The race issue in the race

Herman Cain criticized his opponent Rick Perry, calling him insulting and insensitive for not taking action sooner in removing a racially offensive word painted on a rock. The rock is outside a hunting camp in Texas that Perry’s family leased. The N-word that was painted on the rock was supposedly painted over by Perry’s father in the 80’s when Perry went to the camp with a friend and told his father what he saw. Some people claim to have seen the word on the rock later than this, some saying as late as in 2008.  Perry's campaign communications director Ray Sullivan said many of the claims are "incorrect, inconsistent and anonymous, including the implication that Rick Perry brought groups to the lease when the word on the rock was still visible.” Apparently Perry hasn’t even been on the lease in a few years and he and his family have never been in charge or owned the property where the rock is on.  "Yes, it was painted over," Cain said. "But how long ago was it painted over? So I'm still saying that it is a sign of insensitivity." The N-word is obviously, to say the least, insensitive. However I don’t think this shows Perry as being racist or inconsiderate. If the claims are true, Perry did have the word painted over. As for how long it took, that just shows Perry’s lack of initiative on the matter rather than insensitivity.

            Cain was also rebutting some accusations of being insensitive after he said that many blacks are brainwashed to just vote for democrats rather than listen to the actually message any candidate has to offer. Cain said he used the term "brainwashed" after a series of incidents in which some black voters refused to read his literature on his 9-9-9-tax plan because he's a conservative and a Republican. Cain said, “I call that brainwashed. How can they make up their mind against something when they don't know what it is? So this is why I'm saying some of them have been brainwashed, not even to consider an alternative point of view if the person is running as a Republican or they're supposedly a conservative." The fact that people would not read his 9-9-9-tax plan because he is republican is absurd to me but not surprising. I find that many people, republicans or democrats, are opposed to being informed on the other party’s policies just because it may be republican or democrat. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say blacks are brainwashed but I do think Cain makes a good point when saying people are opposed to alternative views. Cain also said it was insulting to the black community for Obama to go in front of the Congressional Black caucus and “scold” the audience for not agreeing with his policies. Cain believes Obama’s policies have failed the country as well as black people.