Let's End The Rumormongering

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Cain

Until recently all we knew about Herman Cain's wife was the fact that she would not be openly participating in his campaign.  Mrs. Cain, it turns out, is a Democrat and votes that way regardless of who is running.  A while back we wrote a piece on how the role of the First Lady of the United States has changed through the years.  I can't recall however, ever having a First Lady whose political ideology differed greatly from her husband's but there is a first time for everything, and if Cain is elected president, it should be interesting to see what project Mrs. Cain will choose to focus on as First Lady.

Since women began accusing Herman Cain of sexual impropriety I've thought a little more about Mrs. Cain.  It has to really hurt when a woman hears that her husband is accused of being derelict in the observance of his marriage vows.  Whether the charges are true or false, a woman's pride and her confidence in her marriage and her partner must take a sharp blow.  Mr. Cain himself  revealed over the weekend that it is his wife Gloria who has been hardest hit by the decades-old allegations. [1]

Karen Kraushaar in the 1990s when
she worked for the NRA

When the allegations were first published in Politico, Mr. Cain's campaign chairman accused Governor Rick Perry's camp of having leaked the decades old scandal.  However, the Perry staffer who was accused denied any knowledge of the accusations, or of ever leaking anything to the press.  In fact, he was very complimentary of Mr. Cain.  At first there were two women who alleged to having received compensation after accusing Mr. Cain of sexual impropriety over a period of time, while they all worked for the National Restaurant Association.  The women, have now been released of a confidentiality agreement, and are free to talk about the incidents.

Today, however, according to the U.K. Daily Mail Online, Karen Kraushaar, a 55 year old federal employee and registered Republican was one of two women who in the late 1990s settled claims of sexual harassment against Mr. Cain.  In an interview in the New York Times on November 8, Mrs. Kraushaar was upset that her name had been leaked to the press.  She has finally decided to speak out, telling the Times:  "When you are being sexually harassed in the workplace, you are extremely vulnerable.  You do whatever you can to quickly get yourself into a job someplace safe, and that is what I thought I had achieved when I left." [2]


The other woman who had joined Mrs. Kraushaar in the suit, has not had her name released.  Mrs. Kraushaar suggested that she may be open to the idea of coming forward along with each of Cain's accusers and their attorneys and allow all of the evidence to be considered together.




Sharon Bialek and attorney Gloria Allred

Thus far there have been five women who have come forward and have accused Mr. Cain of sexual harassment.  Only two of those women have been identified.  The fourth accuser and the first woman to appear publicly is Sharon Bialek who is being represented by the publicity seeking liberal Democrat lawyer Gloria Allred.  Ms Allred's  appearance on the scene lends credibility to the rumors that Sharon Bialek is a money grubbing woman whom Mr. Cain has described as "mentally unstable."  By all accounts, Ms Bialek does seem to have a shady background, a less than spotless reputation and facts about her "murky" past are gradually emerging.  According to the The Daily Mail Online, Ms Bialek has "filed for bankruptcy twice, missed credit card and rent payments and is constantly avoiding bill collectors.   

Karen Kraushaar in 2011

Contrary to Sharon Bialek,  Karen Kraushaar currently serves as communications director at the Inspector General's office of the Treasury Department.  She lives in Maryland with Kevin, her lawyer husband of 26 years.  Mrs. Kraushaar has a long career in professional government jobs.  Prior to that, she was a news reporter, editor, and an accomplished equestrian.  She has worked as a public affairs specialist at the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  [3]


The U.K. Daily Mail Online interviewed Karen Kraushaar's family and friends and all pronounced her to be "very reliable" and "not the type of person who would make things up.


As all of these events unfold, Mr. Cain addressed the American public in a speech saying:  "I chose to address these accusations directly rather than do it through a series of continuous statements...because that's the person Herman Cain is. The charges and the accusations I absolutely reject. They simply didn't happen. They simply did not happen."


Here in it's entirety is Mr. Cain's Speech as it appeared in the U.K. Daily Mail Online.

I am Herman Cain and I am running for president of the United States of America. I normally don't have notes but in this case I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any points that I need to cover today. Secondly I chose to address these accusations directly rather than trying to do it through a series of continuous statements.

The most recent accusation - I have never acted inappropriately with anyone. Period. I saw Ms Allred and her client yesterday in that news conference for the very first time as I sat in my hotel room with a couple of staff members. When they got to the microphone, my first reaction was, I don't even know who this woman is. Second, I didn't recognise the name at all. That time she referred to was during the time I was CEO of the NRA in Washington DC where 150 workers work and another 150 in Chicago, where she claims she worked.

