Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Cain fallout continues--Perry Super PAC goes up in S.C., Iowa--NRA decided not to endorse--DOJ sues to block S.C. immigration law--Rollins: Bachmann out of ideas, money--General election debates announced
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:38:51 -0600

By James Hohmann (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

CAIN'S HONESTY COMES INTO QUESTION - TO SURVIVE, HE MUST GET HIS STORY STRAIGHT:"Herman Cain's presidential campaign enters Tuesday facing a full-blown political crisis, now that the Republican White House hopeful has struggled for more than 24 hours to respond to allegations of sexual harassment dating to his time as president of the National Restaurant Association. Since POLITICO published a story Sunday night revealing that the NRA had reached financial settlements with two women who accused Cain of inappropriate behavior, Cain and his spokesmen have offered a shifting and inconclusive series of responses.The result is that a story that would have been damaging to Cain under any
 circumstances now threatens to derail his campaign permanently as the former trade association chief's honesty comes into question." Alex Burns documents the shift from the campaign's outright denial to the AP Sunday night to Cain's Fox hit Monday when he said he was unaware of any settlements to the PBS and Fox interviews last night in which he admitted there had been cash payouts:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d48117292b82a02268aa426e48d30bc10640a6505ff8cbc1fe3a6bce40eba8a8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d48117292b82a02268aa426e48d30bc10640a6505ff8cbc1fe3a6bce40eba8a8 .

THE LATEST -

POLITICO - NRA DECIDED AGAINST ENDORSING CAIN:"The political committee of the association's board, which has never endorsed a presidential primary candidate, held a telephone conference this month to consider breaking with tradition to support Cain, sources told POLITICO," per Anna Palmer and Ken Vogel. "The committee ultimately rejected the idea, but several board members told POLITICO they and other board members intend to fundraise for him individually. The association itself seems leery of overt expressions of support for Cain...In the weeks leading up to POLITICO's report on Cain's sexual harassment allegations, the trade group has gone into crisis mode, working primarily through its
 in-house media and legal team. It has also contracted with outside consultants and lawyers."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ecc545e70b94c748fcb1fb0bb4e40153aa78624b80a77a6e7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ecc545e70b94c748fcb1fb0bb4e40153aa78624b80a77a6e7 

WALL STREET JOURNAL - COMPLAINT CAME AFTER CAIN INVITED EMPLOYEE TO HIS ROOM:"Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Wall Street Journal that the trade group came to a financial agreement with at least one female employee in the late 1990s after she alleged an inappropriate advance by Mr. Cain. One of these people said that Mr. Cain, during an industry-related conference, asked a female employee of the association to visit his room. The person said that woman declined Mr. Cain's suggestion, there was no physical contact and Mr. Cain was not intimidating. A second person, a member of the restaurant association's board, told the Journal that a special committee of the trade
 group's board looked into the woman's complaint. Both people said the investigation resulted in a financial arrangement."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ea99ecefaee3bd1cf35f13ec9996b7946aee1aedcbae37258 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ea99ecefaee3bd1cf35f13ec9996b7946aee1aedcbae37258 

NEW YORK TIMES - WOMAN "TAKEN ABACK" BY CAIN'S BEHAVIOR ON THE ROAD:The Times fronts a story with two bylines and five credit lines that adds confirmations and some fresh detail: "In separate interviews, two people who were affiliated with the restaurant group at the time said that they knew of the second female employee, and that she had received a payment related to harassment accusations against Mr. Cain during his 1996-99 tenure as the association's chief executive...They said the second woman similarly had complained about what she said had been Mr. Cain's inappropriate conduct toward her. One of them said she had been taken aback by one interaction in particular while they were
 traveling, but this person declined to give details."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e965b4d4341ac9058daa7dad96ecf850cda8c5f619cbcc1b5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e965b4d4341ac9058daa7dad96ecf850cda8c5f619cbcc1b5 

REACTION -

JON STEWART'S TAKE:"Mitt Romney is the luckiest Motherf***** on Earth," the comic said on his show last night. Video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e763d46fa56feb59bffe63cc1e3f67210439af1f868d665d6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e763d46fa56feb59bffe63cc1e3f67210439af1f868d665d6 .

