Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez cited the death of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain to take a swing at President Donald Trump for continuing to hold campaign events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked during an <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/18/tom-perez-trump-in-person-campaign-events-397572">interview</a> with Politico on Tuesday about Trump still holding political rallies, Perez pointed to a Tulsa event, which was attended by Cain, who died last month with COVID-19.
Perez said the rally “likely contributed” to a rise in new coronavirus cases, then added, “Was that a good model for how people should conduct themselves? Ask the family of Herman Cain.”
Cain, the former CEO of Godfather&#8217;s Pizza who jumped into politics and ran for president three times, died after battling COVID-19 for nearly a month. He was 74.
Cain’s death was announced on his website, hermancain.com, by Dan Calabrese, who edits the site.
Calabrese said in a statement after Perez&#8217;s comments that Cain had “traveled extensively in the weeks prior to his infection, and could have been exposed on flights, in various hotels or any number of other places.”
“For Tom Perez to make the statement he made is a ghoulish attempt to exploit a man’s death for political advantage while pretending unconvincingly to care,” Calabrese said. “And the last thing Herman’s family needs is to be bothered with gratuitous nonsense like this while still grieving.”
The longtime aide praised Cain on the day of his death. “Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” Calabrese said in a blog post. “We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery.”
&#8220;We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle,&#8221; the statement said.
The Republican had previously survived stage 4 colon cancer. An update to his Twitter account said Cain &#8220;is still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs. In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong.&#8221;
&#8220;Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it,&#8221; another tweet said. &#8220;He really is getting better, which means it is working.&#8221;
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany responded to the news of Cain&#8217;s death on Twitter. &#8220;Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith,&#8221; she wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit.
Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.
&mdash; Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1288850145329676289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;

Presidential Candidates Attend Democratic National Committee Summer Meeting

DNC Chairman Mocks The Late Herman Cain When Asked About Safety Of In-Person Rallies

Democratic National Committee

Herman Cain

Tom Perez

On Thursday night, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, speaking on his CNN show “Cuomo Prime Time,”  <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/2007/30/CPT.01.html">linked the death of former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain</a> to President Trump&#8217;s Tulsa rally, noting that Cain attended a rally for Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then charging, “Now, maybe he didn&#8217;t get it there. Sure, as hell didn&#8217;t help. May Herman Cain rest in peace. He fell ill not long after that rally in June, the one in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You see him not wearing a mask.” Cuomo later charged that Trump encouraged Cain &#8220;to go to a rally where nobody would socially distance and nobody would wear masks.”
Speaking to Chris Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax, Cuomo brought up Herman Cain, saying, “I&#8217;m sorry about Herm. I&#8217;m sorry for his family and I&#8217;m sorry for his extended family. He had a lot of life left in front of him. And I&#8217;m sorry we lost him as soon as we did and how we did.”
Ruddy pointed out that Cain had been traveling quite a bit, stating:
<blockquote>Herman would — not want Americans to be sorry about his death. He loved America. He loved this country. He contributed to the very bitter end to this country and making it great and keeping it great. And so — and he was on borrowed time. You know, he had stage four cancer in 2006. He survived it. He beat it. And I think that was part of the thing. He was traveling all over the country. He thought he was invincible, and he wasn&#8217;t invincible. This virus is going around, and he was doing book signings and going out on film tours. And he was at the Tulsa rally, a number of things. And you just couldn&#8217;t stop the man. So, he was a force of nature, great American. And we will miss him.</blockquote>
Ruddy continued, “Herman Cain, I loved Herman Cain, but Herman Cain had cancer. He knew the risks. He still wanted to live life to the fullest. He still wanted to travel. He was on planes going all over the country. And it wasn&#8217;t the President of the United States to told him to travel. People that know.”
Cuomo took another shot at Trump, snapping, “Yes, but he encouraged him to go to a rally where nobody would socially distance and nobody would wear masks.”
After Cain&#8217;s death, Trump tweeted, &#8220;My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning. Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend. I just got off the phone with his amazing wife Gloria, daughter, Melanie, and son Vincent to express my deepest condolences to the entire family. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS" data-focusable="true">@FLOTUS</a> Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest In Peace!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;the phone with his amazing wife Gloria, daughter, Melanie, and son Vincent to express my deepest condolences to the entire family. <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest In Peace! <a href="https://t.co/GNUf5jHjX0">pic.twitter.com/GNUf5jHjX0</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1288907923914137604?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Social media blistered Cuomo:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
hey <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisCuomo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChrisCuomo</a> andrew cuomo allowed covid patients into rest homes where thousands were exposed and died. that sure as hell didn&#39;t help, either. (this bozo makes it too easy). <a href="https://t.co/qcGG0synyJ">https://t.co/qcGG0synyJ</a>
&mdash; GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) <a href="https://twitter.com/greggutfeld/status/1289012984614879233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Good thing he wasn&#39;t in a nursing home in a state run by your stupid brother, Fredo. <a href="https://t.co/M20WKeoK8P">https://t.co/M20WKeoK8P</a>
&mdash; Nick Searcy, INTERNATIONAL FILM &amp; TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) <a href="https://twitter.com/yesnicksearcy/status/1289015063475617795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Video below:
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LlJS2vIeXSg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Herman Cain Meets With Donald Trump In New York