I tried to remember if I recognised her and I didn't, or even remember her name. The charges and the accusations I absolutely reject, they simply didn't happen. They simply did not happen.

You know for decades the American people have wanted a businessman in the White House and not another politician, as all they have been doing is kicking a can down the road while America's problems got worse.

Well, a businessman man by the name of Herman Cain stepped forward. I know by the people we talked with that's what they want. We are not going to allow Washington to deny me or the opportunity to represent this great nation. As far as these accusations trying to get me to back off and withdraw from the race - it ain't gonna happen, because I'm doing this for the American people and for the children and the grandchildren.

Americans believe Washington is broken, and our system of getting elected is broken. In part it is but in another part it is not. As long as we have decency and honesty it will work. But when we allow deceit and false accusations to rue the day and distract us from the part that is broken.

Nine days ago the media started to beat me up with anonymous accusers and then today another one came forward and identified herself. Was it tough last week? Yes. Has it been tough the last couple of days? Yes. But that's one thing about Herman Cain, just because it's tough doesn't mean I won't do what I feel what I have to do, we will get through this.

These anonymous allegations are false and now the Democratic machine have brought forth a troubled woman to make false accusations, many of which exceed common sense and certainly the standards of decency in America.

I have been married for 43 years to my wife Gloria. After watching that press conference, I called her and said, ‘Sweetheart did you see the press conference on TV?’ and I asked her what she thought. She said, ‘I have known you for 46 years, and that doesn’t sound like anything you would do to anyone.’

That's my top priority in respect to me. My family respects my candidacy and they know who I am.  However, I ask that the media not drag my family into this. They’re not running for president. I ask you as professionals to direct your questions and criticism towards me. Not my family.

My reputation is something I've worked in 43 years to build up. Now that I'm running for the highest office in the land, and accusation after accusation are now coming to light. This is not a surprise. It’s expected. But I will vigorously defend my reputation because I will not allow these allegations to tarnish my character and my reputation.

I have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period.  It simply did not happen.

Whether this scandal is the product of the liberal media or that of Democrats fearful of Herman Cain’s popularity, and rise in the polls it is accomplishing what it was designed to do and that is to throw a monkey wrench in the Republican campaign, distracting the voters from the very important issues that we must face.  While conservatives and Republicans sit around speculating about Herman Cain, Barack Hussein Obama continues his campaign, making excuses for his failed presidency and attempting to regain the base that elected him in the first place.

Reporters, pundits, and even comedians are having a field day with this situation.  I was hesitant to write about this topic, but the facts were very well presented in the article from the U.K. Daily Mail Online and I thought that some of our readers would like to read them.  I've only covered some of the highlights.   As long as this scandal continues to take center stage in the media, we cannot move on with the real issues of this campaign.  I am repulsed by the way television commentators or “contributors” as they like to call themselves, sit around hypothesizing about our future as if they had some magic crystal ball that allowed them to see all.  There is more to this election than how well they are doing in New Hampshire, Florida or Iowa. I’m tired of pundits, pollsters and soothsayers predicting our future.

We have a country to save, and a campaign to run, and we are the ones who are going to do it at the polls in November of 2012.  Either we put an end to the coverage of this Cain affair, or we won’t have the time to truly give the American voter an opportunity to get to know all the candidates and their platforms.  Women have spoken, Mr. Cain has made his speech.  By now most should know whether or not these allegations will affect how they feel.  Let’s put it to bed, and get on with the business of real politics.  Although angry, I have to snicker at the arrogance of the people on television who think so much of their opinions that they laugh at the GOP field.  The fact is that any one of those candidates would make a better president than Barack Obama, and certainly better than any of those know-it-all who believe themselves qualified to put them down.  Barack Hussein Obama is beatable.  He might still be popular, but it is WE THE PEOPLE who will elect a president.  We just need to become informed voters and decide on the person who can lead this country out of this morass.  Let’s put this scandal to bed and get on to the business of the more important issues. 

I have said in this forum before that this is the most important election that my generation will ever face.  We can speculate on what the future holds for our progeny, but we can try to make it better by defeating Barack Hussein Obama. Let’s stop the gossip mongering and get down to the real business of politics.  The future of this great nation depends on our decisions and our votes.
Sister One
for Two Sisters From The Right