DES MOINES REGISTER - "IOWANS APPEAR READY TO GIVE CAIN BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT":"Iowa conservatives appear unready to jump off the Herman Cain train - unless damning evidence emerges that proves the presidential candidate was less than truthful Monday when he denied allegations of sexual harassment," Jennifer Jacobs writes. "The Des Moines Register spoke by phone with more than 20 likely Republican caucusgoers who participated in the Oct. 23-26 Iowa Poll, and none said the allegations had moved them to reject Cain as a potential pick."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e6792c00f5ae938cc4b93e8c115c6d4dec2529cb56136035d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e6792c00f5ae938cc4b93e8c115c6d4dec2529cb56136035d 

ASSOCIATED PRESS - "SUPPORTING CAIN, GOP BASE EVOKES THOMAS HEARINGS":"Conservatives rallied around Herman Cain as he battles sexual harassment allegations, likening the attacks on the Republican presidential contender to what they describe as the 'high-tech lynching' of another prominent black Republican: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.The forceful early reaction to the Cain firestorm - fueled by racially charged rhetoric - suggests the Georgia businessman's attempt to cast himself as a victim of the media and liberals is, so far, paying dividends among his conservative Republican base, who will hold considerable sway in selecting the party's nominee."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e4e350228ff4107f7602cb18ac4043580fd84a150dfd8fd4e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e4e350228ff4107f7602cb18ac4043580fd84a150dfd8fd4e 

CANDIDATES STAY MUM - RUSH LASHES OUT AT POLITICO:"Rush Limbaugh called the POLITICO account 'an unconscionable, racially stereotypical attack on an independent, self-reliant conservative black because for him that behavior is not allowed.'On the other hand, Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post's 'Right Turn' blogger, warned that 'conservative talk show types and bloggers embarrass themselves by claiming this is a racist attempt to discredit an African American conservative.'Meanwhile, one group of Republicans was conspicuously silent: POLITICO contacted every one of Cain's major opponents for the GOP presidential nomination and none of them would comment directly on the controversy
 embroiling Cain's campaign." Watch Rush video (via Daily Caller):
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e51c3fc122560ed59a4ebfb9e557c607574f6dc7615b89bf0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e51c3fc122560ed59a4ebfb9e557c607574f6dc7615b89bf0 . Keach Hagey and Alex Burns' story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e267d1dcca9206e4a6827e773f880de342ad57a344885bca9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e267d1dcca9206e4a6827e773f880de342ad57a344885bca9 .

PUNDIT PREP -

WASHINGTON POST - "CAIN ALREADY UNPOPULAR WITH FEMALE VOTERS":"The numbers suggest that compared with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Cain is in big trouble with this demographic," Rachel Weiner writes. "In four early primary states, according to recent CNN polls, Romney significantly outperformed Cain with female Republicans in every contest save South Carolina. In Iowa, where the two contenders are statistically tied, Romney took 28 percent of female voters and Cain got 17. The Des Moines Register wrote Sunday that in the new Iowa poll that showed Cain and Romney neck-and-neck, men were behind Cain's success - 26 percent prefer him while only 18 percent backed Romney...A
 national CNN survey last week found Cain performing ten points better with men than with women while tying Romney overall."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ea00e47b87a6d894c37ac107ddd9891866287904c0de88547 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73ea00e47b87a6d894c37ac107ddd9891866287904c0de88547 

FLASHBACK - CAIN SPOKESMAN ACCUSED REPORTER OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT:When he was at the Pentagon as a Navy commander, Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon accused a Miami Herald military reporter of "multiple incidents of abusive and degrading comments of an explicitly sexual nature." Per a July 2009 Washington Post story: "Gordon, who deals primarily with the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison, said in the letter that this was a 'formal sexual harassment complaint' and asked the Herald for a 'thorough investigation.'" Howard Kurtz wrote the story. Now at the Daily Beast, he noted yesterday that the Herald cleared Carol Rosenberg.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e3ac448fb8a48c621c5bd208536086caf7bb6c01365baa1ce 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ecf65713f20dc73e3ac448fb8a48c621c5bd208536086caf7bb6c01365baa1ce 

