around 70 text messages between Oct. 18 and Nov. 18 because she was in financial trouble.

“She wasn’t the only friend who I had helped in these tough economic times, and so her messages to me were relating to ‘need money for rent’ or whatever the case may be,” he told the Union Leader. “I don’t remember all the specifics.”

Cain continues to deny any sort of affair and he told the paper that he told his wife Gloria about White after she went public about the alleged affair. Cain has yet to see his wife since the the charge surfaced.
What does that look like? Men ask your wife what she thinks of that!

The one thing missing in all of this ‘affair’ talk is an actual physical relationship. Can Clinton say that? Or Jonathan Edwards?

The point of the article isn’t about Cain’s supposed unfaithfulness via text message and financial help (the lions, the tigers, the bears, oh my), but the fact that this non-sexual affair has garnered more press frenzy than the actual philandering by other politicians has. There’s just as much evidence that Obama had an affair with Vera Baker as there is about Cain’s alleged affair. Has anyone here even heard of Vera Baker?

[Susan R] There’s just as much evidence that Obama had an affair with Vera Baker as there is about Cain’s alleged affair. Has anyone here even heard of Vera Baker?
Really? Baker made an admission to the press?

I wish to make an observation about Mr. Cain’s situation. This is not in support or opposition of any of the comments made so far on this thread.

I find it very “convenient” that none of this came out until Mr. Cain showed some success in the political process we are now enduring. Here’s a successful man who has a plan and… OOPS! Here’s something NEW about the new frontrunner!

I say this over and over again, from experience, and seeing the experience of personal acquaintences:
1. The media never, NEVER, EVER gives us the entire story;
2. The media ALWAYS has an agenda, and their “news” is edited in such a way as to promote that agenda.

I don’t believe what has been said about Mr. Cain because the only information I have is from the MEDIA, which is an unreliable source. Over and over, after initial reports, it was disclosed that the “new” charges were actually years old, had been investigated at the time initially reported and determined to be unfounded.

My opinion (and that’s all it is: my opinion) is that as soon as Mr. Cain showed some success in the primary process, the media took a shot at him (figuratively) to try to bring him down. When he did not back down, they took another shot at him. Then another, then another. And still, he would not back down. Finally they pulled out a Howitzer to try to blow him off his feet (politically). Mr. Cain did not bow down to the media, so they found a way to knock him to his knees.

Personally, I am more inclined to believe Mr. Cain that the media, because Mr. Cain has never given me any reason to doubt him, whereas the media gives me reason to doubt them each and every day.

And here’s the kicker: I am NOT a Cain supporter. (I’m not supporting anyone at this point…) It’s not so much that I trust and support Mr. Cain, so much as I heartily distrust the media, all day long, every day of the week.

If the media is the source of the information that causes you to doubt Mr. Cain, then (in all humility and the greatest of respect to all who take the time to post here) you’re standing on sinking sand.

…. what’s weird to me is that Cain and co. thought it would not come out.
When you run for that office you get gone over w/a fine toothed comb. Cain has admitted to sending money to this woman and not telling his wife about it…. that’s the sort of thing a pres. candidate should pretty much plan on coming out in the papers.

Whether it should or not is another question.

But as for it coming out after he has some success, that’s normal too. There are only so many reporters and the news outlets are going to focus most of their manpower on front runners.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

[Rev Karl] I don’t believe what has been said about Mr. Cain because the only information I have is from the MEDIA, which is an unreliable source.
All the info you are going to get on this (or almost anything) will come through the media. You must be quite agnostic about a lot of things.

What did you hear about Blagojevich directly from him or other eye/earwitnesses? Prior to the guilty verdict did he get the same benefit of the doubt from you?

Brother David,
[DavidO] All the info you are going to get on this (or almost anything) will come through the media. You must be quite agnostic about a lot of things.
I’m just trying *not* to to speak to thing about which I do not know. (Not saying that you are!) What I do know, from personal experience, and the experience of personal acquaintances, is that the media cannot be trusted to give reliable information upon which to base a decision.

Actually, I didn’t follow Gov. Blagojevich’s case much.

Having experienced Chicago politics first hand, I had an opinion when I heard about it. That’s all it was: my opinion. Didn’t I hear he has been convicted?

But that’s the difference: I have personal, boots-on-the-ground experience in Chicago. I have wintnessed the coming and going of three mayoral administrations. I have seen innocent people tried in the court of public opinion, only to be found “Not Guilty” (Operation Greylord). I have seen a man convicted of rape set free when the accuser confessed her accusation was false, in a public proceeding that can only be describted as a self serving political circus.

The *only* information I have about Mr. Cain is what I have heard in the media. I have done no research into his business career or his personal life. I have never been in a position to know him personally or to work for a company he was involved with.

“If the media is the source of the information that causes you to doubt Mr. Cain, then (in all humility and the greatest of respect to all who take the time to post here) you’re standing on sinking sand.”

Just my opinion. Not an argument in support or against anything you said. Just sitting around the campfire, fellowshipping with my bretheren, trying to get “sharper”.

Are there any hot dogs left?

Karl, the problem is not so much the accusations, but the way Cain responded to the accusations. Yes, he denied them, kinda sorta, but without ever giving any specifics. The public statement from his attorney was one of the most damaging “defense” statements I have ever read. Read Al Mohler’s commentary, as he says it much better than I can. Even if he is innocent of the accusations, I think the way he has handled this whole thing (he didn’t meet personally with his wife for almost a week to talk about this???) tells me a lot about his fitness for office (that and his many other missteps and misstatements).

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Greg Long, Ed.D. (SBTS)

Pastor of Adult Ministries
Grace Church, Des Moines, IA

Adjunct Instructor
School of Divinity
Liberty University