Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

I was promised a recession.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

T R E 4 5 O N

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

“woke” is the new caravan.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Herman Cain Goes on the Offensive Against Sharon Bialek

Herman Cain Goes on the Offensive Against Sharon Bialek

by | 65 Comments

This post is in: 

I’m running out of popcorn.

Herman Cain is gearing up for his big press conference this afternoon during which — if I’m reading the tea leaves correctly — he will deny that he knows what that crazy bitch is talking about, after which he’ll yell “look over there!”

What Cain wants you to look at is Bialek’s tawdry past — a tawdry past that actually is not tawdry at all.

Today, the Cain camp released a statement about Sharon Bialek, and it is nothing more than a sad attempt to drag Bialek through the mud. And when I say “sad,” I mean sad.

The press release points out that Bialek has been a defendant in several lawsuits, three of which were brought by the same plaintiff — a company called Broadcare Management.

Cain also points out that Bialek has worked for nine employers over the course of seventeen years, and that she filed for bankruptcy twice. Shock! Horror!

Cain then poses some questions, the answers to which are both readily available and entirely irrelevant.

Here’s the text of the press release***:

Who is Sharon Bialek?

As Ms. Sharon Bialek has placed herself in the public spotlight through making patently false allegations against Herman Cain, it is only fair to compare her track record alongside Mr. Cain’s.

In stark contrast to Mr. Cain’s four decades spent climbing the corporate ladder rising to the level of CEO at multiple successful business enterprises, Ms. Bialek has taken a far different path.

The fact is that Ms. Bialek has had a long and troubled history, from the courts to personal finances – which may help explain why she has come forward 14 years after an alleged incident with Mr. Cain, powered by celebrity attorney and long term Democrat donor Gloria Allred.

In the courts, Ms. Bialek has had a lengthy record in the Cook County Court system over various civil lawsuits. The following cases on file in Cook County are:

  • 2000-M1-707461 Defendant against Broadcare Management
  • 2000-M1-714398 Defendant in lawsuit against Broadcare Management
  • 2000-M1-701522 Defendant in lawsuit against Broadcare Management
  • 2005-M1-111072 Defendant in lawsuit against Mr. Mark Beatovic.
  • 2007-M1-189176 Defendant in lawsuit against Midland Funding.
  • 2009-M1-158826 Defendant in lawsuit against Illinois Lending.

Ms. Bialek was also sued in 1999 over a paternity matter according to ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV). Source: WLS-TV, November 7, 2011

In personal finances, PACER (Federal Court) records show that Ms. Bialek has filed for bankruptcy in the Northern District of Illinois bankruptcy court in 1991 and 2001. The respective case numbers according to the PACER system are 1:01-bk-22664 and 1:91-bk-23273.

Ms. Bialek has worked for nine employers over the last seventeen years. Source: WLS-TV, November 7, 2011

Curiously, if Ms. Bialek had intended to take legal action, the statute of limitations would have passed a decade ago.

Which brings up the question of why she would make such reprehensible statements now?

The questions should be – who is financing her legal team, have any media agreed to pay for her story, and has she been offered employment for taking these actions?

To the above, I say: So what?

First of all, it seems that the Cain camp did nothing more than check the Cook County online docket for cases involving Bialek. Without any information regarding what the cases were about, a list of cases and case number proves exactly jack and taco. (I poked around the docket briefly; there are no images available, so I couldn’t read the complaints to determine the bases for the lawsuits.)

As for working for multiple employers, again, I say: So what? For example, my resume indicates that I bounced around from firm to firm during my ten years in private practice. What might not be apparent to someone looking to draw a negative conclusion about my work history is that three of the employer name changes are a result of various law firm dissolutions and mergers. This is thin anecdotal evidence to be sure, but the point is, who gives a crap? Without more information, the answer to that question is: no one with any fucking sense.

Additionally, it is clear that the press release is an attempt to insinuate that Bialek’s legal and financial difficulties compelled her to make the allegations against Herman Cain. The press release itself says as much: Who is financing her legal team, have any media agreed to pay for her story, and has she been offered employment for taking these actions?

Well, Hermy, Bialek is not paying celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, so it seems that her legal team is being financed solely by Allred’s hubris and desire for the spotlight.

