COMMENTARY | GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain said Thursday that the decision about whether to continue in the presidential race would be up to his wife. He plans a face-to-face meeting with her on Friday.
Well, that's about a month too late.
Reuters reports that the former Godfather's pizza executive-turned candidate plans to sit down with his wife and discuss the matter before making any decision about withdrawing from the Republican primary race. It is admirable that Cain wants to include his wife in this decision, but regardless of his campaign schedule, he should have stopped and met with his wife immediately when the allegations started two months ago.
If Cain is innocent of all these alleged sexual improprieties, then he is the victim of a coordinated smear campaign. If he is guilty or at least partially guilty, then I suspect his wife already knows about them. It should not be important to the voters if what occurred was consensual. It may matter to Mrs. Cain though.
It's unfortunate that our political system disqualifies a person because they are not "perfect" in the eyes of the electorate. Many campaigns have been doomed by allegations (true or not) that really have no merit on the individual's ability to govern. Allegations against Cain do not make his policies any less worthy of consideration.
Former president Bill Clinton was dogged by allegations throughout his many campaigns. He was guilty of some, and probably wrongfully accused by others. I didn't really care, because it certainly didn't affect the soundness of his policies. While I may not have agreed with Clinton's vision, the majority of Americans did and he served two complete terms as president.
However, as ideologically correct as that may sound, it is not the political reality. American voters want a squeaky clean candidate. Some (the religious right) say it straight out and are very unforgiving of transgressors. But others expect it too.
Herman Cain may be completely innocent of all these allegations. But whether he is or not, it's too late to undo the damage. Mrs. Cain should tell her husband to come home.
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