“This is a sign of our growing momentum and my candidacy that cannot be ignored,” Cain said afterwards in a statement. “I will continue to share my message of ‘common sense solutions’ across this country and look forward to spending more time in Florida, a critical state for both the nomination and the general election.”“
The Georgia businessman got a boost in recent days from conservative bloggers like the influential Erick Erickson at Red State, who declared Perry a “train wreck” in Thursday’s debate and named Cain the clear winner. Others, like Ed Morrissey at HotAir, pumped up Cain’s performance as well.
Pundits and analysts are running with the idea that Rick Perry's campaign is "near implosion" and that Herman Cain may gain momentum in the wake of his victory in the Florida straw poll, but I'm going to go ahead and throw cold water on that theory and say no, not happenin'.
The Florida straw poll is completely meaningless. Only 2,600 people voted in the poll, which you must pay to participate in, and neither Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann officially participated in the poll. Additionally, Herman Cain has placed a lot of eggs in the Florida basket, spending more time there than the other candidates.
And as Jon Stewart so eloquently put it, Rick Perry is not running for the nomination of Pundit-town. Perry is running for the nomination of a group of people who cheer for the record-breaking number of executions he has presided over and scream to let the uninsured die. He's running for the nomination of a group of people who cling to their guns and religion during times like this. People who boo at a member of the military because he's gay.
At this point, the Lunatic Base™ is just as far apart from right-wing pundits as right-wing pundits are from average Americans. Right-wing pundits are paid to say crazy things. The lunatic base really is crazy. They will elect a crazy candidate.