“Supporters rushed to the bus to greet the Republican presidential hopeful with words of encouragement and support. This is Cain’s first trip to the state in more than a month. Some Iowa staffers have left the campaign, fearing that Cain was not giving the state enough attention, instead opting to go on a whirlwind book tour for his newly released autobiography.
“‘Well, what some people are missing is that I just didn’t start coming to Iowa. I started coming to Iowa last fall and I’ve been here on a regular basis, talking to a lot of groups,’ Cain said. ‘I think that the fact that we are leading in the polls in Iowa shows that when people get on the Cain Train, they don’t get off. They don’t get off because of the flavor of the week. And so that’s what’s so exciting and that’s why I’m happy to be here in Cyclone country.'”
“The good news continued for Herman Cain Friday, as the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO won the Western Republican Leadership Conference straw poll of GOP presidential contenders, edging out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — and leaving Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a distant fifth place.
“Mr. Cain, whose longshot campaign got a major boost by winning a major Florida straw poll last month, received nearly 31 percent of the vote and Mr. Romney pulled in nearly 29 percent of the vote…
“David Mansdoerfer, of Citizen Outreach, the poll sponsor, said the results aren’t surprising. ‘Herman Cain has spent a lot of time in Nevada and it shows,’ he said. ‘You can see people reacting to his message about the economy and job creation.'”
“If Cain does well in Iowa, it could upend the entire premise of the caucus process: In order to win in Iowa, candidates must spend time in the state wooing the famously coddled voters with personal appearances and vast organizations…
“Cain has been to Iowa 33 times, according to his campaign, which has four staffers in a suite of offices in Des Moines. Voters who have seen him gush about it. But Cain doesn’t seem to be planning to pick up the pace now that his moment has arrived. Cain hasn’t been back in the state since the Ames straw poll in August. He visits this weekend to attend the Iowa and Iowa State football games, and he will speak Saturday at a forum held by the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition. But he is leaving the next day. According to his Iowa staff, his next trip to the state is scheduled for mid-November. After that, he has a visit planned for December, and, says Lisa Lockwood, his Iowa communications director, ‘I would anticipate he might make a showing here on caucus day.’…
“In the end, says Lockwood, ‘I would be a little surprised if we don’t bring in a caucus win.’ She bases that on the enthusiasm she’s seen from Iowa voters. One person saw her at Wal-Mart shopping in a Cain T-shirt and asked to volunteer. ‘It’s just a yay-positive spiral upward,’ she says, describing the power of Cain’s appeal to the simple. ‘He has ‘kid logic’ that can’t be argued with. The example I use is my daughter. She was rinsing off her feet in the water in Florida, and I said, ‘You’re getting your pants wet.’ She looked at me and said ‘That’s what water does, Mom.’ That was so Herman Cain-esque.'”
“Even though Cain is in the lead, it seems that we don’t really know that much about him. His 9-9-9 tax plan is catchy and simple to understand, but it has been repudiated by all of Cain’s GOP rivals, as well as Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. Even one of Cain’s economic advisors has publically stated that a new nine percent federal sales tax won’t sell to voters.
“However, it’s not Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan that should make voters nervous. Overhauling the tax code is a discussion that needs to take place in every election cycle. What should make voters nervous is everything else. It seems that Cain is either constantly misunderstanding questions poised to him on what should be easy, fundamental issues, or he admits to having misspoke after it is pointed out that the position he has stated is not that of a conservative…
“Had Cain misspoke one time, it would be one thing, but this is a disturbing pattern that has developed. Do we really know what Herman Cain believes and why? If he can’t comprehend the questions that he is being asked by CNN personalities, how is he going to hold up against foreign leaders who are hostile to America?”
“‘In a couple of instances … I misspoke because of the pace of the interview. I don’t call it a flip-flop. I’d rather come back and explain to people what I really meant,’ Cain said Friday after an economic speech in Detroit. ‘It doesn’t send mixed messages. It just shows that I’m willing to correct myself … if in fact I need to correct myself for clarity. That’s what I’m trying to achieve.’…
“‘I’m looking for someone that’s electable and right now I don’t think he fits into that category,’ said 60-year-old Gene Carkeet of Memphis, Tenn., who attended a recent Cain rally there but remains undecided…
“Not everyone is disheartened by Cain’s missteps. Kay Godwin, co-founder of Georgia Conservatives in Action, said she is still solidly behind him.
“‘Look at Romney and Perry at the last debate. They can’t even be civil to each other on a stage in front of a national audience,’ Godwin said. ‘At his core, Herman has the heart to save this country.'”
“Ignore the Politico daily briefings, the Rasmussen tracking polls, the angst from conservative activists over Romney’s past deviations and present-day dishonesties. Please ignore me as well, should campaign fever inspire a column about the Santorum surge or the Huntsman scenario. Because barring an unprecedented suspension of the laws of American politics, Mitt Romney has this thing wrapped up…
“[N]one of his rivals look capable of even pushing the race [very] far. They don’t have the money or the organizational muscle, but more important they aren’t clearing the first hurdle that every presidential candidate faces. After months of campaigning, it is nearly impossible to imagine any of them as a major party’s nominee, much less in the White House…
“What’s more, Republicans have only themselves to blame for his inevitability. Romney owes his current position to two failures: the Bush era’s serial disasters, which left the Republican establishment without a strong bench of viable national politicians, and the Tea Party’s mix of zeal and naïveté, which has elevated cranks and frauds and future television personalities to the party’s presidential stage.”
Via Mediaite.
Via the Daily Caller.
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