"Think about it this way, Romney has, what, a solid 25% of the GOP base? Now, think of that other 75%....they support Cain, Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, Gingrich, Paul . . ."
I thought about this too: Here's the latest CBS/NYT Poll:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-20125251/cbs-news-nyt-polls-10-25-11/?tag=contentMain;contentBody
Herman Cain 25%
Mitt Romney 21
Newt Gingrich 10
Ron Paul 8
Rick Perry 6
Michele Bachmann 2
Rick Santorum 1
Jon Huntsman 1
Undecided/Don’t know 14
Clearly, if the other candidate voter percentages are split evenly, Cain would still be ahead . . .
Therefore, Romney will have to out-perform Cain in recruiting the undecided and fringe-support voters.
I think endorsements will seal the deal for Romney . . . Despite Cain's vibrancy he isn't and will never be considered a party insider. Perry, Gingrich, etc. will all support Romney, a more established GOP representative, over Cain, whose strange quips and comments could easily ruin the Republican brand and the 2012 election.