Candidate wants to fix problems (Herman Cain)

Hinesville Coastal Courier ^ | 03/26/2004 | Patrick Donahue , Executive editor

[phil_will1]

"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of the status quo," the Republican candidate said. "The status quo is the tax code is a mess, the Social Security structure is a mess and Medicare is a mess. I'm just tired of us not facing the problems and fix the problems."

Cain served on the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Commission, appointed along with Jack Kemp by then Rep. Newt Gingrich and Sen. Bob Dole, to look at alternatives to the tax code.

"We found you cannot fix the current code," he said.

Cain worked on Kemp's campaign when the former New York senator was Dole's running mate in 1996 and also worked on Steve Forbes' presidential campaign. Cain said then Rep. Dick Armey pushed for a flat tax in the early 1990s and the flat tax was a major plank in Forbes' platform.

Cain advocates replacing the national tax code with a national sales tax.

He also said the principles that went into founding Social Security in 1935 were outdated within 10 years, since it didn't assume there would be a World War II or the baby boomers.

"We've known the Social Security structure has been broken for 50 years," Cain, who said he is in the first wave of baby boomers who will test Social Security's limits in seven years, said. "But we couldn't get a collective will of elected leaders to do something."

Cain said former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts told him there weren't enough leaders in Congress. "Seventy percent of the 535 representatives are just happy to be there," Cain said Watts told him. "They are not leaders. They just get led."

A lot of good ideas get stuck in committees, Cain said, or their proponents don't know how to defeat the negative rhetoric lobbed against them.

"It's not that we don't know how to solve the problems," he said. "What's missing is strength of leadership."

Cain is also the author of three books, including "Leadership is Common Sense." Before entering politics, he served as president and chairman of Godfather's Pizza, Inc., and as president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.

A graduate of Morehouse College and Purdue University, Cain also served as a vice president of Pillsbury and eventually managed 400 Burger King stores around Philadelphia, even flipping burgers on the grill to learn the nuances of store operations.

"I have succeeded against the odds in more situations than I care to remember," he said.

Cain likened the current problems of the tax code, Social Security and Medicare to a tire with a hole in it. Instead of fixing the problem permanently, all Congress does is delay the inevitable.

"All we have done is continue to put air into a tire with a hole in it and see how long it will last," he said.

Cain proposes creating a system of personal retirement accounts and phasing out Social Security over time.

"They did this in Chile in 1980 and it worked," he said. "They had a social security structure similar to ours. Their social security tax rate was 27 percent. Ours is 15.3 percent."

Cain said the Social Security Administration trustees came out in favor of upping the social security tax. "That just puts more air in that tire," he said.

The Citizens Against Government Waste said Wednesday the current Medicare system will run out of money in 15 years. Cain is pushing for a complete overhaul of Medicare and said he wasn't surprised at the announcement.

Of the $440 billion pumped into Medicare each year, Cain said one-third of it goes to administrative costs.

"That is ridiculous," he said. "Every year we have to appropriate more money and benefits go down. Medicare is headed for a train wreck. It would have a ripple effect in the structure of our health care system. They said the only thing we have to do is raise taxes, lower benefits and increase the retirement age. That's the reason the system is broken. This is why I'm running."

Cain said what separates him from his opponents is he won't go away on these issues.

"Everything goes through the tax code," he said. "Everything goes through the revenue machine. I'm not afraid in being aggressive in pushing for the solutions. I plan to challenge the status quo."

Cain will face two congressmen, Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins, in June's primary for the Republican bid to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Zell Miller. Atlanta businessman Al Bartell also is running for the Republican nomination.

[phil_will1]

"This race should be over by midnight on July 20."

Correction - it will only be over then if there is no runoff - which is likely if Collins stays in.

[Principled]

Cain's going to need your vote before November. He's on the July 20 ballot against Isakson, Collins and Bartel.

He will have it, of course- I am optmistic about his chances in November to the extent I failed to mention that he also has my vote in any election before then-

[SittinYonder]

The Georgia press is just starting to wake up to what Freepers and true Georgia conservatives already knew - that Herman Cain has the most momentum of any of the candidates and he may likely be the next U.S. Senator from Georgia.

As a result, Cain hasn't gotten the kind of widespread attention that would bring him into the focus of Tyrone Brooks and others who would call him an "Uncle Tom." As July 20 gets closer, and certainly if he wins the election, watch for the black democrat leadership in Georgia to attack him without mercy.

[SittinYonder]

>they quoted a poll that Isakson had done that showed Isakson at 50%<

This is the second time I've heard numbers from a poll Isakson did, and I think it's pretty clear that he's hoping that public opinion will follow the numbers in the poll rather than the other way round.

Isakson wishes he had 50 percent. Maybe 50 percent of Cobb County, but out here in the other Georgia Isakson is following Collins and Cain.

If anybody believes Isakson's got 50 percent now, they're in for a big surprise in July.

