Two days after Cain mentioned that blacks are “over this first African-American president thing,” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked him why the Republican Party is “poisoned” for black voters.
Cain responded, "African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view. I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative. So it’s just brainwashing and people not being open-minded, pure and simple.”
Cain's comment sparked some controversy within the community, and other critics said he was a bit too harsh and even insulting. But he was quick to defend his comment.
He explained that his interactions with African-Americans have led him to be optimistic about his own chances with the demographic. He said he has always been proud to refer to himself as “an American black conservative.”
