So Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll

I like Cain.  He gets quite a lot of radio air time in Atlanta (particularly on Boortz), and I like his thinking and his attitude.  I'm skeptical that he can win.  He's a very non-traditional candidate - no, it's nothing about his race; it's that he's never held office before.

Not that I'm a fan of professional politicians who have never had a real job.  Click on the "Vote Them Out" icon for a rant about this.  Cain is absolutely not one of the folks I carry on about in that post.

But here's the deal: the 2012 election will go to the Republican who doesn't scare the voters.  Right now, Romney and maybe Perry are the ones most likely not to scare the voters.

But Perry didn't do well in the last debate.  Michael Graham offers up some sound advice to the Perry camp:

All you have to do is prove that you’re ready to take on Obama in November.  But right now, you’re getting your presidential aspirations handed to you by Mitt Romney. Now Gov. Perry, that’s not exactly like getting beaten up by a girl, but…

What’s particularly annoying is that, setting aside your mixed record on immigration, you’ve got the record to run on. The job creation is there, the true belief in limited government is there, the willingness to side with people/entrepreneurs against Washington/trial lawyers/enviro-whackjobs is there. Romney’s record is nowhere close.

But records don’t win elections. Candidates do. (See: “Obama, B.”) So this is my challenge to you, Gov. Perry:

Either step up or get out.

Yup.  Oh, and don't scare the voters.

It will be interesting to watch this election unfold.  Right now, I'm not sure who I'm rooting for.  I do have to say that I'm less enthusiastic about Perry than I was a month ago.  Step it up is right.