GOP Sees Herman Cain as a ‘Black Man Who Knows His Place’

Once considered a source of amusement, presidential candidate Herman Cain is now the leading contender among the Republican presidential hopefuls. Cain has gained double digit leads over his competition because he is the antithesis of U.S. President Barack Obama.

Democratic strategist and MSNBC analyst Karen Finney says Cain’s meteoric rise in the political arena is no fluke.

On Martin Bashir’s television program yesterday, Finney said most Republicans feel comfortable with Cain because of his race.

“One of the things about Herman Cain is, I think that he makes [the] white Republican base of the party feel okay, feel like they are not racist because they can like this guy,” Finney said. “I think he’s giving that base a free pass. And I think they like him because they think he’s a black man who knows his place. I know that’s harsh, but that’s how it sure seems to me.”

                                  “Thank you for spelling that out,” Bashir responded. 

The Weekly Standard blog points out that Cain’s supporters see him as a safer alternative to Barack Obama, whose narcissism and Muslim agenda quickly threw him out of favor with American voters.

During an online production of NBC’s Meet the Press this week, Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland said white voters support Cain to show they aren’t racist. “I think when [members of the Tea Party] can vote for a Herman Cain and hear him say the things that he says they feel like, ‘Well, you know, I can, I support this guy and…so it shows that I’m not racist and I’m supportive,’” Cummings told host David Gregory.