Now that this guy is literally an overnight superstar, there’s no way Cain can resist using him in future ads, right? The lure of earned media is simply too great. He shouldn’t be the focus going forward, though, as that would quickly turn boring and repetitive. No, I’m thinking more of a narrator role, appearing briefly at the beginning of each spot as a visual cue to tie them all together. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching hundreds of “Twilight Zone” episodes over the years, it’s that nothing sets the mood for drama like an awkward, high-strung dork in a rumpled suit chain-smoking his way through a monologue.

New York magazine’s Daily Intel blog describes Block’s appeal thusly:

Herman Cain is trying to appeal to people like Mark Block. He’s white, he has a mustache, he has a Midwestern accent, and yes, he smokes cigarettes. In short, he looks and sounds like someone from the SNL Da Bears sketches. And he believes in Herman Cain. Come on in, working class Republicans — the water’s fine!

Block admits as much here, saying, “I tell you, you walk into a veteran’s bar in Iowa and they’re sitting around smoking and, you know, yeah, we are resonating with them.” And it’s true, he does sound like one of Da Bears superfans. As luck would have it, Ditka is known to have a fondness for authentic conservative populists; maybe he’s already on the Cain Train and ready to pitch in. Next ad: Him and Block, side by side, dragging on Marlboros and blowing smoke rings right in some Romney lookalike’s smug RINO face. Nomination: Cinched.

Exit quotation: “Just let Block be Block.”