Herman Cain Damages the GOP

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 7, 2011
All Rights Reserved.                                         

          No matter how much Herman Cain’s sexual harassment revelations help the candidacy of GOP presidential frontrunners former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, it hits the Republican Party with a wrecking ball.  Cain’s refusal to deal with the media has all but sunk his campaign.  New revelations about more of Cain’s past shenanigans announced today in New York City by women’s rights Attorney Gloria Allread put the last nail in Cain’s presidential coffin.  While the GOP right wing media continue support Cain, his mainstream GOP friends are beginning to have serious doubts.  Republicans hoped they could retain Cain as the GOP’s Obama-basher-in-chief because, unlike other white candidates, he can bash Obama without racial accusations.  Now that Cain’s self-destructed, it’s going to be difficult for the GOP to keep up the same intensity attacking Obama.

            Calling the attacks a “smear campaign,” Cain refused to identify the source of the sexual harassment allegations.  While implying the Democrats, Cain knows the more likely leak came from the Romney or Perry campaigns, both stand to gain with Cain’s ignominious end.  Sexual harassment allegations emerged from at least three women during Cain’s tenure as the director of the National Restaurants Association during the ‘90s.  At a hastily conducted new conference in New York, Allred introduced former National Restaurant Assn. employee Sharon Bialek.  “Instead of going into the offices, he suddenly reached over and put his hand on my leg and up my skirt and towards my genitals,” said Bialek with Allred at her side.  If the GOP hasn’t heard enough yet, pointing fingers at the liberal establishment isn’t working.  Cain’s spokesperson J.D. Gordon called Allred a Democratic hack.

            Gordon’s diversionary tactics have already backfired on his boss, helping to sink Cain’s presidential bid.  More stonewalling begins to bleed to other GOP candidates now treading water, only two months from the nation’s first Republican primaries.  Most people know that Cain’s problems help his GOP rivals Romney and Perry and have no effect on the Democratic Party or President Barack Obama’s chances of reelection.  If anything, Barack would love to run against a loose canon like Cain, someone carrying enough baggage to sink the GOP ship in 2012.  Hearing Bialek’s explicit charges make real the serious nature of sexual harassment allegations.  No man or woman running for president can ignore multiple sources, all making similar charges and pointing to the same conclusion.  Allred’s press conference is a game-changer for the Cain campaign and GOP.

            Now that the public’s heard firsthand from one of Cain’s accusers, the GOP can’t fool around any longer.  Damage flows like a tsunami unless specific steps are made to distance the Party and Republican National Committee from the misdeeds of one of its representatives.  Cain’s expected appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” needs to be urgently cancelled before more damage to the Party and other GOP presidential candidates.  Any appearance of complicity or tolerance of Cain’s past deeds reflects unfavorably on the Party.  Last week Cain’s spokesperson predicted that others would come forward with baseless allegations.  Cain’s campaign hastened to point out that Allred donated to Barack and Hillary’s campaigns in 2008.  Cain’s campaign walks a tricky tightrope trying to impeach Allred’s credibility.  Regardless of her Party affiliation, her reputation precedes her. 

            Allred has already turned the Cain campaign into a referendum on sexual harassment in the workplace.  “I consider sexual harassment the No. 1 problem in the workplace,” Allred told the Associated Press last week.  “It denies equal opportunity in the workforce.  If [women] don’t protest it, they’ll have to continue to suffer,” letting the GOP know they’re fighting a losing battle protecting Cain.  Cain’s only real value to the GOP was bashing Obama without a racist label applied to other white GOP candidates.  Without Cain, remaining GOP candidates will have to tread lightly in how they attack the president.  Whatever support Cain enjoyed last week, it’s a whole new ballgame now.  GOP officials will be leaning heavily on Cain to get out before he takes down the entire Party.  Stonewalling the press, refusing to answer questions was the surest path to self-destruction.

            Cain’s damage control strategies have backfired, now pushing him to resign from the 2012 presidential campaign.  While he made quite a stir, his continued presence hurts the GOP’s chances going forward.  “Legitimate questions have been raise and that information has to come forward,” said former Utah Gov. and presidential candidate John Huntsman, urging Cain to come clean.  Cain’s refusal to answer the press’s questions threw gasoline on an already raging PR disaster.  Mississippi Gov. and former presidential candidate Haley Barbour thought the only way Cain could get back on message “is to get all the facts on the table.”  Barbour’s not quite right about Cain getting back “on message.” If facts really come out, Cain will be bounced out of the campaign as a male chauvinist pig.  Regardless of all the smoke and mirrors, Cain’s presidential hopes have all but vanished.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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