In the continuing saga that is the GOP’s presidential contest, yet another WTF moment: Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll-and by a significant margin. Rick Perry and Mitt Romney were neck and neck for second and third, but both were far behind Cain.
Of course, the pundits are having a field day trying to make sense of this. Most are interpreting it as a repudiation of Rick Perry. Perry was going to be the GOP savior just last week; his big mistake, apparently, was opening his mouth and letting people listen to what came out. Meanwhile, Cain is all over my TV crowing that the result “proves that people who say Herman Cain can’t win are wrong.” (What is it with these people who refer to themselves in third person?? But I digress.)
As an outsider–defined as someone who definitely does not have a dog in this fight–I have a slightly differently interpretation of the straw poll results. I think that every sentient being realizes that Herman Cain absolutely cannot win, and that made him the perfect stand-in for “none of the above.”
“None of the above” is pretty understandable, given the choices.
I believe any one of GOP choices have a fundamental belief in letting business flourish and government remaining limited- versus the other way around. Despite their varying and definitive drawbacks, at 9% unemployment and still spending money we don’t have, I think that philosophy would be a big improvement.