By Paul Shepard
That will likely prove to be a blessing and a curse as the field of Republican challengers to President Barack Obama sorts itself out over the next year.
The fact that Republicans are giving some attention to the businessman who has done little more politically than lose while running for a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia shows how desperate the GOP is in finding a torchbearer for the 2012 presidential election.
But maybe the lack of a political track record means the one-time pizza kingdoesn’t have the baggage many other possible candidates have, getting a fair hearing from Americans if he decides to go full force for the GOP nomination.
Like the search for the the Holy Grail, Republicans are continuing the search for a black face to help define the party.
So far, the quest has resembled a Keystone comedy sketch, with party leaders stumbling all over themselves chasing down a field of ill-equipped candidates, like the rigid Alan Keyes or the confusedMichael Steele.
About all we know about Cain thus far – beyond his part ownership of the pizza stores – is that Cain is opposed to abortion, wants a strong national defense and a return to the gold standard.
With a platform like that (the gold standard, really?), it’s no surprise that Cain is finding friends with some Tea Party folks. With the number of Tea Party activists who won election to Congress in November, Cain could gain an audience as the primaries draw near.
One thing in Cain’s favor is that the Republican field is doing little to distinguish itself so far:
Mike Huckabee keeps putting his foot in his mouth: First he made a mistake talking about where President Barack Obama was born and how it affects his policy making. Now Huckabee is starting fights with actress Natalie Portman over the issue of out-of-wedlock births.
Sarah Palin is clumsily trying to force a feud with First Lady Michelle Obama over her campaign to improve the health of Americans. Palin is proving she hasn’t advanced much from her days of writing notes on her hand during public speaking events.
I’m not holding my breath for Cain’s success, but Cain would have to do little more than pick useless fights and make just a little sense on the campaign trail to zoom to the top of the GOP field.