The question now is how everything shakes out. So says Donald Douglas at American Power about the recent announcement by Herman Cain that he is suspending his campaign. Robert Stacy McCain deserves a measure of respect and sympathy for the way he has steadfastly supported the Cain campaign almost from the beginning, while stoically ignoring my efforts to torture him with what has now become a kind of gallows humor on my part. But make no mistake, the Cain campaign became a walking corpse about two weeks ago. McCain himself got no respect for his efforts, as he himself has come to realize. He blames Cain's staff, a certain one in particular. But indeed this very post points out the systemic problem with Cain's campaign. It almost looks like its being conducted on the fly. But really, whose fault is that? Isn't Cain the guy who claimed he knew how to hire and surround himself with the right people, the kind of people who knew what they were doing, and who could give him the right kind of advice? Well, if his campaign turned into a clusterfuck based on Cain's hiring decisions, what ever would his presidency have been like?
Let's face facts here. Some people claim that Cain was promoting his book the whole time, and there might be a great deal of merit to the charge. But I think he was also and perhaps chiefly angling for an appointment. Possibly Secretary of Commerce, or possibly even as the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve when the next appointment comes up, assuming it will be under a Republican Administration. That does make sense, as Cain is a former Fed governor in the Kansas City Office. Hell, his whole 9-9-9 policy might have been an audition to head the IRS, or possibly even for the big prize, Secretary of Treasury. But I don't believe for one minute he seriously thought he had a shot at winning the GOP nomination. When he shot up in the polls after the implosion of the Perry candidacy, probably no one was more shocked than Herman Cain. It probably speaks volumes as to why Cain treated many of his biggest supporters in the blogosphere so shabbily, including even McCain, his most devoted blogging advocate. Any time Stacy reached out Cain probably secretly said "Hasn't he caused enough problems?"
But now it's all come to naught. And as far as I'm concerned its just as well. It's all well and good to point to Ronald Reagan as an example of a President who made decisions based on the expert advice of his staff. But hell, if that's the criterion, I or anybody else could be a great President. Unfortunately, you have to know how to pick the right staff. And perhaps more importantly, you have to know what the fuck they're talking about when they're advising you.
The whole damn thing has been a big waste of time and a distraction from valid candidates who might have had a legitimate impact and had a chance of winning, like Bachmann or Santorum. It still might not be too late, but I'm very much afraid we're nearing the end. But it could have been worse. Imagine what it would have been like if Cain's personal failings and general incompetence for high office had not come out until he had amassed a significant number of delegates, or conceivably even won the nomination.
As a general rule when you want to run for office, you start out small. Cain could have got Tea Party support for a run for House, Senate, or maybe Governor. But arrogance does strange things to people. It makes them think they should dream big even against all realistic odds of success, or even common sense.
