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Who is the biggest loser in the Herman Cain controversy?

Clearly it is not Cain, whose numbers still have him tied with Mitt Romney as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

The biggest loser is the big media, which thinks it still has the power to decide for voters who is best qualified to be president.
One of the women who has accused Cain of sexual harassment has a history of filing such claims against her superiors.

Another has celebrity and porn star lawyer Gloria Allred (who contributed to the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008) as her attorney. That woman, Sharon Bialek, has a history of financial problems and has been involved in a paternity suit.

New York Times columnist Charles Blow of The New York Times can't understand why Cain isn't toast.

Let me help him out.

Growing numbers of the public no longer trust you.

That is why your readers (and profits) are declining and why alternative media, which is rapidly becoming the real mainstream media, are growing.

The public doesn't like the double standard you apply to Democrats and Republicans. You excuse sexual indiscretions by Democrats, saying their policies are all that matter. With Republicans, you say such things -- even when they are unproved -- are enough for them to withdraw.

Eliot Spitzer, after frequenting prostitutes got his own show in CNN along with a seven figure salary.

The big media couldn't find John Edwards' paramour who traveled with him and was pregnant until the National Enquirer broke the story of their relationship.

Cain said he would take a lie detector test under the right circumstances to demonstrate he is telling the truth. How about a lie detector test for the accusing women? What about a lie detector test for Bill Clinton and Chris Dodd? How about giving the test to members of the big media? I would love see the results of that one!

Herman Cain may not end up with the Republican nomination, but if he doesn't it should not be for the reason that the big media knocked him off before voters have a chance to decide. This, by the way, is a preview of their approach in the coming general election.

Cal Thomas is America's most widely syndicated newspaper columnist and a Fox News contributor. For more visit his website: CalThomas.com. Follow him on Twitter @CalThomas.