People like him. He’s tough and succinct and has a great sense of humor.
Cain could do a little better IMHO. As the front runner, he does not need to attack Romney or anyone else like he did in this last debate with his question. He could have gotten his point across much better by asking Romney why he would prefer to defend and tinker with a tax code that is used to foster class warfare, and has a narrow base and allows 50% of the people and hundreds of the most profitable corporations to avoid it, that enable millions of visitors, tourists and even residents paying income tax in foreign countries to avoid paying taxes as opposed to a plan that everyone can understand, unites everyone instead of divides the people, enables visitors and tourists to contribute to the system, lowers the cost of production and enables employers to kick up at least 9% more to their employees (money they currently pay in payroll tax and other withholdings) but most importantly is a plan that if Congress tinkers with it, everyone will know it, it will effect everyone, and everyone will object to it.
My point being that he need not attack the person. As the front runner he has to be the idea man and challenge opponents to defend their ideas or expose their lack of ideas, just as they have challenged him to defend his ideas -- and they have done so in even more petty and childish ways I admit. His approach is working I just can't tell whether it is because of his style or because people are doing their own research to understand the details (or lack thereof) of his plan. I like Cain and I like his idea but I did my work to understand it. Just by listening to debates he is not getting it all across.
Finally, Cain has almost completely failed to explain that 9-9-9 is a bridge to the Fair Tax some time in the future. I fear he doesn't know yet how to build that bridge. He will also have some challenge not just about the 15% rate vs 9% income and 9% again on consumption, but he also will be challenged by the 50% of the people who pay 0 tax now as well as people on SS who already paid income tax and will resent another tax on their limited income. The Fair Tax does have solutions to those 2 issues but Cain does not yet address them. Perhaps after he wins the nomination he will have more time and money to explain a solution but I think getting these issues out of the way now will put him 15 points ahead of Romney.
and he’s black which makes him almost saint-like and thus he can’t be opposed without the opposer being called a racist.