Amid the scandal involving President Bill Clinton during his time in office, character quickly became a talking point for Republicans. Then Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee wrote a book called “Character is the Issue.” Peggy Noonan, former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, wrote a book about her old boss called “When Character was King.”
Character matters then and it still should matter now. But apparently Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has not gotten this message — or at least he had not responded to it by the deadline for this column. His recent defense of against the charges of sexual impropriety sounds eerily similar to James Carville defending President Clinton during the 1990s.
Cain’s sudden rise in the polls was phenomenal. His simple message and positive attitude attracted voters looking for an alternative to establishment favorite Mitt Romney. His 999 Plan to reform the tax code helped him stand out in debates. Potential voters lapped up his positive campaign message.
However, his standing as a front-runner in the polls brought with it added scrutiny that Cain was ill prepared to withstand either organizationally or personally.
He buckled under somewhat basic questions on his position on the issues. He consistently has said that he is pro-life; however, when questioned on specifics in an interview on CNN, he held that the decision for an abortion was up to the mother and her family, a rather pro-choice stance. His clarifications did little to clear things up.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Other stumbles include a painful interview about his opinion of President Obama’s handling of the conflict in Libya.
At the same time, he has faced a steady drip of charges of sexual impropriety, all of which he has denied completely. It began with vague charges of sexual harassment during his time as CEO of the National Restaurant Association. At first, his supporters dismissed these reports as dirty politics.
As more women come forward it became more difficult to ignore. Sharon Bialek held a press conference where she accused him of propositioning her when she was searching for a job in 1997. One of the anonymous NRA accusers, Karen Kraushaar, was outed and confirmed that Cain harassed her.
And then the latest was an Atlanta businesswoman, Ginger White, who told local Fox affiliate in Atlanta that she had carried on a 13-year affair with Cain. Armed with cell phone records showing numerous text messages, she comes across as believable, in spite of Cain’s denials.
But perhaps the most troubling response — and there were many — was the statement issued by Cain’s attorney Lin Wood.
“This appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults — a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public,” said Wood in a statement. “No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life.”
Many from the social conservative base met the statement with incredulity. Responses were along the line of to one from Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“Character does not end at the bedroom door,” Mohler said. “Any effort to make this claim will be recognized by the public for what it is. We live in a morally confused age, but there is little confusion about the fact that sexual behavior and personal character are inseparable. The question of character is among the most crucial issues of a political campaign.”
Everyone — including a candidate for president — has a right to private personal life. But Cain is delusional is he believes that allegations of cheating on his wife are not relevant. No matter what his attorney says, character still matters.
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Jason Tolbert is an accountant and conservative political blogger. His blog — The Tolbert Report — is linked at ArkansasNews.com. His e-mail is jason@TolbertReport.com.