Herman Cain: Occupy Wall Street Protesters Are Un-American, Anti-Capitalist

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain continued his criticism of the Occupy Wall Street movement on Wednesday, suggesting to reporters in Florida that the progressive protesters are un-American.

The Associated Press reports:

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain says the Occupy Wall Street protesters are un-American and against capitalism.

Speaking to The Associated Press during a book signing event Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla., Cain said the protesters shouldn't rally against Wall Street bankers or brokers because "they're the ones who create the jobs."

Cain also used the anti-capitalist refrain earlier this week in describing the Occupy Wall Street movement. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cain suggested that the protests were staged, and that the conditions demonstrators were speaking out against were consequences of their own actions, not of malpractice by Wall Street.

"I don't have facts to back this up, but I happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration. Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself!" Cain said. "It is not a person's fault if they succeeded, it is a person's fault if they failed."

Cain isn't the only GOP presidential candidate with negative things to say about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and co-founder of Bain Capital who's now worth upwards of $250 million, called it "dangerous ... class warfare."

Follow the latest developments from the Occupy Wall Street protests on our live blog.

 

Comments

[hunterma34]

04:45 PM on 11/17/2011

I disagree with the violence and there are some who appear to be making this a class war. It is not. Occupy Wall Street has just as much right to shout their complaints just as a bunch of educated guys who organized and participated in: The Boston Tea Party, The Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary War. So what part of this protest is un-American? We have a problem here: It is taxation without representation. Anyone who says its not an American right needs to go back to History Class - in grammar school.

[skwan91607]

03:22 AM on 10/29/2011

DON'T BE STUPID. CAIN, HER MAN, CAPITALIST WITHOUT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING POWER ?
Capitalism without Collective Bargaining right is Capitalist with Saves. Today is 21st century. No one will takes slave is a legal form of work force. Don't even try to bring that up. Cain is out of his mind to be loud mouth trying to twist and fooling others. Tea Party is ANTI AMERICANS, the 99% American Working Middle Class. Tea Baggers' America has been sold out by Bush with the last deal FINANCIAL MELTDOWN in 2008. Don;t be stupid to claim "Take Back America" after cleaning up American national treasure. Americans are wake up and reject Tea Baggers' PLOT to hold 99% as SLAVES taking away the working powers without proper, balance, adequate, and meaningful returns. 1% rich and 99% poor is unacceptable, even Pope refuse to endorse this UNREASONABLE AND STUPID condition. Cain, your stupid loud mouth should stop here. I suggest trying to make your wife and your kids to be your slaves. Then no one will be surprised they may kick your rear end to protest.

[Peter Leslie]

05:46 PM on 10/28/2011

Herman Cain is nothing more that a snake oil salesman peddling false hope to the foolish.

[Justa Fact]

03:18 PM on 10/27/2011

After researching the 'anti-American' claim I can find nothing to support the claim Cain said it. Look at the links in this article - zip. Watch the interview - zip. Why is everyone so quick to judge, condemn and attack without researching the truth? Why is the HP distorting Cain's comments? It hardly exemplifies truth and fairness.

[mrshep]

12:16 AM on 10/12/2011

THe only thig unamerican around is Herman Cain

[Charles Fortner]

04:26 PM on 10/12/2011

We're already seeing the resurrection of the old "real American" rhetoric from the consevatives on HP. That sort of childish posturing is, in reality "class warfare" and nobody protesting on Occupy Wall started it.

Marx himself admired what capitalism can "do".. as an economic system it can and hs overcome basic human weaknesses. For example people who can make a living by working a 15 hour day will do so and be productive rather than starve or allow their famies to suffer. Capitalism is, to him a necessary evil but it is also a stepping stone to something beyond being a wage slave and denying or strangling the best he can do. As the young people say today "the good is the enemy of the great. But it is that "geat" that is irrepresssible. It is something humanity strives toward. See Marx's The Origins and Development of Capitalism.

