During a private conversation earlier this month, a well-connected Dallas political observer predicted the Herman Cain sex-harrassment bombshell that was reported over the weekend by Politico. So this morning we asked this clued-in insider–who requested anonymity, and said he/she was “a witness [to], not a participant” in the story–what affect the harrassment charges are likely to have on Cain and his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination.
“I don’t know who it helps or hurts. But it can’t help Cain,” the observer said. “How badly it hurts him has yet to be determined. Is there any substance–or were these disgruntled employees? Are there more charges to come? You can’t predict it yet. But it could be pretty painful to him, if the story gets legs.” Is it fair game for the media to bring up these sorts of older, thinly sourced charges? “When you run for president, everything seems to be fair game as long as it’s truthful,” the source said. “If it’s a lie, it’s not fair–and you should be ashamed for putting it out there.”
