Cornbread's New Ad - Is Smoking Tough as Nails or Just Plain Goofy?

Herman Cain, A/K/A
"Cornbread"






Herman Cain is referred to by his campaign staff by the code name "Cornbread,"  because as he puts it:  "I just love cornbread!"   As long as he's not embarrassed by it, I'm certainly not embarrassed for him.  I like cornbread too.  Most of all with my wife's chili.

Each president has a Secret Service code name.  Reagan's was "Rawhide,"  appropriate given his many appearances in westerns.  Carter's was "Deacon," also appropriate given his strong religious bent ("If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  and "I have looked on a lot of women with lust.  I have committed adultery in my heart"). George W. Bush was "Tumbler," which seems a little insensitive given his very commendable decision at 40 to swear off alcohol on his own.  So perhaps if Cain becomes number 45, his code name will be "Cornbread."  He has already said he wants that.

But I digress.  Cornbread has a new internet ad up, starring his campaign's chief of staff, Mark Block. Here it is:



Apparently, nothing says "freedom (from invidious government regulation)" like a really creepy looking guy blowing smoke in your face.   Who the hell is this ad supposed to appeal to?   70 year-old white former Marlboro Man wannabes?  20 year-olds who spent too many of their high school days in detention for smoking on school grounds?

Mark Block is the former state director of Wisconsin's chapter of American for Prosperity, the right wing advocacy group financed by the Koch Brothers.  Block also serves on the Board of Directors of the MacIver Institute and the First Freedoms Foundation.

While director of AFP-Wisconsin, Block is credited with helping to stage the 9,000 strong Tea Party rally on the State Capitol grounds on April 15, 2009.  At the time it was the largest citizens' rally staged at the Capitol in Madison in 44 years.  That, of course, was before Governor Walker proudly reported to Fake Koch last February about "dropping the bomb" on the state's teachers and government workers. 

Before you conclude from this zany campaign ad that Cornbread and his staff have taken total leave of their senses, consider two things:

First, today's New York Times/CBS News Poll:

So Cain is, as of today, the leading "Not-Mitt" candidate on the GOP side.  Perry has proven to be the Roman Candle trajectory candidate I predicted in an earlier post.  Bachmann is shedding campaign staffers right and left and only Newt can join Cornbread in finding sunshine in these results.  The only truly honest adult candidate on the Republican side is Jon Huntsman who is mired at 1%. But that speaks volumes about the GOP base.

Second, Cornbread used to be a lobbyist aligned with the tobacco industry, and it can't hurt for him to use this ad to signal a willingness to return to that distinguished service if he fails in his effort to kick Number 44 out of the Oval Office.

Oh.  Here is the Marlboro Man: