Anyone...why can't it be Cain?

[McCamy Taylor]

I am not talking about the winner of the general election next fall. I am referring to the GOP primary. I have been watching the debates. Herman Cain keeps getting better and better. Last debate, when four of his opponents stumbled all over themselves trying to answer the unanswerable question "If Reagan asks for a tax hike, is he still the God of the GOP?", Cain appeared calm, self assured and (his favorite word) bold. When his opponents asked him why a 9% sales tax would not be raised, he replied matter-of-factly "Because I'll be president and I'll veto it." Yes, it sounds pretty simple. But I haven't heard any one of the others act like the man (or woman) in charge. They boast about how big their Super Pacs are, is if, selling your soul to the Koch Brothers is a guarantee of success. Cain is the only one of them who does not look and sound like a wimp. And above all else, Americans want their president to be commander-in-chief, able to stare down the barrel of a gun and leap tall buildings in a single bound. Notice how quick we were to toss aside Nixon for his crimes at home and how willing we were to tolerate his war crimes in SE Asia and South America.

In modern America, the most telephotogenic wins, and Cain beats all the rest. He is an insider (worked at the fed) who is also an outsider (Godfather's Pizza). He made his money the old fashioned way, by selling a product people like (Pizza!), as opposed to ripping off retired people's pensions. He is a mathematician, which means he's smart, but he does not come across as stuck up. He is not afraid to voice his opinions---he praised Greenspan. Greenspan! You know, average Americans look back at the Greenspan years fondly. They remember how the press treated the man like some kind of economic God. When they hear folks criticize him now, they can not help thinking to himself "Someone is trying to pin the blame for this mess on a man who wasn't even there when it happened. How weak is that?"

As far as I can tell, his main weakness is his health. History of colon cancer with liver mets. Hard to cure, However, he claims they did and is willing to offer his medical records.

Cain reminds me a lot of 2008's popular favorite, Mike Huckabee. We all watched as the MSM shot him down, interpreting every Huckabee win as a win for McCain. In the same vein, the press is now declaring that Cain's first place in the polls has assured Romney of the nomination. Why? Why do Democrats get to pick the candidate that makes them feel good, but the Republicans have to accept whatever guy the folks in the smoke filled room select for them? Is it because Republicans respect authority more? If that is the case, it is no wonder that the GOP has to rely upon e-fraud to steal elections. Their base sure isn't gonna come out and support them.

Cain also reminds me a whole lot of 1992's Ross Perot. Perot was crazy as a coot, but he appealed to folks who do not normally like politicians. He got a whole bunch of people who do not usually vote to come out to the polls. There was a recession in 1992, just as there is now. During an economic crisis, the voters get mad. They want a candidate who voices their outrage. They do not want the same old, same old. They want a change. Yes, even Republicans can get fed up and want a change, if enough of them are homeless and out of work.

Is it race? Is the GOP elite afraid that with an African-American candidate they will no longer be able to divide and conquer the working class along racial lines? I don't buy it. The divide and conquer of the future is going to be all about immigrants vs. native born. And men vs. women. These two -isms will be more than enough to keep workers' wages down and employer profits sky high.

Is the Cain campaign a fraud? Is he being backed by a super secret super pac that will run him as a third party splitter next fall when he fails to get the GOP nomination?

I'm gonna need some help here, because I have been a Democrat for as long as I can remember, so I don't really understand how the other party works. Any reformed Republicans want to take a stab at this one?

[AngkorWot]

1. "He is a mathematician, which means he's smart"

He has a bachelors of arts in math. He is as dumb as a stump.

[McCamy Taylor]

2. No. I have watched him think on his feet. He is smarter than the rest, including Newt.

[3waygeek]

6. Damning with faint praise n/t

[abelenkpe]

7. He is smarter than the rest but the rest are total D student lunatics

so that's not really saying much.

[dkf]

11. Maybe that is the point.

[abelenkpe]

13. Gotta admit I'd be impressed if reps did nominate him

but I think they are still hoping someone else will step into the race and save the day and that's why there's not a lot of enthusiasm yet for any of their candidates.

[dkf]

10. Agree. He is crazy like a fox.

Howard Fineman was following him around and said he was pretty Reaganesque in that he was a happy warrior. He even said he was too much of a CEO to be VP. We need to watch out for him.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. Being the least stupid isn't exactly the same as honor roll material.

