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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Let's electrocute all Irish who come to the US illegally --Well Herman Cain wants to do it to Mexicans

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Let's electrocute all Irish who come to the US illegally --Well Herman Cain wants to do it to Mexicans

Posted on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 07:10 AM

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Timothy Egan writing in The New York Times asks what would the reaction be if a leading American presidential candidate advocated an electric fence that would stop immigrants coming in from Ireland by electrocuting them.

Herman Cain, the latest name of the month in the Republican field suggested just that twice this week, not for Irish but for Mexicans coming across the border.

He said it twice after first apologizing for it.

Worse, he was cheered loudly by the Republican audience that he appeared before when he made those remarks.

The comments were disgraceful and should disqualify him from any office.

But in the topsy-turvy land of Republican politics it passes for good ideas.

Republicans have cheered Cain for such comments and Texas Governor Rick Perry for happily admitting to having executed as many death row prisoners as he could.

The strain of ‘Know Nothings’ the fear of foreigners, the dread of anything from outside has long been evident in American politics.

Its' current manifestation is scary, not because it is any different but because it is so mainstream.

Executing Mexican,s killing death row prisoners, advocating electric fences is all part of a profound fear factor among aging white people in this country.

Many shelter behind the Tea Party mantle, and find safety in numbers.

By 2041 they know the Hispanics will be in the majority in America. It scares them and they want it to go away.

But it won’t and instead of facing into and embracing change they are trying to fantasize about stopping it.

They might as well try and stop the wind.

Republican candidates have been forced to dumb down to an incredible extent to appeal to the Know Nothings.

Any sense that an issue is complex, has no easy answer and doesn’t yield to instant solutions is considered traitorous.

Watching the most recent Republican debate it is clear as day that only Romney is in any way equipped to run the country.

The rest are charlatans, cheered on by Know Nothings.

Why do I have the feeling that if I went out and grabbed the first six people I met on any street in America they would talk much more sense?

In fact I know they would.

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56 comments

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unclebrendan | Oct 23, 2011, 02:56 AM EDT

You are too fast to make judgements and call names. I suppose you would rather execute us aging white people. This aging white person has to meet his maker too soon. I hear a lot more make hate from you and Obama than all the Republicans put together.And no I not a Republican.

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seanomelbourne | Oct 22, 2011, 10:30 PM EDT

Post pulled I'll try again!! he sounds more like Herman Goering,but thats par for the course for the good old GOP.

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walleyeman | Oct 22, 2011, 09:01 PM EDT

The editor of thisPOS must be related to Joe the idiot biden

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McNamara31 | Oct 22, 2011, 07:43 PM EDT

@ eiriamach I've had the same problem with posts appearing in my name that I "did not" post. I reported it to "the editor" @ IC. Hopefully they will correct this.

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TheOldPerfessor | Oct 22, 2011, 07:03 PM EDT

If anyone is interested in the truth, here is what Cain said: " "It's going to be 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrified. And there's going to be a sign on the other side saying, 'It will kill you -- Warning.' " That's nice that he warns them before he kills them, but one hopes that the sign is bilingual. In an atmosphere where Republicans have pandered to voters with messages of hate and intolerance, this doesn't come off very well as a joke. Comedian? Herman, don't quit your day job.

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PiperMac52 | Oct 22, 2011, 05:55 PM EDT

Please back up your contention. I have followed Mr. Cain since he entered the race and have never heard such a statement. Neither have I seen it reported anywhere in the American media(believe me,it would be front page). This is an outright lie or a twisted slant on context.

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PiperMac52 | Oct 22, 2011, 05:53 PM EDT

As an Irish-American myself I have come to the conclusion that Irish Central is a biased left-wing news magazine that does not objectively report the news.

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PiperMac52 | Oct 22, 2011, 05:50 PM EDT

This is utter nonsense. I have followed Herman Cain since he entered the race and have NEVER heard any such statement. A check with factcheck.org shows no reference to this statement. Give me a break, do you really think any candidate in their right mind would suggest such a thing? My hunch is your bias is showing here or you purposely took something meant as a joke totally out of context.

