Raising Cain!

Raising Cain!

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Surprise, surprise!  Herman Cain has risen to at least a tie for the number one slot amongst the candidates for the GOP nomination for President.  It seems everyone is surprised – but Herman Cain.

So – what the heck is going on here? 

Here’s what I THINK is happening:

REAL conservatives within the republican ranks are in near rebellion.  They actually LIKE Herman Cain and they actually LIKE his platform.  But that is only a part of the story here… in my opinion.

Conservative republicans have made no secret of the fact that they do not want Romney as the GOP candidate for President.  That puts them at direct odds with the GOP and the RNC.

See, Romney was supposed to be the GOP candidate this time round.  I the time honored fashion of the Republican Party, it is Romney’s turn.  Never mind that he has very little chance of actually beating Obama in a head to head race for the Oval Office, the GOP made its decision that Romney would be the candidate long ago.  They made a very serious mistake.  They didn’t ask the grassroots conservatives in the parry how they felt about it.  Had they done so, the republican field of candidates would be very different than it is today.

I catch a lot of flak concerning my insistence that Obama stands a better than even chance of winning four more years in the Presidency.  In fact, I believe there is every reason to believe that he WILL win another term even with all the problems the country has today… many of which can be traced directly to his inadequacy as a leader on the national and international stage.

Never, ever, underestimate the democrat’s election machine and their willingness to do whatever it takes to win an election.  I am seriously afraid the GOP is making that mistake in the2012 election and, as a result, may find themselves waiting four more years for a shot at the Presidency.

Now.  The grassroots conservatives do not like Mr. Romney’s politics.  He is far too liberal a candidate for tastes.  (Please.  Do not try to convince me that Romney is a conservative.  History is on my side.) 

Mr. Romney is a pure politician who will trim his sails for the prevailing political winds.  He will continue to tack, either side of the wind, to get to his destination.  Just as a seasoned sailor can tack either side of the wind to take their vessel just about anywhere they want, regardless of the winds direction, Mr. Romney has a past record of just such maneuvering.  Conservatives don’t like that.  They REALLY don’t like it.  And southern conservatives like it even less.

So, what to do?  Support a so-called second tier candidate, a candidate they actually like to begin with, but has very little chance of achieving the anointment of the GOP.  Walla!  Herman Cain.

I am a born and bred southerner.  I eat, sleep, and breathe southern.  As such, I can tell you today, that I would not be surprised if Herman Cain swept the primaries in the southern states. 

Why would conservatives vote for another inexperienced black man for president?   The answer is simple … Mr. Cain strikes them as an honest, no bull, honorable man.  Cain has held fast to his principles and has impressed conservatives with his forthright answers to the media’s questions, and (and this is VERY important) he has the ability to lift the spirits of conservatives and inspire that “can do” spirit that made this country great in the first place.  Southern conservatives are drawn to his gracious southern charisma. And … contrary to what the liberal press, the democrats, and Hollywood would have you believe -- the southern people are no more racist than any other Americans. 

Now.  Having said all of the above … this is a very fluid campaign season among republicans because we have been asked, again, to support a candidate we don’t like.  We are tired of “settling” for a candidate and we would really like for once in a very long while to be able to endorse, and support our republican candidate will all the enthusiasm and energy we have not been able to commit to ca candidate since Ronald Reagan.

Now we wait for establishment republicans to undermine the Cain campaign and make sure Romney regains the top spot in the polls.   You can be sure the heat will be on Mr. Cain and it will increase in intensity in the immediate future.

That calls for a warning to the Romney campaign.  Whether conservatives go to the polls and cast a ballot in November or stay at home disgusted, may very well depend upon the Romney campaign’s efforts to discredit and/or destroy Herman Cain’s campaign.

I say, again:  If Romney is the GOP nominee, there is a very good chance that Obama will be returned to the Oval Office for four more years.  Frankly, I’m not at all certain America can survive another Obama term in office.

  

J. D. Longstreet