Cain also asks a question, the answer to which is obvious to anyone that has two brain cell to rub together: “Curiously, if Ms. Bialek had intended to take legal action, the statute of limitations would have passed a decade ago. Which brings up the question of why she would make such reprehensible statements now?” Gee whiz, Hermy. Could it be that you’re running for President?

Herman Cain categorically denies that he knows who Sharon Bialek is. That may be true — as Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon quipped “To be fair, the more you sexually harass, the less you remember each person you harassed” — but the slow drip of accusations doesn’t bode well for Cain.

Finally, the sort of character assassination in which Herman Cain is engaging also doesn’t make him look particularly sympathetic or credible. A simple, “It wasn’t me” would suffice, Hermy — if that’s your angle. Your chosen method of throwing shit on the wall to see what sticks only makes you look like a stinker.

Here’s Herman Cain on Jimmy Kimmel last night, cracking wise and generally being smarmy and gross:

This guy can’t disappear from the spotlight quickly enough for me.

You’re on your 13th minute, Hermy. Make the most of it.

[via The Hill]

[cross-posted at ABLC]

***You can check out the actual press release via scribd plugin thingamabob at my blog here.

Reader Interactions

65Comments

  3. 3.

    celticdragonchick

    Why in the hell would a Presidential candidate even try to to do this?? Specifically going after the past of an accuser is something you leave to others. Jesus…this is beyond amateur hour.

  4. 4.

    Calouste

    What Allred should do is pull exactly the same crap on Cain. He must have been a defendent in some courtcases and he definitely has changed jobs quite a few times, not to mention stuff like giving paid talks for USAID.

  7. 7.

    BGinCHI

    What do all those items about Bialek add up to? That she isn’t good harassment material? That she isn’t a credible witness because she’s done things thousands of other Americans have done?

    I’m not following…..

  8. 8.

    General Stuck

    When Herman wags his finger at the camera and says ‘I did not have sex with that woman” Superman can quit circling the earth turning back time and shit. We have arrived at the sign post up ahead. Yer next stop

  9. 9.

    soonergrunt

    The first accuser has been positively identified, according to CNN.

    Washington (CNN) – The identity of the first woman to accuse Herman Cain of sexual harassment became public Tuesday. After she was named by the IPad news source The Daily, National Public Radio spoke to her and she confirmed she is one of the accusers.
    Her name is Karen Kraushaar, and she is a director of communications at a bureau within the Treasury Department.
    She is one of two women who allege they were sexually harassed while they worked at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s during Cain’s time at the head of the organization.
    Kraushaar, who worked at the association from 1998 to 1999, is a long-time civil servant and has held several communication jobs within the federal government.
    Her attorney, Joel Bennett, said he would not deny that Kraushaar is his client but refused to confirm it either.
    Kraushaar did not respond to requests for comment.

  11. 11.

    feebog

    This is bush league stuff for sure. Its just going to turn off even more people. BTW, I agree with what was said about Gloria Allred on yesterdays thread, she is a shameless media whore. She is also a pretty damn good attorney. I predict Gloria is about to go nuclear on Hermy’s ass.

  13. 13.

    daveNYC

    I disagree, saying “It wasn’t me.” wears a little thin after a few uses, and Cain would have to use it more than a few times.

    The current plan seems to be to ignore the NRA incidents, and drop the hammer on Bailek. Make it miserable enough for her and maybe no others will come forward. Plus, eight years of Bush II pretty much proved that ‘when in doubt, attack’ isn’t a bad plan. Especially when you’re the one in the wrong.

  14. 14.

    trollhattan

    @cathyx:

    That would be dead perfect.

    Cain’s never been a serious candidate and while he may have been taking his recent press and polls to heart, doesn’t personally have the stuff needed to go the distance. So long as he remains in the race he hurts his party, which I consider to the benefit of the nation.

    All that said, fck him with an orange-hot anvil for victimizing these women a second time.

  15. 15.

    Alison

    Tiny quibble, but it’s actually Jesse Taylor behind the @pandagon twitter feed. Amanda has her own under her name.

    On-topic: God, Cain is a pig.

    Also: I apologize to pigs for the comparison, but seriously.

  16. 16.

    PurpleGirl

    It is well-known that Gloria Allred and her firm takes these publicity-rich cases on a pro bono basis. Her firm is successful enough with its more mundane work to allow her to be a crusader. And I know from my own years as a paralegal that large firms and certain smaller ones (like Ms. Allred’s) set aside the resources to do pro bono work.

