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You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Women's Rights / Vagina Outrage / Herman Cain’s Final Flip-Flop on Abortion [updated w/ video]

Herman Cain’s Final Flip-Flop on Abortion [updated w/ video]

by Imani Gandy (ABL)|  October 31, 20116:07 pm| 51 Comments

This post is in: Vagina Outrage

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He finally got it right! There’s no more flip for him to flop!

Herman Cain really should have read his War on Women GOP Handbook before he allowed himself to be questioned on his stances on abortion. He has flip-flopped so many times, it’s hard to keep track.

Luckily, Think Progress already broke it down:

Abortion Is ‘Her Choice’: Over the course of one Fox News interview on Oct. 11, Cain insisted that “people shouldn’t be free to abort because if we don’t protect the sanctity of life from conception, we will also start to play God relative to life at the end of life.” But when asked whether a rape victim should have the choice, Cain said, “That’s her choice. That’s not government choice.”

Don’t Tell Women What To Do: On Oct. 19, Cain seemed to further his seemingly pro-choice position. “It’s not the government’s role, or anybody else’s role, to make that decision” on whether a sexual assault victim should seek an abortion, he said. “It ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president.”

A Family Can Have An ‘Illegal’ Abortion: On Oct. 20, Cain tried to shut out the uproar over his confusion: “I am 100 percent pro-life. End of story.” But the very next day, he added another chapter to his position. “Look, abortion should not be legal. That is clear. But if the family made a decision to break the law, that’s that family’s decision. That’s all I’m trying to say,” he said on Fox.

Pro-Life, No Exceptions: In that same interview, Cain finally declared that he was “pro-life from conception, no exceptions.” Apologetic for his “problematic” answers, he stated with finality, “I don’t know how much more I can say that if I am pro-life from conception no exceptions.

Pro-Life, With Exceptions: As noted, Cain’s campaign clarified yesterday that Cain actually does believe in exceptions and that “Abortions should be allowed in the instances of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at stake.”

Today Cain finally got it right: Pro-Life, No Exceptions. Herman Cain now believes that life begins at conception:

Phew!  I was getting concerned!

The GOP position on abortion has grown increasingly radical as they chip away at abortion rights and women’s right to decide whether or not to quarter creatures in their uteri.

The GOP is so radical, that at a certain point, life is going to begin before a man and woman even remove their undergarments. That’s the next logical step: “Life begins when a gentleman looks at a dame and says ‘Hey sweetcheeks! Come ovah heah! How you doin’?'”

It just makes sense.

[cross-posted at ABLC]

 

(edited to change “Pro-Choice” to “Pro-Life.”)

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Reader Interactions

51Comments

  1. 1.

    Calouste

    October 31, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    Talking about Herman Cain, a very good summing up by TPM of Cain’s reaction to the sexual harassment allegations so far, which has an eery similarity to the “defense in depth” of climate science deniers, and also strikingly similar to the what ABL mentions in her post about Cain position on abortion:

    ”
    Cain Timeline (Work in Progress)
    I’m trying to put together a Herman Cain harassment timeline. This is a work in progress because I’m having a hard time keep track of it all. So bear with me.

    1. Politico allegations are false. Story is crap.

    2. Yes, there were allegations. But they were false.

    3. Yes there were allegations that were false and I don’t know what money was paid.

    4. I don’t know whether money was paid. And it would be wrong for me to find out whether money was paid because it’s confidential.

    5. There was a in-depth investigation. And I was cleared. But I don’t know anything about it.

    6. Here’s the gesture that led to my getting accused of harassment.

    7. Okay, I remember some discussion of a settlement number.

    This baby is enough of a moving target I think we need to crowd source it. Which parts am I missing?
    ”

    (No blockquote because of FYWP)

    It really make me wonder, how could this guy ever run a company or a lobbying group? Company plans would change at every meeting, and a few times in between.

  2. 2.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:15 pm

    How Cain could not know that the NRA paid one or two six figure settlements to these ladies I find a bit hard to swallow. Why settle so high if there wasn’t something to it all? You don’t do that unless there’s some pretty damaging evidence against you.

  3. 3.

    dmsilev

    October 31, 2011 at 6:15 pm

    @Calouste: Wow, everything *is* faster in the Internet age. Used to be, a scandal would take at least a week to make it through the various stages of denial, but Cain seems to have compressed that down to roughly half a day.

  4. 4.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    October 31, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    ABL @

    That’s the next logical step: “Life begins when a gentleman looks at a dame and says ‘Hey sweetcheeks! Come ovah heah! How you doin’?’”

