Was Herman Cain's Straw Poll Victory in Florida a "Protest Vote?"

There's a new leader of the pack in the Republican Presidential race: Herman Cain.

As you may know, he won the straw vote held in Florida over the weekend and then came in first in a national Zogby poll. There has been some speculation by political pundits as to how and why he emerged as the front-runner, with many saying it is a result of Texas Governor Rick Perry's poor performance in the most recent debate.

The Fox News All Star Panel had this to say,



In my humble opinion, Cain's rise to the top is a bit more than a reaction to Perry, it's a warning shot across the bow of the entire field that real, live conservatism is what will win this election.

As the country struggles under the Obama administrations' boot of higher taxes, a tsunami of new and crushing regulation, class warfare that upends the American Dream and pits citizens against each other (commonly known as "organizing"), the country is ready for some relief. It's my hope that those who voted for Obama so they could assuage some artificially created white guilt will begin to realize that they've been set up. As I've pointed out in this space before, race was part and parcel of the foundation of radicalism that began back in the  '60's, and it continues to be a cudgel with which to beat anyone who dares to criticize this administration.

Cain's rise is a testament to the Tea Party and its increasing influence on the Republican Party, something that scares the GOP establishment. Rush Limbaugh pointed out the main difference between the Tea Party and the Republican establishment the other day when he said the GOP has little interest in reducing the size of government, it merely wants to run it.

That's an important distinction.

Cain's rise is a signal that the GOP establishment would do well to fully embrace conservatism if it wants to win the White House in 2012. That's something that they've proven unwilling to do, as evidenced by John McCain's selection in '08. He was supposed to be the great compromiser, the guy who reaches across the aisle to Democrats. Instead, he folded in the presidential debates and famously said that the country need not fear Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

Do you still think that today, Mr. McCain?

Many of you will recall that Cain was my early pick. His message of solutions and recognition of the importance of principle when it comes to governing is what got my attention. As Stephen Hayes points out in the video above, Cain doesn't speak pol. He talks like everyone else outside of Washington does. I suppose his straw poll win could be interpreted as a "protest vote" against Perry and particularly Romney, but I think it's a bit more than that. It's a message to the entire field to stop sniping at each other and focus on the policies of the Obama administration that are wreaking much havoc on the country, by design.

The GOP establishment still has a lot to learn, something that it can't quite seem to grasp: Americans are seeing, first-hand, up close and personally, the damage that big government can do. It's everywhere you look. The solution is not to merely slow it down, but reverse it. Everything the Obama administration has done needs to be undone for the sake of the nation. This "fundamental transformation" has gone on long enough for us to see where it's heading now, and the destination is incompatible with the vision of the Founders. It's the corrupt Chicago way writ large in Washington.

I sincerely hope Cain remains the front runner for a while. He has a good message, one that deserves to be heard, particularly by the rest of the field: Embrace conservatism and win.

Now is the time.

Some Impressions from the Second GOP Candidate Debate

CNN and the Tea Party, together at last? Shirley, it's a sign of the apocalypse.

Perry got pounded on his cancer-virus immunization program, even after he admitted he made a mistake. Bachmann's continued attacks just made her look petty. Perry appeared unfazed, but there was more criticism to come for his promotion of in-state college tuitions for illegals. That's two strikes against him.

Newt continues to surprise me. He did very well in the first debate, especially when he confronted the bias of the moderators. He appeared to be the peacemaker then, last night, not quite so much. After his early self-inflicted wounds, he's rebounding nicely. He still has a way to go to get my vote, though.

Herman Cain is impressive as well. He is more focused on specifics such as his 9-9-9 plan to revamp our tax code. He's upbeat, intelligent, informed and would make a great Commerce Secretary.

Bachmann got some applause early, especially every time she mentioned the Constitution. As I mentioned earlier, her continued attacks on Perry were petty, considering the timing. She would make a good VP though, with her experience in Congress.

Romney tried, but continues to appear to flail about, trying to keep up with the pace of the moderation. One minute replies don't seem to work well for him, but even if you give him more time, he doesn't elaborate very much. This is a detail-oriented time for the country, vague platitudes and overall statements aren't going to suffice. Voters want specifics, and Mitt seems reluctant to be forthcoming with his. He continues to tout RomneyCare, the biggest strike against him.

Santorum appears out of his league, struggling to keep up as well. He's not very good at tooting his own horn, which he did a lot of last night.

To Huntsman I say, dude, just give up. You aren't doing yourself or the country any favors by continuing your quest. If he's in the next debate, I'll be surprised, although the thought of Harley 1 being in the Secret Service's garage is nice.

And now to Paul, the GOP's crazy uncle. On domestic issues, he's not terrible. But when it comes to foreign policy, he's absolutely batshit crazy, as the country found out last night. He would have us abandon Israel and withdraw all our troops from everywhere in the world. Although there is a strong undercurrent in the nation that wants us to no longer be the world's policeman, he's doing it wrong. And his irresponsible, immature statement that the US is "occupying" other countries should pretty much disqualify him from serious consideration for president. Ronnie, we aren't "occupying" any country, as we are there with the full cooperation of their governments. What was amazing to me is how no one else called him out on that. But, I guess that's what crazy uncles are supposed to do, while everyone else rolls their eyes. At least they make Thanksgiving dinner, shall we say, interesting?

Overall, in my opinion, Perry lost just a bit of luster, Romney sorta held his ground in second place, Newt's making his way forward, Cain continues to say a lot of what needs saying, Bachmann's losing ground, and the rest should just go ahead and withdraw.

At least Wolf Blitzer tried to contain his bias more so than Brian Williams did last week. The Fox-sponsored debate is on the 22nd, if I recall. Hopefully, they'll be a bit better and show the other sponsors how to do it correctly.

What say you?