For a second straight week, Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain finds himself in a politically difficult situation, as a week after sexual harassment allegations were revealed from the late 1990's, a new accuser stepped forward.
This time the sexual misconduct allegations had a face and a voice - and that will keep this story in the limelight - as this accuser goes on CNN tonight and some of the morning network television shows to air her explosive accusations of sexual misconduct, even as Cain’s campaign sternly denies any wrongdoing.
Cain's campaign announced late Monday that the candidate will hold a news conference to address the issue on Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix, where he is campaigning. Other than a couple of questions at the National Press Club last week in Washington, Cain has avoided questions from reporters, flatly telling a group over the weekend that he wasn't talkinga bout the issue.
What does it mean for Cain? This story may have become much more difficult for him to deal with.
All last week we talked about how it was one thing to have charges with no face behind those charges – that changed when lawyer Gloria Allred held a news conference with a woman named Sharon Bialek, who claimed the Cain had made inappropriate sexual advances after Bialek had asked for help in finding a job.
This was during the same time when Cain was heading the National Restaurant Association.
So will this doom Cain’s bid for the White House?
Again, it is too early to say something like that, but clearly, this was not what Cain’s camp wanted as they try to get back on message.
Cain’s schedule this week is once again one that doesn’t really have him on the campaign trail; he was in California on Monday, he has a fundraiser in the Washington, D.C. suburbs later this week, and a fundraiser in New York.
That’s all sandwiched around debates in Michigan on Wednesday night and in South Carolina on Saturday night.
The reaction among Cain supporters and critics on social media runs about as one might expect – those who like him aren’t ready to give up and those who think Cain is a paper tiger see him going down in flames very soon.
“Gloria Allred is obviously a publicity whore and nothing more,” said one of my followers on Facebook.
It was the second time in the last four months that Allred had commanded attention during a political controversy – back in June she held a news conference with a porn star who had engaged in sexually explicit chats with former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY).
While the candidate didn’t speak out, Cain’s staff took a dig at her in a message on Twitter:
“Welcome to the campaign, Gloria Allred. What took you so long?”
We’ll see where this story goes.
