[Malveaux:] In Ohio, a search is under way right now for dangerous animals that are now on the loose. Lions, tigers, bears, other animals escaped from a preserve after the owner turned them loose and then killed himself. Dozens of the animals have been shot and killed, but some are still roaming free. Will Travers, he is with us from New York. He is the CEO of Born Free USA. It is a group that rescues wild animals around the world. This story from Ohio, essentially. What do you think? Do you think that this is proof that folks should not own these wild animals privately, that that should really never be allowed?
[Will Travers, Ceo, Born Free Usa:] Well, the truth is, Suzanne, that the legislators in Ohio and in other states like North Carolina, South Carolina, they're playing Russian roulette with animals' lives, and, frankly, with people's lives. Thank goodness no one has been hurt by this recent incident, but animals have died in significant numbers, and it could have been prevented.
[Malveaux:] How so do you think? I mean, do you agree with the sheriff who said he's had to kill and put down these animals because they are a danger to people if they're running out there like that?
[Travers:] Well, I think the sheriff and his police force are between a rock and a hard place. I mean, if one member of the public is killed by one of these escaped animals, he's going to be blamed, although it's not his fault. The fault lies at the door of the legislators who have not put in place the regulatory process that would mean that a guy who's been previously convicted for cruelty to animals, he's still allowed to keep animals. That seems insane to me.
[Malveaux:] You have evidence that he was previously convicted for being cruel to animals? Is that true?
[Travers:] Yes. In 2005, he was convicted for cruelty to animals. And the state has had many warnings about this kind of issue before. Only last year, a young man, 24 years old, was killed by a bear. The then-governor put in an emergency executive order, but that actually ended in April this year on the promise that the new administration would put in proper measures to deal with this issue. They haven't done so. Born Free USA provided model legislation to help do that, but here we are. And we're in October. The animals have escaped. This guy has committed suicide. When are we going to see some action in this state and in all the other states where people's lives are being put at risk and animals are suffering?
[Malveaux:] Will, so, just to be clear, you're putting the blame squarely on the government, on the state, for not providing the kind of legislation that's necessary to make sure that these animals are protected?
[Travers:] Yes, Suzanne, because we know it can been done. States like Massachusetts have very good legislation which broadly prevents private individuals from keeping animals like this. I mean, either the facility should have a USDA license and be open to the public, or it should be a sanctuary, meeting the standards of the Global Federation for Animal Sanctuaries such as the Born Free sanctuary in Texas. We need proper legislation to protect people from animals, but frankly, animals from people.
[Malveaux:] All right. Will Travers, well put. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
[Travers:] Thank you.
[Malveaux:] So, for some, it's easy to see why polls show Herman Cain is the most likeable of the GOP presidential candidates. A lot of it has to do with his sense of humor. But Cain's whimsical answers also raise some questions about whether or not he is ready for the White House. He's giving comedians a lot of material.
[Stephen Colbert, "the Colbert Report":] There are many reasons why Cain is surging, like his great grasp of foreign policy.
[Herman Cain , Presidential Candidate:] I'm ready for the gotcha questions. And when they ask me, who's the president of Uzbeki-beki- stan-a-stan, I'm going to say, "You know, I don't know. Do you know?" And then I'm going to say, "How is that going to create one job?"
[Colbert:] It won't create one job, because all of our jobs have been outsourced to Uzbeki-beki-stan-a-stanians. And I just hope that Herman Cain did not offend their president, Chafalopadipindopadee.
[Malveaux:] All right. So Cain says that America needs to lighten up a little bit. So here's what he said when he was asked what he would bring to the White House if elected.
[Cain:] I would bring a sense of humor to the White House, because America's too uptight.
[Malveaux:] Too uptight. Joining us from Providence, Rhode Island, to talk about Cain, and the comedian versus Cain, the serious candidate, is Robert Traynham. He is the D.C. bureau chief for the Comcast Network. So, Robert, Herman Cain has definitely captured the spotlight. He's risen dramatically in the polls. But there are some folks who are asking, you know, is he running for comedian-in-chief or commander-in- chief? Do you think that his kind of folksy humor is it helping or is it hurting?