IS IT GENERATIONAL? - KATHLEEN PARKER INTERVIEWED CAIN FOR HER WAPO COLUMN:"I asked Cain how he defines sexual harassment and he listed offenses that would resonate with most Americans: forcing a female to do something against her will; inappropriate touching; making inappropriate comments in the presence of a female. To Cain's generation (age 65), a casual remark about someone's appearance is often viewed as a gesture of friendliness. To someone younger, who has been versed in the catechism of sexual harassment, it could be viewed as hostile or at least inappropriate."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109820eeae2517cdefaafffb79630e369e350ddb7857c0beb2dde 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109820eeae2517cdefaafffb79630e369e350ddb7857c0beb2dde 

** As the other candidates descend on Iowa, Romney prepares to lay out a spending plan on Friday and the president gives interviews to local affiliates, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

NEW ADS - PRO-PERRY SUPER PAC GOES UP IN IOWA AND SOUTH CAROLINA:The Make Us Great Again Super PAC, which could spend tens of millions boosting Rick Perry's candidacy this cycle, is buying airtime starting today in South Carolina and tomorrow in Iowa. Two 30-second ads, virtually identical, introduce Perry to voters as an experienced conservative who is strong on fiscal issues. Neither alludes to the Texas governor's competitors. The Iowa broadcast is scheduled from Nov. 2 through Nov. 12. Here is what is airing in South Carolina:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109822ce5cea1f7a936f704529cc5c9fb1367b33b29846fb1d6e3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109822ce5cea1f7a936f704529cc5c9fb1367b33b29846fb1d6e3 . Here is the Iowa version:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109826b344316b5590c5fe98c484f0ae622506972c23f1e32a9eb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109826b344316b5590c5fe98c484f0ae622506972c23f1e32a9eb .

MORE INFO ON THE BUY - TARGET MARKETS:Score obtained the buy information. Iowa broadcast: Cedar Rapids, $57k, 700 points; Des Moines-Ames, $64k, 700 points; Omaha, $29k, 250 points; Iowa Cable:Cedar Rapids, $17k, 55 spots; Quad Cities, $7k, 55 spots; Des Moines, $13k, 55 spots; Omaha, $2k, 55 spots; Ottumwa, $2k, 55 spots; Quincy, $2k, 55 spots; Rochester, $2k, 55 spots; Sioux City, $7k, 55 spots. South Carolina Broadcast: Columbia, $59k, 700 points; Greenville-Spartanburg, $85k, 700 points; South Carolina Cable: Columbia, $14k, 70 spots; Greenville-Spartanburg, $22k, 70 spots.

NO CREDIT - TWO-THIRDS OF TEXANS DON'T THINK PERRY DESERVES CREDIT FOR TEXAS' GROWTH:"Texas voters, for the most part, are more likely to see [Perry] as a bystander to the state's success than its driver, according to the new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Asked about the factors behind the state economy's relative strength, 65 percent of those responding attributed it to longstanding advantages...Another 21 percent cited Perry's leadership in promoting lower taxes, lenient regulation and small government as the main reason the Texas economy has fared better than the national economy." This isthe second of five Texas Tribune stories about their poll with the University of Texas:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109827a35a6bb7d1c67c53697789098e0b4437bda8992fcf234cd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109827a35a6bb7d1c67c53697789098e0b4437bda8992fcf234cd .

ED ROLLINS CONTINUES TO UNDERCUT BACHMANN -

.TO ABC: BACHMANN "OUT OF MONEY AND IDEAS":The former campaign manager told ABC News that Michele Bachmann has "run out of money and ideas" and can no longer expect to win in Iowa. "She's still saying the same things she said in the first the debate. There's no substance. She says, 'I'm going to repeal Obamacare.' But she's been saying that from Day 1. I told her: That's your Tea Party speech, now you have to say what you're going to do next."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a721098288750fe1121a5d8aac4f7f0af91af8c3f552f090e3e6b3e4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a721098288750fe1121a5d8aac4f7f0af91af8c3f552f090e3e6b3e4  

.TO CNN: "ROMNEY PROBABLY HAS THE BEST ORGANIZATION" IN IOWA:Michele Bachmann former campaign manager Ed Rollins said on CNN that it was clear to him his candidate wouldn't win, and that he didn't want to stick around for several months when he knew she was going to lose. 30-second video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109821862b9b1d4fe50f2c998b32d07e1983ba47f284f2619d19f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109821862b9b1d4fe50f2c998b32d07e1983ba47f284f2619d19f .
WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO:Today is a big Iowa day. The big event is a 10 a.m. forum sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers in Pella, which will bring Bachmann, Gingrich, Paul, Perry and Santorum. Santorum has meet-and-greets in Pella, East Albia, Centerville, Bloomfield and Marshalltown. Paul has a meet-and-greet in Oskaloosa and a town hall in Ottumwa. Perry goes to the Drake diner in Des Moines and plans a town hall in Des Moines. Huntsman gives an energy speech at the University of New Hampshire in Durham after touring a cogeneration plant.

