Herman Cain and his wife’s permission
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, with his wife Gloria in the background, salutes the crowd before announcing the suspension of his campaign. AP/David Tulis
In the end, Herman Cain’s wife, the diminutive woman he said held the key to his future as a presidential candidate, was a case of misdirection.
For days, Herman Cain had told the friendly faces on cable TV that he would head home to Atlanta for a face-to-face discussion with Gloria, his spouse of 43 years – the woman he first romanced with a movie date at Lenox Square, but who had declined to become part of his political quest.
Without her support, Cain said, his Republican campaign would collapse in the face of a new allegation that he had engaged in a long-time affair with another woman – a charge that he had denounced not just as untrue, but unproven.
So on Saturday, a very specific question hung over the new state headquarters for the Cain campaign, a storefront operation close enough to I-85 in DeKalb County to catch the breeze created by the traffic. Would Gloria Cain be there? Several hundred Cain fans were given two hours to mull the situation over.
Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett drove more than five hours from south Georgia to be there. If you are a politician in Georgia interested in winning a statewide race, you know that the two women are the fulcrum for thousands of Republican votes below the gnat line.
Godwin has known Cain for 20 years. She thinks the sexual accusations against him are hogwash, a creation of a fearful Republican establishment and the liberal media. But on Saturday, during the waiting, she also declared that she thought that Cain had been ill-served by his national staff.
“Pat and I have the 1st Congressional District. We have 26 of our 29 counties already organized. We have a conference call with them every Tuesday night,” Godwin said.
Cain supporters in south Georgia had come to two conclusions. “No. 1, if he doesn’t get rid of [campaign manager] Mark Block and those people surrounding him, he’s going nowhere,” the GOP activist said.
That included Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood, who, in Cain’s defense, had issued a letter declaring that what two consenting adults do behind bedroom doors is nobody’s business.
Demand No. 2, Godwin said, was for Cain’s wife to be by his side that afternoon. “We can stand behind him and know he’s telling the truth if his wife stands behind him,” she said. “If she’s not going to be there – I’m driving five and a half hours from south Georgia up here for somebody whose wife isn’t going to cross town to stand by him?”
At 1:30 p.m., the bus with Herman Cain’s face on it pulled close to the headquarters. The candidate was the first out. He held out his right hand, and helped his wife down the stairs.
“Gloria! Gloria!” the crowd shouted, their hopes lifted by her presence, as she and her husband came to the stage. Block, the campaign manager with the famous cigarette habit, stood silently in the background, holding Cain’s trademark black cowboy hat.
The candidate spoke of the remarkable distance he’d traveled from his birthplace, on Pelham Street in Atlanta’s old Fifth Ward, the son of a maid and a Coca-Cola chauffeur.
He was one of a trio of men in line, on the Republican side, to become the most powerful figure in the world. Add President Barack Obama for good measure, he said. “I’m in the Final Four. We’re in the Final Four.”
But Cain admitted that the last few days had caused irreparable damage. “That spin hurts. It hurts my wife. It hurts my family. It hurts me. And it hurts the American people, because you’re being denied solutions to our problems,” he said.
But he wanted the crowd to know this: “I am at peace with God.” And then Cain pointed to the woman behind him. “I am at peace with my wife. And she is at peace with me,” he said.
The hopeful chants began again. “Gloria! Gloria! Gloria!”
“That being said,” Cain continued – and finally pulled the rug out from under the grand opening of his campaign headquarters. He would suspend his campaign, he told a stunned and befuddled crowd.
As it turned out, Gloria Cain’s permission wasn’t the key to continuing his candidacy. Her husband admitted that, in the wake of five weeks of scandal, his contributions had dried up.
But his wife’s presence was absolutely essential to Cain’s ability to retire from the field with his reputation intact – so that he might maintain his influence as a Republican player.
For Cain, Plan B is something called thecainsolution.com, a place on the Internet where he can still push his “9-9-9” plan. The Stockbridge entrepreneur will follow the lead of Sarah Palin, and attempt to become a political persona who operates outside the political process – as his campaign tried to do, but failed.
“One of the reasons that I ran for president of the United States was that so I could change Washington D.C. from the inside,” he said. “Plan B is that we’re going to have to change it from the outside.”
And with that, the Saturday crowd began to drift away, perhaps to their TV sets. The Bulldogs were still an undefeated possibility.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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308 comments Add your comment
@left1
December 4th, 2011
9:19 am
The left could not have a conservative black man run against their socialist black man. The electorate my see the truth about Oblama. The dragged every trailer park in the country to find bankrupt women who thought they could make some money off lying about Herman Cain. He will not be silenced. Their reprehensible behavior will be revenged.
