That very performance Mr. Limbaugh and others lauded also exposed Cain’s fundamental flaw: zero political experience.
Usually articulate, Cain, who has never held elected office, stumbles when he’s asked about foreign policy, as he did in the debate.
“There’s a real question whether voters, when they get in the booth, will want to entrust the presidency to someone who has never held a political office,” says Broussard.
And even Cain acknowledges he’s all but unknown in most quarters. “The general public doesn’t know who I am,” he told the Washington Post. “My biggest weakness is national household name ID.”
That, of course, affects a critical ingredient for any successful campaign: funds. Cain has suggested he’s got enough personal wealth to seed his campaign, but he’ll need to convince donors he’s a serious contender to get the checks flowing.