What Herman Cain’s 2012 run has already accomplished
If this GOP presidential campaign has taught us anything, it’s not to write any candidate’s political obituary before its time. (Hello, Newt Gingrich.)
So, today I come to praise Herman Cain, not to bury him beneath the opinion polls that show him slipping. No matter how the Georgia businessman’s candidacy turns out, it has done three important things.
As Cain’s popularity surged, there came a stream of allegations that he had sexually harassed women in the past. At first, the charges were vague and anonymous. Later, two women publicly accused Cain.
Depending on your point of view, or your allegiances, the allegations were either part of the vetting process or the lowest kind of character assassination: a he-said, she-said situation in which neither side can definitively prove its case.
While Cain’s poll numbers dipped slightly, donations to his campaign funds also rose. So, ultimately, while voters weighed the stories against what they previously believed about his character, Cain successfully avoided the trap of letting unproven accusations redefine his character or his fitness for the job. That’s one.
Eventually, though, Cain’s fitness for the job came into greater question — due instead to his unfortunate record of stumbling over issues that ought not to be “gotcha” topics for someone who aspires to the White House.
Cain’s line last month about not knowing about “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan” grew less funny this past week after he appeared stumped — or unable to remember his lines — when asked about President Barack Obama’s policies toward Libya.
It was of a piece with his earlier confusion about the “right of return” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; his serial punting when asked what he’d do in Afghanistan; his inability, in Miami, to comment on the “wet foot, dry foot” policy toward Cuban immigrants; and his over-reliance on his 9-9-9 tax plan to explain how he’d improve things at home.
Voters often say they want candidates who aren’t career politicians. That’s particularly true on the right — which is one reason why Rick Perry, who’s held one state office or another in Texas since 1985, bashes Washington; why Mitt Romney, who’s been running (mostly unsuccessfully) for one state or federal office or another for 17 years, talks up his business experience; and why Gingrich, the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives, calls himself a Washington outsider.
But Cain’s occasional slips have revealed the tension between wanting someone who hasn’t spent a lifetime trying to become president, and wanting someone who has spent considerable time thinking about the things presidents have to think about. That’s two.
Finally, Cain’s 9-9-9 plan may be, at once, overly simplistic and more complicated than he lets on. It’s unlikely to become the law of the land, even if he becomes president.
But Cain’s boldness pushed his competitors to produce their own tax plans. Whoever emerges from the primary will have a serious proposal with which to oppose Obama’s mine-mine-mine plan for your money — and will be harder to peg as part of a “party of no” that only opposes Democrats’ policies.
That’s three. Together, those three things helped to make for a better contest.
(What, you thought one of the three would be that Cain proved conservatives could support a black Republican? Nah. Only liberals thought otherwise before.)
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
264 comments Add your comment
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
12:11 am
Herman Koch-Cain is his own worst enemy.
BackToBasics
November 21st, 2011
12:20 am
What he also showed with 9-9-9 was that he was the first and the boldest candidate in the bunch. Gingrich is much more the pragmatist than Cain and with the many problems we face I think we need a more bold approach than pragmatism alone can give us. I still like Cain the best.
Michael H. Smith
November 21st, 2011
12:28 am
If you happen to read this Kyle and I hope you do, it would be good to show your readership a few things about the “Modus Operandi” of Marxism, point in case, how the socialist in Europe used “class warfare” pitting those on the lower economic level against anyone on a higher economic level in the classic poor against the rich and rich against. It was done in Germany. Hitler used it, so did Lenin as Stalin in Russia to cast off the established governments to usher in socialism and communism in gaining power for themselves. Of course, any reader can do their own research to see the very things brought to fore by this post.
Strange isn’t though Kyle, how the similar sort of things are taking place with these occupiers, the violence and civil disobedience, even some anti-Semitic bigotry on public display and again the classic setup of the poor, the so-called 99% verses the evil rich 1%, the enemy of the people.
Well, Kyle, as Samuel Clemens noted: “The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes”
The Truth
November 21st, 2011
12:28 am
BackToBasics – 999 was bold? Please tell me you’re joking…it’s from a freaking video game. Cain is a joke, who doesn’t even understand that ridiculous plan to begin with. It puts the burden on the middle class, which is why he fumbled around when pressed on the specifics of it…didn’t he drop one of the 9’s too….what a clown.
