Cain Responds to Belafonte and West: 'The Only Tactic They Have to Try and Intimidate Me and Shut Me Up Is to Call Me Names'

As NewsBusters reported, Harry Belafonte and Princeton Professor Cornel West said some disgraceful things about Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain Monday.

Appearing on Fox News's "Hannity" show, Cain replied, "The only tactic that they have to try and intimidate me and shut me up is to call me names" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Now you said perhaps somewhat you were a bit of a prophet, looking into your crystal ball, that, you know, now that you are surging in the polls you said there's a bulls-eye on your back. I saw tonight that Harry Belafonte said that Herman Cain is a totally false bad apple in the black community. And Cornel West said the following. I want you to watch this.

HERMAN CAIN, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Alright.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN: What do you make of what Herman Cain said? He did acknowledge that racism exists, but he says, you know, it doesn't matter that much. That more of it is about actually working hard and making opportunities happen for yourself.

CORNEL WEST, Class of 1943 university professor, Princeton University: Well one, black people have been working hard for decades. I think he needs it get off the symbolic crack pipe and acknowledge that the evidence is overwhelming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: Get off the symbolic crack pipe? You are a totally false bad apple in the black community? Don't you find those things offensive?

CAIN: Yeah, I do find them offensive. Okay. Let me respond to Professor West first. That's the difference between someone who has spent their life in academia and someone who has spent their life in the real world. I've been in the real world. He's been in academia. So he's back on this symbolic stuff. As far as Harry Belafonte’s comment, look, I left the Democrat plantation a long time ago. And all that they try to do when someone like me -- and I'm not the only black person out there that shares these conservative views -- the only tactic that they have to try and intimidate me and shut me up is to call me names, and, and this sort of thing. It just simply won't work. Professor West has been in academia too long. He is out of touch with the real world.

Readers are advised to review "CNN Hosts Leftists Saying Cain Should Get Off 'Crack Pipe'" and "Belafonte Attacks Cain: 'A Bad Apple' 'So Denied Intelligence' 'I Don’t Think Prayers Were Created For Him'" to better understand the level of vitriol Cain was defending himself against.

Just imagine what he'll have to put up with from folks like these if he actually wins the nomination and faces Barack Obama next November.