Herman Cain Backs Collective Bargaining For Public Employees

On November 14th, Cain sat down with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board for a series of interviews which show him to be much more liberal then he portrays, out of touch on foreign policy, and a lack of knowledge on how Government works.  To be running for President and not know that federal employees don't have collective bargaining shows a lack of interest in even learning how Government works.  Is he another person who wants all the benefits to feed his massive ego but not the work that comes with the Presidency.  We do not need another Obama who is not sure if he has any core values as they change so much.

As one poster put it on the 3 am phone call, "Cain probably wouldn't be able to find the phone!"


Was astounded when I saw the headline.  Then it hit me and I started chuckling because Cain who considers himself to be the Koch Brothers 'other brother' is going against a campaign that the Koch Brothers have been fighting for years to have Right to Work in states and end collective bargaining for public employees.

Why is it different at the state and local level when there is no collective bargaining at the federal level on pay or benefits and you are not allowed to strike?  Herman Cain didn't know that and now that he found out wants to make it the same for federal employees to have collective bargaining.  Why is he considered a conservative?  Republican Conservatives like me believe no public employee should be allowed to strike.  When there was a rash of teacher strikes in the past, I found it unconscionable that teachers whose job is to teach our students went on strike in mostly major cities for more money.  Unions get all upset when you want to tie performance with raises.  Why?  Shouldn't parents be able to expect their child's teacher to be the best teacher possible and just not be one of those teachers who does the bare minimum?

Now along comes Herman Cain who seems to have little core conservative values but tries to talk the talk? Cain has has run into a wall in the last couple of weeks and his more liberal side is coming out.  Typical politician to blame the media but how do you blame the media for your own interview?  How long before Cain goes out and says he didn't mean what he said after the Koch Brothers get in touch with him.  This is what Cain would have to flip flop on with his own words:

On the issue of collective bargaining, Cain said he supported the right of public employees to bargain collectively. 

"But not collective hijacking. What I mean by that, if they have gotten so much for so many years and it's going to bankrupt the state, I don't think that's good. It appears that in some instances, they really don't care."

Asked about last week's vote in Ohio, in which the state's new collective bargaining law was rejected by voters, Cain said that "maybe they tried to get too much and as a result it failed."

Just a short rundown on some of the non-conservative issues Cain supports:

• affirmative action (Senate campaign in 2004) 
• empowerment zones in urban areas who would pay less taxes in his 9-9-9 plan which morphs depending on the audience 
• electrified fence for the border, would rely on advisers to make the decisions on foreign policy, 
• black minister who follows Malcolm X for inspiration in a very liberal Baptist Church where he is an associate minister
• releasing terrorist to get back one hostage
• collective bargaining for government employees including federal

Those are for starters so the question once again is "Why does Cain consider himself a conservative?"  That list doesn't even include his lies which are harder to ignore on sexual harassment with him now saying he doesn't remember before he remembers when confronted with facts.

His latest in his interview with the Milwaukee Journal on foreign policy concerning Libya  makes you cringe and shows he is not ready for that 3am phone call.

Finding out he backs collective bargaining even for federal employees and astounded that they didn't already have it is mind boggling.  Where was Cain when President Reagan fired the Air Traffic Controllers for striking?  Thanks to Cain's comments the AFSCME, Federal employees union immediately pounced with their comments as he played right into their hands.

My biggest question is why give these answers in Milwaukee when they Democrats/unions are launching a recall drive for Governor Walker?  Is he trying to tank Walker in the recall drive which will not make his 'brothers' very happy as the Koch Brothers are heavily invested in Walker.

You be the judge after reading this article and tell me if he is not running in the wrong Party.

Herman Cain Backs Collective Bargaining For Public Employees
Sam Stein stein@huffingtonpost.com Become a fan of this reporter 

First Posted: 11/14/11 05:07 PM ET Updated: 11/14/11 06:15 PM ET  

In a move that will undoubtedly puzzle if not enrage conservative voters, Herman Cain said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Monday that he supported the rights of public workers to collectively bargain. He also said he believed that Ohio Gov. John Kasich went too far when he tried to strip those rights with Senate Bill 5. 

(snip - see above quote) 

Cain also said in the interview that he would support collective bargaining for federal employees. In fact, he seemed to believe they currently enjoy those rights, the Journal Sentinel reported. "Asked if he thought federal employees should have the ability to bargain collectively, Cain said: 'They already have it, don't they?'" 

Cain's answer means he is more progressive on the issue than Mitt Romney, who notably endorsed Kasich's SB 5, then declined to comment on a campaign to repeal it before finally coming out against that campaign. And while it may make some political sense for Cain to make this case in the course of a general election campaign -- Kasich's polling numbers have plummeted -- it will do him no favors in the primary. 

Also notable is the fact that Cain gave his response to a Milwaukee-based newspaper, as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, like Kasich, is staunchly anti-union and has advanced legislation that curbs collective bargaining rights. 

The timing of the discussion with the Journal Sentinel's editorial board struck some as odd, given that Wisconsin does not play an active role in the early part of the primary season. Ellen Carmichael, Cain's former spokeswoman, tweeted: "Question not meant to disparage Herman or the great state of Wisconsin: why would someone meet with the Journal Sentinel ed board right now?" 

UPDATE: 6:15 p.m. -- AFSCME, the union that represents public workers, quickly praised Cain's stance Monday afternoon. Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24 in Wisconsin, sent the following statement to The Huffington Post: 

Voters from across party lines and the country support collective bargaining. Even Herman Cain can read a poll. We hope that he took advantage of his time in the state to call Governor Walker to urge him to repeal the anti-worker legislation he rammed through this year.

To view video of this interview, please click on the link:  Huffington Post