Morning Joe 11/1/2011 --- Cain's problems and other stuff

On Morning Joe today the guests during the first segment were Harold Ford, Mark Halperin, Michael Steele, Jan Brewer and Tom Brokaw. The discussion started out with a focus on Herman Cain's explanations of the sexual harrassment charges leveled against him in the 90s. Scarborough said Cain lied when Cain said he didn't know anything about a "settlement" then later said there was a "settlement". I think what happened is that Cain had several conversations with several reporters with each using "settlement" to mean different things. Cain inartfully got caught up in two different meanings -- one when Cain meant he didn't know about any cash settlement and contract to remain silent, then in another conversation he said he did know about a settlement that the restuarant org had that simply dealt with the situation, but Cain meant this settlement as more of an agreement which they all came to. It looks bad for Cain, but he wouldn't contradict himself within two hours about knowledge of a cash settlement and contract of silence -- he merely meant two different things regarding "settlement" in two different conversations. If Morning Joe had played the full conversations of both interviews, it would have been clearer.

But this doesn't matter. Cain is in trouble, and he will have to do a better job explaining the situation, and, if he is hiding anything, he might as well put it all on table. What concerns me more than Cain's problems is the news yesterday that two more green energy companies which received tax-payer backed loans went bankrupt. This should have been the lead story. Morning Joe did report the MF Global story in which 700 million dollars is missing, and John Corzine is right in the middle of it. This kind of corruption is far more important than Cain's explanation problems.

Jan Brewer came on Morning Joe to talk about her book regarding immigration and the border war going on in Arizona. This is an issue that hardly gets any media coverage, yet this border war is more dangerous than the mideast wars. The fundamental issues are open borders in a welfare state and the failure of the War on Drugs. We could end the War on Drugs, legalize marijuana, and most of the violence would end. This wasn't discussed by the Morning Joe panel. If we privatized public assistance, a big part of the problem with open borders could be handled more efficiently -- this wasn't discussed either. But with the system we have, Brewer is right -- getting control of the border is the top priority. A part of the problem regarding immigration was framed by Steele as a Republican problem of losing hispanic votes, but I would think that hispanics who are American citizens want to solve the border problem, because it will also affect them in the long run when their taxes skyrocket.

Tom Brokaw talked about his new book which calls for a return to American hope and accomplishment. This started a discussion about a declining America facing stiff competition in the global market. What was not discussed was how our statist system of government has been the main contributor to decline, and unless statism is addressed, and unless a free market is established which releases creativity and innovation, there's no way to understand or deal with our current malaise, lack of confidence and economic stagnation.