Cain Sex Scandal Came From the Right

I almost want to feel sorry for fake Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain as he struggles through a sex scandal. It seems that too often, prominent black men get caught up in sex scandals with white women, which are guaranteed to push America's sensitive racial buttons.

And for all you folks who like to think racism is dead, consider that in 2006, Tennessee Democratic senatorial candidate Harold Ford's campaign was sunk when his opponents released a video featuring a flirty blonde, winking and saying "Call me."

But I can't sympathize with Cain. His pantomime-like presidential campaign has been a string of embarrassing gaffes and minstrel-like behavior. From claiming China was trying to develop nukes (their first nuclear test was in 1964), to bragging about not knowing the name of Uzbekistan, Cain's campaign has been a litany of errors.

The Cain campaign, and much of the right-wing media, has been scrambling to brand this sex scandal as part of a Democratic smear campaign. But there are several problems with this theory. Firstly, the Democrats are not worried about Cain. Most Democrats are not preparing for an Obama-Cain showdown in 2012. An according to realclearpolitics.com, President Obama would beat Cain by 8 points.

I find it surprising that people seem to be so enthralled by Cain. Sure he is an entertaining public speaker and has been a successful businessman, but he has no political experience and his error-ridden campaign simply shows that he is not fit for the national political stage.

In addition, the initial story came from Politico, a right-leaning publication that was praised by President George W. Bush. And several of the women who claim they were sexually harassed are Republicans.

What is more likely is that this sex scandal was leaked by someone in the Republican Party, who has grown tired of the Cain sideshow. And if you don't think that could happen, consider that when Sen. John McCain was leading then Gov. George W. Bush in the South Carolina primaries, he was brought down when someone started a whisper campaign that his adoptive Bangladeshi daughter was really the product of a union with a black prostitute.

Cain was a diversion who was never supposed to be taken seriously, but somehow his simplistic plans seemed to catch on with many conservatives.

However, people should always be wary of politicians who offer up catchy slogans and simplistic plans. Politics and government are not simple and getting a law passed takes an inordinate amount of lobbying, wrangling and arm twisting.

Cain was taken out because he had gotten too popular and some Republicans voters were beginning to buy his snake oil. A party insider probably decided that it was embarrassing that a candidate with no chance of winning the White House was the GOP's frontrunner.

Sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn't the allegedly liberal media. The media loves a sex scandal and will rip into any politician who gets ensnared in a honey trap. Just look at what happened to Democrats Gary Hart, John Edwards and Bill Clinton?

The line that the liberal media is trying to destroy a black conservative is simply not true. But when did the right-wing media ever let the truth get in the way of a good story?