The Truth
November 21st, 2011
12:34 am
The Republicans are the ones causing the class warfare…their protect the rich by oppressing the poor approach has caused the level of economic inequality to reach astronomical proportions. It’s the nature of fascism, and exemplifies it better than anything else short of genocide could.
Michael H. Smith
November 21st, 2011
12:41 am
Ooopsy… did the occupier’s socialist cat just get out of that marxist bag
Good night, comrades
The Truth
November 21st, 2011
1:00 am
It’s sad that some people resort to playing the socialism card instead of debating the actual facts…it truly reveals they don’t understand their side in the first place. Willfull ignorance is easier than actually understanding how things work, I guess. It’s a sad way to live Michael…
Bernard Webb
November 21st, 2011
7:07 am
Cain’s success shows that conservatives have very, VERY low standards for their leaders, including, apparently, a requirement that they have never read anything about anything and are totally ignorant about the world (”He’s just like me!”). This is the pattern with Cain, as well as Perry and Bachmann. What right-wingers see in these doofuses I will never know. There are no equivalent figures on the left. We’re too smart for that!
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
7:11 am
Yeah, the old “Liberals are smarter than conservatives” argument.
Except that you’re really not.
zeke
November 21st, 2011
7:23 am
Newt Gingrich Is ‘A Stupid Man’s Idea Of What A Smart Person Sounds Like’
dmerrin10000
November 21st, 2011
7:55 am
It’s funny because I didn’t think Cain’s poll numbers ever did indicate the right would support a black candidate. I think supporting Cain made them feel good. It reassured them they were still everyone’s moral superiors, even finally on the race issue. It made them feel a sort of kinship with the black race, for which they had told themselves Cain was the only legitimate representative of.
That is to say, polls showing right wing support for Cain was never about the right wing supporting a Cain candidacy; it was about the right finding in Cain a tool useful for making itself feel good. I don’t call that support for Cain– I call it this era’s incarnation of the same right wing racism that has been present throughout the 400 years of our history.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
November 21st, 2011
8:07 am
If liberals are smarter than conservatives, explain 9% unemployment and $1.5 trillion deficits on Obozo’s watch.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:21 am
“I think supporting Cain made them feel good. It reassured them they were still everyone’s moral superiors, even finally on the race issue.”
Yeah, ’cause as we all know conservatives are simply racists at heart.
Except that we’re really not.
zeke
November 21st, 2011
8:32 am
gee barry it might have something to do with how many trillions were lost due to the great recession:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123687371369308675.html
it is estimated 50T loss internationally…..that might put a damper on things
stephen
November 21st, 2011
8:35 am
Herman Cain was never a suitable candidate for President. period. No understanding of foreign policy or international politics. No understanding of economics. The 9-9-9 tax plan was devised because it had to be simple for him to understand, not us. And lets talk moral character. If multiple women show up independently and say they were paid off to go away and stay quiet – well be honest – you think its all a lie? Wouldnt be in a court of law but this is a nomination process and decisions must be made. So now you recycle Newt again. Like Paul Krugman said – “..a stupid person’s idea of what a smart person looks like”. Sorry, tea partiers, it all circles back to the universal health care Mormon. I would speculate that his administration wouldnt vary much from Obama’s – just as McCain’s wouldnt have under the circumstances of the last 4 years. Reality trumps purity and ideology when the stakes are high.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
8:39 am
Michael H. Smith:
Perhaps you should read about the modus operandi of socialism, communism and fascism. You’ll find that they are three, entirely different schools of political/philosophical thought.
“It is better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” (Attributed to Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, Oscar Wilde, Woodrow Wilson, and Proverbs 17:28)
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:43 am
Yeah, stephen, a successful businessman who doesn’t understand economics. Right.
And you did read about the voice stress analyzer run on his one public accuser, didn’t you? Of course you didn’t. Showed he was telling the truth and she was lying.
And 9-9-9 works just fine if you look at it objectively and don’t change the rules when analyzing it’s effects.
saywhat?
November 21st, 2011
8:45 am
Zeke @ 7:23 – You made me laugh, laughing with you.