[n-tres-ted]

I understand your point about governors having a better shot at being president than a senator does. But I think HC really wants to be a leader in getting the Fair Tax enacted into law. We really need his leadership in the Senate to do that. As you know, Tom Delay says we're going to be pushing to enact the Fair Tax Act in 2005-2006.

[raloxk]

I am voting for him. He is on the air constantly and is a true conservative

[VOA]

Cain has put in at least one good appearance on The Michael Medved Show
a few months ago.

[beaversmom]

http://www.cainforussenate.org/

[Veritas_est]

"One FReeper has a Herman Cain bump list. Anyone have an idea who that is?"

NewLand and Maurice1962 both have Cain Ping lists.
I'd like to see all of you on one of these lists.

Cain will beat Collins in July, and most of you will be very surprised at how well he does against Isakson in July. With Collins out of the race after July Cain should beat Isakson handily in the run off.

[Veritas_est]

Cain Ping

[NewLand]

((((( THE OFFICIAL HERMAN CAIN PING LIST )))))

FReepMail me if you want to be ON or OFF this list

Go Herman Go!

Click Here for the Herman Cain for US Senate Web Site

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[FreedomPoster]

Can you point me to an Isakson-is-a-RINO summary sheet? And/or an Isakson/Cain position comparison sheet? I'd like it for use in convincing my wife to go with Cain.

[onyx]

I can't vote for him.
I continue to pray for him.
I am going to send him some money.

[onyx]

I can't vote for him.
I continue to pray for him.
I am going to send him some money.

[edeal]

A vote for Isuckson is a vote for the Dems. Please RINO go back home to Cobb, where you can endorse more Dems against third party candidates.

[NRgirl]

Is Johnny Isakson really that bad of a RINO?? If so, that fact certainly hasn't gotten much press coverage. Stupid AJC...

I think Cain is definitely worth conservative support, and I'd be interested to know about Isakson's more liberal stances on issues. What are some of his worst?

[phil_will1]

"I'd be interested to know about Isakson's more liberal stances on issues. What are some of his worst?"

He has for several years represented a congressional district which had a substantial amount of support for the FairTax. As recently as last May, I met with him and he favored a bill to sunset the Code, but was uncommital as to what type of tax reform he favored. As the former President of Northside Realty, he has always been responsive to the real estate lobby and has gotten a lot of campaign cash from them. They think they have a great deal with the current code (because of the bennies their lobbysists have garnered for them over the years). Isakson was the last member of Georgia's congressional delegation to sign onto the FairTax bill just after Labor Day last year. Many believe it was motivated by political expediency, rather than sincere conviction.

It is my understanding that he was, until recently, pro-choice. I seem to recall that he has recently become pro-life, but, once again, political expediency may play a role.

My overall impression is that he is not as fiscally conservative as some of the other members of Georgia's congressional delegation and has broken ranks with them a few times in voting for more spending than they felt comfortable with.

I plan to go to the debate Monday night and I may have more specific info after that.

[NRgirl]

"I plan to go to the debate Monday night and I may have more specific info after that."

Thanks for the Isakson info. I just got home from that Cobb debate he was supposed to attend. What did you think of it? So much for getting any more information about him!! I was disappointed that Mr. Isakson didn't attend, and after hearing Cain speak, I can see why he wouldn't want to. I had never heard Cain before the debate, and I was amazed by the solidly conservative content of his speeches, not to mention his eloquence. I think Cain had a more better message than both Bartell and Collins, and he was certainly the superior debater (although Bartel had his moments). I found Mac Collins to be rather rude and good-old-boyish (if that's a word). You know what I mean. Did it bother you when Mac Collins kept saying--in that thick Southern accent of his--"I am a policy wawnk."? Ugh! If you have to tell people that you're an intellectual, you're probably not one...

Anyways, I would have loved to see Herman tear Isakson apart in that questions section. After tonight's debate, I have so much more confidence in Herman Cain as a candidate--"he's not a politician, he's a problem solver," :) It was also great to see that he had so much enthusiastic support. Next time around, I know for a fact that Herman Cain can and will obliterate Johnny Isakson in a debate...as long as Johnny doesn't weasel out of it!

[AnAmericanMother]

Isakson's a RINO - actually he's just a finger-in-the-wind pol. He is one of those fellows who weasels along doing his best to make no commitments to anybody, and he'll flip his position in a heartbeat if he thinks it will get him some votes (see the pro-abort to pro-life flip flop).

I know because I live in his district. When you need constituent services he can't be found. When you write him with your opinions on issues, all you get is a weaselly form letter. You can't count on him to support the Republican position in the House -- unless he thinks it will get him some votes.

One of the reasons he's been so weaselly is that his district is a difficult one -- it contains a wide assortment of voters, from good old boy rednecks in Smyrna to the poorest of the poor in the Section VIII housing along South Cobb Drive to limousine liberals and Rockefeller Republicans in Vinings. You'd think he'd push constituent services to bind that dissimilar group together . . . but, no.

Absolutely the only plus to having Isakson in the Senate is the "R" beside his name for purposes of committee appointments and leadership positions. He sure can't be trusted to vote "R".