The Legacy of Herman Cain’s Death
By: Jacquie Devigne
Tags: Politics, USA, Covid 19, Republican Party, Trump

The Legacy of Herman Cain’s Death

Four months have passed, and Republicans already forgot about him. What does this mean for the rest of us?

Herman Cain in 2011. (Source: Eric Thayer / Getty Images file)

The last month of Herman Cain’s life must have been miserable.

The one-time Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza spent most of that month — 29 days, to be precise — hospitalized. He was on a ventilator, intubated and unconscious. Dying of COVID-19 is a slow, painful process.

It has long been speculated that Cain contracted COVID-19 at a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June, although there is no way to know that for certain. The rally was the first major public gathering during the pandemic since the mass closures in March. Most media outlets had condemned the rally as a potential super-spreader event as soon as the Trump campaign announced it. Cain, a high-risk individual due to a previous battle with stage 4 colon cancer, attended the event regardless and was photographed without a mask.

The first indication that Cain’s life did not matter came from his own Twitter account. He — or possibly his team — tweeted in approval that upcoming Trump rallies would not require masks, a simple measure that probably would have saved his life. In the final hours of his life, someone from his team tweeted from his account about an article detailing public skepticism to a COVID-19 vaccine. Following his death, his account famously tweeted that, “the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be.” The virus was deadly for Cain, of course.

There is almost an element of Shakespearean tragedy to Cain’s final moments. He was a devoted Trump loyalist, as evidenced by his public support for the president and his rally attendance. He was one of Trump’s few prominent Black supporters. Trump wanted to downplay the virus, which has disproportionately affected the Black population. While their employer’s health was deteriorating, Cain’s team downplayed the virus as well. The team still maintains his Twitter account even after his death, renaming it “The Cain Gang.” It would almost appear as if Cain had not died at all.

It is not just members of Cain’s staff who moved on. Other prominent members of the Republican party expressed their condolences and promptly returned to their positions that extolled reopening businesses and opposing mask mandates. His name was not mentioned at the RNC Convention in August. Trump himself was eager to convince the American public that his indoor rally was safe. In a presidential debate, Trump declared that, in regard to the seriousness with which his campaign takes the pandemic, “We’ve had no negative effect.”

Why revisit this topic, four months after Cain’s death? The United States is entering the largest wave of COVID-19 diagnoses. Deaths will continue to rise in the weeks to come. This is apparently of no concern to GOP leadership. While Trump has continually tweeted conspiracy theories about massive voter fraud, he seems unconcerned about the rising death count. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who previously alleged that Democrats would end COVID-19 restrictions once the election was over, is defiant against any suggestion that people socially distance over the holiday season.

Ultimately, this should not be surprising. Cain was many things in life — a rags-to-riches inspiration story, a CEO, a Tea Party activist, and a presidential candidate who was brought down by adultery and sexual harassment allegations. In death, Cain brought a mirror to the GOP’s apathy during the pandemic. This is the legacy of Cain’s death; Cain, like many Trump supporters, flouted COVID-19 safety precautions on the advice and examples of their leadership. Many, like Cain, have paid and will pay dearly. And the GOP will be unaffected.