The Washington Post published this in its Style section, which seems reasonable:
Herman Cain returns to spotlight with American Black Conservatives group
… Herman Cain steps up to microphones at the Willard hotel on Monday after a two-day meeting of a dozen black conservatives that he pulled together. Mr. 9-9-9 has come out of the meetings with a catchy name for his group. They are the ABCs — American Black Conservatives.After surging to the front of the GOP primary field in 2011 — before flaming out amid a wave of sexual harassment allegations — Cain returned home to Georgia to his radio show, relatively forgotten. Standing before the mikes on Monday he seems to sense another moment in the blazing sun on what happens to be an overcast day in the nation’s capital — a moment not solely for himself but for an entire cadre of “like-minded Americans who happen to be black.”
The former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza acted as something of a godfather to the ABCs, including the famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has reaped his share of controversy of late for his remarks lumping together homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality. The pair were joined by the founder of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, a former Ohio secretary of state, a former U.S. Housing and Urban Development secretary, a radio personality and a niece of Martin Luther King Jr., who has become a conservative activist…
Cain’s confab was also noticeable for the African American conservatives not in attendance: former congressman J.C. Watts, former Bush secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Republican Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.). Cain said the dozen people who came were those who were top-of-mind for him.
“There were one or two dozen others I could have asked,” Cain said. “I hope they’re not offended.”
Watts said he was invited and would have attended had it not been for a scheduling conflict. In a phone interview Monday, he said he was distressed about the state of black conservatives, whom he would like to see, along with others in the Republican Party, address a broad range of issues important to the African American community: development of low-income communities, minority health disparities, poverty and investment in historically black universities. Instead, attention has focused on the evocative language and aggressive tactics of black conservatives…
Maybe it’s just me, but I get the feeling that Herman Cain is no more interested in the “state of black conservatives” than Sarah Palin is interested in the state of conservative feminists, or Newt Gingrich in the plight of inner-city children from single-parent homes. Mr. Cain is gearing up his griftwagon for the new!improved! GOP minority outreach, and as a proud Democrat I look forward to watching Reince Priebus, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and the other current princelings of the party reach out to join hands with the Herminator… without diving for the hand sanitizer before the video feed switches away.
Joseph Nobles
A-B-C! Easy as 9-9-9!
*scratches head*
Nah, that won’t work…
raven
Late night?
Anne Laurie
@raven: I got distracted. Been a long day around here!
raven
@Anne Laurie: It’s late night somewhere!
Amir Khalid
Enlighten me, somebody. What is Herman Cain still famous for?
Cmm
Night off from work but awake at 5 AM anyway, from jumbled dream/nightmare about working as a cop at the Boston Marathon and taking evidence photos of the carnage. Back when I was a crime scene tech I took photos at the scene of an officer’s death (one from our department) on an interstate where he had been struck by a vehicle. Bits and pieces of vehicle parts, clothing, belt gear and…other stuff…were scattered over about a third of a mile and each had to be marked, photo’d and collected. In my dream I was doing the same job at the marathon finish line. Don’t guess I will be going back to sleep this morning. Glad there are people awake out there I can say this to! Don’t want to traumatized friends on FB who went through the same event, or wake up my peacefully sleeping partner.
raven
@Amir Khalid: He took over for Boortz on WSB.
raven
@Cmm: That’s why we’re here.
Patricia Kayden
I thought Republicans didn’t believe in interest groups that focus on racial differences. And I disagree that Cain was ever “relatively forgotten”. His name still draws chuckles among my group of Black friends. The man is a joke.
hamletta
@raven: Really. God (or whomever) bless you.
hamletta
I’m so old, I used to read Bartcop back
during the Clinton crazinessin the ’90s.JC Watts was a wingnut whore whose own dad shook his head at his son’s political affiliation.
His finding a sudden need to wash his hair when Cain came a-callin’ leads me to believe Bartcop may have underestimated Mr. Watts.
Rick Massimo
I eagerly await a Jason Mattera wannabe asking to join the American Black Conservatives and screaming and yelling when they don’t let him.
debbie
Alas, Ken Blackwell rising from the ashes yet again…
Poopyman
Day shift checking in.
I read the title as “humidor”. Make of that what you will.
@debbie: At least the WaPo didn’t name names, which would have pleased them all a lot more.
barry
Why does a meeting of a dozen people merit any news.
MattF
@Amir Khalid: African-American wingnut. Period. Well, also Godfather’s Pizza, if you’re into Truly Awful.
YellowJournalism
Did they have pizza at this meeting? If not, that’s terribly insensitive in the context of a struggling economy.
Morzer
@Amir Khalid:
You’ve never heard of the superhero CrappyPizzaMogulMan and his 999 plan?
How lucky you are!
Omnes Omnibus
Conservative feminists? Less likely than unicorns.
RaflW
Perry/Cain 2016!
or
Cain/Perry 2016!
A perfectly matched dream team.
maya
Minority outreach? How bout a Corgi Conservative group? Or Esplanade Conservatives? Either would draw more than the Dusky Dozen.
Aardvark Cheeselog
> They are the ABCs
Am I the only one who immediately thought “That sounds like the name of a Motown group?”
Bulworth
A dozen black conservatives. New Tag can I haz pls?
Bubblegum Tate
I can’t believe you’re so cynical as to believe that Cain is just giving his griftwagon a tune-up.
Really, all he’s doing is slapping a fresh coat of paint on it. With a heavy-nap roller and a brush. Lookin’ good!
Bubblegum Tate
@Rick Massimo:
While that would be funny, the more likely scenario is that they let Mattera join. Remember: Most “black outreach” or otherwise minority-facing conservative groups are staffed primarily by–you guessed it!–old white guys.
Trakker
I know a lot of African Americans and some of them are pretty conservative. What they aren’t is stupid and they would never vote for a Republican. Herman Cain’s group is just a bunch of rich, successful blacks who despise the poor.
Frankensteinbeck
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! We could not have put it better ourselves, Herman!
kc
Hey, maybe he should join the Democratic Party.
kc
@Amir Khalid:
9 9 9!!!
rikyrah
grifting, baby.
got to get the grift on
Plantsmantx
But…but…
Doesn’t the current conservative line assert that “We’re all just Americans”? Isn’t that what “Yid With a Lid” told that black guy at CPAC?
Plantsmantx
Talk about a grifter…