Why I’m Thankful for a Herman Cain

My title may seem a bit over the top, but one thought comes to mind whenever I see Herman Cain in the news.

Thank God for Herman Cain!

This man did the American people a great service by running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. There were moments his ridiculous antics were quite amusing. Lord knows, the country could use a chuckle or two during these trying times. But it's also been embarrassing and, at times, difficult to watch. And if the allegations of his treatment of women turn out to be true, it would be nothing less than disgraceful.

So, what service did Herman Cain actually do for the country? Well, I hope he has finally put to rest this totally ridiculous idea that still permeates the air like the foulest stench:

"Black people only voted for Obama because he is black."

No matter how many times I've heard these words from political pundits--whether on TV, the radio, or the internet--it always sounds condescending and bigoted. It generalizes an entire race of people and makes them seem like they think with a single, simplistic mind.

Black people don't know the issues. They only saw a black man and voted for him.

They didn't see an intelligent, well-educated, well-informed, and articulate man running for President. He just happened to be black.

Believing black people only voted for President Obama because of his race seems to be an acceptable belief and far too many people are still unashamed to say it out loud. I've personally met people who are all too eager to perpetuate this nonsense. Of course, if you ever suggested that their voting patterns are based solely on race, you'd be immediately met with a barrage of resentful denials.

But I can truly look to the sky and enthusiastically say-

Thank God for Herman Cain!

Herman Cain, the conservative black businessman who decided one day to steal a few moments from his book tour to run for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Even though he had made a name for himself as the CEO who saved Godfather's Pizza, he seemed like a long-shot.
But to everyone's surprise, he soon found himself atop the field and the GOP was faced with the notion that he could actually win. But even more surprising, we learned that Mr. Cain was short on foreign affairs knowledge. I mean, very short.

Other candidates would be concerned about such a glaring weakness. But not Mr. Cain. He openly joked about his lack of knowledge, as he did in an interview on CBN .

Hmm. In the post-9/11 world, would it really be funny if our President didn't know much about this ever-shrinking world? How could he be effective in dealing with world politics, the global economy, and national security?

Mr. Cain even struggled to explain his position on key issues, like the recent military action in Libya. When he was confused when asked about collective bargaining, an area that would appear to be more in line with his business experience, it really raised eyebrows.

Even after such performances, which were becoming excruciatingly painful to watch, he still topped the polls. No matter what came out of this man's mouth, he still had a lot of supporters who still felt he was a serious candidate. Not only did he continue to carry poll numbers in the 27% range, but he also continued to pull in millions of dollars in campaign donations. You'd think he would have taken this opportunity serious enough to come off of the book tour and prepare for the media attention he would receive as a frontrunner.

But not Mr. Cain. He was proud to be "a leader, not a reader." Curious words to be uttered by a college graduate, a published author, and a successful CEO.

Then, the final blow came in the form of sexual harassment allegations made by women from the 1990's when Mr. Cain headed the National Restaurant Association, a lobbying group. Although they were still just allegations, two of them ended in financial settlements just before he left the organization.

The black candidate, who proudly stated that racism in this country today doesn't hold anybody back in a big way, now found that playing the race card in a big way was his best protection. That and doing what most sexual harassers do when accused: character assassination. He smeared the women by discussing their "poor work performance," "financial problems," and other issues through the media every single day. And because the women who made settlements were under gag orders, they were rendered helpless in defending themselves. Cain could run his mouth and they could say nothing without running the risk of being held liable. Even if he were completely innocent, it was a mean tactic to use for Herman Cain, a Christian minister.

After his many conflicting accounts of the cases, the growing number of accusers, and his inability to answer important policy questions, the voters finally began to have their doubts as to his fitness for the office.

But here's my question: Did we really need these allegations to come out before we knew he wasn't fit for the office? Really?

The fact that he couldn't competently answer important foreign policy questions wasn't already enough? Why did we need to a sex scandal to shine light on his qualifications or lack thereof?

Ok, so why am I thankful for Herman Cain? This is easy to explain. This proves that black people--like any other people--look at a candidate's politics just like any other group of people. If this were not so, Herman Cain would have attracted more black support. If black people thought the way they have been misrepresented, they would have loved to keep the office of President of the United States in the family, so to speak.

They would say, "I don't like Cain, but he's black and I want one of us to still be President for the next four years."

But it didn't happen that way, so?

Mr. Cain's politics and policies made him unpopular with black voters. If you want to discuss whether those politics or policies they care for are right or wrong, that's a fairer argument. But this is one myth I'd like to believe we've put to rest. Unfortunately, there will always be those who will believe what they want, no matter what logic or evidence show.

Sad...very sad.