Herman Cain

 

Photo from hermancain.com

Running for office is tough enough without sexual harassment allegations. Just ask Herman Cain.
Getting elected doesn't mean you're out of the woods. Just ask Bill Clinton.

A new accuser has made allegations against Cain, a GOP presidential candidate. Cain has continued to deny the allegations before the mdia, even blaming the media for publishing "anonymous, ancient, vague personal allegations" as described in an email Cain sent to supporters.

One allegation would be cause for a story since it concerns someone running for President. Two raises eyebrows. Four, which is what we have with Sharon Bialek, dominates the headlines and diverts a candidate's time and resources from what they should be talking about: How they will lead the country.

Bialek is the first woman to come forward and openly accuse Cain. She alleges the unwanted advances occurred 14 years ago. The statute of limitations will not allow for Cain to face criminal charges and Bialek, who has hired a lawyer, has said she does not intend to file a lawsuit but wants Cain to "come clean - admit what you did and move forward" according to published reports.

Cain has crossed the Rubicon as far as these allegations. If something had happened, he would have done well to address the issue, offer a mea culpa and hope the incident would fade as he continued with his campaign. Now, if these allegations are true, Cain wil be disgraced and will face a fallout not only with political supporters, but more importantly with his wife and family.

Cain is not the first politician to face women accusers. Bill Clinton was dogged by the issue when he ran for president in 1992. His womanizing lifestyle followed him into the White House and he finally admitted in the summer of 1998 to having an affair with an intern. The media covered it relentlessly for more than a year prior. Clinton's popularity due to the surging economy, couple with the fact that he was more thatn halfway through his second term in the Oval Office, shielded him from further political fallout.

Other politicians like Howard Dean allow themselves to get caught up in a moment and are never allowed to live it down.

Herman Cain has surprised many Americans with his high standings in the polls. If he continues to stand up to the accusations and disprove them, he will be that much stronger and tougher to beat in elections. If this is a mere attempt to hide past lapses in judgement, it will destroy his bid for the White House and define his legacy forever.