Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain has taken the lead in the Republican polls for President. His popularity has jumped 22% in six short weeks, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll

"I think he is a real person and that is why he is ahead in the polls," says Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates. "He is not a robot."

Cain is now ahead of the former front-runner Texas Gov. Rick Perry whose popularity fell to 16% in October from 38% in August and leaves him in third place.

Support for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney did not change from August poll to October. He remains in second with 23% of the GOP vote.

The big question on the minds of many is whether Cain's popularity will wane as fast as it surged, just like it did for Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), while the Republican party tries to find a candidate who is NOT Romney, but who can win against President Obama.

"Will I be the flavor of the week?'' Mr. Cain said Wednesday in New

A strange economic trend appears to be emerging with American consumers. Retail sales have been trending higher while consumer confidence is at a 30-year low.

Retail sales grew 1.1% in September, the fastest pace since February, we learned on Friday. Even excluding strong auto purchases, the figures were better than expected. Data for earlier in the summer was also revised for the better. All this, even in the midst of stock market tumult and fears of another recession.

Meanwhile, those same economic concerns are still weighing on confidence. Consumer confidence plunged more in October than expected, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index. It's now at the lowest measure since May 1980.

How is this contradiction possible?

Howard Davidowitz, president of Davidowitz & Associates says it's simple. "We have got a bifurcation that keeps getting bigger and bigger," he explains to Aaron and Henry in the accompanying clip.

What accounts for the increase in sales is the