WATCH: Chris Cuomo Links Herman Cain’s Death To President Trump’s Tulsa Rally

Chris Cuomo

Donald Trump

Former presidential candidate Herman Cain died this week at the age of 74 due to complications from COVID-19. Shortly after his death was announced on Thursday, leftists and anti-Trumpers immediately jumped at the opportunity to blame Trump for his death, given that Cain attended the president&#8217;s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this past June.
Though there is no evidence that Herman Cain contracted COVID-19 from Trump&#8217;s Tulsa rally – not to mention the fact that the rally <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/07/13/study-oklahoma-trump-rally-covid-spike/">led to no spike in cases</a> throughout Tulsa – media outlets and blue checkmarks on Twitter either inferred or outright blamed the president for Cain&#8217;s death.
&#8220;The prominent conservative businessman was hospitalized weeks after he attended President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June, where he served as a surrogate for the Black Voices for Trump committee,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/herman-cain-death-coronavirus-age-cause-hospital-covid-update-a9646186.html">Independent</a> reported. &#8220;Cain had been critically ill with Covid-19 for several weeks, after being admitted to hospital in early July and receiving oxygen.&#8221;
&#8220;I feel bad for Herman Cain and his family. But I don’t feel bad for his selfishness, his mocking of a deadly disease, nor convincing others that it is safe to go maskless. I refuse to have sympathy for those who put my family in danger. Wear a motherf***ing mask,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/tonyposnanski/status/1288880784875696134?s=20">tweeted</a> Tony Posnanski. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I feel bad for Herman Cain and his family. But I don’t feel bad for his selfishness, his mocking of a deadly disease, nor convincing others that it is safe to go maskless. I refuse to have sympathy for those who put my family in danger. Wear a motherfucking mask.
&mdash; Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) <a href="https://twitter.com/tonyposnanski/status/1288880784875696134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Herman Cain is dead. He didn&#8217;t wear a mask. Louie Gohmert didn&#8217;t either. He&#8217;s asymptomatic. Who knows who he&#8217;s killing. See a theme? They&#8217;re <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DyingForTrump?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#DyingForTrump,</a>&#8221; tweeted filmmaker Chip Franklin.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Herman Cain is dead. He didn&#39;t wear a mask. Louie Gohmert didn&#39;t either He&#39;s asymptomatic. Who knows who he&#39;s killing.
See a theme?
They&#39;re <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DyingForTrump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DyingForTrump</a> <a href="https://t.co/jqydlPdqB2">pic.twitter.com/jqydlPdqB2</a>
&mdash; Chip Franklin.com (@chipfranklin) <a href="https://twitter.com/chipfranklin/status/1288889606209855488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Herman Caín thought Covid was a hoax, scoffed at wearing a mask. Died of Covid. Bill Montgomery, co-founder of pro-Trump, Turning Point USA, scoffed at virus. Died of Covid. Rep. Gohmert refused to wear a mask. Has Covid. See a pattern? Covid doesn’t care about partisanship,&#8221; tweeted Ana Navarro-Cardenas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Herman Caín thought Covid was a hoax, scoffed at wearing a mask. Died of Covid.
Bill Montgomery, co-founder of pro-Trump, Turning Point USA, scoffed at virus. Died of Covid.
Rep. Gohmert refused to wear a mask. Has Covid.
See a pattern? Covid doesn’t care about partisanship.
&mdash; Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1288846473690599424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Herman Cain attended Trump’s Tulsa &#8216;rally&#8217; with 6000 others. Few wore masks. All cheered wildly as Trump bragged about his conquest of the West Point ramp and drinking water with two hands for 45 minutes. Cain contracted the virus soon after. Today, he is dead. It wasn’t worth it,&#8221; tweeted former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Herman Cain attended Trump’s Tulsa “rally” with 6000 others. Few wore masks. All cheered wildly as Trump bragged about his conquest of the West Point ramp and drinking water with two hands for 45 minutes. Cain contracted the virus soon after. Today, he is dead. It wasn’t worth it
&mdash; Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES/status/1288877605194739712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Just the facts – Herman Cain went to the [Trump] TULSA SUPERSPREADER rally – no mask. The campaign squashed people close so the crowd would look bigger. They cheered for their President for hours. Cain tested positive for COVID nine days later. Now Herman Cain is dead,&#8221; tweeted Mika Brzezinski.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just the facts &#8211; Herman Cain went to the <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> TULSA SUPERSPREADER rally -no mask. The campaign squashed people close so the crowd would look bigger. They cheered for their President for hours. Cain tested positive for COVID nine days later. Now Herman Cain is dead.
&mdash; Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) <a href="https://twitter.com/morningmika/status/1288863203414413312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As already noted, no evidence has been presented indicating that Herman Cain contracted COVID-19 from the Tulsa rally, though it is possible he contracted it from not wearing a mask in other areas. A <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w27522#fromrss" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study conducted by</a> the National Bureau of Economic Research found there was no noticeable spike in COVID-19 cases following Trump&#8217;s rally.
&#8220;No evidence that COVID-19 case growth grew more rapidly in Tulsa County, its border counties, or in the state of Oklahoma than each’s estimated counterfactual in the weeks following the campaign rally,&#8221; said the study, based on data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Difference-in-differences estimates also provide no evidence that short-run COVID-19 case rates grew faster in counties that drew relatively larger shares of residents to the event,” the summary said. “We conclude that offsetting behavioral responses to the rally — including voluntary closures of restaurants and bars in downtown Tulsa, increases in stay-at-home behavior and displacement of usual activities of weekend inflows, and smaller-than-expected crowd attendance — may be important mechanisms.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-herman-cain-74-dies-from-covid-19-after-month-in-hospital">Herman Cain, 74, Dies From COVID-19 After Month In Hospital</a>

Premiere Of “No Safe Spaces”

