Sexual harassment scandal? That’s so two hours ago. Republican presidential contender Herman Cain gave a bravura performance at the National Press Club this afternoon where he explained his 9-9-9 plan, dismissed those Politico allegations … and sang a gospel hymn.
In addition to being melodious, Cain was funny and thoroughly at ease in front of a packed room of media. This was a high stakes moment for Team Cain, and their candidate seemed to thrive on it. Is he still fuzzy on policy details, including those of his signature tax plan? Pretty much. But that may not matter to Republican voters who see Cain as an authentically conservative, inspirational figure with a record of private sector achievement.
And singing gospel right in the belly of the Washington beast in front of the hated MSM? For many conservatives, it doesn’t get much better than that. Many political pros don’t take Cain’s polling performance seriously and believe Mitt Romney a virtual lock at this point. But something weird is happening in the GOP race. Cain has caught fire with a post-modern political campaign built on powerful personality, viral videos and a big, bold idea.
Is that enough to get him the nomination against the Romney Campaign Machine? That partly depends if there is anything more to the harassment scandal. But if not, Cain is tapping into a volatile GOP race where all the rules are being broken.
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Call me crazy but the two candidates that stand out for me are Cain and Gingrich. I like their ideas and their positive energy. Neither has made any significant effort to tear down their opponents, rather, they focus on their own ideas and policies. Cain has a way with people that is really starting to gain him some momentum. Gingrich, unfortunately, does not have that same immediate appeal that Cain does, but, Gingrich has the ideas and he does such a masterful job of explaining those ideas that I believe he too is starting to gain some momentum with potential voters.