These are my links for November 7th through November 8th:
- Cain Accuser: ‘SHE IS VERY RELIABLE’ – Herman Cain claims sexual harassment accusations threatening to derail his presidential campaign are a smear campaign. But friends and family of one accuser say she is a principled and dedicated professional who was only trying to right a wrong no woman should suffer in the workplace.
Karen Kraushaar, a 55-year-old former journalist and seasoned government spokeswoman who served on the front lines of the Elian Gonzalez custody battle, is a competitive equestrian and lover of golden retrievers. She has been married for more than two decades.
“She wouldn’t be the type to make false allegations,” brother-in-law Ned Kraushaar, a Georgia software consultant, told The Daily. “This happened [more than] 10 years ago. It’s not like she wanted to try and hurt the Republican Party.”
Karen Kraushaar currently serves as a communications director at the Inspector General’s Office of the Treasury Department, a position she has held since last year. She did not return phone messages left by The Daily.
She is “an extraordinarily good person,” said Jennie Williams, a friend and Atlanta equestrian. “She is very reliable and has lots of integrity. I don’t know what happened. I don’t want to know. Enough is enough. She is quality.”
A former colleague at the National Restaurant Association who asked not to be identified said of Kraushaar, “The woman is a consummate professional. What I saw was an extremely talented woman. A professional, knowledgeable woman and nothing more.”On Oct. 30, Politico first reported that two women had accused Cain, who leads many polls in the Republican presidential race, of inappropriate comments and sexual advances in the 1990s. A fourth woman, Sharon Bialek, came forward yesterday, flanked by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred.
Kraushaar, who lives in Maryland, has no desire to speak publicly about the complaint she filed against Cain, letting her superiors know “about a series of inappropriate behaviors and unwanted advances from the CEO,” her attorney, Joel Bennett, said recently.
- Mitt Romney Winning Fundraising Contest For Bush, McCain Bundlers – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads the crucial race for big-money fundraisers in the Republican presidential primary. Since April, he has received contributions from 204 donors who previously bundled millions of dollars for the campaigns of George W. Bush and John McCain.
Romney is trouncing the rest of the field in winning the support of these influential party insiders. He has raised $798,987 in campaign contributions from the 204 bundlers and their families. His closest competitor in this race is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has raised $231,400 from 59 bundlers and their families.
“People in the Republican Party who are good fundraisers, good bundlers, want someone who can win and someone they can trust,” said Lawrence Finder, a Houston-based partner at the law firm Haynes and Boone who raised more than $500,000 for the McCain campaign and now backs Romney. “I think that’s why they’re gravitating towards Romney.”
Bundlers are donors who raise money for campaigns by tapping their own networks of friends, relations and co-workers. Campaigns routinely offer bundlers incentives for their fundraising, including special access to the campaign and involvement in strategy. But the real prize comes if the candidate wins the White House. Traditionally, a number of plum positions, including ambassadorships, go to supporters who helped raise the most money.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said it’s no surprise that Romney leads the Republican field in this crucial contest.
“This is smart money,” Sabato explained. “These are people who know what they’re doing. They’ve assessed the candidates well. Many of them are in the influence business, and they don’t like backing losers. It hurts their business.”
Bundlers giving to Romney include hotel magnate John Marriott, senior-community owner H. Gary Morse, lobbyist Wayne Berman and Florida lobbyist Brian Ballard, who also serves as Romney’s Florida finance co-chair.
- NJ Gov. Christie heads to NH to campaign for Mitt Romney – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will make his first surrogate campaign appearance for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
The Granite Status has learned that Christie will make two public stops in the Granite State before heading to Boston for a debate-watching party at Romney’s national headquarters.
We’ve also learned that Romney has picked up the endorsement of prominent Nashua businessman and former state Republican Party Chairman John Stabile, who will host Christie at a house party.
A week after announcing that he would not be a candidate for President, Christie endorsed Romney on Oct. 11 at Dartmouth College prior to a presidential candidates’ debate.
Wednesday’s visit will be the first time Christie will go on the road for Romney since the announcement. Romney’s campaign emphasized that while Christie will campaign across the country for Romney, his first stop on Romney’s behalf will be in New Hampshire.
Christie will visit Romney’s Manchester campaign headquarters at 361 Elm St., at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. He will then head to Stabile’s home in Nashua for a house party that evening.
Christie will then go to Boston to watch the Michigan debate with the winner of a Romney campaign contest. He is the “special guest” the campaign advertised in soliciting small donations.
Stabile, meanwhile, becomes the fifth former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party to back Romney, joining John H. and Nancy Sununu, Donna Sytek, and Jerry Carmen.
- Former President Bill Clinton headed to Las Vegas to campaign for Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley – Former President Bill Clinton is bringing his political star power to Las Vegas to campaign for Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley.
Clinton is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for Berkley on Jan. 7 in Las Vegas.
Berkley is trying to unseat Republican Sen. Dean Heller in next year’s U.S. Senate race. The contest is considered one of the most important in the nation because it could determine whether Democrats keep control of the Senate.
Clinton is no stranger to Las Vegas. He campaigned here last year for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid lost to Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Berkley is known as a fierce fundraiser. She raised $1.2 million in the last fundraising quarter, compared to Heller’s $675,000 campaign haul.
- 39% Think Cain Allegations True, 24% False – Americans who have heard about the sexual harassment allegations against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, on balance, think they are true rather than false. At the same time, a plurality thinks that recent coverage of Cain has been fair.
Three-quarters of the public say they have heard a lot (51%) or a little (24%) about accusations that Cain harassed several women during his tenure in the late 1990s as president of the National Restaurant Association.