Conservatives who prattle and whine about Marx can't get past the first paragraph of the Grundrisse. It is absurd to criticize something you are incapable of understanding. He actually compliments them for whit it's worth but they're just to stupid to realize it..

[docrt925]

12:34 PM on 10/11/2011

"I don't have facts to back this up, but...(I'll still go ahead and make uninformed accusations anyway!)"

oh and I guess he missed that whole "right to assemble" and "redress of grievances" thing in that document he'd have to pledge to defend...if he were, god forbid, President.

[mrshep]

12:59 AM on 10/12/2011

Herman Cain is just a flash in the pan as the old folks say. His 999 plan is so stupid it doesn't even need to be discussed.

[Charles Fortner]

04:33 PM on 10/12/2011

F & F. I however would like 999 to get scrutiny-and a lot of it. Remember what happens to vampires when they're dragged into the sunlight. the scholastics of the middle ages spent untold happy hours debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. This is something much more important and potentially destructive. It would do the world good to have 999 exposed BEFORE some ravening rabid wolverines put it into law. but...politicians are not noted for having much foresight.

[icwhite02]

01:36 AM on 10/10/2011

B) Hey, all you AFRICAN-AMERICANS, Herman Cain says you're POOR BECAUSE YOU ARE FAILURES! ARE YOU GONNA VOTE FOR A MAN THAT IS SO DISCONNECTED FROM YOUR REALITY & STRUGGLES IN LIFE THAT HE THINKS Y'ALL ARE FAILURES CUZ YOU'RE NOT RICH LIKE HIM? TALK ABOUT "FALSE PROPHETS!" THIS MAN IS NOTHING BUT A PAID O-R-E-O! If you want REAL CHANGE, STICK WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA! Now that people are starting to see the Repubs/Tbaggers for who they REALLY ARE, this "UN-AMERICAN" MOVEMENT BY THE 97% OF "WE THE PEOPLE" is going to be what helps Pres Obama get the obstructionists out of the way & start being ABLE to ACTUALLY GET SOMETHING ACCOMPLISHED in this administration! WE ARE "WE THE PEOPLE!" BY DEFINITION, HOW CAN WE THEREFORE BE UN-AMERICAN? IMPOSSIBLE!

[Charles Fortner]

04:36 PM on 10/12/2011

I can assure you that the black community is aware.

[icwhite02]

02:18 AM on 10/14/2011

God Bless you.

[PatA]

10:21 PM on 10/28/2011

A little 'cheer leading' never hurts anyone.

[PatA]

10:20 PM on 10/28/2011

F&F, 103

[Dan Kreutzer]

05:48 PM on 10/09/2011

herman cain, viz a vis the GOP can spot an unAmerican faster than anyone--except when they Tea Party protest

[hgus]

02:01 PM on 10/09/2011

I love how he makes this speech in front of the gold plated Trump Towers.

Gotta love that!!

"Mr. Cain, the people have no bread".... "Let them try to take my Cadillac".

[PatA]

10:22 PM on 10/28/2011

Trump was the first thing I noticed when I saw the photograph! What a toool.

[Adam Griffin]

09:51 PM on 10/08/2011

Herman Cain probably doesn't see the irony in his accusations. The movement is truly independent, anyone who has spent 5 minutes with the people down there can see that. The only person manipulating the situation is Cain himself. He's using the movement to attempt to further attack the current administration. He's also using the current administration as an excuse to dismiss the movement. In both instances he's grasping rather pathetically at his own paranoid delusions while at the same time trying to suggest that it is someone else who is being disingenuous. All of this to avoid actually talking about issues that he can sense are getting some traction with the people of this country.

[PatA]

10:23 PM on 10/28/2011

Adam, proud to be #1

[bellaratta]

12:52 PM on 11/14/2011

#2 :D

[weneed anthro]

05:44 PM on 10/08/2011

Hermain Cain should spend some time reading our Constitution. It gurantees the righ to assembly. He and Eric Cantor should take a class together.

