The rise and fall of Herman Cain

Just a few weeks ago, Herman Cain was lumped into the category of GOP fringe candidates, finding his place between the constant curmudgeon Newt Gingrich and the ire of every rational thinking person, Rick Santorum.

Now, after winning the Florida straw poll, the Real Clear Politics national poll average has Cain sitting in third place, just 3 percent behind Rick Perry, who just a few weeks ago was considered the top dog. The two previous GOP debates consisted of front-runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney quoting from each other’s books.

Not to be left out and to solidify his credentials as a serious contender, Cain has now released a book titled “This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House.” His campaign is now doubling as a book tour.

The appeal of Herman Cain is understandable. He has never had an elected office and thus does not talk or act like a politician. He presents very clear answers to our nation’s problems in contrast to rhetorical nonsense spewed by his competition. People are drawn to the clarity of his message.

What should we do about taxes? Cain says throw out the old tax code and replace it with something called the “999 Plan” that I, a student of literature, can understand: a flat 9 percent corporate, individual and sales tax. That will make everyone’s tax season less stressful, and it seems fair. Everyone pays the same percentage of taxes. Why not?

What about social security? Cain suggests following the Chilean model of replacing the government-run pension system with a personal retirement account. Again, this seems fair and reasonable in contrast to Rick Perry’s outright declaration that social security is a Ponzi Scheme.

But Herman Cain’s no-nonsense, straightforward, speak-what-I-feel, no-experience-required persona will also be his undoing. In response to the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, Cain had this to say: “Don’t blame Wall Street. Don’t blame the big banks. If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself.”

Comments like this will help to push Cain out of the spotlight just as quickly as he was thrown into it. Not only is he marginalizing the protesters, he is in fact marginalizing most of the country.

Whether or not everyone agrees with any specifics (what few there are) of the Occupy Wall Street movement, there is at least a feeling of solidarity. Times are tough, and people are hurting financially in ways they weren’t hurting just a few years ago.

Cain’s campaign will self-destruct if he continues to show such brazen insensitivity to the down-and-out and the unemployed. He should be reaching out to these people, not accusing them. Cain’s remarks also don’t make any sense politically. If the unemployed should blame themselves, what good will he do as president?

I thought campaigning for president involved providing answers to citizen’s problems, not blaming them for acknowledging their problems and protesting what they view as the cause of them.

Wouldn’t it behoove Cain to say, “Blame Obama. Vote for me” not, “Blame yourself?”

Because of his political inexperience, Cain will not be the Republican nomination.
But I don’t think he will fall off the map. Because there is something very appealing about the man, we might see him as Secretary of Treasury or Commerce.

There might even be a Vice President Cain in our near future.

— sdance@indiana.edu