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Health & Fitness

Will the media stop treating Herman Cain like a serious political candidate?

Herman Cain is currently riding high on a wave of media hype and popularity, but he is just the current flavor of the week in the Republican primary/reality show.

Republican presidential candidate and former pizza mogul Herman Cain is currently riding high on a wave of media hype and popularity, but he is just the current flavor of the week in the Republican primary/reality show.

 A few months ago it was compulsive liar Rep. Michele Bachmann, but she was soon shoved aside, after people started fact checking her speeches. Texas governor Rick Perry was seen as the great white hope riding in to save the day, but after a few disastrous debate showings, his credibility is plummeting faster than Glenn Beck's.

 So I guess it's Cain's turn on the mound. However, Cain will never be elected president, and he is not even really running for the job. I am not the only person to say this. "Real Time" host Bill Maher said he would give CNBC host Michelle Caruso Cabrera $1 million if Cain won the Republican nomination.

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When you look closer at Cain's campaign you realize that he symbolizes the worst of what today's politics has become. Many candidates see a political run not as a chance to effect change in government, but as an opportunity to boost their profile. Running for office is a huge branding exercise. It worked for Sarah Palin, who got a gig on FOX, a book deal, speaking gigs and a reality show out of her abortive presidential race.

And no-hoper candidates such as Sharron Angle of and Christine O'Donnell have both turned their political failures to their advantage by writing books and hitting the lecture circuit. Now we hear that Joe, the-unlicensed-plumber-who-was-scared-to-raise-taxes-because-he-might-be-rich-one day, is running for Congress.

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It's the same with Cain, who has never won a political race in his life. The only other political race he has been involved was a Georgia senate primary, which he lost. Cain's fake campaign is a marketing exercise, and to an extent it has worked. Less than a year ago, no one knew who he was, but today Herman Cain is a household name. This bodes well for Cain's real goal which is to boost his speaking fees.

Cain's book is also on the bestseller list. So effectively by running for president, he got himself a whole lot of free publicity. Turns out he really is a smart businessman. 

If you need more proof of Cain's lack of seriousness, consider that he has only raised about $2.8 million in the last quarter. Perry has pulled in $17 million. Additionally, Cain abandoned Iowa to hit the talk show circuit to flog his book. Yeah, I am sure that will help his first year in office.  Cain's communication director, Ellen Carmichael, also recently quit.

Cain's main selling point is that he is not a politician, and brings business expertise to the presidential campaign. But why do people think that being a great businessman will make a good politician? Politics and business are two different fields, each with their own set of rules. In my opinion, most successful businessmen don't make good politicians, because they are used to running things their way, and don't know how to compromise or work with hostile parties. Have people forgotten how well Ross Perot fared in his presidential run?

The corporate world has also been responsible for disasters like the Savings and Loans crash, Lehman Brothers, Tyco, Enron, Halliburton/KBR and Blackwater, just to name a few. Do we really want to let people like that run the government?

Cain says his lack of experience is a plus, but the last candidate without any political experience who made it to the White House was Dwight Eisenhower, and he was a World War II hero.

Cain's lack of polish has shown in his gaffe-prone interviews.

  • He once said that he would ban Muslims from his administration, and communities should be allowed to prevent the construction of mosques. He later had to retract both statements.
  • Cain's 999 tax plan, which has been criticized by economists on the left and right, is expected to implement a national sales tax, which will raise the price of food and affect low-income families. Cain responding by suggesting they buy, "used food."
  • Cain also proudly said that he had no idea who was the president of " Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan," which is kind of important because Uzbekistan is a major supply route to Afghanistan, and its President Islam Karimov, has a rather unsavory human rights record.

This should be evidence that Cain does not understand the issues and has no interest in learning them either. But he has succeeded in getting the national exposure he craved. He will probably get a regular gig on FOX after his time in the sun.

But right now he needs to declare victory, go home, and leave the presidential race to real candidates.  There must be a pizza store out there missing a manager. 

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