More 20/20 Hindsight regarding Herman Cain

September 2011 is a month that Herman Cain will never forget. I've already written about how events last month should have made Cain's win at the Florida Presidency 5 straw poll less shocking, but September is far from the first time that Cain has exhibited strong potential. Check out these articles from back in May, when the first debate took place in South Carolina and Cain officially announced his candidacy:

RedState | Erick Erickson | May 16, 2011 | Natural Constituencies 

If you want a real outsider who is uncompromising on fiscal and social issues, but who plays up the fiscal issues, Cain is the guy. I think Cain is going to be the “think tank” favorite. He’ll be the guy who gets the crowds within the state policy network excited. He will draw from libertarian oriented voters who are more stable than Paul or Johnson voters, he’ll draw from evangelicals, and he will draw from those who want a businessman in the White House instead of a politician. I hope you do not underestimate Cain this year. There is a real anti-Washington mood that he is going to capitalize on.

While the Romney, Gingrich, and Daniels camp puts a price on winning based on where candidates are right now, the Cain constituents think a winning message will get you far and, polls be damned, they are going all the way with Herman Cain.

Wall Street Journal | May 6, 2011 | Republicans Buzzing About the 'Hermanator'

The early reviews are in, and Herman Cain, the little-known former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza, has emerged as the unquestioned winner of the first Republican presidential debate...

Human Events | May 6, 2011 | South Carolina Debate: Herman Cain Makes a Great First Impression

When former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain was in the midst of an answer to question during the first Republican primary debate (sponsored by Fox News and the South Carolina GOP) of the 2012 cycle in Greenville, South Carolina, the buzzer rang, indicating that Cain had reached his alloted 30 seconds. 

Traditional politicians usually ignore the buzzer and finish their talking points or answers. Cain, though, simply stopped his answer, unlike what a traditional politician would do in that situation.

Later in the debate, when pressed by Chris Wallace, who was one of the moderators, about his lack of political experience, Cain simply responded, in what is becoming a patented line of his, that politicians have done more harm than good in Washington and asked the audience, "how's that working out for you?"

...Cain's outsider status, his clarity in his responses, and his successful past as a businessman who turned around companies that were failing, resonated with an audience that previously did not know much about him. 

In fact, in a focus group by Frank Luntz right after the debate, voters who did not know who Cain was nearly unanimously declared him the winner.

And of course, Cain's YouTube video officially announcing his candidacy:

YouTube | thehermancain | Herman Cain Presidential Announcement Video

UPDATE: My fedora-wearing friend Robert Stacy McCain took notice of this post and also took notice of the fact that I did not link any of his articles on Cain. Holy heck, Stacy. I wasn't trying to do a comprehensive report on what the media was saying in May, just throw up a few links.


Anyway, Stacy did actually write a darn good post about Cain back in May, and you should read it:

The Other McCain | Herman Cain set to win S.C. Debate