Geraldo Grills Cain Rep Over Sex Harassment Claims

The economy, simplicity, limits of outsiders, say pundits

(NEWSER) - So, after a fleeting moment at the top of the polls , Herman Cain's run for the Oval Office is over. Now comes the political dissection, as analysts ask what his unconventional campaign meant:

• The root of Cain's popularity was his campaign's "simplicity and unconventionality," says Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post . His tax plan was easy and "seemed to make sense," and reinforced his unique, off-beat approach. "The Republican base, sick of politics-as-usual as practiced by both parties in Washington, loved Cain’s I-am-not-a-politician riff," said Cillizza.

Behind a damaged Herman Cain, according to new poll

(NEWSER) - Don’t look now, but Newt Gingrich appears to have crawled his way into the top tier of the GOP presidential field. A new CBS News poll has Gingrich tied with Mitt Romney for second place, at 15% each. Ahead of both is Herman Cain with 18%, but the poll shows he has been damaged somewhat by his sexual harassment scandal. (Also in the poll's top five positions: 17% for "don't know" and 14% for "someone else.") More»

Not that it'll hurt his fundraising ability...

(NEWSER) - Herman, Herman, Herman... Just one day after Herman Cain apologized for referring to Nancy Pelosi as “Princess Nancy,” he stepped in it again with a joke about Anita Hill. That’s right: Cain, facing allegations of sexual harassment, made a joke about the woman who accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. The presidential contender was at a campaign stop in Michigan yesterday when someone mentioned Hill. A Fox News camera caught Cain responding, “Is she going to endorse me?” to laughter. More»

Sharon Bialek also recalls Tea Party encounter with Cain

(NEWSER) - It was Sharon Bialek’s 13-year-old son who convinced her to go public with her sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain, she told CNN this morning. "He said, 'Mom, you have to do the right thing. I think you need to tell on him.'" As for the derision that’s followed in the wake of her statement, "I expected it," she said. But she insists she has "nothing to gain" and has not been paid even though she could have sold her story, the Chicago Tribune reports. More»

Based on what Donna Donella saw, Cain should not be a 'serious candidate'

(NEWSER) - A fifth woman has come forward to tell a sketchy-sounding story about Herman Cain. Former USAID employee Donna Donella, 40, tells the Washington Examiner that after giving a speech in Egypt for USAID in 2002, Cain asked Donella to set up dinner between him and a “lovely young lady” who had asked a question, “so I can give her a more thorough answer." Donella, suspicious, said no; she says Cain replied, “Then you and I can have dinner." More»