[Robert Traynham, D.c. Bureau Chief, Comcast Network:] I'm not sure. I think, really, the jury is still out as to whether or not people are taking him seriously or not. But, then, that's the question. If we're talking about Herman Cain's his personality, or his sense of humor, as opposed to the 14 million people out there that are unemployed, the 17 million people out there that are living paycheck to paycheck, I think something's wrong with that conversation. So, you know, I think most people out there would say, you know what? It's nice that he has a sense of humor, but more importantly, where is his plan to create more jobs in this economy? That's what most people want to hear.
[Malveaux:] Well, let's take a listen to when he first raised some eyebrows over a rather serious issue, when he made some flippant comments around tackling illegal immigration.
[Cain:] When I'm in charge of the fence, we're going to have a fence. It's going to 20 feet high. It's going to have barbed wire on the top. It's going to be electrified. It was a joke, John. And yes, I haven't learned how to be politically correct yet. It might be electrified. It was a joke to the extent in the context that it was used in that speech. It may not be electrified. That was an exaggeration, hyperbole.
[Malveaux:] So, now he's a front-runner. Does he run the risk of not being taken seriously?
[Traynham:] Absolutely. And listen to the Freudian slip that he said there a few moments ago, Suzanne. He said, "electrocuted." So, you have to be very careful, obviously, when you're running for office. And this is also an insight to Herman Cain, who has never run at public office before, at least not at this level, who has the intensity of the spotlight on him. Look, you're looking for president of the United States. You have hundreds, if not thousands, of reporters that are covering you on a daily basis, either virtually, or obviously in person. So he's learning the hard way that you really need to keep your personal comments to yourself and obviously focus on the policy at hand.
[Malveaux:] Robert, he wrote in his memoir that if he were president, his code name given by the Secret Service should be "Cornbread." That comment has really irked some black leaders who believes he's now playing off racial cliches or stereotypes to win folks over. Do you think that's true? Do you think that's part of his strategy?
[Traynham:] I don't know. I honestly don't know. But in the age of President Obama, someone that was obviously a transformational figure on so many issues, but just as importantly on race, who really never talked about race, who never really brought it to the forefront, because, quite frankly, he wanted to be judged on his policies, Herman Cain has taken us down a road that I'm not sure America wants to go down in terms of having this conversation about race, having this conversation about racial stereotypes. It's just very unfortunate. It goes back to my original point about, now that he's in the spotlight, he needs to be a little bit more careful in terms of how he phrases things.
[Malveaux:] That seems to be an understatement, because last night at the debate, Cain raised some eyebrows again after telling earlier our Wolf Blitzer that he would be willing as president to negotiate with al Qaeda. Well, then he was confronted with those comments at the debate and he essentially said that he misspoke. Does he run the risk now of not really thinking things through before he speaks? Does he seem to have that kind of problem?
[Traynham:] Yes, it appears that way. There's no question about it. Look, al Qaeda obviously was in charge of September 11th. They were in charge of the Yemen bombings. They were in charge of the USS Cole bombings. I mean, you go on down the list. And in terms of negotiating with terrorists as our commander-in-chief, I'm not sure that's a very smart move. So, again, it speaks to Herman Cain's judgment and whether or not he is thinking things through. And look, if this is his position, this is his position. It's probably a very ill-informed position, and obviously the voters will take that into consideration when they vote for him, if they vote for him, during the primary process next year.
[Malveaux:] All right. Robert, thank you so much. Appreciate it. It was a fascinating debate to watch last night. So thanks for your insight.
[Traynham:] Indeed, it was. Thanks for having me.
[Malveaux:] Well, it is a story that has outraged China, as well as the world, really. A young toddler run over by a van, and then a truck. Nobody did anything to help her until one woman stepped in. We're going to get an update on how that little girl is doing.