By Zach Foster Earlier today, in the face of more and more developments in the Ginger White affair on top of many allegations of sexual harassment by various women, the pressure mounted to a force unbearable and Herman Cain suspended his Presidential campaign. In a statement, Cain said that these allegations (which he still denies) are hurting his wife, his family, his candidacy, and America “because you’re being denied solutions to our problems.[1]” In the midst of this crisis for the Cain camp, his chief grass roots supporters have already formed a plan and followed up on it: they are supporting Ron Paul, with many Cain supporters joining en masse even though their original champion has yet to endorse a candidate.
The heads of Herman Cain Forums have already made a statement as to why they’re supporting Ron Paul, namely that “Ron Paul was the only candidate that actually had remorse for how the media treated Herman Cain and the alleged affairs” and that they “will always thank him for showing respect in that nature.”[2] This makes perfect sense, and many of Congressman Paul’s supporters are happy that he was so adamant about focusing only on the erroneous portions of Cain’s platform and NOT his personal life. One thing that remains ironic is how many Democrats were ready to pounce on Cain as soon as allegations of sexual harassment arose, even though when Bill Clinton was faced with the possibility of impeachment over the Lewinsky scandal, their camp was shouting for America to focus on the issues and not the personal life of their champion. It is only fair to say that Republicans who pounced on Clinton for his affair are equally hypocritical as the pro-Clinton Democrats who pounced on Cain. Ron Paul pounced on neither, and it’s refreshing for people both in the Cain and Paul camps to know that a candidate in this day and age could still be a gentleman and focus on hard facts of politics and economics rather than the issues.
Herman Cain Forums is now a pro-Ron Paul website and its floodgates are open to the Paul camp. Articles on the Daily Paul have also appeared in which Paul supporters lament how the media zeroed in on Cain’s personal life and scandals rather than on the issues, and warmly invite Cain supporters into the Paul camp. “…So welcome. We commend you because many Republicans have been reluctant to rethink America's foreign policy (think Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity) and it has been frustrating because they won't allow the discussion to get too deep.”[3]
Some Cain supporters have flocked to Gingrich—the last bastion of [phony] conservatism (Romney being the poster boy for the moderates)—but they are not joined by the majority of their former allies. Many Cain supporters know that both Gingrich[4] and Romney[5] are well known for their flip flopping on key issues. Furthermore, many Cain supporters are silently resentful as to how Gingrich has suffered no repercussions in his campaign over his history of adultery, while growing allegations of an extramarital affair pushed their own champion out of the race. Thus, Herman Cain supporters are now in favor of Ron Paul.
Congressman Paul released an official statement regarding Cain’s campaign suspension: “Herman Cain brought energy and enthusiasm to the Republican nominating process, as well as a unique perspective on many domestic issues important to voters such as tax code reform and a pro-growth agenda favorable to the private sector. In light of his suspension of campaign activities, I want to wish Herman success in his future endeavors.”
From the point of view of a grass roots activist, it is fantastic to see how Cain and Paul supporters are connecting over social media to combine their strategies, talents, and efforts towards getting Ron Paul elected. Such a union of forces will also prove to be exceptionally beneficial to Ron Paul in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary election.
Cain photo by Gage Skidmore. Ron Paul photo in the public domain. Both obtained from Wikimedia Commons.
[1] The Rise and Fall of Herman Cain. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2011-12-03/herman-cain-suspends-campaign/51619408/1
[2] Now that Herman Cain has dropped out of the race my new candidate is Ron Paul. http://www.hermancainforums.com/index.php/topic,1824.0.html
[3] Welcome Former Herman Cain supporters! Daily Paul. http://www.dailypaul.com/190302/welcome-former-herman-cain-supporters
[4] Newt Gingrich: Serial Hypocrisy. Ron Paul campaign. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWKTOCP45zY
[5] Which Mitt? Democratic National Committee. www.whichmitt.com
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