Straight Talk
December 4th, 2011
9:28 am
They tried to derail Cain with the first group of allegations of sexual harassment until the facts about the accusers came out. When that didn’t work – and Herman’s contributions increased and he was #1 in two recent polls – it was inevitable that they would trump up something else, This new woman had an affair with Herman Cain in her dreams. She has no credibility given the facts in her background [and when is the media going to ask who is paying the legal fees of her lawyer since she is supposedly unemployed and struggling financially?]. I have followed Herman for years and have met and talked with him and his lovely wife Gloria. Herman is by far the best qualified candidate to lead our country out of the morass we are in now. He has a unique combination of proven leadership skills, demonstrated ability to turn around failing organizations (which our government is now), problem solving skills (asking the right questions and getting needed information before making a decision) and – most of all – integrity we sorely need in the White House. Were Cain nominated in 2012, then the voters would have the opportunity to live out Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision in his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and judge Cain and Obama “not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character.” It’s a sad day for this country that the media frenzy around false and unproven allegations can lead a fine man like Herman Cain to decide to pull his hat out of the presidential race as a candidate However, neither Herman nor his millions of supporters are going away…and we will continue to be a force to contend with in 2012 and beyond. As they say, ‘It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.”
Chunichi
December 4th, 2011
9:28 am
The rationale offered for ’suspending’ his campaign was so flimsy and lacking in candor that only the most hardcore, blinder-wearing Cain sycophants will buy it. The ‘liberal elites’ caused me to cheat on my wife…indeed.
I am disappointed in Herman, but glad that the system worked – his true character was revealed before he had a chance to do any real damage.
Southern Belle on the West Coast
December 4th, 2011
9:35 am
Cain’s hat is not a cowboy hat. It’s a pimp hat. Good riddance.
clem
December 4th, 2011
9:42 am
straight talk, after proving you wrong on desegregation (which took all of 3 minutes on google in addition to watching cain himself declare he was not accepted at uga/tech)…you are either lazy or definitely not a straight shooter. or not too intelligent. which is it?
tim
December 4th, 2011
9:46 am
@straighttalk Your boy is a coward and a quitter. Look at him crawl back under that little rock.
clem
December 4th, 2011
9:48 am
a dad, i agree that mr. wood and a crack investigator could investigate this in fairly short order….sorta like mr cain had 10 days before politico released their story…i am baffled? if it was your name or my name on the line and i had the resources mr. cain has, well…..
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
9:49 am
Chunichi, do you actually believe that someone can continue to run a viable campaign for President while these allegations are hanging over their head? If you were falsely accused by people for doing things such as this, wouldn’t YOU want to clear your name?
So why do you consider his “excuses” to be “flimsy”?
He never, ever claimed that liberal elites caused him to cheat on his wife, and you know it. In fact, he’d denied EVERY allegation against him, including cheating on his wife.
You should try being a bit more open-minded, and less partisan when giving your opinion on something.
Straight Talk
December 4th, 2011
9:53 am
clem – You continue attempting to disparage Herman Cain’s intelligence and education. Like most liberals you ignore or are unaware of the facts. Herman Cain has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Morehouse and a master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University, one of the top engineering schools in the country. Let’s hear about your educational credentials….
clem
December 4th, 2011
10:06 am
avoiding my question….all i did was point something the candidate himself proclaimed in an interview. just as folks on right point out obamas educational record, which i agree is somewhat spotty at undergraduate level (ie not much info), i was merely providing context. i have bba from ga state, and was deemed eligible/acceptable by tech for their mbaprogram but stayed with gsu. how bout yours slick?
i also served in military which somehow cain avoided by getting a civilian job with the navy….
bottom line is your were wrong, and now just trying to change subject.
Please
December 4th, 2011
10:19 am
Cain is a buffoon who has no sense of personal responsibility. I knew when I read that his staff was not allowed to speak to him till spoken to that he was an arrogant, self-centered, pompous jerk who believes he is better than everybody else. Guess what… you’re not Herman!
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:21 am
clem, really? Cain “avoided” serving in the military by getting a civilian job with the Navy?
Are you now disparaging every civilian worker in the Armed Services as not serving their country?
Maybe you should just quit wile you’re behind on this one, OK? As they say on ESPN, “C’mon, man!”
