Herman Cain performed admirably in the spotlight. He showed intelligence, wit and a firm grasp of his platform. He disappointed me by running away from his honorable service as a board member and chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. I don’t believe, however, that he will win the GOP nomination. It’s Mitt Romney’s to lose.
The GOP has it’s inverse answer to Jesse Jackson, who twice pursed the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination by running to the left. Cain, like Jackson, will succeed in influencing the GOP platform.
Dissatisfaction with the other contenders, I think, is behind the Cain boomlet. Like all booms it’ll bottom out. Jesse Jackson did not become his Party’s nominee, either.
Mitt Romney is running at a steady and determined pace. After all the rabbits have expended themselves by January/February 2012, Romney should have picked up the support of leading conservatives, moderates and fence-sitters because he has the broadest message.
The best Democrats can hope for is an organized conservative movement on behalf of Cain or Rick Santorum that creates a “hung” RNC nominating convention. Now, wouldn’t that be fun?
Michael Benjamin for POLITICO Arena
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