Do Republicans even care about substance?

Seeing as I blog in an echo chamber, I don’t think many of you plan to answer in the affirmative.  But I feel like I need to ask it anyway.

There’s this guy Herman Cain who’s leading in the national polls, as well as far too many state polls.  I presume by this point you’ve heard of him.  Even beyond his basic problems (eg. sexual harassment allegations, and his subsequent inability to get his story straight), this is a guy who not only has no substance to him, but admits it on a regular basis.

Let me put it to you this way.  If you and I start talking about some topic, say, for the sake of argument, cookies.  I start talking about how I love how they’re layered, with icing in between each subsequent layer, and then maybe some fondant on top.  You tell me I’m thinking of cakes, to which I respond, “Sorry, I misspoke.”  But we continue the conversation anyway, and talk about how my favorite cookie is that one with pumpkin filling, and a graham cracker crust.  You tell me I’m thinking of pies, to which I respond, “Sorry, I misspoke.”

At this point, you pretty much think I’m a dolt, right?  I can’t comprehensibly talk about baked goods at all!

Enter Herman Cain, especially vis a vis foreign policy.  Take this series of stories:

• Herman Cain on Chinese nuclear capability
• Herman Cain on the Middle East
• Herman Cain on Gitmo & Negotiating with Terrorists
• Herman Cain on Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan

Just like my lack of understanding of baked goods, it sure seems like Cain doesn’t remotely understand basic foreign policy concepts (or, as it turns out, the importance of a robust foreign policy).

But yet, the man still seems to sit atop the polls.  Sexual harassment allegations (three of them!) don’t seem to phase people.  The fact that no legitimate economist (less Cain’s unnamed experts) has said that his 9-9-9 plan would do anything other than destroy the economy seem to only make people like him more!

Herman Cain sounds really good in speeches and in debates.  He speaks well, sure.  But every time he opens his mouth, drivel comes out- and he’s admitted that it is!  So it begs the question–

Do Republicans even care about substance?