Right Pundits

The scene was at the grand opening of his new headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Herman Cain officially suspended his 2012 Republican presidential campaign after allegations of a long-term affair with Ginger White. Appearing on stage before the crowd, with his wife, Gloria, of 43 years, Cain remained defiant concerning allegations of any sex scandals. But Herman Cain has been forced to accept the reality of fading poll numbers and a rapidly shrinking calendar. A four-day tracking poll in Iowa shows his support dwindling from 12% to just 4%. With just one month to go, there simply is not enough time to wait for other candidates to implode and recover lost ground.

Thus ends a unique chapter in what has become a unique election cycle. Herman Cain was the first person to officially declare himself a candidate back in January. For months he struggled along with little name recognition. Many in the Tea Party movement were familiar with him, and he had a following in Atlanta thanks to his talk radio show. But Cain was generally ignored by the Media at large until the race began to get interesting following the Iowa Straw Poll.

Michele Bachmann won that and for a brief moment, got plenty of attention. Could she actually challenge the Established-accepted front runner, Mitt Romney? It would seem so up until the Politico launched a hit piece about her having issues with migraine headaches. Some believe that story originated from the Tim Pawlenty camp, her chief rival in Iowa for winning the straw poll. Pawlenty failed miserably and quit the very next day.

Texas Governor Rick Perry then burst on the scene the day of the Straw Poll, throwing his hat and swagger into the race. He went on the offensive, attacking Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke. Alas, it appeared that the Republicans had a true competitor on the field, somebody to challenge Mitt Romney and actually do battle with Obama. Perry held his own for the first couple of debates, which were becoming more frequent now. But then he made a gaffe about people lacking compassion for the children of illegal immigrants. This was followed by a series of gaffes, leading up to the big brain-freeze when Perry forgot the third federal department he said he would close if elected – the Department of Energy.

As Perry′s numbers shrank, Herman Cain soared in the polls. His 9-9-9 flat tax plan was a nice, simple slogan and concept that started people talking seriously about replacing the current federal tax code. With the Republican primary voters still seeking an alternative to Mitt Romney, Herman Cain became the center of gravity. His folksy ways resonated with people. Cain could claim an outsider status as he has never held an elected office before, though he has worked in government circles, first with the Navy as a ballistics expert, later as the head of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. Herman Cain′s biography seemed too good to be true. Married to his high school sweetheart for 43 years and successfully turned around failing companies. Cain even battled and beat a bout with Stage-4 cancer, where the odds were 20-to-1 against him surviving.

As Herman Cain became the new contender to take away Mitt Romney′s presumed front-runner status, the Politico, once again, scored a hit, torpedoing Cain with allegations of sexual harassment. For the first week, the Politico ran nearly 100 stories, with nothing but hearsay and anonymous sources, raking Cain with innuendo. At first, Cain appeared to be handling the hits, despite some missteps in damage control. His fund raising went up dramatically the first few days. But gradually, his poll numbers did begin to decline. Much to the benefit of Newt Gingrich, who began to surge.

With just a few weeks left before the Iowa caucus, Herman Cain was about to launch a new offensive, focusing on foreign policy, after a couple of gaffes on international matters. The same day of the roll-out for his new proposals, Ginger White, a businesswoman from Atlanta, Georgia, went public alleging that she has had a 13-year long sexual relationship with Cain. She had phone records to prove that she has been in contact with Cain right through last month. White also claims that Cain lavished her with trips, gifts and has been assisting her financially. Herman Cain did not deny knowing her, but did deny having an affair with her. Earlier this week, we also learned that Cain′s wife knew nothing of the ′friendship′ Cain admitted to having with Ginger White, nor did Gloria Cain know about the money her husband had been giving this woman.

So today in Atlanta, Georgia, at what was supposed to be the grand opening of his new campaign headquarters, Herman Cain officially suspended his bid to be the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. The ceremony was complete with a barbeque and only lacked a brass band. Cain continues to denies any sex scandal with Ginger White, as he also denies any of the other allegations of sexual harassment. He blames the Media for airing unsubstantiated allegations which have hurt his family. He promises to remain engaged in the political debate, starting a new foundation and website, TheCainSolutions. Rumors that White will reveal more damning information, or of other women stepping forward, may now be silenced as Herman Cain returns to the world of being a private citizen. Or is he? I suspect that we have not heard the last from him nor from those who want to continue their attacks and agenda against Herman Cain.

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