The False Herman Cain Narrative

What I regard to be a false narrative that has quickly become conventional wisdom is making the rounds. The narrative is most recently advanced in passing by Thomas Sowell.

We have already seen how unsubstantiated allegations from women with questionable histories have dropped Herman Cain from front runner to third place in just a couple of weeks.

I love Thomas Sowell. He is a brilliant man and I generally wish that I had one tenth of his insight. Nevertheless, even brilliant people are sometimes wrong. Those of us seeking a viable Republican candidate are engaged in a thoughtful, extended vetting process. We will not be deterred by false accusers, amplified as they are by cacophonous media blowhards.

The chief person Cain has to blame for his decline in the polls is Cain. When he flubbed a few answers or responded vaguely to questions, Herman Cain received the benefit of the doubt from many of us owing to the fact that he is a business man, not a politician. We Cain supporters were undeterred. However, as time wore on and Cain discovered his "inner Perry" in an interview where he was questioned on Libya, my faith suffered a devastating blow. Neither was Cain's stated position (in the same interview) on collective bargaining by public-sector employees satisfactory. The doubts that were nagging me but that I refused to acknowledge were suddenly brought to a focal point. As days and debates passed Cain failed to sharpen up, and persisted in his fuzziness on the issues. The continuous repetition of "999" will only get you so far.

Don't misunderstand. I still believe Cain is superior to several of the candidates. The jury is still out. If Cain becomes the clear front-runner I will support him without reservation. I do believe that he is a quick study and that he can overcome his deficiencies. But, for now, I feel compelled to explore other avenues. Apparently I am not alone.

So please, drop the sex-pot blame game. It's insulting to those of us who always believed the accusations to be lies. The blame in Cain lies mainly in the same.