The Mark of Cain

The big story over the last few days has been a concerted attack on GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain. I haven't said much about it yet because I deliberately wanted to see how deep the story went and more importantly,how Cain was going to handle it.

The attack on Cain involves some vague accusations of sexual harassment that date back over 15 years, from when Cain headed the National Restaurant Association. A couple of unidentified women who worked there apparently accused Cain of 'conversations allegedly filled with innuendo' and 'physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but that made women who experienced or witnessed them uncomfortable.'

So the Association apparently gave the women a small settlement to avoid the expense of litigation, a common tactic in these politically correct times. As anyone with any experience in these matters knows, just the initial dealings with the EEOC can involve a cost of $10 to $15,000 based on nothing more than a complaint,no matter how insubstantial.

For that, based strictly on hearsay, Herman Cain is in the headlines today accused of 'sexual harassment', even though numerous female employees who worked for the NRA at the time have come forward publicly to state that they never heard, observed or experienced any conduct from Herman Cain even remotely suggesting 'sexual harassment'.

Cain's real sin doesn't appear to be inappropriate sexual conduct but being an independent minded black conservative who strayed off the Left's reservation. For that, he has to be destroyed. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who's been mentioned as a possible vice - presidential nominee got the same treatment last week from the Washington Post for the exact same reason.

And the attacks on Cain - and yes, they're race-based - have been building for some time, ever since Herman Cain began gaining traction in the polls. And of course, the Left has made sure that the attacks mostly come from blacks...just to emphasize what happens to those who stray off the plantation.



For instance, a MSNBC 'analyst' named Karen Finney recently accused Republicans of racism, saying that Republicans are supporting Herman Cain because of his race:

"One of the things about Herman Cain is, I think that he makes that white Republican base of the party feel okay, feel like they are not racist because they can like this guy," Finney said. "I think he giving that base a free pass. And I think they like him because they think he's a black man who knows his place. I know that's harsh, but that's how it sure seems to me."

Finney is hardly unique or alone in saying this. In fact, it's become a part of the Left's repeated mythology as the election season moves into high gear.

“He’s engaging in a very dangerous, irresponsible type of rhetoric,” said Edward DuBose, president of the Georgia state conference of the NAACP. “It’s almost like he feels the need to be accepted in a different class or community, and somehow, by portraying his own race or portraying the poor as a problem, it’s going to advance his cause. I think he’s going to find that that’s not true.”

Pam Spaulding, the black LGBT blogger and darling of the Left made it even plainer, accusing Cain of 'shameless tap dancing for conservative white voters'.

And those are just a few examples. The most inadvertently comical thing about them is that all of these people probably voted for Bill Clinton - twice. That alone should shoot any pious homilies about 'sexual harassment' or untruthfullness out of the water.

And yet, as despicable and racist as these attacks are,they once again point out something that needs to be said. As likeable as he is, as compelling as his personal story is, Herman Cains not ready for prime time and his handling of this latest attack proves it.

Commonsense would dictate that if you're going to run for office, especially as a conservative black man, your very first practical task is to have your people do opposition research on yourself.

Anything even remotely attackable in your history or background needs to be looked at so that there are no surprises...so that you're prepared if and when it surfaces. Herman Cain either neglected to perform this elementary step or knew about this and simply tried to bluff his way clumsily out of it, changing his story about four separate times in the process. There's no third option, and neither one bodes well for his performance as president.

For a comparison, simply look at Governor Sarah Palin and how she handled media attacks on everything from her family and her very femininity to her generally excellent record as Alaska's governor to see the difference.

These attacks will likely not sink Cain, but it gives us an unfortunate preview of what we're in for if he's the nominee and the real attacks start.

And his continued gaffes, like his latest one on China are going to be easy ammo for the Obama campaign to destroy him:

JUDY WOODRUFF: Do you view China as a potential military threat to the United States?

HERMAN CAIN: I do view China as a potential military threat to the United States... we already have superiority in terms of our military capability, and I plan to get away from making cutting our defense a priority and make investing in our military capability a priority, going back to my statement: peace through strength and clarity. So yes they're a military threat. They've indicated that they're trying to develop nuclear capability and they want to develop more aircraft carriers like we have. So yes, we have to consider them a military threat.

Is it really too much to expect someone who's running for president to realize that China has been in the nuclear club for several decades? Imagine that surfacing in a debate...along with all the other ones he's come out with.

Herman Cain is an immensely likeable and decent man, and the racist attacks on him are despicable. But as I explored here, there are a lot of reasons he's simply not ready for the presidency.

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