It’s not that I don’t like Herman Cain. He seems like a nice guy who really does want to change America for the better.
But he had his opportunity to address the nation, and he squandered it by not appropriately reacting to allegations of sexual misconduct. Whether or not Cain is guilty of the charges is irrelevant – he and his campaign mishandled the situation so badly that conservatives lost faith in the idea of his ever becoming the Republican nominee.
After dropping out of the race, Cain appeared with Stephen Colbert at a rally on the campus of Charleston College the day before the South Carolina primary. He urged students to vote for Herman Cain in the primary in order to vote Stephen Colbert. (Cain couldn’t get off the ballot; Colbert couldn’t get on.) It seemed obvious that Cain’s 15 minutes were dragging on well beyond their entertainment value.
Cain’s recitation at the Colbert rally of the lyrics of the “Pokémon” song, infamously associated with his campaign suspension speech, was a low point in the Republican presidential primary.
Imagine my shock when I learned Cain would speak on the main stage on the first day of the CPAC. Sources familiar with the situation assured me Cain was invited to CPAC before he dropped out of the presidential race, which was comforting.
Most discomforting is the amount of support Cain still seems to have among CPAC-goers. Based on the intensity of applause he received when he walked on and off stage for his speech, and was announced as a special guest at the dinner banquet, it’s clear his appearance with Colbert had little or no effect on the conservative base’s opinion of Cain.
Cain did not mention Pokémon in his CPAC speech (thankfully), and he did make a few interesting points, such as the fact that the unemployment rate is artificially low because more people have dropped out of the labor force. And then there was this bit:
Cain went on to claim there’s a difference between stupid people and ignorant people. Ignorant people don’t know any better, but “they’re both ruining America.”
Pot, meet kettle.
Herman Cain’s not stupid. As he pointed out himself in his speech, he was a mathematics major in college. He chaired the board of the Federal Reserve in Kansas City. He worked for the Department of Defense and he is a savvy businessman.
But Cain’s decision to aid Colbert – a comedian known for his mockery of the political process –is unacceptable and undignified. His joke endorsement of “the American people” was silly and likewise undignified. The conservative establishment should not reward him for his post-campaign behavior.
Herman Cain is not stupid, he’s just ignorant. By appearing with Colbert at a rally that could only be summed up as a #cainwreck, he became one of those ignorant people who is ruining America but doesn’t know it.
The 2012 election is no joke. Fellow conservatives who are not similarly ignorant would do well to steer clear of Cain.
