Cain, Movin' On Up

The more I learn about and watch Herman Cain, the more I like him. Apparently I'm not alone as he is now tied with Romney in the polls, up from virtual obscurity a few months ago. Politics though is full of shooting stars that burn up in the national spotlight. Think Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry. Perry shot past Romney as soon as he entered the race. He looked like Romney, only better looking, with better hair, (if you can believe that.) And since most conservatives don't trust Romney, he got all that support right up until he started talking to a national TV audience.

You would think that a political neophyte going from zero to 39% in a poll of Republican candidates would be the biggest story in decades. Obama had a pretty incredible rise, but he was a sitting US Senator with a significant national profile due to his appearance at the Democrat's national convention in 2004. But it seems a lot like the Wizard of Oz scene. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Look, Romney's leading in the polls! Look, over here, Chris Christie is NOT going to run. Wait! Look over here, Chris Christie is going to hold a press conference to say whether or not he's really going to run. Ok, he's really not running, but look, he's endorsed Mitt Romney!

They don't relish attacking Cain like they do Romney, Perry, Bachmann and Gingrich. And they certainly aren't going to promote him like they do John Huntsman. So they have decided to ignore him like they do Rick Santorum. Their problem is that Santorum is at about 2% and Cain is at 39%. Cain has been labeled the Pizza Man because that helps to belittle his impressive business career. (Com'on, a pizza salesman as president?) After getting his Masters in computer science from Purdue, Cain worked as a mathematician for the US Navy in their ballistic missile program. Get it? This man IS an actual rocket scientist! But apparently, that's an uninteresting detail, since I've yet to see it referenced by any national media outlet. A Bachelor's in Mathematics, a Masters in Computer Science, career as rocket scientist, two corporate turnarounds, a stint on the board of the Federal Reserve bank at Kansas City, and he's know as a pizza salesman. And that doesn't seem to bother him. And not only is he not afraid to skewer liberals and their ideology, he loves it. like I said, he looks better all the time.