Of those who had heard about the allegations, about four-in-ten (39%) say that, from what they have read and heard, they think the allegations are true. Roughly a quarter (24%) say they think the claims are false, according to the latest weekly survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Nov. 3-6 among 1,005 adults. Another 36% say they do not know (31%) or refuse to answer (5%). The survey was completed before a Chicago woman went public with a new accusation against Cain on Monday.
- Video: Carly Fiorina Speaks at Americans United for Life 40th Anniversary Gala | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Video: Carly Fiorina Speaks at Americans United for Life 40th Anniversary Gala #tcot #catcot
- Day By Day November 8, 2011 – Tech Support | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day November 8, 2011 – Tech Support #tcot #catcot
- Gingrich Gains 21 Points on Obama among Independents | The Weekly Standard – Gingrich Gains 21 Points on Obama among Independents |
- Gingrich Gains 21 Points on Obama among Independents | – Three weeks ago, Rasmussen’s poll of likely voters showed Speaker Newt Gingrich trailing President Barack Obama by a whopping 27 percentage points (51 to 24 percent) among independent voters. Now, Rasmussen shows, Obama’s lead over Gingrich has shrunk to just 6 points (41 to 35 percent) among independents. Obama also leads Gingrich by 6 points (44 to 38 percent) among all likely voters.
- Cain Visits Jimmy Kimmel; Will Address 4th Accuser in Presser Tuesday – In the midst of a barrage sexual harassment allegations, including a fourth accuser speaking out, Herman Cain made an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC.
Kimmel devoted much of his opening monologue Monday to the allegations made by Sharon Bialek, who is the latest woman to accuse Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association, and the first woman to come forward publicly in a press conference.
“Well all things considered, I’m still alive. It got off to somewhat of a rough start. We had a little surprise show up on TV,” Cain said. - Report: Cain sought dinner date with fifth woman – A former USAID worker claims Herman Cain asked her to set up dinner with a woman who attended a speech he gave in 2002, the Washington Examiner is reporting tonight.
The worker — 40-year-old Donna Donella, of Arlington, Va. — told the paper that the moment came after Cain gave a paid speech in Egypt that year. A woman in the crowd posed a query to Cain during the speech, the Examiner said.
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Donella told them: “And after the seminar was over, Cain came over to me and a colleague and said, ‘Could you put me in touch with that lovely young lady who asked the question, so I can give her a more thorough answer over dinner?’”She was “suspicious of Cain’s motives and delined to set up the date,” the Examiner reporter wrote.
That prompted Cain to reply, “Then you and I can have dinner.” Instead, some of Donella’s co-workers suggested a group outing.
“I couldn’t swear that he had some untoward intentions, but we all thought his tone was suspect and we didn’t feel comfortable putting him in touch with that woman,” Donella, whom the Examiner identified as an independent who voted for President Barack Obama in the last election, was quoted as saying.
She said she didn’t witness any “inappropriate sexual behavior” at the group dinner. But she claimed he asked the waiter for two $400 bottles of wine, and then stiffed the rest of the group when it came time to pay.
- Fifth woman raises questions about Cain’s behavior | – A former employee of the United States Agency for International Development says Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain asked her to help arrange a dinner date for him with a female audience member following a speech he delivered nine years ago.
Donna Donella, 40, of Arlington, said the USAID paid Cain to deliver a speech to businessmen and women in Egypt in 2002, during which an Egyptian businesswoman in her 30s asked Cain a question.
“And after the seminar was over,” Donella told The Washington Examiner, “Cain came over to me and a colleague and said, ‘Could you put me in touch with that lovely young lady who asked the question, so I can give her a more thorough answer over dinner?’”
Donella, who no longer works for USAID, said they were suspicious of Cain’s motives and declined to set up the date. Cain responded, “Then you and I can have dinner.” That’s when two female colleagues intervened and suggested they all go to dinner together, Donella said.
Cain exhibited no inappropriate sexual behavior during the dinner, though he did order two $400 bottles of wine and stuck the women with the bill, she said.
The next time the women heard from Cain was Christmas, when he sent them his gospel CD
- (404) http://t.co/nky9qAVH%E2%80%9D – > Indeed congrats Mindy RT @KevinMaddenDC Congrats to @mindyfinn …
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-11-08 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2011-11-08 #tcot #catcot
- President 2012: Congressional Supercommittees – Deal or No Deal? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Congressional Supercommittees – Deal or No Deal? #tcot #catcot
- Cain emails his list: ‘Media obsessed’ with harassment story – Maggie Haberman – POLITICO.com – RT @politico: Herman Cain emails his list, says the media is “obsessed” with the harassment story:
- Intrade – Markets – More Intrade: Romney 70% chance he wins GOP Presidential nomination; Perry 10%, Newt 8% #tcot
- Intrade – Herman Cain to be Republican Presidential Nominee in 2012 is 3.0% probable – FWIW: Intrade has Herman Cain at 3% chance of winning GOP Presidential nomination down almost 55% #tcot
- CA-Sen: Will Rep. Devin Nunes Run Against Senator Dianne Feinstein? » Flap’s California Blog – CA-Sen: Will Rep. Devin Nunes Run Against Senator Dianne Feinstein?
- Federal Judge Blocks Graphic Ads on Cigarette Packages | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Federal Judge Blocks Graphic Ads on Cigarette Packages
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Are Vintage Football Helmets as Protective as Modern Helmets? – Are Vintage Football Helmets as Protective as Modern Helmets?
- Accuser Details Lewd Behavior by Cain – NYTimes.com – Accuser Details Lewd Behavior by Cain – Attorney Says Corroborates Claim
- The Afternoon Flap: November 7, 2011 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Afternoon Flap: November 7, 2011 #tcot #catcot
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