Jeff Zeleny tweets: "The latest sign of Perry doubling down on Iowa: He added another day to his schedule and will now be in the state Tuesday, Thursday [and] Friday."

FRIDAY - ROMNEY TO DELIVER MAJOR SPENDING SPEECH IN DC:"In what appears to be an attempt to solidify his support among Tea Party voters, former Massachusetts Gov.Mitt Romney will deliver a 'major spending policy speech' on Friday evening at the Americans for Prosperity's Defending the American Dream Summit in Washington, according to his campaign," per NBC's First Read. "On Thursday, Romney will preview his spending policy in Exeter, NH, the campaign confirms."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109825fde641be4edf5070a981268466c1310566f540e6d238293 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a72109825fde641be4edf5070a981268466c1310566f540e6d238293 

WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO - LOCAL MEDIA CHARM OFFENSIVE:"Later in the morning, the President will participate in interviews with local TV anchors from the following outlets across the country in the Cabinet Room: Hearst Television; WAVY, Portsmouth, Virginia; WTVT, Tampa, Florida; KTRK, Houston, Texas; KETV, Omaha, Nebraska; WCCO, Minneapolis, Minnesota; WPVI, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; KUSA, Denver, Colorado; KSAZ, Phoenix, Arizona; and KGW, Portland, Oregon," per the White House Daily Guidance. "Later, the President will greet the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis in the Oval Office...In the afternoon, the President will sign a proclamation in the Oval Office...Later, the President
 and the Vice President will meet with House Democratic Leadership in the Oval Office."

WASHINGTON GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN LEADS IN COMPETITIVE RACE:Republican Attorney GeneralRob McKenna leads Democratic Rep.Jay Inslee 44-38 in a poll out yesterday from the University of Washington. 18% are undecided. PowerPoint with the results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982d93da57434fb911cd2ec472d2cc803f3cd234586b898a268 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982d93da57434fb911cd2ec472d2cc803f3cd234586b898a268 .

SOUTH CAROLINA TALKER - FEDS SUE OVER IMMIGRATION LAW:Ensuring this will be a big issue in the state's first-in-the-South primary, The State reports that "the U.S. Department of Justice has challenged South Carolina's new immigration law in federal court...The justice department has asked for an injunction that would prevent the state's law from taking effect in January. The lawsuit argues that the U.S. government is the only entity that can implement immigration policy and the state's immigration law could result in the harassment and detention of foreign visitors, legal immigrants and U.S. citizens."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982d0b98491c86f62f1131034f5e0d562a3e2e847f199153f42 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982d0b98491c86f62f1131034f5e0d562a3e2e847f199153f42 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - FOUR GENERAL ELECTION DEBATES SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR:President Obama will debate the Republican presidential nominee in Colorado, New York and Florida next October.The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the dates Monday of next year's general election match-ups.The first presidential debate is set for Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the University of Denver.The second will be at Hofstra University on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Hempstead, N.Y.The final debate is in Boca Raton at Lynn University on Monday, Oct. 22 - 15 days before the election.The sole vice presidential debate will happen Oct. 11 at Centre College in Danville, Ky.The commission will announce the
 debates' formats early next year.Moderators won't be chosen until next summer.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982427510093aad2f62d65562d88c5ca2dab41a1367ab19ace0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7b72aba0a7210982427510093aad2f62d65562d88c5ca2dab41a1367ab19ace0 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"I enjoy flowers, like everybody else.' - Herman Cain to Greta van Susteren when asked if he has a "roaming eye" on Fox last night
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47c86ffc818417ab765a8293ab002ced4f5a41d96407edf4b2a73c45a2857f06 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=47c86ffc818417ab765a8293ab002ced4f5a41d96407edf4b2a73c45a2857f06 

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