Unfortunately, Herman Cain't

Don't get me wrong, I like Herman Cain and even voted for him in the 2004 Republican primary when he challenged then-Congressmen Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins for the GOP nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. Cain finished an impressive second place and almost forced Isakson into a runoff. However, based upon what I've heard from the Herminator the past few days, I have serious doubts that he has what it takes to survive the media gantlet standing between him and the GOP presidential nomination.

Cain has a lot going for him and is creating some positive buzz among likely Republican voters, both here in Georgia and nationally. Herman had a successful corporate career with Pillsbury and Godfather's Pizza and is the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Many locals know him as the former host of a talk show on WSB radio. He's good-looking, enthusiastic, motivational and knows how to dish out enough conservative red meat to keep the Tea Party crowd coming back for more.

On the campaign trail Cain likes to play up the fact that he's never held elected office, and with an electorate turned off with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, his lack of experience is seen by many as a plus. America likes underdogs and outsiders, and Cain fits both bills. However, that inexperience also brings with it a huge risk.

Presidential politics is not just a national version of a congressional race. It's a faster, tougher and more unforgiving endeavor, and the highway of American history is littered with presidential candidate roadkill. You get few second chances as recently evidenced when both liberal and conservative pundits wrote off the campaign of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich after a couple of missteps shortly after he announced the official launch of his campaign.

I was pulling for Cain during the South Carolina GOP debate a couple of weeks ago but found myself shouting at the television all evening in frustration. Yes, Cain garnered a lot of support that night, and Frank Luntz's focus group tilted overwhelmingly to Cain after watching his performance. While he hit the right notes at times that night with his regular campaign stump one-liners, the lack of depth to some of his answers was concerning. He had several opportunities to hit home runs but instead only squeezed out some base hits. 

A great example of the weaknesses I see in Cain's preparation came this week on Fox News Sunday, where except for the generosity of host Chris Wallace, Cain's candidacy could have been dealt a severe setback. For the past week Cain has hammered President Obama on foreign policy, especially concerning Obama's speech outlining demands concerning Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state.

When a candidate focuses in on a specific issue and goes after a sitting president as hard as Cain did Obama, he'd better be prepared for some probing questions about the topic. Wallace tossed Cain some general softballs on what his policy would be concerning Israel and the Middle East, which he handled with some of his standard one-liners. When pressed for more depth, Cain more or less repeated what he had already said.

Then Wallace asked Cain what his policy would be concerning "right of return." Cain was like a deer caught in headlights and had no clue what Wallace was even talking about. Cain muttered, "Right of return? Right of return?" I saw the wheels turning in Chris Wallace's brain. He could have destroyed Cain for his lack of knowledge on an issue central to the whole Israel/Palestinian conflict but instead rephrased the question with a tremendous amount of detail so as to lead Cain to an answer. Even with the help, Cain stumbled badly with his response.

In the early days of the campaign, most journalists are likely to be somewhat forgiving as candidates occasionally trip themselves up. However, we'll quickly get to that point in the contest when the true vetting begins and the weak will be cut to shreds. As a black conservative Republican hoping to challenge the nation's first black president, Cain makes for an interesting storyline. There are some in the media who will treat him gently, hoping he can gain traction so that when they do take him down, he'll land with a thunderous thud, disenfranchising the Tea Party gang and also blacks who are considering voting Republican this time.

Is there still time for Cain to turn things around? Absolutely, but the window is small. He needs a lot of professional media coaching to be able to play at the presidential level. I hope he gets it and makes the Republican nominating process a memorable one. 

Follow me on Twitter @chuckshiflett and also check out my statewide columns at The Backroom Report.