Herman Cain’s love affair with the media at times catapulted him into becoming a frontrunner for the GOP Presidential Campaign. He won the support of many Americans with his simple 9-9-9 flat tax plan, took the moniker of “Cornbread,” and reassured us that his special Haagen-Dazs black walnut blend was not the flavor of the month – okay, I’ll give that to him, at least it lasted a couple of months.
On December 3rd Cain unapologetically announced that he is going to suspend his campaign: “As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign.” And the nation breathes a sigh of relief. He then ended his speech with the same quote he used last August – then, attributing it to a poet – “Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It’s never easy when there’s so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference. There’s a mission just for you and me.” This time, Cain acknowledged Pokémon.
Weeks of mounting allegations from several different women regarding sexual harassment claims and the most recent Ginger White confession of having a 13-year affair should cause anyone to turn to “prayer” and “soul searching,” especially – I would hope – for our Baptist Minister.
Nonetheless, I give him credit for opening the debate on tax reform, thereby forcing his running mates to come up with their own versions, even if I disagree with their regressive approaches. He also added much needed humor to our debates, the most memorable being the nickname he gave Wolf Blizter – “Blitz.” However, the media quickly picked up on his lack of political knowledge, giving our late night show hosts ample material. They will surely miss him.
Perhaps to our dismay, Cain is not going quietly into the night. Now that his Plan A has failed, it’s on to the next one. His Plan B is a site called thecainsolutions.com. It’s mysterious in form – having a lonely homepage with the heading: “The People Will Choose.” He claims that through this site he will continue advocating his tax and foreign policy plans. His wife, Gloria, is also chipping in. She runs an online enterprise, Women for Herman Cain. It’s a “national fellowship of women dedicated to helping elect Herman Cain as the next President of the United States.” I wonder if they will change the goal.
But let’s all beware that Cain may make a comeback. He declared a suspension not an end to his campaign. This means that he can continue to raise donations, especially through his website, and receive federal matching funds. So, Cain may still be a powerful force in the 2012 campaign. We will soon see the GOP candidates, except for Ron Paul maybe, competing for his endorsement. I think Gingrich will have an indifferent attitude about receiving such support, but he will most likely be the one to garner it … eventually.
His campaign served him well by propelling his book sales, increasing his fee on speaking engagements, as well as adding another line to decorate his CV. So, don’t worry, Cain will continue milking his stardom.