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:23 am
“I knew when I read that his staff was not allowed to speak to him till spoken to”
And just where did you read that little nugget of a falsehood, Please?
Not even remotely true.
Sister Sarah
December 4th, 2011
10:23 am
@Tiberius
Reading IS fundamental you know. Because I do consider myself a fairly intelligent individual I ALWAYS choose my words carefully. If you are so bold, PLEEASE revisit my post; I SPECIFICALLY stated “RIGHT WINGERS”. I said nothing about liberals being smarter than “CONSERVATIVES”! Now if you so much as feel that you can run side by side with me in this argument (or any) step up!!!
Marko
December 4th, 2011
10:30 am
I have no doubts that had Herman not backed out, within a week or so another accuser would have popped up alleging he raped her. It’s the Clarence Thomas special. The opposition figures all they need is one woman alleging harassment and the candidate would withdraw. When that doesn’t happen the charges escalate. Seems like Anita Hill came up with a new allegation every day the Thomas confirmation went on. I feel sorry for Herman, but I feel even sorrier for our country. Herman was the only candidate who spoke like a person, not a politician.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:31 am
Sister Sarah, there would be no side by side running with you, as you couldn’t keep up with me.
ANYBODY that disparages an entire class of people as being of lesser intelligence as you did is an elitist clown. And since you proclaimed yourself as a liberal, and distinguished yourself by pointing out that liberals are capable of free thought while others are not, you’re simply engaging in the usual “Liberals are just so much smarter than everybody else” mantra, that only liberals can do with such disdain for everyone else.
Nice try, but your elitist transparency shines through.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 4th, 2011
10:32 am
Gloria has known for a long time she’s married to a hound, she did this to keep the Fox talkshow and speaker circuit alive. Believe it or not, there are groups of idiots that will shell out five figures to see Herman’s minstrel show.
The REAL GodHatesTrash, Superstar
December 4th, 2011
10:36 am
Herman will do fine, folks.
He’s the GOP’s Al Jolson, except he’s a black man doing blackface comedy, playing a shuck-and-jive huckleberry – who’s really an accomplished conman.
clem
December 4th, 2011
10:36 am
Tiberius, mr. cain got his degree from purdue while serving as navy civilian while others served our country in a more direct fashion…..folks i knew back then tried to get in the guard or rotc(to hopefully delay)active military service, again providing context. to those physically incapable of combat, fine to serve in those capacities….but i do have bias for all the chickenhawks both parties….
And speaking of behind your answers have been less than convincing, so maybe you ought to follow your own advice.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:42 am
Nice dodge, clem, but it doesn’t wash.
Are you asserting that serving your country in a civilian fashion in the Armed Services is not worthy of being called “serving your country”? Are those who provide civilian service any less honorable than those who wear the uniform? How effective do you think our military would be without civilians, clem?
You seem quick to disparage someone on the right for their accomplishments, even when their accomplishments help our country’s national defense.
Strange . . ., yet all too typical of the closed-minded.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:43 am
“Gloria has known for a long time she’s married to a hound”
Really, superstar? Got some proof, or do you just like to post unfounded speculation?
Look before I leap...
December 4th, 2011
10:43 am
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
8:21 am
“Major businesses carry liability insurance for the latter, and any decisions regarding defending against such are made by the insurer.”
Not even remotely true, Buckhead Boy, which once again shows you really were never in any position sufficiently responsible enough, as you claim.
Sorry Tiberius, but you are in error here. Most if not all publically traded companies carry Director and Office Liability Insurance as part of their risk management programs. While coverage, exclusions and limits vary widely, I can state, from experience as a group controller and member of the risk management team, that many if not most of these policies provide for protection against sexual harrassment claims.
Since the NRA is a lobby organization and not a publically traded companny, I don’t know if they had D&O Liability as the fiduciary responsibilities in such a organization are bound to differ from a public corporation.
I can also tell you, again from experience, that when a sexual harassment claim is made, an internal review is conducted, corporate counsel is consulted and while a determination of fact is not made, RMO will provide guidance on the following:
The accuser’s work history
The accused’s work history
History and disposition of any prior claims against the accused
Results of interviews with accuser, accused and any witnesses
Potentiality – were accuser and accused in close proximity at the time the harrassment is said to have occurred.
Recorded communication (emails, voice messages, text messages).
