http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/us/politics/herman-cain-suspends-his-presidential-campaign.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=politics
Saturday, presidential hopeful Hermain Cain made an anouncement at an Atlanta rally that he would be "suspending" his campaign due to the allegations of sexual harrassment and a more recent claim that he had engaged in a 13 year affair outside of his marriage. Cains explained to supporters and the media, "As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul-searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign...because of the continued distractions, the continued hurt caused on me and my family, not because we are not fighters. Not because I’m not a fighter."
Since, however, he did not technically end his campaign, Cain is supposedly still legally able to accepts and retain funds to support what he calls his "Plan B," a tour around the country promoting his foreign policy and tax plans.
It is speculated that part of Cain's decision came out of the recognition that his numbers were slipping in polls. One recent survey showed that Gingrich was at the top with 25%, Ron Paul with 18%, Romney with 16% and Cain with only 8%. Still, as most candidates believe the voters are not set on their choices just yet, Romney saying, "I don’t think people have really settled down in a final way to decide who they’re going to support in the nomination process," it seems like the accusations Cain faced may have given the real push towards his suspension.
Cain's critics have been saying from the beginning that he wasn't serious about running for president, and instead that it was more of a way to get recognition for his books. Some of his former staff agree that Cain spent too much time on his book deals when he really should have been starting up grass-roots organizations.
It was also pointed out that Cain was not experienced enough in matters of foreign policy. One incident in particular where he was asked to critique Obama's policy for Libya highlighted that he was not prepared to answer the question and was very unsure.
In any case, his supporters were definitely disappointed by the news. One woman said, "This is not what I wanted. Not at all. I'm not sure what to do now. I'm so disappointed." Others, however, were more understanding of the circumstances. "Dean Kleckner, a former president of the Iowa Farm Bureau who gave Mr. Cain an early endorsement, said: 'I hate to say this, because he was a remarkable man in many ways, but I honestly think he did the right thing. I’m disappointed in a way, relieved in a way.'”
I have to agree with Cain's critics who believe he hasn't truly been in it for real. Hermain Cain has been all about show and even now the fact that he has "suspended" his race rather than ended it is, I believe, just a way to keep his presence alive for his book tours or whatever else he is hoping to be known for. I don't have anything against him, but I hope he stays permantly out of the race because voters don't need candidates who are more interested in promoting their financial ventures than actually becoming president.
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