If Cain Can't, Then Who Will?

Can Herman Cain keep his political campaign out of the toilet, or is this the end for the former GOP front runner? Sometime during the afternoon of December 3 - just four days before Pearl Harbor Day, Cain, after meeting with his wife and his staff, announced that because of the impact on the disclosure of allegations of harassment and a long-term affair, he will suspend his campaign.

While the allegations of harassment, a case of his word against his accuser, only had a marginal impact on his poll numbers, the surfacing of an allegation of a long-term affair has left his numbers in a free fall to the bottom. The allegations of a 13-year affair came from 46-year-old Ginger White, and in their wake his fund raising stalled and his popularity began to drop.

The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive, with no previous political experience, surprised everyone when he entered the Republican race by almost immediately soaring to the top of the polls. He was viewed by many tea party conservatives as a desirable alternative to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He remained high in the polls despite fumbling some foreign policy questions during debates, and only suffered a slight drop when four allegations of sexual harassment when he was president of the National Restaurant Association surfaced. The allegations of the long running affair, however, just might be the final hole that sinks his political boat.

Now that Cain has dropped out of the race it leaves the field to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Romney, who will then be subject to even greater scrutiny in the run-up to the primaries, not exactly a welcome development; especially for Gingrich who has his own personal life to be concerned with.

The ups and downs of the GOP primary contest continue, and one can only wait in eager anticipation for the next act in what is rapidly becoming a disorganized three-ring circus. In most U.S. elections, the incumbent President has to worry primarily about the state of the economy, and with the current economic situation, there's plenty to worry about. But, with Republican candidates self-destructing one after another, it will be interesting to see just what the main topics of the general election campaign will turn out to be. The old adage, "It's the Economy, Stupid," just might not apply this time around.