Only after this review is complete, is the insurer consulted and any discussion of settlement considered.
missing the point
December 4th, 2011
10:47 am
it wasn’t the allegations, it was his answers and comments that followed. it wasn’t the questions on Libya, it was his answers or lack of them that followed. cain, was only semi serious about running. his ego was fed by a couple of tea party get togethers and he choice to get in the kitchen. while others were in key states cain was in alabama selling books.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:49 am
Look, while many companies do carry insurance, they rarely engage the insurance companies on the nuisance level complaints. Which is why my comment stands.
Spermin' Herman
December 4th, 2011
10:51 am
My brain was twirlin’ in that Libby-a interview!
Look before I leap...
December 4th, 2011
10:53 am
Sister Sarah
December 4th, 2011
8:37 am
@Look before I leap…
I can attest to you, that I saw and heard with my own eyes and ears just last week, John Huntsman tell an interviewer when confronted about introducing Sarah Palin as the nominee at the Repub convention that he “did what (he) was told to do”!! He acknowledged not really knowing Sarah Palin from Eve. The RNC picked him to do it and he was given the script to do it. When answering the question, he was politically correct, but his BODY LANGUAGE conveyed that he was totally embarrassed and regretful in retrospect in doing so.
Sorry I missed that interview. Will see if I can find it on YouTube. It does beg the question though, why Hunstman would allow himself to be so coerced. Sounds a little like Captain Smith increasing speed of the Titanic at the behest of J. Bruce Ismay on that cold April night.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:53 am
“it wasn’t the allegations, it was his answers and comments that followed.”
Uh, no, it was the allegations, missing.
You cannot fight a “he said / she said” allegation while running for President. And you certainly can’t fight them when there are confidentiality agreements that keep you from providing details. And you really can’t fight them when a new one comes out of the blue from someone you considered a friend.
Not in this political climate.
Unless you’re a Democrat. Then it never get reported.
clem
December 4th, 2011
10:57 am
You are pretty dense. During that era you had plenty of folks doing there best to avoid direct military service. I worked with plenty of army civilians who had previously served in military functions and their contribution was appreciated. Apparently, you did not grow up in that era….getting job in civilian component of the service was not usual and customary for male, sound bodied individuals… wonder how he pulled that off?
what’s the matter tiberius….lose your lightening rod?
Buck Hayek
December 4th, 2011
10:57 am
Democrats “don’t get reported”? That is nuts.
Dems ran their OWN out of office last year – Weiner and Massa were both told to leave by Democrats.
Look before I leap...
December 4th, 2011
10:59 am
@Tiberius 10:49
” they rarely engage the insurance companies on the nuisance level complaints. Which is why my comment stands.”
Patently untrue. You are simply not entitled to use the corporate assets of a publically traded company to pay off charges of personal misconduct. Either D&O pays or the individual pays. CEO or not, he does not get to dip into the company till, at least not legally.
GaPatriot
December 4th, 2011
11:01 am
I asked my husband’s permission to pay for my GRANDDAUGHTER’S tonsillectomy before I sent my son the check. Of course he said sure, but the financial help would never be a surprise to him.
If he sent money to some woman “friend” one time we would be meeting at my lawyer’s office to discuss our divorce.
clem
December 4th, 2011
11:01 am
oh wait, his comments stand….what an arrogant putz. still waiting on staight shooter to respond…i’ll be back later..
td
December 4th, 2011
11:02 am
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
10:53 am
Keep up the good fight but you are not going to convince these libs because they FEEL he is guilty and that is enough in their books to convict. If they admitted Herman was a smart, intelligent African American and would be good for the country then they would have to really examine there own philosophy and they would realize that Cain was correct when he called them out about living on the white liberal plantation. Some of these on hear would rather die then to admit they have been under the control of and did everything their white liberal masters have told them to do for 50 years.
Sister Sarah
December 4th, 2011
11:03 am
Oh yeah. I’m an “elitist” (LMAO). You do such a GRRRREEEAT job of making my point. You are such an angry person you cannot see straight. Notice the context fool. “Right Wingers” speak directly to a faction of ideology that is extreme. “Right Wingers” are in fact those that like to throw around the term “liberal” as an insult, and as such waste no time in slapping it on anyone who does not subscribe to the extreme ideology 100% as an ad hominem device. Simply label someone as a “liberal” in an attempt to undermine the entire argument rather than debate the merits.
