Fresh off a Wednesday night debate in Michigan, Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain shifted his focus away from his GOP counterparts and onto the president.
Cain remained in the Great Lakes State on Thursday to tour with Tea Party groups. Outside a diner in Ypsilanti, Mich., he coined his latest catchphrase, taking direct aim at President Barack Obama.
"How you beat Obama? Beat him with a Cain!" the Georgia businessman told supporters, drawing cheers from the crowd.
That comment has some historical salience. American history buffs will remember a heated May 1856 battle between Northern Senator Charles Sumner and Southern Congressman Preston Brooks. With the war over slavery in full force, Brooks became infamous for his brutal attack on Sumner, a known abolitionist, with a cane.
Cain's rhetoric reached a fever pitch during Wednesday night's debate. When asked about how he would handle health care reform, the Republican delivered a shot toward House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
"Legislation has already been written -- HR 3000. In the previous Congress, it was HR 3400. What that does is -- it has already been written. We didn't hear about it in the previous Congress because Princess Nancy sent to it committee and it stayed there."
Cain later apologized, telling CNBC he "probably should not have made that comment."
Cain's jests come despite a cloud of sexual harassment allegations surrounding his campaign. Cain's lawyer, Lin Wood, delivered a warning to new accusers on Thursday, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "I'm not here to scare anyone off. [However] they should think twice anyway."
In the meantime, it appears donors have not thought twice about giving Cain financial support. A Thursday press release shows that Cain has raked in $9 million since the beginning of October -- more than double what his camp had raised over the previous nine months.