By Art Blackwell

Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich

It was the best of times, and the worst of times…

It was the best of times for Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, and the worst of time for Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Cain, the former Godfather of pizza, was riding at the top of most opinion polls and winning more straw polls than any other Republican candidate. Gingrich, the former King of the Hill, was languishing closer to the bottom of earlier opinion polls, and certainly wasn’t winning straw polls.

What happened to Cain, the “999 Godfather,” the Don, and what happened to the contract on America ex King of the Hill, Sir Newt? Sex, yeah sex! It always seems to creep into every political campaign. Mr. Cain, who the Republicans seemed to have had an extra philosophical affair with, and Newt Gingrich, whom the same party faithfuls divorced a long time ago (I’m not sure on what grounds) were at opposite ends of the political polls.

Of course, there were other Republican presidential candidates that enjoyed temporary leads in the polls, such as Michelle Bachmann, who while campaigning believed that the “Duke” himself, John Wayne, was born in Waterloo, Iowa. Actually, it was John Wayne Gacy, the notorious serial killer that was born there. Oops! Ms. Bachmann also believed that the founding fathers abolished slavery, and that John Quincy Adams was its champion. Well, it was actually John Adams, Quincy’s father, the second President of the United States who was one of America’s founding fathers. Obviously, any eighth-grade history student would have known that slavery partially ended with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Slavery officially ended and was abolished in 1865 with the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Then there was temporary front-runner Gov. Rick Perry who suggested that maybe Texas should secede from the United States, and that Social Security was some kind of Ponzi Scheme. To make matters worse, during a presidential debate he couldn’t remember…what he couldn’t remember.

Meanwhile, the “999 Godfather” was taking the Republican race by storm with his straight, but simplistic talk, all mixed with an aura of southern charm. The right wing of the Republican Party, inclusive of the Tea Party, had a Black man that they loved… and it wasn’t President Barack Obama. The group could now show America that members of the Republican Party were not racists, and that they found another Black man who was conservative and shared their views, just like their beloved Clarence Thomas. Certainly, the Republican faithfuls were having a bi-racial love affair. However, unlike his fellow candidates who rose and fell in the twinkling of an eye, Citizen Cain remained at the top of the polls, even though the party’s hierarchy started to challenge his “999 Tax Plan.” Additionally, the critics attacked his lack of experience, especially at it related to foreign affairs. Candidate Cain, however, remained at, or near the top…so something had to be done; it was time to get serious and drop the S-Bomb. Yes, sex, but not just any sex; it was sex with White women. Whoa! Herman was in big trouble now, but low and behold, even though he was hit with a powerful George Foreman straight right-hand punch, Cain wasn’t knocked down… he staggered, but still remained on his feet. But allegation after allegation, amid lawsuit settlements, and the punches started to take their toll.

What’s funny is that Herman Cain once ran for the United States Senate and these stories never surfaced. Anyway, still on his feet, many conservatives, including Ann Coulter, believed that the attacks on Cain were a Left Wing conspiracy. Mr. Cain was bloodied, but was still hanging in there, still raising money, and still denying all the allegations of harassment. However, the final round for the tough talking Cain came when an Atlanta Business woman, Ginger White, stepped forward to say that she and Cain had carried on a 13-year affair. Subsequently, Herman’s wife, Gloria, called her husband home and basically said, “Herman, enough is enough!” Just like that, the campaign for Herman Cain was over. No mas! The knockout blow: an extra marital affair allegation by an admitted friend who said Cain helped her. Really! With friends like that, who needs enemies! An extra marital affair…sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Meanwhile, Gingrich, because of strong debate performances and obviously being intellectually superior to his fellow candidates, began to rise in the polls. Mr. Gingrich currently is leading comfortably in all national polls, and it seems like it may be his race to lose because only Mitt Romney is left to contest the nomination. The Republican nomination…what are we missing that seems so eerily familiar? Oh, yes, the extramarital affair. The former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has an interesting past, and I do mean interesting. However, the thing that is probably the most interesting, as it relates to this campaign, is that the very thing that brought down Herman Cain seems to have had little or no effect on Newt. Case-in-point: In December, 1988, President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice, all for lying to a Federal Grand Jury about – here it goes again…an extra marital affair. President Clinton was acquitted by the U.S. Senate because it failed to reach the required two-thirds majority necessary for removal. The most interesting fact, however, was that the person leading the charge for impeachment was – you guessed it: Speaker Newt Gingrich. That would have been all right if it wasn’t totally a partisan political act. More importantly, Gingrich was involved in his own extra marital affair while he was leading the impeachment charge against President Clinton. Being a political leader and messing up is costly. However, being a political leader and messing up while being hypocritical is priceless.

Oh America, Herman was so close…maybe too close for many Republicans and Tea Party elites. Think about it: two Black men possibly running for President of the United States as their respective party’s nominees. One, a Republican and conservative; the other,a Democrat and liberal. What a thought America, we were close to an historic and epic battle between two Black men who both love their country. It would have shown the world that America is the standard for what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned in his dream for a color-blind society. However, sex and race got in the way –again. So now, it is the best of times for Newt Gingrich, and the worst of times for Herman Cain.

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