Herman Cain: A Great Candidate with Great Disadvantages

Introduction: Herman Cain is about to runaway with the Republican nomination for President! That is the conclusion of a Fox News focus group survey conducted immediately following the first Republican debate in the election. The vast majority in the group told pollster Frank Luntz that Cain won the debate based on his straightforward delivery and directness. Something incredible and very special happened the night of the debate.

It is going to be interesting to watch Cain battle against this formibable list of obstacles.

Money; Lack of money is the biggest obstacle for any candidate, and especially a long shot candidate such as Cain. He has some money to get started, but not the kind of money Ross Perot, Steve Forbes, and Mitt Romney had to self finance their own campaigns. He must build momentum to convince the big donors to help finance his campaign.
History of losing: Cain lost in is only other bid for major office. He finished second in a 2004 GOP Senate primary and failed to force a runoff with current Senator Johnny Isakson(R-GA). He lost by a very wide margin of 53% to 26%. It is very difficult for a non-elected official to win the presidency, and the only non-elected officials to win the office were military generals. A history of losing elections is a great roadblock to building an organization, raising money, and convincing people of your credibility.

Name Recognition: Name identification is the most important quality a candidate can have and Cain must develop it. He has a long way to go as most people have never heard of him. This is especially important in Iowa and New Hampshire where he must win early to build momentum and get his name in headlines across the nation. In this crowded race it will be very difficult to stand out and develop name recognition.

Self-Promotion: As a businessman, Cain could be perceived as doing something to promote his own career, and not as a serious candidate. Donald Trump has been accused of this in the past.

Lacks Government Experience: Cain does not have a record of government service for voters to consider. This makes it even more difficult for him to gain their confidence and trust.

Lack of Expertise: During the debate, he said he would rely on the experts and their advice and input on Afghanistan. This is extremely dangerous as the experts usually disagree with one another and the President is the final decision maker. We saw how long it took President Obama to formulate policy on Afghanistan, and in the end he had to make the final decision and take responsibility for his actions. The experts can only advise. They do not decide and carry out the policy once decisions have been made.

Race: The Republican Party is predominantly conservative and white. They are probably not ready to nominate an Afro-American for the Presidency.

Source: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/case-forcase-against/the-case-for-herman-cain.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/herman-cain-more-likely-to-be-star-than-nominee/2011/05/06/AFtMNj8F_blog.html?referrer=emaillink


http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2011/0506/Herman-Cain-GOP-debate-winner


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/herman-cain-oil-prices_n_858469.html

http://www.foxnews.com/topics/politics/reporters/herman-cain.htm