Leftists Blame Trump For Herman Cain’s Death

COVID

Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather&#8217;s Pizza who jumped into politics and ran for president three times, has died after battling COVID-19 for nearly a month. He was 74.
Cain’s death was announced Thursday on his website, hermancain.com, by Dan Calabrese, who edits the site. “Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away,” Calabrese said in a blog post. “We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery.”
&#8220;We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle,&#8221; the statement said.
The Republican had previously survived stage 4 colon cancer. Just last month, Cain attended Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, less than two weeks before receiving his diagnosis that he had contracted the virus.
On Monday, an update to his Twitter account said Cain &#8220;is still in the hospital being treated with oxygen for his lungs. In the meantime, the doctors say his other organs and systems are strong.&#8221;
&#8220;Re-strengthening the lungs is a long and slow process, and the doctors want to be thorough about it,&#8221; another tweet said. &#8220;He really is getting better, which means it is working.&#8221;
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany responded to the news of Cain&#8217;s death on Twitter. &#8220;Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith,&#8221; she wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit.
Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.
&mdash; Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1288850145329676289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cain made his name in the restaurant business, running the Godfather’s Pizza franchise from 1986 to 1996. He touted his business experience as a conservative presidential candidate who was briefly the Republican front runner in a packed 2012 primary field. But reports that he had sexually harassed several women around the time he led the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999 and that he had an extramarital affair, led to him dropping out of the race. Cain repeatedly denied the allegations, and President Trump called them an &#8220;unfair witch hunt.&#8221;
Read Calabrese&#8217;s full post on <a href="https://hermancain.com/heartbroken-world-poorer-herman-cain-gone-lord/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=thenewvoice&amp;utm_content=2020-07-30">hermancain.com</a> below:
<blockquote>We&#8217;re heartbroken, and the world is poorer: Herman Cain has gone to be with the Lord.
You’re never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God’s strength and comfort to deal with it.
Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away. He’s entering the presence of the Savior he’s served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta for, and preparing for his reward.
Romans 2:6-7 says: “God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” By that measure, we expect the boss is in for some kind of welcome, because all of us who knew him are well aware of how much good he did.
Let me deal with some of the particulars of the last few weeks. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle.
We didn’t release detailed updates on his condition to the public or to the media because neither his family nor we thought there was any reason for that. There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldn’t be quick. We were relieved to be told that, and passed on the news via Herman’s social media. And yet we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase.
Herman was 74. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer. We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he’d have a full recovery.
Herman had just started hosting a new show on Newsmax TV. He was so excited about it, and so pumped up about playing a role in the 2020 election campaign. At an age when a lot of people are looking to slow down, he was taking on new projects, booking speaking opportunities. Ever the dealmaker, he would fill me in with details of his negotiations with people on any number of things. I would always tell him I should have him negotiate my deals with my business’s other clients, because he did them better than anyone.