Now, the term “liberal” in and of itself (from the Latin “liber”) means FREE. Thus, the context in which I spoke. Let’s just look at the term “Conservative” by the way – to keep things the way they are. The very definition of it is anti-progress. Try and spin it any way you want. The biggest ideological fight in this country today between the two ideologies simply comes down to this, demographic shfts. At the very core of the conservative fight is the unwillingness to adjust to these changes because the majority demographic will inevitably see competition and POWER SHARING with other ethnic groups. Barack Obama’s election represents that clearer than anything else, and is what has so many RIGHT WINGERS burning up. Herman Cain has been nothing more than a stooge and always HAS been. I’ve been following this clown for almost 10 years now. He knows who butters his bread and as such loves to sit in front of them and grease his face up with it.
His little shuck and jive yesterday about his daddy being a chauffeur and his mama being a housemaid appeals solely to images of the time when Black folks had to be subservient to the majority demographic. Yes, there are many who take great delight in knowing Herman is so appreciative of the “good folk” who took good care of his mama and daddy, and him. They see Herman as a “good little boy”, and he plays it to the hilt.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:05 am
“getting job in civilian component of the service was not usual and customary for male, sound bodied individuals… wonder how he pulled that off? ”
Exceptional knowledge and work skills, perhaps?
The point is, clem, you’re backtracking and not answering my questions, and you are engaging in idle speculation because you either don;t like Herman Cain, or don’t like Republicans.
Buck Hayek
December 4th, 2011
11:06 am
Right, Sister Sarah. Thus why the Imams in the Middle East are considered “conservative” – traditional, resistant to change, fundamentalist.
I am a proud liberal (like FA Hayek)
td
December 4th, 2011
11:07 am
GaPatriot
December 4th, 2011
11:01 am
If you would have stayed home for the past 40 years and your husband had made you over a $100 million and lavished you with the big house, nice cars and every other material thing your heart would desire then you would not think twice about him spending some money on other people. I am sure Herman has gave away more money in the last 10 years then your family has made in a lifetime. We can not take a middle class prospective when judging the spending habits of the rich. We can not even comprehend them.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:09 am
“You are simply not entitled to use the corporate assets of a publically traded company to pay off charges of personal misconduct. ”
And yet, it doesn’t appear that the National Restaurant Association is a publicly traded company. Ooops!
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:11 am
“Shuck and jive”, Sister Sarah? Not only are you an elitist clown, you’re a racist to boot.
Simply amazing . . .
Buck Hayek
December 4th, 2011
11:15 am
“Shuck and Jive” was coined by blacks to describe obsequious behavior by other blacks in the presence of authority figures.
It fits Cain to a T.
td
December 4th, 2011
11:15 am
Sister Sarah
December 4th, 2011
11:03 am
“Right Wingers” speak directly to a faction of ideology that is extreme.”
Please tell us what is so extreme about wanting everyone to take personal responsibility for their actions? What is extreme about wanting the Federal government to live within its means? What is extreme about thinks Americans are smart enough and no better on how to spend their own money then to give it to the government to spend on programs that have never turned out to be best for the country as a whole long term?
It is more of an extreme position to want a person to become dependent on the government for their subsistence, housing, food and for the government then to tell them they can do no better then to continue to depend on government.
clem
December 4th, 2011
11:17 am
tiberius, your full of manure, i served in unit that had enlisted men that recently graduated from schools with degrees that likely made herman third tier. i am talking schools like tech, mit, and case western.
i voted republican before, w the first time, isaakson, and more open minded than you will ever be. i loved listening to buckley. i suppose folks like cain should be applauded for getting in the arena, but when it is apparent he lacks the knowledge and integrity to serve in that role, i will speak my mind.
I really have to go now….glad you think you are expert on legal and military service issues….why don’t your run.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:18 am
Thanks, Buck, for raising your hand to acknowledge that you’re a racist, too.
It’s nice to see you libs finally coming out of the closet on your true feelings regarding racial issues.
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:20 am
clem, I have run. I’ve also served in an elected capacity, and in the military.
Running seems like a good plan for you. You’re clearly out-classed.
clem
December 4th, 2011
11:22 am
i doubt it…spell it out then
Tiberius
December 4th, 2011
11:25 am
You doubt – what? And you want – what – spelled out?
clem
December 4th, 2011
11:26 am
i’ll be back tiberius….i am not running. besides, sister and look and buckhead have basically refuted most of your bs….look forward say around 1900
rudikkingme
December 4th, 2011
11:29 am
retardo-rama
clem
December 4th, 2011
11:29 am
your military service, branch, the years you served ie 1970-1972,your degree, generic office elected to…anything else you care to share…
back around 1900
Mike Licht
December 4th, 2011
11:32 am
Herman Cain ordered his campaign funds “to go,” With Pepperoni.
See http://wp.me/p6sb6-bKS