Daniel Henniger on Taking Herman Cain Seriously

The same day a new Fox News poll shows Herman Cain leaping into the GOP field’s top tier – he’s currently in third place at 17 percent, only two points behind Rick Perry – The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger takes a closer look at the candidate’s credentials. He notes that while many Republicans like Cain, they are reluctant to support him because he’s never held elected office. But why not take the former CEO of Godfather’s pizza more seriously? After all, writes Henninger, while current frontrunner Mitt Romney technically has political experience, the former Massachusetts governor chose to run on the strength of his business background; and “measured by résumés, Herman Cain’s looks deeper in terms of working on the private sector’s front lines.” After chronicling Cain’s various successes in the restaurant industry – and noting the candidate’s potential to win over black voters in a general election – Henninger concludes: “He deserves a serious look.”