Quinnipiac Poll and Herman Cain

(Todd Zywicki)

Not reporting results, but that for the first time ever I was actually called last night by the Qunnipiac Poll.  What was interesting for me is that they asked me my views on three candidates interchangeably–Romney, Perry, and Cain.  Cain is starting to remind me of Huckabee the last time around–you could tell that many people were enthusiastic about him if he could gain enough of a critical mass that people might actually think of him as something like a viable candidate.  Even though I didn't like Huckabee's policies at all, I could appreciate the appeal of his personal warmth and likability for many people.  I don't know that much about Cain's policy proposals at this point but my sense is that people are drawn to him personally as well, except that his appeal is in his authenticity and sense of core convictions which is such a contrast from most politicians out there.  I think this personal appeal (although different from Huckabee's) makes him a better bet to stick around for awhile than was the case with Bachmann who seemed to become less appealing to people the more they saw her.  It is still a definite uphill battle for Herman Cain to win the Republican nomination (and I'm definitely not saying that I am for or against him right now) but I could see him in a constant place or show position throughout the early primary season.

Also, considering that the core of Cain's support is driven by tea party types more than establishment Republicans, can this put to rest once and for all the canard that the tea party is racist because they oppose President Obama's policies?