Lil Boring @ 8:07- You made me laugh too, but laughing at you.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:46 am
Actually, Real Athens, the end goal of all three (socialism, communism and fascism) is to have the state in control of the individual.
In that regard, they are all alike.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
8:51 am
Umm, successful at what? The story of Aquila Inc. has been out there all along. Only when Cain started bleating about it did it become pertinent.
Lawsuits targeted board, Cain over retirement fund
RAY HENRY
From Associated Press
November 21, 2011 3:48 AM EST
ATLANTA (AP) — Republican Herman Cain served on the board of a Midwest utility company that paid $10.5 million to settle claims it failed to protect the retirement savings of its employees and paid another $26.5 million over claims it manipulated gas prices, potentially embarrassing episodes for a candidate running for president on his business experience.
http://my.earthlink.net/article/pol?guid=20111121/e64cddf0-b832-4e55-9caf-01791b389d0a
dmerrin10000
November 21st, 2011
8:51 am
It’s hard to know if conservatives are inherently racist or if their racism is rather a product of the chain of logic proceeding from its several most basic misunderstandings and ignorances. It can be argued that the truth with regard to this “chicken and egg” debate of right wing bigotry is not just difficult to determine but also a waste of energy in pursuing since it is the effect of right wing racism more than the right wing which causes social harm and demands liberal attention. Even granting this, though, we run up against our next difficult question– do we achieve the greatest reduction of harm done by right wing racism by teaching and, where necessary, enforcing tolerance, or do we rather take aim at the larger problem of right wing ignorance and intellectual limitation, treating our target, i.e., the effect of its racism, as incidental to the greater problems fostered by its vast array of misunderstanding and multi dimensional foolishness?
These are the questions liberals will debate as they embark on the grand effort to achieve harm reduction from right wing racism.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:53 am
“Umm, successful at what?”
Running businesses, Real Athens.
Wake up, son.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
8:53 am
Tiberius:
” … State control of the individual” Wrong.
The desired end result of baseball, football and basketball is to win. In that regard they are all alike.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:55 am
“These are the questions liberals will debate as they embark on the grand effort to achieve harm reduction from right wing racism.”
Except, of course, there is no more right wing racism than there is left wing racism.
Except in a liberal’s mind.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
8:56 am
I fail to see any success other than enriching himself. Had a Godfather’s pizza lately?
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:58 am
Please tell us how, Real Athens, that communism, socialism and fascism do not attempt to control the individual through the primacy of the state.
I need a laugh this morning.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:59 am
“Had a Godfather’s pizza lately?”
No, they’re not in this area, Real Athens.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
9:11 am
“Had a Godfather’s pizza lately?
No, they’re not in this area, Real Athens.”
Exactly my point, they damn sure used to be.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
9:13 am
But the main point, Real Athens, is that they are STILL in business in 39 states and over 600 locations, instead of being OUT of business entirely.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
9:15 am
And no longer led by Herman Cain.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
9:18 am
Real Athens, they were in that state when Herman Cain left, and the only reason they are still in business is because Herman Cain knew what it took to keep them in business.
Nice try, but your lack of any knowledge about that which you type is becoming readily apparent.
saywhat?
November 21st, 2011
9:19 am
Tiberius – Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
8:46 am
“Actually, Real Athens, the end goal of all three (socialism, communism and fascism) is to have the state in control of the individual.
In that regard, they are all alike.”
You forgot to add Republicanism.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
9:21 am
Cute, saywhat?, but as usual for you, incorrect.
saywhat?
November 21st, 2011
9:26 am
That’s right tiberius, I FORGOT that Republicans in no way want to control an individuals ability to marry whomever they want, mate with whomever they want, serve in the military, buy alcohol when they want to, worship whatever way they want (or not at all), etc. Must have slipped my mind._
Welcome to the Occupation
November 21st, 2011
9:29 am
If liberals are smarter than conservatives, explain 9% unemployment and $1.5 trillion deficits on Obozo’s watch.
Huh?
Obama, who’s effectively a conservative — he believes in the free market above all — is a perfect indictment of the bankruptcy of the conservative agenda.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
9:30 am
“… hey were in that state when Herman Cain left, and the only reason they are still in business is because Herman Cain knew what it took to keep them in business.”
