(CNN) – GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain said Tuesday that many liberal Democrats in the black community are "racist" for questioning his political ambitions as a black conservative Republican.
"A lot of these liberal, leftist folk in this country, that are black, they're more racist than the white people that they're claiming to be racist," Cain said Tuesday in a radio interview on the conservative Neal Boortz talk show.
Boortz interrupted Cain, saying he prefers the word "bigoted" to "racist."
"Ok, bigoted," Cain said. "How dare Herman Cain, first, run as a Republican? How dare Herman Cain be conservative? And how dare he move up in the polls, so that he just might challenge our beloved Obama? That's the problem they have."
Cain's comments came just hours before a New Hampshire debate, where Cain, who's surged to top tier status in the presidential race, is expected to take the heat from other candidates now that he's assumed front-runner status.
In the interview Tuesday, he also said that in a hypothetical matchup between he and President Barack Obama, there would "almost be no contest" and argued that he could talk about issues more in depth than Obama.
"He's never been part of the black experience in America," Cain said. "I can talk about that. I can talk about what it really meant to be 'po' before I was poor."
The Republican candidate came under fire recently for saying African Americans are generally on a level playing field with other Americans and sometimes use racism as an excuse for being poor.
"They weren't held back because of racism," Cain told CNN's "State of the Union" anchor Candy Crowley. "People sometimes hold themselves back because they want to use racism as an excuse for them not being able to achieve what they want to achieve."
His comments kicked off a wave of responses from high-profile African American leaders, who argue Cain is out of touch with reality.
"There are disparities in this country in every [socioeconomic] factor that we follow. In every aspect of our human endeavors in this country there is a racial disparity element that's a part of it. It's almost silly to respond to [Cain] because the evidence is so overwhelming," PBS host Tavis Smiley said in the interview with CNN anchor Suzanne Malveaux on Monday.
– CNN's Diana Ozemebhoya contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
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holy mackeral, talk about being bigoted; cain tops em all for being the most bigoted.
Do we really want a man in the Oval Office who doesn't have respect for the diverse population of the country he wants to lead? He wasn't intelligent enough to deal with the inappropriate name of a camp, last week. And this week, he doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up and tell his "pastor" that he was insulting and out of line. The only thing that could be worse is that he truly found nothing wrong enough to take action in either case. So he's either an unintelligent idiot who is not smart enough to even look into the Oval Office, much less sit behind the desk, or he is a bigot who will not have the best interests of the American people at heart if they don't look like he does, or believe as he does. Either way, he is not President material. Come on people, we deserve better than this piece of work.
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So true, Herman, so true. How can I get involved with your campaign?
Get 'em Herm! Anyone who has been blessed with the knowledge Herman has been thowing down for many years are prolly laughing at these lame pot-shots from the left. Long live the Cain! Ain't no half steppin' in 2012!
I find it funny how republicans takes the worst of what their party is about and then blame others for the exact same action. What funnier or sad denpending on how you look at it the that GOP followers believe them.
So this guy demonizes black people by calling them "brainwashed" and then plays the race card? I'd expect nothing more from a totally unqualified community pizza organizer who will be completely discarded (like joe the fake plumber in 2008) after the GOP is done using him for everything they can.
This reminds me of when Glenn Beck accused George Soros (a Jewish Holocaust survivor) of being atni-semetic.
Money is qute the perfect blidfold to the reality of dicrimination. Hypothetically, I wonder what would happen if Cain's black son tried to date the white daughter of any of the other candidates...
Cain is right...and wrong. He is right that many do have opportunities in life, but hide behind cries of racism for their own shortcomings. There are also others who have learned to exploit the system by claiming racism is holding them back, when the truth is they are intentionally holding themselves back to get hand-outs.
However, Cain is wrong in believing that there is equal opportunity for all individuals. Equal opportunity simply does not exist, but it is not limited by just racism as gender and sexual orientation also play a role. Its things like passing over a Hispanic nurse for a promotion because she doesn't speak perfect English. Its things like a young Black man being unfairly characterized as not being as intelligent as his peers. Its a White gay man having others questioning his parenting ability simply because he is gay. America still has a long ways to go, we aren't perfect, Cain is simply acknowledging that we can't be defined by "race", but by being "individuals"
Herman and his "I will have no Muslim in my cabinet" should be the last person to call anyone a racist. There was a time in his life when no one, Muslims, whites, or anyone would not even have him in his home because of his skin color, let alone any office. Decades are the civil rights movement, he has the nerve to discriminate against another race the way he was discriminated against once upon a time? And we want someone like that in office because? Herman is a Fox News tool. He has conservative appeal but hasn't got a chance. You're black, Herman, they won't nominate you. But Fox News will need a new face after this election season and I'm betting you're on prime time for awhile. I won't be watching.
I like Cain. So much more refreshing than Obamba and his debt increasing jobless plans
Tavis Smiley and the other well paid, professional race hustlers are the real racists here – and they sure don't want a successful black man like Herman Cain upsetting their apple cart.
Cain is the racist. His whole life he's been bitter because his father told him to sit on the sidelines where it was safe. Cain has a similar bakground to Condi Rice. Both had appeasers as fathers who got ahead by keeping there mouths shut during the civil rights movements. Sadly, the kids didn't learn right and wrong. They learned how to be bitter and still sit on the sidelines.
A black man elected by the GOP/TP? NOT. Cain is nothing but an angry black man and the show he puts on is good entertainment for the "good old boys" club.
Cain doesn't understand that the people who support him (conservatives) dislike him because of his skin color. That is truly an irony.
Tap dancing with all of his might won't help him . He has foot in mouth disease.
Sooo sick of the "race" card. If all people has is to call someone a racist they need to just shut their mouths.
Mr Cain is really out of touch with the black communities, he needs to wake up and smell the coffee.
Well it's a good thing Cain doesn't feel racism is holding him, or anyone else, back.
I think Cain just pointed out the elephant in the room.
Does it really matter what color racists are? Anyone with open eyes (and without a crippling political agenda) can see that racism is alive and well in America. It injures hater and hated alike, whatever direction it comes from.
Cain you will never become POSTUS because you just simply do not have what it take to be it! You mouth talks down on our the African American communities as though, its our fought that we can't become rich and move up in life! Well let me tell you Mr. Cain everybody is not meant to be rich and if everyone was rich who would they get to work for them like maids, nanny, driver, cook and etc? Be careful with you mouth sir and please stop talking out the side of your neck! Your sounding crazy like Sarah! By the way were is Sarah now that she is not running for POTUS?
Where are the jobs?
He is not a black man, that is simplistic – he is rich, greedy and has a demented view of the world he is a lunatic and that transcends race.