Cain "Reassessing" Continuing Campaign Run

He'll make a decision "in the next few days."

My theory is that all of these guys are haunted by the Ghost of Tim Pawlenty, and most will be very reluctant to get out of the race until, say, Florida, or after. In a volatile race, you're just one news cycle from being on top. Or being on the bottom.

No one can really know.

Cain might get out because there are other factors here (like just not wanting to deal with these questions, and strains on the homefront), but as a general matter people are going to be very reluctant to formally drop out. Even no-hope candidates will keep a skeleton, "notional" candidacy going, because, you never know.

Campaigns may be suspended, but won't be ended, and I don't even think they'll be announced as suspended. At least not until it's well-nigh-inarguable that someone is really, definitely not going to have a swell of sudden support, and I don't know how you would have that confidence.

Transcript of Conference Call: Cain denied there was an affair or sex on CNN, then his lawyer came out and seemed to issue a non-denial.

Now Cain seems to be denying.

“Obviously, you’re all aware of this recent firestorm that hit the news yesterday,” Cain began, his voice somber. “First thing I want to do is say to you what I have said publicly: I deny those charges, unequivocally. Secondly, I have known this lady for a number of years. And thirdly, I have been attempting to help her financially because she was out of work and destitute, desperate. So thinking that she was a friend, and I have helped many friends, I now know that she wasn’t the friend that I thought she was. But it was a just a friendship relationship.”

“That being said, obviously, this is cause for reassessment,” he continued. “As you know, during the summer we had to make some reassessments based upon our financial situation. We were able to hang in there; we reassessed the situation and kept on going. We also did a reassessment after the Iowa straw poll and we made another reassessment after the Florida straw poll. When the previous two accusations, false accusations, came about, we made another assessment. The way we handled those was, we continued on with our schedule. We made an assessment about what was going to happen to our support. But our supporters, and even some folks that we didn’t have as supporters, they stood with us, and they showed it, not only in terms of their verbal support, they showed it in terms of their dollars.”

“Now, with this latest one, we have to do an assessment as to whether or not this is going to create too much of a cloud, in some people’s minds, as to whether or not they would be able to support us going forth,” Cain said.

More at the link.

posted by Ace at 11:59 AM

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