Mark Block
As Herman Cain's chief of staff, Mark Block had a star that was brief, but boy, did it shine. Block first popped into our collective consciousness with his head-jerking, cigarette-puffing endorsement of the Republican presidential candidate in an October campaign video. From his casual opening ("Mark Block here") to the ad's bizarre synth-pop music to Block's smoking in the next-to-last shot, the clip as an endorsement was a real head scratcher. As a viral comedy video, though, it was a goldmine. The ad has been viewed millions of times, dissected on political blogs and continually parodied. Shortly after its release, however, Cain was accused by several women of sexual harassment, and Block's campaign agenda turned from the spotlight to damage control.