    It will never happen because they will have to start legislating male sexuality then.

  5. 5.

    Calouste

    October 31, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    And btw, how goddamn fucked up is this:

    Look, abortion should not be legal. That is clear. But if the family made a decision to break the law, that’s that family’s decision.

    The family doesn’t break the law, because abortion is legal. But if it were illegal, and they did break the law, Cain wouldn’t have a problem with that? But he has a problem with it being legal.

    So once again: Herman Cain thinks something should not be legal, but if it were outlawed, he would not have a problem with people breaking the law.

    My brain hurts from so much stupid.

  6. 6.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    the guy was a fucking defendant in a sexual harassment suit and he expects people to believe he has no knowledge of the settlements or the amounts paid?

  7. 7.

    Brian S

    October 31, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    Life begins when you have sinned in your heart with a woman. Or maybe when you get half a chub.

  8. 8.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 31, 2011 at 6:24 pm

    The entire point of the Rethug stance on abortion is that the sluts MUST go through childbirth as punishment for their carnal knowledge. End of discussion.

    What happens to the child is utterly irrelevant to the punishment of the slut.

    Even if the slut is married to the father, and if they take the pregnancy to term, both lives are likely to be lost.

    That’s how important it is to punish the slut.

  9. 9.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    ABL this is really entertaining but can we also get a thread about how Mitt Romney sucks in the exact same way since he will be the Republican nominee

  10. 10.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    “Look, abortion should not be legal. That is clear. But if the family made a decision to break the law, that’s that family’s decision. That’s all I’m trying to say,” he said on Fox.

    They used to call this “coat-hangers for the poor”, I think

  11. 11.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    @Calouste:

    My brain hurts from so much stupid.

    It helps to stop trying to make sense of it all.

    But that’s what’s great about it. That and the Perry speech.

  12. 12.

    BGinCHI

    October 31, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    Judging Cain on what he says/does: Racism!

    Judging Obama by the color of his skin, his name, and things you hear on Fox News: Patriotism!

    /wingnut

  13. 13.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I think you’re onto something, there.

  14. 14.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 31, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    @AA+ Bonds:

    There will be plenty of time to discuss how much OvenMitt sucks once Rove’s work is done suppressing the riff raff that dare to challenge the anointed “it’s his turn” person.

  15. 15.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    @Calouste:

    how could this guy ever run a company or a lobbying group? Company plans would change at every meeting, and a few times in between.

    I’m trying to be very generous here, but perhaps his mind started slipping, especially after his bout with cancer.

  16. 16.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    But that’s what’s great about it. That and the Perry speech.

    oh, and the fact that Romney is a shape-shifting, Mormon elitist.

  17. 17.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:34 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Yeah but since Rove has that covered shouldn’t we switch ASAP to, y’know, attacking Rove’s golden boy, err, gold-plated boy, okay let’s go with Pyrite Boy

  18. 18.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    I take issue with ABL’s title which should read “Herman Cain’s Final Latest Flip Flop on Abortion”

  19. 19.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:36 pm

    Mitt Romney’s goal is to lie his way into a position where he can kill American troops.

  20. 20.

    harlana

    October 31, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    I’d like to request a Paul Ryan-bashing thread.

  21. 21.

    Percysowner

    October 31, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    That’s the next logical step: “Life begins when a gentleman looks at a dame and says ‘Hey sweetcheeks! Come ovah heah! How you doin’?’”

    It will never happen because they will have to start legislating male sexuality then.

    Sadly the real answer is rape becomes legal because if a woman is out in public she is looking for attention and those poor weak men just can’t resist their primal urges and since God made them lust then the woman must consent.

  22. 22.

    JPL

    October 31, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    @AA+ Bonds: For the win. Before Roe v Wade it wasn’t just the poor though. It was for those who couldn’t vacation overseas which was a large part of the population.
    How many remember Miss Sheri from Romper room?
    Yup those were good times.

  23. 23.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    @JPL:

    Bizarrely enough (well not that bizarrely), Michael Crichton’s A Case of Need does a dramatic but okay job of presenting why abortion should be legal, in the context of haves/have-nots

  24. 24.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    @harlana:

    the guy was a fucking defendant in a sexual harassment suit and he expects people to believe he has no knowledge of the settlements or the amounts paid?

    This is magnificently LOL

  25. 25.

    Calouste

    October 31, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    @dmsilev:

    I wouldn’t be surprised if he won’t last the week. You know that whoever leaked this to Politico has a contract and a pile of cash ready for the harrassed women to come out in the open. And if they don’t agree to the contract, Drudge will “find out” their names.

