Cain's Crisis Mismanagement

For a candidate running on his business acumen, Herman Cain failed to showcase his CEO skills in managing his campaign's first crisis. 

Cain's meteoric rise to front-runner status was tempered earlier this week when allegations surfaced about a settlement made 12 years ago to two women who accused Cain of sexual harassment.

The allegations, which Cain has categorically denied, were published by Politico on Sunday evening and have dominated the news cycle all week. Despite negative press, contributions to Cain's campaign actually increased the day after the story broke, illustrating that support for the former businessman has not waned in wake of the controversy. Cain and many of his supporters believe he is the target of opponents who want to derail his campaign.

Although he may retain support for now, Cain's candidacy has suffered a serious body blow: the evolving and inconsistent details of Cain's story illustrates how unprepared the Cain camp is to challenge President Obama's reelection machine. The longer Cain is unable to contain this crisis of unsubstantiated and anonymous allegations, the more time he spends looking unqualified for the very office he seeks.

Cain proudly defines himself as an unconventional candidate running an unconventional campaign. If he wants to remain a serious contender, Cain needs to embrace the conventional wisdom of  how to successfully survive a political crisis.