As Herman Cain reassesses his presidential campaign in the wake of allegations he'd had a 13-year extramarital affair, the only thing fading faster than his poll numbers is his support.
While nothing has been proven - including claims of sexual harassment - and Cain hasn't admitted to such misbehavior, the electorate seems to be tuning him out. But then, would-be voters can operate with a self-defined burden of proof.
What seems incongruous is that, meanwhile, Newt Gingrich continues to shoulder his way to the top of the Republican field. This is a candidate who had two extramarital affairs, the second while he was pressing for impeachment of President Bill Clinton over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
Perhaps Gingrich's political resume compels electors to overlook such proclivities. As an author of the Contract with America, he was instrumental in helping the Republican Party end 40 years of majority rule by Democrats in the 1994 election. As Speaker of the House, he had considerable success in achieving conservative goals, even with a Democratic president.
It's also possible that, some 16 years after his latest affair, Gingrich is a changed man. Growth and wisdom can do that. But if that belief accounts for his rise in the polls, the folks asnwering pollsters' questions should remember maturity also might be behind some of Mitt Romney's changes of heart over the years.
Of course, Romney also has been married for 42 years, all to the same wife. This may be something for people to remember as the caucuses and primaries approach, and the polling begins to count.