    I haven’t followed this matter deeply, but it seems to me that Ms. Allred is acting more as a counselor and that they are not suing Cain but speaking out against him. (If I’m wrong, just let know.)

    A quick google brings up a Broadcare Management Company as a physical fitness facilities company — gyms. Gee, there are never reasons to sue them once, or three times, is there?

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    @Calouste:

    What Allred should do is pull exactly the same crap on Cain. He must have been a defendent in some courtcases and he definitely has changed jobs quite a few times, not to mention stuff like giving paid talks for USAID.

    A dKos diarist has already done that:

    It’s easier to find information about Cain’s legal troubles, though.
    __
    In 2004, five federal cases were filed against Harman Cain:
    __
    Itteilag v. Aquila, Inc. et al 4:04-cv-00865-DW (named as defendant)
    __
    O’Brien v. Aquila, Inc. 4:04-cv-00928-DW (named as defendant)
    __
    Wolf et al v. Aquila, Inc. et al 4:04-cv-00934-DW (named as defendant)
    __
    Smith v. Aquila, Inc. et al 4:04-cv-00970-DW (named as defendant)
    __
    Tylutki et al v. Aquila, Inc. et al, 4:04-cv-01058-SOW (named as defendant)
    __
    Cain was sued five times because as a member of the board of directors of Aquila, he actively encouraged employees to sink their money into company stock.

    People in glass houses, stones, etc.

  20. 20.

    sukabi

    yeah, the wimmin folk are gonna LOVE Herm’s ‘The Bitch(z) Had It Coming’ defenseoffensive… which is where this is going…

  21. 21.

    The Other Chuck

    Who does Cain have working PR for his campaign? I can’t imagine anyone ever hiring them for anything again. Cain brought out the big guns, set them to full auto, and pointed them squarely at his feet. I’ll be amazed if anyone even wants to shake his hand in the next debate.

  23. 23.

    El Cid

    I bet she makes an insufficiently bland and greasy franchise type pizza, too.

    And just think — Cain was practicing his heroic leadership role of the National Restaurant association opposing Clinton’s health care plan because he’d have to kill jobs.

    This is partly why he’s so beloved among Republicans who can remember — he’s remembered for delivering a public smackdown to Clinton at that national town hall above.
    We don’t know what Clinton’s response might have been, time ran out after Cain described Clinton’s characterization as “inaccurate”.

    His argument was that his company made so tiny profits that even a slight increase of net labor cost would put them under.

    Conservative politician and former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp was so impressed with Cain’s performance that he chartered a plane to Nebraska to meet Cain after the debate. Cain credits Kemp with his becoming interested in politics.

  24. 24.

    Redshift

    @feebog:

    BTW, I agree with what was said about Gloria Allred on yesterdays thread, she is a shameless media whore. She is also a pretty damn good attorney. I predict Gloria is about to go nuclear on Hermy’s ass.

    I agree she’s a shameless media whore, but she seems to have a pretty good track record of picking subjects who are actually in the right, which is more than can be said of most shameless media whores.

  25. 25.

    Steve

    I’m open to hearing from the other lawyers on this one, but I tend to think it would be flatly unethical for a lawyer to claim they’re handling a case pro bono when they’re actually being secretly funded by someone. So when Ms. Allred says it’s pro bono that’s the beginning and end of that particular fishing expedition.

  26. 26.

    Redshift

    @El Cid:

    His argument was that his company made so tiny profits that even a slight increase of net labor cost would put them under.

    It never ceases to amaze me that Republicans will tout “successful businessman” candidates who in order to argue for some wingnut cause will claim they are barely capable of keeping their businesses afloat. Which is it, guys?

  28. 28.

    General Stuck

    “ain’t gonna happen America”. Herman Cain is here to stay, and keep the news cycle squarely on his russian hands and roman fingers. I say go Herm, you are dems bestest issue.

  29. 29.

    Arm The Homeless

    I am not one for tawdry tales of political flim-flammery, but there is something at least curious about the same surname, and the Politico connection. I need moar popcorn!

  30. 30.

    The Other Chuck

    @Redshift:

    Which is it, guys?

    These are the same people who without irony paint a hammer and sickle and a hitler mustache over obama portraits and call him a godless atheist who wants to impose sharia.

    Seriously what are you expecting?

  31. 31.

