Herman Cain's race humour

The Times queries: behind it all, a question of seriousness? On his 'electric fence' joke:

The moment illuminated one of the main concerns about Mr. Cain: He could have a hard time being taken seriously, at least to the degree that he uses sarcasm and laughs to divert attention from what for another candidate could be disqualifying gaps in knowledge and experience. And while his casual style of racially inflected humor works to ingratiate him with mostly white audiences at campaign rallies, it has angered some black critics, who believe he uses age-old stereotypes. 

Jonathan Martin and Juana Summers explore the issue:

But even as he runs a campaign centered on what he calls a common-sense message and an embrace of conservative orthodoxy, the racial component is ever-present. It’s not necessarily because Cain’s the only nonwhite candidate running for the presidential nomination of an overwhelmingly white party. And it’s not because he’s vying to take on the country’s first black president. Rather, it’s because Cain, himself, places the issue front and center.

In other news, Godfather's Pizza doesn't exactly cut it in a Politico taste test. "The cheese is really sour! The crust is like a sponge." (Image via Politico)