Herman Cain: From Lucky 9-9-9 to Unlucky 13

Herman Cain: From Lucky 9-9-9 to Unlucky 13

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In the latest campaign crisis for GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, a businesswoman from Atlanta has come forward to say she had a 13-year consensual affair with the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. She says it ended shortly before he announced his run for the White House.

In an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta on Monday, Ginger White, 46, described the affair as “fun…. Something that took me away from my sort of humdrum life at the time. And it was exciting.” “Here we go again,” Cain said yesterday as he denied the allegations. But clearly the “Cain Train” is fast becoming the “Cain Train Wreck.”

As Cain and his team try to shake off yet another allegation of sexual impropriety, here’s the question: When was the last time the American people heard Cain talk seriously and at length about fixing this nation’s dire fiscal and economic problems? When was the last time anyone heard him talk about putting people back to work, rebuilding our infrastructure, fixing our schools, keeping our defense strong, making us competitive again?

As his campaign for the GOP nomination limps along, Cain is scheduled to speak tonight at Hillsdale College in Michigan, some 85 miles southwest of Detroit, which – like so many other cities across the country – is in the midst of a financial crisis. Is Cain going to address the urgent fixes that city and countless others in this nation need to get back on a sound fiscal track? Or is he going to spend his time talking about the charges from Ginger White, who says Cain flew her around the country to meet him at various speaking engagements in the 1990s?

People are tired. Tired of the character crisis. They want fixes to the fiscal crisis.

The once-catchy 9-9-9 tax plan – with all of its detractors -- has turned into the unlucky 13 for Cain. His campaign is now focused on denying the 13-year alleged extramarital affair with a woman he says he knew – but only because he was helping her out financially (whatever that means). Georgia court records show a series of judgments against White for not paying rent in Atlanta-area apartments, including one judgment filed about two weeks ago, according to the AP.

But in this primary season, the Republican faithful don’t want to hear about a married man helping someone other than his wife with financial problems. They don’t want someone snared in a character crisis day after day, week after week. They don’t want a candidate they have to fret about on a regular basis. They want a candidate who can beat Barack Obama in November 2012. Simple.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Cain on Monday.

That may be true. But what is he doing right for this country? What can he or any potential president of the United States do to fix our fiscal mess? That’s the question people want answered. It’s a big one.

Maureen Mackey served as managing editor of The Fiscal Times for five years, during which time she oversaw scheduling and work flow and handled edits, writing and reporting of many features, news items, interviews and other content. In 2011 she helped The Fiscal Times win a MIN award for Best New