Huh?
I wrote they used be in Georgia and now they no longer are.
I wonder what it will take to convince you that Herman Cain is a slogan slingin’, issue dodging, talk radio host only out to to improve his brand image and make himself millions using our political system aka Sarah Palin.
He is completely unelectable anywhere (except maybe on this blog) He’ll be out of the race by February. He won’t even make it to Super Tuesday. But I bet he’ll have a book out and be on tour by April.
DonkeyKong
November 21st, 2011
9:39 am
MLK’s dream is dead because of the black elite and their support of Democrats. Brainwashed, following the slave party to their death.
DawgDad
November 21st, 2011
9:41 am
“I wonder what it will take to convince you that Herman Cain is a slogan slingin’, issue dodging, talk radio host only out to to improve his brand image and make himself millions using our political system . . .”
Well, American voters elected a slogan slingin’ (”hope and change”), issue dodging (”present”), community organizer only out to improve his brand image (i.e., get elected) and make himself millions using our political system (check his net worth) . . .
Most intelligent people considered the community organizer “unelectable”. I know several Hillary supporters who are still shaking their heads in disbelief.
MarkV
November 21st, 2011
9:48 am
Real Athens
I am afraid your effort to correct people who throw out labels such as communist, socialist and fascist as if they were interchangeable is hopeless. Those people are basically ignorant. It is laughable when they argue that things or systems that share some feature therefore are the same. Not to mention the fact that they are even wrong in what they base their argument on.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
9:49 am
saywhat?, as usual, you exaggerate the comparisons between your ideology and the GOP, whose methods of control, while distasteful to real conservatives, pale in comparison to the ideologies mentioned earlier.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
9:53 am
“Most intelligent people considered the community organizer “unelectable”. I know several Hillary supporters who are still shaking their heads in disbelief.”
So you’re saying you’re not intelligent?
Herman Cain is still a phony. Despite your straw man argument. Wait and see.
In 2008 Obama received 365 electoral votes and McCain 173. The popular vote was 69,456,897 to 59,934,814, respectively. That’s 53 % to 45 %
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
9:56 am
“I wonder what it will take to convince you that Herman Cain is a slogan slingin’, issue dodging, talk radio host only out to to improve his brand image and make himself millions using our political system aka Sarah Palin.”
Real Athens, you’d have a hard time convincing me of something that isn’t real, so the answer would be – never.
Now, when are you going to actually learn about any subject you type about? That answer is the same as mine above – never.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
10:01 am
Tiberius:
We’ll just agree to disagree. DO you think for a moment I’m trying to convince you of anything? I could care less. I assure you I’ve forgotten more about these things than you’ve learned. It’s kind of obvious from your moniker. Tiberius was one of the most prolific and unapologetic pedophiles in history. He really was a disgusting sort.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
10:07 am
Right . . . .
Like you don’t know a darn thing about Herman Cain’s business experience – or anything else about him that you hadn’t heard from MSNBC.
The only thing you’ve forgotten is how to be objective and how to be intellectually honest.
Real Athens
November 21st, 2011
10:12 am
Tiberius:
Vote for Herman Cain.
MSNBC? Sigh.
zeke
November 21st, 2011
10:17 am
anyone who listened to hermans radio show should know he is a blowhard….and if you think fox is fair and balanced well you are not
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
10:26 am
Yeah, Real Athens, MSNBC. You’ve got their talking points down pat.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
November 21st, 2011
10:28 am
Hey, zeke, maybe you should consult the Center for Media and Public Affairs, which showed that Fox’s NEWS programming (not their opinion programs), is actually fair and balanced.
zeke
November 21st, 2011
10:33 am
and what % of air time is truly news vs all the other stuff they run….
zeke
November 21st, 2011
10:43 am
i am not media expert but apparently tiberius has one view of fox while per wiki which is not the best source in the world, at least they do cite the following:
The media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has challenged CMPA’s non-partisan claim, based on the argument that much of its funding has come from conservative sources, and that its founder, Dr. S. Robert Lichter, once held a chair in mass communications at the American Enterprise Institute and was a Fox News contributor.[
if true, shame shame tiberius