“I call it flyspecking. Every word I say now is going to be flyspecked by
somebody, and somebody who does not support Herman Cain, they’re going
to try to spin it into a negative.”

— Herman Cain, in an interview with the New York Post.

Gloria Cain is preparing to give her first interview of the campaign season to possibly air on Fox News on Monday, the New York Times reports.

“Mrs. Cain has, to date, not appeared on the campaign trail with her husband, and is said to prefer her home life in Atlanta, far away from the national spotlight. But since allegations of sexual harassment began to engulf the Cain campaign almost two weeks ago, it had been rumored that Mrs. Cain would eventually come to her husband’s defense on television.”

Eight Republican presidential candidates will debate national defense issues in South Carolina tonight at 8 pm ET, the Columbia State reports.

The debate is “expected to focus on defending the nation against terrorism, the growing nuclear threat posed by Iran and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.”

National Journal has a good overview of what each candidate has said about national security issues.

Two new Insider Advantage polls shows Herman Cain leading the GOP presidential field in Iowa and South Carolina.

In Iowa, Cain leads with 23%, followed by Mitt Romney at 19%, Newt Gingrich at 15%, Ron Paul at 12%, Rick Perry at 9% and Michele Bachmann at 5%.

In South Carolina, Cain leads with 26%, followed by Gingrich at 19%, Romney at 16%, Perry at 6%, Bachmann at 5%, Ron Paul at 3% and Rick Santorum at 1%.

The latest Economist/YouGov poll shows Mitt Romney regaining his position atop the GOP presidential field with 24%, followed by Herman Cain at 21% and Newt Gingrich at 16%.

Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and Rick Perry are all tied for forth at 7%, in front of Jon Huntsman at 5% and Rick Santorum at 2%.

“Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been through hell. Now, here’s the good news: it didn’t kill me or slow us down one bit.”

— Herman Cain, quoted by NBC News, acknowledging that the allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women have taken a personal toll on him.

Jon Stewart takes apart Rick Perry after his debate gaffe. Just brutal.

[Read more…]

“If you want a manager, Mitt is a competent manager. I will bring about change.”

— Newt Gingrich, in an interview with Laura Ingraham.

A new set of GS Strategy polls paid for by the AARP finds Mitt Romney and Herman Cain leading in the early states.

In Iowa, Cain leads Romney, 25% to 22%, with all other candidates in the single digits.

In New Hampshire, Romney is running away with 43% to Cain’s 18%.

In South Carolina, Cain edges Romney, 28% to 27%, with all other candidates in the single digits.

In Florida, Romney leads Cain, 31% to 29%, with Newt Gingrich at 12%.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds the Republican presidential race is being shaken up again, with Mitt Romney retaking the lead, Newt Gingrich surging into second place, and Herman Cain dropping to third place.

Romney leads with 23%, followed by Gingrich at 19% and Cain at 17%. They are followed by Ron Paul at 10%, Rick Perry at 8% and Michele Bachmann at 5%.

Said pollster Lee Miringoff: “Clearly this race has taken yet another dramatic turn. The top tier has gotten more crowded.”

A new Poll Position survey shows the same top tier, but in a different order: Herman Cain at 24%, Mitt Romney at 20% and Newt Gingrich at 19%.

“Something funny could happen on the way to the Republican presidential nomination next year,” CNN reports. “Mitt Romney might actually win South Carolina.”

“A triumph by the former Massachusetts governor in the first-in-the-South primary state has long been considered unthinkable by Republican insiders here, where Romney’s northern pedigree and evolving positions on core conservative issues have been viewed with skepticism since his last White House bid in 2008.”

“But, as in Iowa, Romney is holding steady at or near the top of the polls in the Palmetto State with roughly a quarter of the GOP vote in his corner. And crucially, no other candidate has managed to rally conservatives and emerge as a serious alternative to the presumed front-runner.”

First Read: “After Herman Cain’s defiant news conference on Tuesday and after Rick Perry’s brain freeze at Wednesday night’s CNBC debate, Mitt Romney’s path to the GOP presidential nomination is now WIDE open. In fact, not since Bob Dole in 1996 has a candidate been such a clear front-runner right before the primaries and caucuses begin. The ’96 comparison is also instructive: Dole still lost New Hampshire to Pat Buchanan.”

“What this all means: While Romney looks to be on his way to the nomination — and the Obama campaign and the DNC have been under that impression for months — we’re still likely to have plenty of twists and turns ahead. And keep this in mind: If Romney doesn’t win either Iowa or South Carolina, there’s a much greater chance of a long primary season, because not winning EITHER early state dominated by conservatives will be the BIG sign that Romney hasn’t sealed the deal with heart and soul of the Republican electorate. But as things stand right now, Romney’s also very capable of winning an Iowa or South Carolina. And if he does, and couples it with wins in BOTH New Hampshire and Florida, this race will be over by Feb. 1.”

“I can’t remember a candidate who has tackled a campaign crisis so forcefully and so strongly.”

— GOP strategist Alex Castellanos, quoted by the Daily Beast, on how Rick Perry is handling his embarrassing debate blunder from earlier this week.

A new CBS News poll shows three candidates in the top tier of the Republican presidential race: Herman Cain at 18%, Mitt Romney at 15% and Newt Gingrich at 15%.

“Support for both Cain and Romney has declined since late last month,
and Gingrich is the only one of the top three whose support is steadily —
if slowly — on the upswing.”

Key finding: 61% of Republican primary voters say the sexual harassment accusations against Cain won’t make any difference in their vote, but 30% say the charges make them less likely to back him.

Rick Perry attempted to move past his debate gaffe by making eight television appearances yesterday, including an amusing cameo on the Late Show with David Letterman.

[Read more…]

A new Quinnipiac poll in Florida finds Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) leading Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL) in the U.S. Senate race next year by just two points, 42% to 40%.

Said pollster Peter Brown: “The entrance of Congressman Connie Mack into the Senate race changes what had been shaping up as an easy reelection for Sen. Bill Nelson into a tough fight that the incumbent could lose. The fact that Mack is essentially tied with Nelson, who has been a statewide political figure for two decades, should set off warning bells at Democratic headquarters.”