Do you consider Herman Cain a serious candidate?

[Bacon King]

Do you?

I could easily see him winning Iowa and becoming a serious contender for the nomination- though I know that isn't a mainstream point of view around here.

[Lief 🗽]

I don't know if the powers that be would ever let him win the nomination (it's harder to pull a Christine O'Donnell/Sharon Angle in a presidential primary as opposed to a small state's Senate primary), but he could definitely win a couple of states.

[CatoMinor]

At first I didn't but with the withdraw of Huck I see him taking a lot of his support.

[California8429]

If anyone says no. They obviously have never seen him speak, or seen the polls...

[JohnnyLongtorso]

If anyone says no. They obviously have never seen him speak, or seen the polls...

Cain needs more than a flashy speaking style and a temporary bounce in the polls (*ahem*) to actually go anywhere. There have been no indications of what kind of fundraising or campaign organization he's building. He could be a legitimate candidate, but I suspect he's just the flavor of the month, and he'll drop back down in a couple months.

[anvi]

I don't consider Cain a serious candidate.  But that doesn't mean he won't do well. 

[Oakvale]

No, he's a buffoon who has less chance of winning the Presidency than pretty much anyone on the radar.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that he can't win the nomination, although I really, really don't think he will. But there's a theoretical, non-negligible chance. He seems to have taken Trump's role of conservative red meat provider-in-chief.

So, in short, he's a far-right CEO of a pizza chain whose entire political experience consists of losing a Senate primary. In other words, he's probably a semi-viable contender for the Republican nomination.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Sure is serious and viable to win.

[King]

He is more personal savior and the Republican Party's only path to salvation.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Sure is serious and viable to win.

[TheGlobalizer]

I don't consider Cain a serious candidate.  But that doesn't mean he won't do well. 

[Bacon King]

Just looked up his campaign organization, and here's some interesting stuff: his campaign manager has been the Koch brothers' pointman in Wisconsin for a while now, and was also Sen. Johnson's campaign manager last year. I doubt that money and organization will be too much of a problem.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Yes...not that I think he'll win, but he could be the 2012 Huckabee.  I saw him speak at CPAC, and he was a good speaker.  If he does well in the debates, he could do well in Iowa.

[Bull Moose Base]

From the boarder who called Gingrich as a disaster candidate...

Cain will screw up and his polling will crash.  His surge has been based on almost nothing. He's a charismatic speaker. He got some buzz off winning a debate against 2 libertarians, a lunatic and a Pawlenty. Like Trump (and Perot) he's an outsider with a blunt style, business experience and ain't Romney.  And like Trump (and Perot), his polling bounce will drop when people kick the tires. His electoral inexperience is showing a serious lack of discipline that looks like it'd give Bachmann and Palin a run for their money. He's fragile and won't go too much longer before crashing.

[Yelnoc]

From the boarder who called Gingrich as a disaster candidate...

Cain will screw up and his polling will crash.  His surge has been based on almost nothing. He's a charismatic speaker. He got some buzz off winning a debate against 2 libertarians, a lunatic and a Pawlenty. Like Trump (and Perot) he's an outsider with a blunt style, business experience and ain't Romney.  And like Trump (and Perot), his polling bounce will drop when people kick the tires. His electoral inexperience is showing a serious lack of discipline that looks like it'd give Bachmann and Palin a run for their money. He's fragile and won't go too much longer before crashing.

I bet you ten brownie points this will be your first major prediction that goes wrong.

[California8429]

If anyone says no. They obviously have never seen him speak, or seen the polls...

Cain needs more than a flashy speaking style and a temporary bounce in the polls (*ahem*) to actually go anywhere. There have been no indications of what kind of fundraising or campaign organization he's building. He could be a legitimate candidate, but I suspect he's just the flavor of the month, and he'll drop back down in a couple months.

I don't see how Cain and Trump can be related at all. Cain continues to gain in polling numbers and ID. Trump was already known by the entire public and "tests the waters" pretty much every election cycle.

[Bull Moose Base]

Yelnoc, you're on. (but a bit generous to say it'd be the first. I'm guessing Palin may not be endorsing Bachmann after all.)

A-bob, Trump tapped the appetite for an aggressive, cocky, unvarnished anti-politician businessman. I think Obama dispatched Trump single-handedly, in a single week, releasing his long form birth certificate, dismissing him as unserious at the correspondents dinner, and interrupting Celebrity Apprentice to announce Bin Laden was killed. Cain otoh strikes me as a guy with a Katie Couric interview in his future.

[Yelnoc]

Yelnoc, you're on. (but a bit generous to say it'd be the first. I'm guessing Palin may not be endorsing Bachmann after all.)

First thing I remembered off the top of my head.  And I'll make a separate bet of 5 brownie points that Cain wins Ames and goes on to win Iowa.

[Keystone Phil]

I still think he'll fizzle out but he certainly has potential to be a real player in this race.

[California8429]

Yelnoc, you're on. (but a bit generous to say it'd be the first. I'm guessing Palin may not be endorsing Bachmann after all.)

A-bob, Trump tapped the appetite for an aggressive, cocky, unvarnished anti-politician businessman. I think Obama dispatched Trump single-handedly, in a single week, releasing his long form birth certificate, dismissing him as unserious at the correspondents dinner, and interrupting Celebrity Apprentice to announce Bin Laden was killed. Cain otoh strikes me as a guy with a Katie Couric interview in his future.

Palin was never good at interviews or debates in the first place though. Watch her gubernatorial debate tapes (don't know how McCain's men missed those). However, Cain does very decent and energetic interviews.

But that's just the point you have made. Trump was more of a everyone rally around this point (birthers) deal whereas Cain has an actualy strategy, grassroots network, and is rising in the polls. To say he could blow up in a interview down the road doesn't mean he isn't a serious candidate, Palin was/is

[NVGonzalez]

If Palin doesn't run Cain may be able to darkhorse to the nomination especially if Giuliani runs. If Palin runs he's screwed.

[Mr. Morden]

He wants a moat with alligators on the border with Mexico:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/herman-cain-wants-a-great-wall-of-china-or-a-moat-with-alligators-along-mexican-border/

If that's not serious, I don't know what is!

[CARLHAYDEN]

Looks like Cain is getting serious about his Presidential bid.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/herman-cain-wants-a-great-wall-of-china-or-a-moat-with-alligators-along-mexican-border/

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Yes, he is sounding more and more serious by the day.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Herman Cain: homosexuality is a sin and a choice.