Cain, the pizza man, should be toast

One of the great mysteries of the Republican presidential contest is the continued popularity of  former pizza chain CEO Herman Cain.

I would have thought that his handling of the sexual harassment scandal that broke last weekend would have dented his soaring approval ratings and raised questions about his fitness to be president. First he denied any knowledge of the two cases dating back to when he was head of the National Restaurant Association from 1993-1996. Then he played down the amounts paid to his accusers. As reports surfaced of a third woman, he played the race card and accused one of his rivals, Texas Governor Rick Perry, of being behind the leaks. Finally, he lost his cool and his minders used force to push curious journalists out of his way.

Even Jennifer Rubin, the right-wing blogger on the Washington Post, thinks that the man is a disgrace to his party.

So it came as some surprise to see that the first opinion polls taken since the scandal broke show that Cain is still holding up against the Republican front-runner in the race to succeed Barack Obama as president, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The Washington Post-ABC poll puts the two  neck and neck, with Romney at 24 percent nationally among Republicans and Cain at 23 percent. Even more amazingly in this country of political correctness, 7 out of 10 Republicans surveyed said that the sexual harassment accusations did not matter when it came to pick a presidential candidate.

But Cain’s campaign is anything but politically correct. His campaign manager was depicted last week drawing lengthilyon a cigarette in a campaign ad – an act of social defiance that is either politically savvy or an inhale too far.

I still think that Cain’s chances of making it onto the Republican ticket remain remote. His 9-9-9 tax plan has been universally derided, and his ignorance of foreign policy will undoubtedly come back to haunt him. But people like his down to earth manner. He seems to have struck a chord with the country where Republican voter sentiment is notably to the right of Romney, the stiff businessman who is struggling to connect with ordinary people.  So until the party bows to the inevitable, right now the Cain phenomenon is a sign that “anyone but Romney” retains a powerful attraction.

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• dfitzp1011

  I love the rush to judgement on the left. This scandal is almost a week old and we know very little. Just like Tawana Brawley and the Duke lacrosse boys. Lets condemn this man and run him out of town. The same people that had a boat load of evidence on Bill Clinton, and gave him a pass. Instead they destroyed the lives of Paula Jones, Juanita Broderick, Kathleen Whiley, and Kenneth Starr. Clinton also committed perjury, but I remember it depended on the meaning of the word is is. Remember with Clinton, it was just about sex, who cares what he did, he was a great President! Also Ted Kennedy got away with far worse than both of them. And don’t forget John Edwards.
  We’ve been down this road before with Clarance Thomas. The left needs very little evidence to destroy a conservative, but they will wage war when it comes to defending another liberal. It must be great to have over 90% of the media running with your propaganda. Remember, far more people turn away from liberalism when they start studying the facts. Why is that? I know lots of people that were former Democrats, that now are Republicans (myself included). I don’t know 1 person that was formerly a conservative that is now a Liberal!

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Sean-Nelson/100000293614589 Sean Nelson

  Its pretty obvious that another GOP candidates supporters threw this info out for 2 reasons 1) to knock down a rival 2) to pawn off the blame on the boogie man right wing media which they claim is always out to get them…Like watergate its usually not the crime itself but the coverup that tends to get people in real trouble here I see Cain’s attempts to cover up his knowledge about the events backfireing and the candidate’s team who ‘leaked’ the info to the press will get rooted out to causing them to get burnt.  I’d really laugh if this conspiracy thoery played out ( put on your tin foil hats Perry’s CREEPs gave Politico the info but with a plant who has infiltrated the Romney organization set up to be the patsy

• http://www.libertynewspost.com/ Liberty Newspost

  All politics is local. Mr. Cain has staying power.  Absent the witch hunt going on against him now he’d be leading in all the polls. Mr. Cains 9-9-9 plan may not be perfect but it certainly is better than the tax code we have now.  Folks are comparing it to perfection not what we have now.  When you compare the two there is no comparison.  Republicans are looking for someone who is going to be an independently minded leader.  Mr. Cain fits the bill.  Romney and Perry are both Fat cats in line with the status-quo. 

• http://www.facebook.com/Mybollocks Jeff Rosenthal

  The present American tax code funds America. The imbecilic ‘9-9-9′ plan would not. It has nothing to do with perfection. It’s a question of funding basic social services in a country of over 300 million. Suggesting that drastically lowering tax rates is better than the present system is absurd. Economic growth in America, considered broadly has always been tied to high taxes. Eisenhower is the model here, of course (economic, not social).
  And revealing his history as a sex pest is hardly a witch hunt. The vetting process is no different for any candidate regardless of affiliation. Have you heard of a man called Gary Hart? Cain’s responses (smokescreens and lies) certainly don’t help. 
  Go ahead, america. Elect an exploitative corporatist womanizer with no knowledge of international relations whose biggest selling point is a catch-phrase based on pizza promotions. Reap what you sow.