Formal presidential candidate Herman Cain has issued an apology
following a public outcry over a video his political action committee
released this week in which Mr. Cain appears to drown a hobo.
The video is the latest in a series of provocative videos produced
by Cain Connections as part of Mr. Cain’s so-called “Solutions
Revolution.”
Previous spots have depicted a goldfish being killed by a
young girl, and a bunny rabbit being blown out of the sky by a man with a
shotgun. This most recent spot is the first to depict the death of a human.
“It was perhaps a mistake to include such a grim look at the end
of a life,” said a statement on Mr. Cain’s official website.
“Though I
still strongly believe it was and remains an apt metaphor for what
taxes are doing to the middle class in this country.”
In the video, which has been removed from YouTube, Mr. Cain is first seen
struggling with the hobo on a remote creekbed. The former CEO of
Godfather’s Pizza then subdues the hobo — a disheveled man in his
fifties or sixties — with a blow to the head.
The hobo then struggles for his life as Mr. Cain holds him under water
until he is dead.
The entire scene takes place in one continuous shot —
including an extended close-up on Mr. Cain’s sweaty and physically
strained face — with no soundtrack, adding to the sense of dread.
Mr. Cain then pushes the hobo’s corpse deeper into the creek, turns
around, puts his suit jacket back on, and walks off into the distance as
a promo for his website comes across the screen.
“Some people have misrepresented or misunderstood the message of the
video,” Mr. Cain’s statement continued.
“But the American middle class
has gotten the message loud and clear: that they are getting drowned
like so many hobos, in a remote area about 20 minutes down a dirt road
off I-80, with no witnesses.”