African-American voters are finally getting the facts about
the Republican Party and beginning to turn away from their
traditional pattern of voting for Democrats, Atlanta talk radio
host Herman Cain tells Newsmax.TV. The former CEO said talk
radio has been key to this transformation and that is why
liberals are seeking to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me, and they would call my show
and volunteer information as to the fact they were black, they
were American and they were starting to see the light,” Cain
said. “You see when people have the right information they will
make the right decision. This is one of the reasons that the
liberals continue to want to try to promote this unfair Fairness
Doctrine.”
Cain, an African-American who recently formed a presidential
campaign exploratory committee, said that liberals do not want
blacks and minorities to know the truth about the Democratic
Party or to know the truth about the Republican Party.
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video.
“Now that people are listening to talk radio and they’re getting
the right facts about what the Republican Party stands for more
and more people are beginning to vote Republican and align
themselves with Republican values,” he said.
The Fairness Doctrine dates back to 1949 and required
broadcasters to present a balanced view of both sides of a
controversial issue. The Federal Communications Commission’s
repeal of the doctrine in 1987 is often credited with the rise
of talk radio. The Tucson shooting that killed six and wounded
more than a dozen, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, coupled
with the recent harsh political rhetoric, has sparked a renewed
call for the doctrine’s reinstatement.
Cain, who went to Arizona to do broadcasts of his show, called
claims that conservative talk radio somehow contributed to the
tragedy silly and disrespectful.
“I say that is just silly, silly, silly, is what I say,” he
said. “It has been well established that the deranged young man
was in fact deranged that committed that terrible tragedy on the
people that died as well as Congresswoman Giffords. It’s silly
to try to spin a tragedy into liberal talking points against a
conservative talk show host or anybody that’s conservative. I
think it’s just a silly argument and disrespectful to the
families of those that lost their lives.”
He said that efforts to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine had no
chance of success in Congress and any attempt to do it through
regulation would be met by public opposition. “The American
people are going to be very aware of these backdoor regulations
that are going to try and silence people like me and others who
are simply telling people the truth.”
As to his presidential exploratory committee, Cain said it
allows him to test two things.
“One, the level of voter support for an unconventional candidate
like myself, meaning I’m not a politician; I’m a businessman, a
problem solver. And secondly, it will allow me to test how much
financial support I will be able to garner. … The early
indications as well as what we’ve already done have exceeded our
expectations.”
If he should become a candidate, Cain said he would focus on the
issues of strengthening national security, unleashing the full
economic potential in our economy, cutting spending, fixing the
immigration problems and developing an energy independence
strategy.