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Western | Oct 22, 2011, 05:11 PM EDT

One reason why I dropped Irish America few years back, misquotes, lies etc. Its not real reporting. You have NO idea what you are talking about. Go tell the hardworking 65 yr.old rancher on the border, the 70 yr.old killed on his own property when he turned his back to get water for the illegals. Investigate a little deeper. Its a big problem, more than that, its ILLEGAL. I am an Irish-American, legal. It can be done, but some foolish non-decisions on the part of Governors over the past 15 years have led to this terrible situation. Get your facts straight & don't dare misquote, don't wait for the second line to say Herman Cain did NOT quote what you say. It was not right for him to say what he did, but the frustration is paramount to most of us at this stage. The fence would not kill, but a tip of it, ends the attempt. Oldboreen, get a life, you don't have a clue. Read a book or something. Ireland can only tolerate Liberals, & pandering to the EU, look where it has gotten you. Instead of England, now you pander to the EU. Live on the US/Mex. border a while then decide should people protect their property, as in against breaking into homes, lighting fires, cutting fences, leaving drug needles on your property, dirty nappies....... Have you talked about the Att. General of this country being involved in Fast & Furious,the border Agent Brian Terry killed with US guns, sent over by this Govt., to Mexico, guns ended up in hands of the drug dealers? Irish reporting to Irish is miserable, its rarely the truth. I don't read the Irish papers anymore, so sickening to read lies and lies. Remember those in power always need victims to stay in power! Way to say it katiemac.

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happyfeet | Oct 22, 2011, 04:59 PM EDT

after living outside of the US for 9 years, returning home to bury my veteran father and care for elder family members and a dying brother (who passed yesterday) I can say that nothing would please me more than to be able to afford to leave here and never return.

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oldboreen | Oct 22, 2011, 04:09 PM EDT

Reading reports like this makes me profoundly thankful that I'm not an American!

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Delta19USA | Oct 22, 2011, 03:20 PM EDT

Just how barbaric is Herman Cain? Herman? Now isn't that name German origin? People tend to forget history, the Irish basically built this country as we know it. One of the greatest presidents we had, Kennedy, has Irish ancestery. Remember also that California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas were all part of Mexico long before the white man ever got here. My wife has Native American (Apache) and Mexican blood in her and I am so proud of her. Oh, and by the way for those who did not know - the official language of California according to the State legislative is SPANISH not English and no, I am not Mexican, Irish or Native American - I was born in England and am white.

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Yardleypa | Oct 22, 2011, 03:00 PM EDT

You do not need a fence just build another bar at Kennedy airport I will probably never get past that.

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Pittsburghkid | Oct 22, 2011, 02:44 PM EDT

Cain just keeps coming up with good ideas. If you are stupid enough to try and climb an electric fense, will that just thinning the heard of stupidity. Are illegal Irish aliens swimming accross the Alantic? Even though I'm against illigals, if they can swim across the Alantic, then they deserve to be her.

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Bklynmollie | Oct 22, 2011, 01:52 PM EDT

I see IrishCentral just echoes talking points of the Left. Too bad. The Irish are the "people of the word," but that word has become "propaganda" on this site. The Left is virulently racist-hates any person of color who dares think for him or herself and doesn't accept "victimiszation" status. The "bar" is lowered for minorities because Dems and Lefties have contempt for minorities.Talk about "Know Nothing!" The Dems were the party of slavery and also voted against the Civil Rights Acts of the '60s. The Dems were also the party of the KKK, of George Wallace, and Senator Byrd -- a 'Grand Poobah' in the KKK. The Dems still want to keep African Americans "on the plantation" of dependency. Problem is-- achievers and individual thinkers such as Herman Caine, Alan West, Thomas Sowell - and Marco Rubio - challenge the dinosaur media and the Dems -- and the Left is afraid they'll lose the "whole enchilada." ROTFL... Just a reminder that Dems want to keep Latino's on the "Dem plantation" too.

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