[Logical]

17. Do you realize how dumb and unimplementable 999 is????

[ChandlerJr]

14. And he claims to have a Masters in computer science

which really makes him stupid!

*WTF*

[FrenchieCat]

3. It Cain!

:rofl:

[abelenkpe]

4. If it was Cain

campaign season would be full of biblical references and not so funny puns.

[dkf]

5. I admit my racism antenna is kind of triggering here.

He seems as legit as any one of the prospective nominees. If the Repubs choose him, then good for them. Its more than I would give them credit for.

[3waygeek]

8. To put it in Biblical terms...

because he's not Able.

[RC]

9. Ooooh, good one.

[ProSense]

15. Here's

a good piece: Unable to break a glass jaw

To your question, Cain likely appeals to RW lunatics.

Herman Cain’s Response To Corporate Tax Dodging: ‘I Would Like To See No Taxes On Corporations’

EXCLUSIVE: Herman Cain Tells ThinkProgress ‘I Will Not’ Appoint A Muslim In My Administration

Herman Cain: I’d Rather Defend DOMA Than Protect Religious Liberty

Presidential Candidate Herman Cain: Public Unions ‘Are Trying To Bring Down The United States Of America’

Herman Cain: Planned Parenthood Should Be Called 'Planned Genocide'

Herman Cain: Black Voters 'Have Been Brainwashed Into Not Being Open-Minded'

Herman Cain On Occupy Wall Street: ‘If You Don’t Have A Job And You’re Not Rich, Blame Yourself!’

[SkyDaddy7]

16. When Perry is done his followers will jump to...

Cain because they hate the idea of a Mormon winning & the Religious Right LOVE Cain! I saw Cain on the Pat Robertson show & I thought Pat was going to violate "Biblical Law" he was so crazy about him. And I don't think Romney will be able to beat him once that happens. That is my opinion anyway. I just hope it ends up in a long drawn out battle so we can play our own game of "Operation Chaos"!!

[OhioBlue]

18. From what I've read he doesn't have any real campaign

structure in the early States and he cannot defend is 9-9-9 plan against economists. Unless he can reconcile those two things, I don't see how he can be considered a viable candidate - even with good poll numbers. It has nothing to do with race but with being practical. His 9-9-9 plan sounds like BS that doesn't even measure up for conservatives and he has no boots on the ground making his case for the caucuses or primaries. It seems to me that the R field is just incredibly weak. He's the anti-Romney candidate for the moment... but he doesn't have the structure to compete at this level and he will be overcome by another candidate that does.. probably Romney.

[totodeinhere]

20. In desperate times sometimes people grasp at irrational solutions.

I wouldn't necessarily count out his 9-9-9- plan just because economists say it won't work. At least it's a plan and most of the rest of them have no plan, just slogans and sound bites.

And as far as his lack of organization goes, that's just one factor. If he can become popular enough, he can overcome that liability. The best organized candidate with the most money doesn't always win, although of course having money and organization is a good thing all things being equal. His polling numbers are going up even in states where he has little organization, and who knows, perhaps that will continue. Or perhaps not.

But I think the best thing he has going for him is the weakness of the Republican field overall. All he has to do is look half way sane and intelligent and he has a step up on the rest of them. Plus there is the race factor. They might not say this out loud, but I suspect that some Republicans believe that perhaps the best way to beat a black candidate is with another black candidate. Even if Cain could bring down Obama's percentage of the African American vote by just one or two percent, that might be enough in a close election. And lets face it, even given how conservative Cain is, there is bound to be pride in the African American community if this election comes down to two black men running against each other. Only recently it was unthinkable that any black man could be elected president, and now we actually have the possibility that two black men could be running against each other. Not long ago, if you had told me that the two presidential candidates of both parties would be black men I would have thought that you had lost your mind.

But having said all that, I think that Cain is the underdog. But in this crazy year, who knows?

[brooklynite]

19. Why it WON'T be Cain...

Because you can't vote for someone who's not on the ballot. For all his populist support, he's done a lousy job of raising money and building a ground team in key states...which means he's going to have a hard time collecting and filing petition signatures in places like South Carolina, Florida and Texas.

[totodeinhere]

21. If his polling numbers keep going up then organization and money might follow him. n/t