Convincing Some of the People

Herman Cain's battle over sexual harrassment charges has continued to evolve as more women go public with their allegations. Cain has tried in various ways to answer the questions, including a news conference much of the media carried live, but has yet to put the matter behind him.

It's easy to assume Cain will not survive these allegations. Easy, but it would be a mistake.

Remember, Cain is not trying to win over the entire country right now. He's trying to win the Republican nomination. And yet, the most important audience Cain has at the moment is not even the entire group of likely Republican voters. It's his base of supporters.

Cain's main goal throughout this entire ordeal is to maintain his support. He needs to avoid losing potential votes to another candidate. And, if he handles the controversy particularly well, he might even gain new supporters.

So, what are his objectives:

• Look and sound like a leader at all times
• Avoid sounding like a victim
• Refrain from pointing the finger at the Democrats, especially when he can offer no proof to back up the claims.
• Give clear and convincing answers
  

As crazy as it may sound, this story may actually end up helping Cain because people who haven't paid much attention to the campaign thus far will be introduced to him while he's in crisis mode. His handling of the crisis could be more important than the crisis, itself.