  26. 26.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    The real reason this is working out for the Rove/Mitt Shit Machine is because Cain’s campaign glories in its ineptitude.

    They don’t have a clue how to handle this Romney-Rove-Ratfuck if they have their candidate coming out every other hour with a different story about how he doesn’t know things that he very clearly does know, like how much cash this cost him.

    I get the impression that Cain’s campaign is like everything Palin after 2008: a cult of personality where money-hungry losers crawl on their belly before the idol, hoping to grab the ankles of their God and somehow slide into the Fox News studio before the door gets slammed shut.

  27. 27.

    Thoughtcrime

    October 31, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Team Obama just needs to read and steal from Charles Pierce. Here’s a couple quips from today:

    “Mitt Romney couldn’t stand firm on a metal plate in magnetized boots.”

    “It’s becoming a bit clearer that the Republican primary process may consist of lashing the party’s entire base to a chair and forcing them all to listen to Mitt Romney long enough for the Stockholm Syndrome to take over.”

  28. 28.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:54 pm

    @Thoughtcrime:

    Stolen immediately

  29. 29.

    Suffern ACE

    October 31, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    @Calouste: Yes, and unfortunately, those people are the same folks who packaged Jennifer Flowers’ tales of drugs and murder in Arkansas to a credoulous segment of the public. Remembering those sources, I’m inclined to call bullshit on whatever wronged women that side produces.

  30. 30.

    Canuckistani Tom

    October 31, 2011 at 6:55 pm

    Pro-life = Pro Sharia

    There’s your bumpersticker

  31. 31.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    @Canuckistani Tom:

    Stolen immediately, part 2

  32. 32.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 31, 2011 at 7:00 pm

    @Thoughtcrime:

    People forget that’s how Bush got to be the nominee in 2000 out of a field of approximately 1 million Republican candidates.

    The entire money machine sighed and groaned and beat its breast and eventually, grudgingly, painfully, agreed to make sure that no one but Bush had a fucking shot come South Carolina time (the actual, non-fictional primary that Republicans have to win to get the nomination).

    The solution to the primary system for an anti-democratic party like the Republicans is to rig it before it starts. Otherwise the Kluxers they count on in the general election start threatening to nominate proto-fascists and anti-Hispanic racists who will never win electoral votes.

  33. 33.

    Thoughtcrime

    October 31, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    @AA+ Bonds:

    Mitt Romney is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.

  34. 34.

    scav

    October 31, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    Severe God-Botherers really do only have two gears and often run them simultaneously (The sound of their gear-stripping is often taken to be speaking in tongues).
    A) taking away the right from all others of free-will and the possibility of sin given by their own god to mankind;
    B) claiming god has forgiven them from their own lapses.
    They really have just cut out the middleman and god just does what they tell him to in order to still get minor billing.

  35. 35.

    RalfW

    October 31, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    Ohh, Cain is on the PBS News Hour right now doing damage control on the sex harassment change.

    He’s been coached pretty well by his lawyers, from how it sounds to me..

    But he’s also being kinda Clinton in his “settlement” “agreement” don’t know which it was story.

  36. 36.

    Exurban Mom

    October 31, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    I figured ABL left the Pro-Choice–Life Begins at Conception in place on purpose…that would be the ultimate triple lindy flippity flop,

  37. 37.

    Thoughtcrime

    October 31, 2011 at 7:32 pm

    Campaign song for Herman? Or Mitt?:

    MAKING FLIPPY FLOPPY
    (Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, Harrison)

    Nothing can come between us
    Nothing gets you down
    Nothing strikes your fancy
    Nothing turns you on
    Somebody is waiting in the hallway
    Somebody is falling down the stairs
    Set someone free, break someone’s heart
    Stand up help us out

    Ev’rything is divided
    Nothing is complete
    Ev’rything looks impressive
    Do not be deceived
    You don’t have to wait for more instructions
    No one makes a monkey out of me
    We lie on our backs, feet in the air
    Rest and relaxation, rocket to my brain

    Snap into position
    Bounce till you ache
    Step out of line
    And you end up in jail
    Bring me a doctor
    I have a hole in my head
    But they are just people
    And I’m not afraid
    Doctor Doctor
    We have nothing in our pockets
    We continue
    But we have nothing left to offer
    Faces pressed against the window
    Hey! they are just my friends
    Check this out don’t be slick
    Break our backs it goes like this . . .

