COMMENTARY | MSNBC reports former presidential hopeful Herman Cain announced at a Republican fundraiser on Saturday that he endorses Newt Gingrich for president. This decision comes after Cain initially said he would be voting for “we the people” at a Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Here is why this announcement is a huge surprise, and probably will not benefit the Republican Party at all and will not benefit Cain.
The biggest issue with Cain supporting Gingrich is Cain was supposed to be the very conservative small government candidate, and he was not seen as a supporter of the establishment. The fact Cain has come out and supported Gingrich basically is a slap in the face to all those that voted for Cain since he apparently does not care that much about small government.
If Cain was the true conservative Republican that he claimed to be while he was a candidate, then he would realize that Gingrich is the opposite of everything he stood for. If Cain was seriously voting for “we the people” then his endorsement should have went to Ron Paul, or Rick Santorum.
There is also the issue that Cain might just be throwing his support behind Gingrich due to both of them having alleged infidelity issues in the past. Cain dropped out of the race due to sexual harassment allegations from over 10 years ago and was also allegedly having an affair. Gingrich just went through similar allegations of infidelity, where he reportedly asked his ex-wife for an open marriage.
Cain talked about Gingrich going through a sausage grinder, which I assume means the allegations of infidelity, and the media storm it created. It seems to me Cain is supporting Gingrich based on being a target for the media, and the fact Gingrich spends a lot of time hammering the media on several personal issues.
This endorsement is very questionable because it feels like the Republican Party is just trying to build up an anti-Mitt Romney candidate. Rick Perry, who also dropped out of the race, endorsed Gingrich as well. If the candidates that are dropping out just throw their hats in for Gingrich, it seems like it is just to find someone that is not Romney, and hope for the best.
The fact of the matter is Romney will more than likely be the nominee for the Republican Party because he is the only one with the real chance at beating President Barack Obama. Rather than building an anti-Romney base, the former candidates should be getting behind the candidate with the best chance at beating Obama.
I do not see why or how Cain would support Gingrich, unless Gingrich has promised Cain a position in his Cabinet if he won the nomination, which is possible considering Gingrich said he enjoyed his 9-9-9 economic plan. If Cain does become an important asset to Gingrich later on, it will only make Cain look like a sellout.