    Phoenician in a time of Romans

    God, I’d love to see Allred go to court and ask for the non-disclosure clauses in the first two womens’ agreements to be set aside. Even if she doesn’t win, the sight of Cains attorneys arguing “We can’t allow this because it would cause irreparable damage to my client’s campaign” would be a Epic Win in itself.

  34. 34.

    daveNYC

    @sukabi:

    yeah, the wimmin folk are gonna LOVE Herm’s ‘The Bitch(z) Had It Coming’ defenseoffensive… which is where this is going…

    Technically I think he’s going with the ‘lying slut’, not the ‘bitch had it coming’ defense.

    Having written that sentence, I realise that humanity doesn’t deserve to survive.

  37. 37.

    Tonybrown74

    F*ck me! The GOP primary is just a big old bucket of crazy! It’s like a bad version of Passions. All we’re missing is a witch and doll that comes to life!

  38. 38.

    RossinDetroit

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    This scandal is reaching exciting new plateaus of fail.

    Cain’s really moving the bar lately. Maybe it’s all a trick to drive the base to Mitt for relief from the tragedy of the Cain ‘candidacy’. I keep trying to come up with rationalizations for all this idiocy. It’s how I’m wired but it’s just not working.

  39. 39.

    El Cid

    @Redshift: You don’t understand. A dollar of labor cost is like an atomic weapon; if labor cost increases by a $1, it has a much more devastating effect than a dollar used for any other expenditure. Spending a million dollars on advertising which fails is one thing; spending a million dollars on health care premiums is another, far more deadly thing.

    Thus, you can be extraordinarily successful running your business, but who can protect themselves when atomic weapons are being detonated in your kitchens?

    This is in no way meant to insult atomic weapons or atomic energy in general, which are awesomely safe weapons and power plants and are all wonderfully market efficient without all those big gubmit spendin’.

  41. 41.

    Schrodinger's Dog

    As Ms. Sharon Bialek has placed herself in the public spotlight through making patently false allegations against Herman Cain,…

    Why are they “patently false”? No support is provided for this assertion.

    …it is only fair to compare her track record alongside Mr. Cain’s.

    Why? Is she running for President?

    The questions should be – who is financing her legal team, have any media agreed to pay for her story, and has she been offered employment for taking these actions

    Previously, the line was that the accusers should not be trusted because they were anonymous. Now Ms Bialek should not be trusted because she has “placed herself in the public spotlight” and therefore everybody should first ask what her angle is.

  42. 42.

    sukabi

    @daveNYC: yeah, I tried to edit my comment, but at some point he will get to ‘the bitch had it coming’…. but it won’t be until after his ‘lying slut’ gambit falls flat.

    and depending on how invested the blowhards like Hannity and Limbaugh are in a Cain run, they’ll gladly provide the path and ladder to climb into that hole.

  43. 43.

    Brachiator

    The UK Daily Mail has a good summary of the accusers, including photos and more information on Ms Kraushaar, who was evidently one of the first to have received a settlement.

    One of the five women to have accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment when she worked for him at the National Restaurant Association has been named and pictured, making her the second of Cain’s identified ‘victims’.
    __
    Karen Kraushaar, a 55-year-old federal employee and registered Republican, was one of the two women who, in the late 1990s, settled claims of sexual harassment against the 2012 GOP presidential candidate.

    No hint of controversy in her background.

  44. 44.

    xian

    also, I hear tell that she’s a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty

    UPDATE: dang… stupid in-browser search for “nutty” turned up nothin’, when in fact I was late to the punch…

  45. 45.

    daveNYC

    @MikeJ: Not really, I think they’re focusing on kind of a gold digger / flake theme thing. If this gets traction, I suspect they might try to break out some ‘expert sources’ to speculate on her motives for inflicting such unjust wounds on Cain (who, of course, is the real victim here). I’m actually kind of surprised that Cain’s team scrounged up enough IQ points to not try bringing up Bialek’s love life, or more likely, they’re really that dumb and there just wasn’t anything to find.

    I think the real thing will be which side manages to snowball up first. Can Cain’s crew fling shit faster than other past (or even better, present) victims decide to come forward?

  47. 47.

    El Cid

    More racism in the name of science, once again, against whites.