    We are born without eyesight
    We are born without sin
    And our mama protects us
    From the cold and the rain
    We’re in no hurry
    sugar and spice
    We sing in the darkness
    We open our eyes (open up)

    I can’t believe it
    And people are strange
    Our president’s crazy
    Did you hear what he said
    Business and pleasure
    Lie right to your face
    Divide it in sections
    And then give it away

    There are no big secrets
    Don’t believe what you read
    We have great big bodies
    We got great big heads
    Run-a-run-a-run it all together
    Check it out – still don’t make no sense
    Makin’ flippy floppy
    Tryin’ to do my best
    Lock the door
    We kill the beast
    Kill it!

  38. 38.

    Calouste

    October 31, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    @Suffern ACE:

    So far they have produced the settlement contracts between these women and the NRA (multiple media organizations have seen them), so there is some solid proof there.

    Of course it is already no longer about whether Cain actually harassed these women, his incompetent reaction to overshadows that. If he had just come out and said something along the lines of “yes, I was accused and the NRA settled because I decided that that was the best way for the company to get rid of the thing, rather than spend lots of money on lawyers to take it to court”, he would have come across as decisive and insinuated that the accusations were false. Now he is either incompetent or there is something more to it, and not unlikely, it is both.

  39. 39.

    Martin

    October 31, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    Poor GOP. So unlucky that this idiocy keeps mysteriously showing up in their outgoing mail:

    Virginia Republicans were in apology mode Monday over a Halloween-themed email that depicted a zombie-like President Obama with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.

    Some kind of bad luck, there. And it keeps happening over, and over, and over.

  40. 40.

    Jay in Oregon

    October 31, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    @Percysowner:

    Sadly the real answer is rape becomes legal because if a woman is out in public she is looking for attention and those poor weak men just can’t resist their primal urges and since God made them lust then the woman must consent.

    The only difference between the fundie Christian wingnut freaks and the fundie Muslim wingnut freaks is that the Christian ones have yet to decide on a dress code.

    Burqas are out; how about a nice scarlet letter?

  41. 41.

    priscianusjr

    October 31, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    Cain is a Libertarian Fundamentalist. He believes in the absolute unerring authority of the Bible AND the absolute freedom of anyone to make their own decisions. A one-man Republican coalition. Boldly embrace contradictions.

  42. 42.

    jprfrog

    October 31, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    If abortion is murder then it follows that the women who requests (or submits to) the procedure is every bit as guilty as the doctor who performs it. She is an accomplice both before and after the fact, and I believe that in most states she is as liable for the penalty as he is. Why don’t the “pro-lifers” (excellent Orwellian framing, that) admit to this?

    Because many people who are not brain-washed fanatics might have to rethink their opinions on the business, and it would lose a lot of its power as a way to get the sheeple to vote against their own interests.

  43. 43.

    Canuckistani Tom

    October 31, 2011 at 8:16 pm

    @AA+ Bonds:

    Can’t steal what’s being given away :)

    Anyone want me to describe the thinking behind the slogan, gimme a shout

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 31, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    @Martin:

    I’m really sorry I clicked on that. I am quite literally feeling sick to my stomach from that image. What the FUCKETTY FUCKING FUCK is wrong with people??

    /Rhetorical. I guess.

  45. 45.

    Martin

    October 31, 2011 at 8:32 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    What the FUCKETTY FUCKING FUCK is wrong with people??

    Well, Obama is undeserving of respect because he’s black, you see. It’s a long story…

  46. 46.

    ABL

    October 31, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    @harlana: you’re right. his next position will be pro-personhood amendment.

  47. 47.

    daveX99

    October 31, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    The GOP is so radical, that at a certain point, life is going to begin before a man and woman even remove their undergarments.

    You get both an ‘amen’ and a ‘heh’ for that.

  48. 48.

    West of the Cascades

    October 31, 2011 at 10:13 pm

    The GOP is so radical, that at a certain point, life is going to begin before a man and woman even remove their undergarments.

    This, then, leaves the GOP debating among themselves whether certain undergarments qualify for defining the beginning of life. Some parts of the GOP will object that Mormon undergarments don’t count …

  49. 49.

    Sincap

    November 1, 2011 at 1:39 am

    …except in the case of rape… How is that supposed to work? Does that mean a woman has to submit a police report to prove rape to get an abortion?

  50. 50.

    Paul in KY

    November 1, 2011 at 11:07 am

    @AA+ Bonds: I thought they were pretty gleefully behind him from the start.

  51. 51.

    Paul in KY

    November 1, 2011 at 11:09 am

    @Jay in Oregon: I think they like long gingham dresses or if they can’t get that then 2 wetsuits & a dildo. If you asked them, that is.

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