The last time I talked to him was when he was getting ready to start the Newsmax show. He was really pumped about it, and I was happy for him because he’d walked away from a nice contributor gig at Fox a couple years early to head a Super PAC. When that ran its course, Herman really wanted to get back into TV, and this afforded him a beautiful opportunity. Alas, he only ever got to host one episode.
But there was so much more to him than the public saw, and certainly more than the media presented to you. Most people heard of Herman for the first time when he ran for president in 2011. What they didn’t know was his business background. They didn’t know how he had started his career as a civilian employee of the Navy. It was funny to us because sometimes political pundits portrayed him as kind of a goof – having no idea that during his time working for the Navy, he was literally a rocket scientist.
Many people don’t know about his years climbing the corporate ladder at Pillsbury, at Burger King and finally as CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. I will always remember the first time I became aware of him. It was 12 years before I worked with him for the first time. It was the now-famous encounter between Herman and Bill Clinton in which the boss schooled the president on the finer points of small-business finance, and I can’t describe it any better than I can just let you watch it:
Herman could handle himself in a situation like that because he knew who he was, and he wasn’t intimidated by anyone, including the president of the United States.
When I launched the North Star Writers Group syndicate in 2005, I was looking for good writers and thinkers who were not signed to syndicates, and I was surprised to learn that Herman Cain – the guy who had schooled Bill Clinton on national TV – was a free agent. I tracked down contact information for him and told his office I would like to syndicate him. Two days later I had a signed contract, and it kicked off a 15-year professional relationship and friendship that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
It was only a few months later that he informed me of his cancer diagnosis, but he assured me he would continue writing his column every week. Even though I told him that was the last thing he needed to concern himself with, he did it. He never told me he would do something that he didn’t come through on.
In 2007, my business was struggling and I was having a hard time finding a direction for it. Herman welcomed me to come see him in Atlanta, and he spent an entire day with me going over the particulars of my business. Together we drew up an action plan, and he gave me some firm and pointed advice on some things I needed to do. This guy had helped lead some of the biggest companies in the world, and he could have charged massive consulting fees for this sort of thing. But he did it all for free, and he kept working with me over the years to make sure things stayed on the right track.
I haven’t even gotten into his experiences as what he called an ABC – an American Black Conservative – because his politics seems so low on the list of things I want to tell you about him right now. He was one of the most important figures to ever come into my life, and I can’t wrap my head, or my heart, around the fact that he’s gone. I don’t think I’ll be able to for a long time.
But I want you to understand just what our world has lost today. There aren’t many people like Herman Cain, and it behooves us to truly cherish the ones we’re given. His wife Gloria – his children Melanie and Vincent – and his grandchildren . . . they need our love, our support and our prayers. Nothing I talked about above meant as much to him as these wonderful people did, and because he loved them so much, we will continue to feel his impact on the world through them.
I’m sorry I had to bring you bad news this morning. But the good news is that we had a man so good, so solid, so full of love and faith . . . that his death hits us this hard. Thank God for a man like that.
Rest well in His presence, Boss. We love you.</blockquote>