The corporations and banks do create jobs - in other countries- and they earned their profits because of dedicated American workers. Without them, they would not have made a dime in the United States.

[Drama Llama]

02:51 PM on 10/08/2011

Bank of America is on pace to make 6 billion in profits this year and yet plan on slashing 30,000 jobs..

Exactly how is that job creation?

[garboop2]

07:26 PM on 10/07/2011

Herman is as arrogant as they come. Is this man "for the people?" Heck no! I mean; cannot even fully explain his so called, "9, 9, 9 plan" which from I have been hearing so far, will only end up benefitting the wealthy.

[candcje]

09:15 PM on 10/07/2011

only benefit the wealthy and cut in half (at least) the total federal revenue - what would that do to our deficit and budget problems?!?!

[garboop2]

08:16 PM on 10/09/2011

To me Cain is frightening! He should be able to abstulutely and fully explain the 9-9-9 in layman's terms quckly and easily.

[PatA]

10:23 PM on 10/28/2011

"we'll worry about it when we get there". :-(

[west kansan]

10:44 PM on 10/07/2011

Actually the numbers are upside down. It should be read as the 666 plan and treated accordingly.

[DennisTheMenance]

06:31 PM on 10/07/2011

Well, from looking at the Posting? I can Plainly See not many of you are Self Employed or even work on a Sales Commission type Business.. For if you did? You'd Understand him alot better..
But that's the Problem..Too many want to Sell themselves Short and Sell out for a Salary Job..

When our country was built by Self Employed People..The FARMERS..Even Our founding Fathers were FARMERS..If they didn't work? They didn't make a living did they?
And that is Part of the Problem with this Country now..

The Unions Have Brainwashed so many into Selling themselves Short and Take the Easy way out..

[candcje]

09:17 PM on 10/07/2011

So you would do away completely with the farm subsidies because when the weather kills the crops, it's still the farmer's fault they failed to get a decent yield. Right?

BTW, I am self employed. But my success is completely tied up with the national economy because if my potential clients don't have jobs (or are underemployed) and they're forced to choose between putting food on the table for their kids or paying for the service I provide, well, they'll feed their kids.

[west kansan]

10:46 PM on 10/07/2011

"DennisTheMeanace"??? Are you kidding??? Or is it the number of words capitalized that give word to your education??

[DennisTheMenance]

06:18 PM on 10/07/2011

DITTO Mr. Cain.DITTO!
I started out as a Limo Chauffeur for a Major Limo Co.
After 3 yrs? I owned 5 Franchises ( Limo's) and Had 10 Chauffers working with me..
Made the ave of $50k yr and had a Nice 30 yrs in that Business.. and Gave alot of Down and out People jobs along the way..

Biggest Problem for the Quitters? 9 out of 10 Were BRAINWASHED To Only work for a Salary and didn't like to Have to work or Don't get paid on a Commission Type Job.. Salary jobs Are Sell Out jobs..
Get rid of Salary jobs and replace them with Commissions..

Like Mr. Cain and even Pres. Obama has said " Its Small Business" that is the Backboen to Success in America! It all started with the FARMERS!

Get rid of Salary jobs- at Least a 50/50 Commission and Salary and you will see alot more Successfull People in this country..

[candcje]

09:19 PM on 10/07/2011

We can't all be small business owners. Small businesses NEED employees so somebody's got to be able/willing to be the employee. There is no shame in being an employee. They are the middle class of this nation and for you or Mr. Cain to demonize the largest segment of the national population is disgusting and, dare I say... anti-American.

[icwhite02]

01:52 AM on 10/10/2011

Not to mention STUPID!

[west kansan]

10:51 PM on 10/07/2011

"Backboen"???? You kidding?? You can't even spell the major title of your job correctly, see third line! Stop lying to us!! You're none of this. You are bored because you have to lie like this.