The last stop on the Herman Cain train came on a sunny day in Atlanta Saturday. After being dogged by allegations of sexual impropriety for weeks and seeing his poll numbers collapse, Cain accepted the inevitable and suspended his campaign for president.
It’s important to remember that it wasn’t just the allegations of sexual harassment and the accusation that he spent 13 years in an extramarital affair that sunk the Cain bid — it was a series of epic gaffes and missed opportunities that pushed one of the most surprising frontrunners in recent memory out of the race.
For his part, Cain promised to stay involved in the race, launching TheCainSolution.com, a website that redirects to an ad about his 999 tax plan, which Cain said he’ll still tout going forward.
He also said he’ll make a presidential endorsement sometime soon.
In explaining his decision to leave the race, Cain blamed the media and a lack of money. He again and again called the accusations against him “unproven” and false.
“I am at peace with my wife and she is at peace with me,” Cain said. “And I am at peace with my family and I am at peace with myself. Which is one of the most important things.”
Cain said the multiple allegations of sexual harassment and the allegations of an affair damaged him.
“These untrue accusations continue to spin in the media and the court of public opinion so as to create a cloud of doubt over me and my family,” Cain said. “That hurts. It hurts me, it hurst my family and it hurts the American people because you are being denied a solution to our problems.”
It seems Cain has found his own solution to one of his lasting problems: the high price of running for president. CNN reported Saturday that by “suspending” his campaign rather than ending it officially, Cain can still raise money to retire his campaign debt.