Herman Cain Leads Tax Day Rally At U.S. Capitol

Herman Cain, 74, Dies From COVID-19 After Month In Hospital

Larry Elder often lets filmmakers interview him at his radio studio, but the syndicated talker rarely sees the results.
Well-intentioned filmmakers get distracted or come up short on the funding front, Elder explains.
Director Justin Malone, eager to capture what it’s like to be a black conservative in America, was different. Malone shared his footage with the best-selling author and talk show host.
“It was beautifully shot in black and white. I liked the angles,” Elder recalls. So he asked Malone how far along he was on the project. If this were a baseball game, Malone explained, he’d be in the top half of the first inning.
That didn’t scare Elder. He offered to help raise funds for the documentary. Two years later, “Uncle Tom” is available for rental at <a href="http://uncletom.com/">UncleTom.com</a> and has made back its modest budget and then some, says Elder, who co-wrote and produced the film.
“Uncle Tom” showcases the abuse black conservatives like Elder receive from the Left, something the L.A. native begrudgingly accepts as part of modern culture.
“I’ve been called an Uncle Tom for 35 years,” Elder says. Malone asked him the critical question on the subject.
Why? Why can’t liberals have an open discussion with black conservatives? Why does common sense scare them? Why slam black conservatives as “coons,” or worse?
“The more he said, ‘why,’ the more I thought, ‘this is pretty asinine’ … that was the tone of the whole documentary,” says Elder, whose self-titled radio show can be heard from noon to 2 p.m. PT weekdays on CRN with a rebroadcast from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on KRLA AM 870 in Los Angeles.
“Uncle Tom” features familiar faces like Herman Cain, Candace Owens, and Lt. Col. Allen West sharing why they believe in smaller government and more freedom. The film also interviews blue-collar black conservatives who favor the American dream over &#8220;handouts.&#8221;
That describes Chad Jackson, a contractor from Texas featured in the film. He was a lifelong Democrat who had a change of heart after reading the specific platforms of both political parties.
You may not know much about “Uncle Tom,” though, if you only read mainstream U.S. media outlets. Elder says he’s been interviewed by reporters from Sweden, Australia, and England about the film.
The response stateside? Mostly crickets save select conservative outlets. Newsweek ran a piece on the film prior to its June 19 release, Elder notes. A conservative pundit covered it for the Chicago Tribune.
Elder can’t hide his disgust that the L.A. Times, his hometown paper, ignored the film, too. It’s part of a noticeable pattern.
“Not a single one of my books has been reviewed by the L.A. Times,” he says. “I’m a hometown boy and I can’t get arrested by the L.A. Times.”
<div id="attachment_131642" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-131642" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-131642" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Allen-West-973x576.jpg" alt="Allen West" width="800" height="474" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-973x576.jpg 973w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-300x178.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West-768x455.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Allen-West.jpg 1351w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Courtesy Larry Elder</div>
So how could a film with little media coverage or film critic interest recoup its costs so quickly? The film’s talking heads, from Elder to Owens and Brandon Tatum, spread the word via their sizable social media accounts.
