Race, Cain and American Politics

GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain is trying to run away from a decades-old sex scandal. What he needs to do is learn from the lessons of so many presidential hopefuls and politicians who thought these kinds of issues would go away.  He can blame the media. He can blame his opponents. He can blame Democratic operatives. 

What he's failing to do is look in the mirror at himself, then look in the eyes of his wife and the American people to live up to the man of great integrity he claims to be.  He needs to stop using the race card as a convenient excuse for these revelations. All he has to do is ask President Barack Obama who had to ward off a series of attacks - and still has to fight them off - on his nationality, faith and association with friends he quickly had to distanced himself from. 

Cain defiantly denied the allegations last week. He stumbled through interviews, tripping over his own words as the facts began to tell a different story. Over the weekend, he lashed out at the media for distracting America with this baudy scandal instead of allowing him to promote his 9-9-9 tax plan.  Today, as the cameras and lights glared on Sharon Bialek, a once unknown former employee of a foundation affiliated with the National Restaurant Association, Cain's pain just wouldn't go away. It will not anytime soon. He can wave his finger - much like President Bill Clinton did when he denied any relationship with Monica Lewinsky, but this "distraction" will only fester until he addresses it head on.

Sadly so, he doesn't have go too far in history to find some helpful lessons. All he has to do is ask former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer or David Paterson who held a press conference during the infancy of his term to let the media know about his past affair. How can he forget Gary Hart's famous line to national media when they accused him of having an affair. "Follow me," he challenged the media. And so they did. Donna Rice surfaced, ending his presidential bid in 1988.

Perhaps Cain thinks that the times are different. That the power of conservative talk radio who accused President Obama of playing the race card is now saying the liberal media can't stand the thought of a black conservative who is leading in the polls. How ironic is that? Anyone check with Karl Rove - the master mind behind fueling hateful rumors about Sen. John McCain during his 2000 presidential bid? Anyone check with the Swift Boat backers tho ripped apart Sen. John Kerry's reputation as a veteran? Or Harold Ford whose senatorial bid in Tennessee was tanked when the Republican opponent began running ads of black men with white women.

Cain needs to listen to the folks whispering in his ear who are telling him to find a way to turn this mess into a teaching moment. Candidate Obama made one of his most poignant speeches in Philadelphia about race and America when the Rev. Wright incident was beginning to derail his campaign. Clearly, Cain has touched a nerve in America, garnering support in a crowded disjointed GOP presidential field. He won't admit it nor will conservatives concede that it was the historic election of President Obama that is making this all possible.

Cain, if he's truly serious about wanting to lead the world's most powerful country, must dig deep into his character, set aside the politics, and let America - and the world - see how he can stand above the adversity and show true leadership.