    Black youth are arrested for drug crimes at a rate ten times higher than that of whites.
    __
    But new research shows that young African Americans are actually less likely to use drugs and less likely to develop substance use disorders, compared to whites, Native Americans, Hispanics and people of mixed race…
    __
    …The study, which was published Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry, controlled for variables like socioeconomic status because rates of severe drug problems tend to be greater amongst the poor. Despite this, Native American youth fared worst, with 15% having a substance use disorder, compared to 9.2% for people of mixed racial heritage, 9.0% for whites, 7.7% for Hispanics, 5% for African Americans and 3.5% for Asians and Pacific Islanders.

    We don’t need a bunch of ‘scientists’ taking gubmit money and high-falootin’ ‘data’ to tell us that what we know is true ain’t true.

    I hope Noelle Nikpour and the rest of the Fox News Research Institute of Kids Who Can’t Read Good and Stuff will respond.

  48. 48.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Schrodinger’s Dog:

    Previously, the line was that the accusers should not be trusted because they were anonymous. Now Ms Bialek should not be trusted because she has “placed herself in the public spotlight” and therefore everybody should first ask what her angle is.

    Is this the slightest bit surprising? Heads I win, tails you lose. Hermie has the CEO shuffle down pat.

  49. 49.

    Jay in Oregon

    @Calouste:

    What Allred should do is pull exactly the same crap on Cain. He must have been a defendent in some courtcases and he definitely has changed jobs quite a few times, not to mention stuff like giving paid talks for USAID.

    Maybe someone caught him on an unguarded mic talking crap about Bibi Netanyahu; that might cause him to drop some points among the Likudnik wing of the GOP.

  51. 51.

    Linda Featheringill

    The fifth accuser seems to be Donna Donella.

    Picture:

    http://www.google.com/imgres?q=donna+donella&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=594&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsuo&tbnid=YvJAk8Z85hIDDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.kstreetkate.net/2010/07/inside-chris4lifes-blue-crush.html&docid=eSt4EcNa_hM9cM&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NKJVFg3kF_8/TFCTqT4nQnI/AAAAAAAAF1Y/owZh9_OLUQQ/s1600/IMG_2121.JPG&w=1600&h=1200&ei=ybG5TueVMabs2AWA78XSBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=546&vpy=143&dur=9690&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=123&ty=137&sig=105735581122400590061&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=175&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

    At least Ms. Donella is not blond.

  52. 52.

    The Moar You Know

    I never, in my lifetime, thought I’d ever see conservatives rallying to discredit a white woman who is accusing a black man of sexual misconduct.

    I’m serious. I don’t know what the hell to make of this

  53. 53.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @JCT:

    Skilled liars can and do fool polygraphs. There’s a reason why they’re not admissible as evidence. What a polygraph does is make honest people sweat.

    Hermie will probably pass with flying colors. Which proves nothing.

  54. 54.

    harlana

    I understand the sensationalist aspect of putting a face on this thing, but the size of the settlements, independent witness statements and Cain’s behavior and numerous conflicting statements throughout this entire process, tells me all I need to know.

  55. 55.

    g

    A quick google brings up a Broadcare Management Company as a physical fitness facilities company—gyms. Gee, there are never reasons to sue them once, or three times, is there

    “Defendant against Broadcare Management” – doesn’t that say they sued her? Or am I reading it wrong?

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    @The Moar You Know:

    I never, in my lifetime, thought I’d ever see conservatives rallying to discredit a white woman who is accusing a black man of sexual misconduct.

    The GOP (at least at the upper level) is more about fealty to ideology than race.

  59. 59.

    Lockewasright

    @Davis X. Machina: I’ve always viewed ads by conservatives on progressive blogs as the proprietors engaging in an attrition strategy by allowing the opposition to flush ad dollars in the vespasienne. It’s not as if they’re going to win over voters here at BJ.

  60. 60.

    oldswede

    There have been some gym companies that hustle people into long term contracts that are impossible to get out of. A person may buy into the spiel and then realize that the actual fitness program is bogus, but there is no way out. The gym company is more than prepared to litigate, showing what their real business model is.

  62. 62.

    stickler

    @The Moar You Know: Hell yes to this.

    Still and all, though, you have to imagine that the reptile brain that is the Tea Party — especially the Confederate wing — is going to drop Herman Cain like a rock once the reality of the accusations sinks in. I mean, it’s not like those folks do “reflective thought” very well, and a Black Man White Woman Sex Scandal has flipped the switch in their brains so many times, for so long, that I find it impossible to believe it won’t do it again this time.

Comments are closed.