The film’s audience did its share, too. “Uncle Tom” has more than 2,000 reviews at imdb.com, most of them raves. The film’s overall rating stands at 9.4 out of 10.
Even liberals are giving the movie a chance, Elder says. Some say they were “suckered” into watching the documentary. No matter the explanation, the results are similar.
“I had no idea the grief that people like Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams get for having a different point of view,” he says.
Here’s one dramatic example from IMDB.com:
<blockquote>As a young black male who was psychologically entrenched in the &#8220;liberal sunken place&#8221; throughout his formative years, this documentary was the finalization of my red pill moment.
Uncle Tom provides all Americans a holistic understanding of when, how, and why Democratic policies have damned black America since the 60&#8217;s bringing a nuanced perspective to the issues plaguing black Americans today.
Uncle Tom is a must see documentary!</blockquote>
It wouldn’t be the first time Elder changed some hearts and minds. His long-running radio show likely does that on a regular basis. He also famously coaxed author and YouTube star Dave Rubin to leave the progressive movement following their famous dustup on race relations, captured in Rubin’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-read-dave-rubins-dont-burn-this-book-before-its-too-late">“Don’t Burn This Book.”</a>
“Uncle Tom” isn’t Elder’s first foray into filmmaking. He previously wrote and directed 2005’s “Michael &amp; Me,” an attempt to correct far-left auteur Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning film, “Bowling for Columbine.”
<div id="attachment_131643" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-131643" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-131643" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Herman-Cain-1003x576.jpg" alt="Herman Cain" width="800" height="459" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-1003x576.jpg 1003w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-300x172.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain-768x441.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Herman-Cain.jpg 1392w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Courtesy Larry Elder</div>
“I had no idea what I was doing. It’s a mediocre project at best,” he says. “‘Uncle Tom’ is light years better than that.”
“Uncle Tom’s” success has Elder thinking about a sequel among other possible film projects. And he’s not alone. He says other conservatives are getting into the film business – witness recent triumphs like “<a href="https://nosafespaces.com">No Safe Spaces</a>,” powered by talkers Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager.
“If we don’t make our own fare it’s not gonna be made,” Elder says, adding actor Antonio Sabato, Jr.’s <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/07/16/antonio-sabato-jr-plans-conservative-movie-studio/5456728002/">experience with the Hollywood Blacklist 2.0</a> reflects a growing body of frustrated conservative talent.
Dinesh D’Souza, the author and conservative pundit, considers himself a full-time filmmaker now, Elder notes, following films like “Hillary’s America” and the upcoming “Trump Card.”
“I think he’s on to something. It is that profound a medium,” Elder says.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-adam-carolla-gets-raw-about-our-all-woke-no-joke-culture-friendship-with-jimmy-kimmel-truth-about-trump">Adam Carolla Gets Raw About ‘All Woke, No Joke Culture,’ Friendship With Jimmy Kimmel, Truth About Trump</a>

Larry Elder

EXCLUSIVE: Larry Elder Says U.S. Media Is Ignoring His Film On Black Conservatives

Candace Owens

Conservatism

Thomas Sowell