On October 30, 2011 Politico.com released the article,” Herman Cain accused by two women of inappropriate behavior.” The article provides information regarding the sexual harassment allegations made by two women who worked with Cain at the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. The Politico article highlights that Cain’s campaign spent the previous 10 days declining to respond directly on the accusations. According to Politico, Cain told CBS News that he could not comment “until I see some facts or some concrete evidence.”
To make things worse for Cain, on November 2, 2011, Politico.com reported that a third woman claims she too had considered filing for a workplace complaint over what she considered aggressive and unwanted behavior by Cain when she worked for him in the 1990s. Unfortunately for Cain, the Politico story spiraled and the accusations became the leading issue discussed with Cain during the first week of November 2011. On top of the sexual harassment accusations, Cain is criticized for his seemingly lack of foreign policy understanding. In an interview with Judy Woodruff on the PBS News Hour on October 31, 2011, he said that China has ,”…indicated that they’re trying to develop nuclear capability…”
The accusations and the media’s coverage of them should make Cain supporters worry and wonder whether Cain’s campaign is doomed. Fortunately for Cain and his supporters polls indicate he still leads the pack in Iowa, the first state that will hold a 2012 GOP Presidential Caucus. Cain did admit on Fox News that the allegations are a distraction to his campaign and that “…Some people are gonna be turned off by this cloud that someone wanted to put over my campaign,” we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” But Cain is pushing back on the accusations by denying them during interviews, such as the one he had with Fox News, “…in all of my over forty years of business experience, running businesses and corporations, I have never sexually harassed anyone.”
During a talk at The National Press Club on October 31, 2011 he referred to the allegations as “witch hunts”. And late on November 2, 2011 the Cain campaign accused fellow GOP Presidential candidate Rick Perry of leaking the sexual harassment claims. The Cain campaign is demanding an apology from Rick Perry and from Politico.
As for foreign policy, during a speech at the National Press Club, Cain addressed accusations that his foreign policy is weak with, “I don’t believe you need to have extensive foreign policy experience if you know how to make sure you’re working on the right problems, establishing the right priorities, surround yourself with the right people, which would allow you to put together the plans necessary to solve the problem.”