Herman Cain: pizza boss, radio host, ballistics expert, minister. President?

guardian.co.uk ^ | 8 October 2011 | Staff

[BarnacleCenturion]

He is the latest Tea Party favourite to burst through in the increasingly heated race for the Republican presidential nomination and see their poll numbers rocket them to frontrunner status.

However, unlike previous rightwing darlings such as Texas governor Rick Perry and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, wealthy businessman Herman Cain, 65, can claim to be cut from a very different sort of cloth from the average Republican candidate.

First, he is not actually a politician. Cain, whose CV includes being a radio show host, a navy ballistics expert, a Baptist minister and a Federal Reserve official, has never held elected office in his life. His most famous job was as chief executive of the fast-food firm Godfather's Pizza.

Yet none of that seemed to matter to the cheering crowds at the Values Voter Summit in a Washington DC hotel late last week. There was much to celebrate. A Zogby opinion poll had just boosted Cain into first place in the race, with 38% of the vote, compared with 18% for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Perry trailed in third place with 12%. The study even showed Cain beating President Barack Obama in a match-up by 46% to 44%.

[lahargis]

Giving handouts to ‘empowerment zones’ wasn’t one of them. I can assure you. :)

[Pilgrim's Progress]

For those in Loma Linda, Burris is the Chicago thug politician that has all of his accomplishments chiseled on a granite stone for a tombstone. His last chiseled accomplishment was “Blagojevich appointed Senator” - yea, big accomplishment.

I don’t think that is something I would advertise.

[lahargis]

How does Cain expect to relate to everyone being that he writes on the back cover of his book, This is Herman Cain, "What is it that motivates me to insist on defining my identity in terms of "ABC" - as being American first, black second, and Conservative third?"

Given the above, he wants to relate to the black voters and never intended on winning the nomination, hence his "vacation" from the campaign trail.

[ozarkgirl]

Wish I could read minds like you! You keep saying what everyone would do. No documentation, history or evidence of any kind. You must be one of those “psychics”. :)

[JDW11235]

I agree with you. I don’t like the 9-9-9 plan, and have criticized it at length. I don’t like duals tax forms, I don’t like empowerment zones, and I don’t like any tax plan that keeps funding the Federal Government at it’s current size.

According to the Constitution (the 16th Amendment would have to be discussed all by itself), taxes were meant tobe apportioned, and placed on goods and services (excise, duties and tarriffs). This allows you to opt out of any one of them by not purchasing the good or service which was taxed. Tax on labor is an abomination. It stifles productivity moreso than ANY other tax (because it directly penalizes prosperity, which can only come from production untimately). So I ask again, what form of taxation is it that you think is best?

[BarnacleCenturion]

“If that were true, then Perry would not have set a recent near record for donations”

Wrong. Perry was polling very high for months and only imploded recently. There are already reports of empty chairs in some of his fundraising events.

Most of the money Perry raised was from his existing contributors in Texas and now most of them are probably maxed out.

And the money Perry raised was no record. Obama raised nearly triple in the same period and Romney raised more last quarter.

[Grunthor]

“your new found, suddenly perfect candidate.”

Deserved worse than I am allowed to post on this forum. Don’t rattle the cage if you don’t want to play with the hyena.

[lahargis]

I cannot say it is the 999 plan. Sorry

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Cain's 999 plan is a very heavy VAT tax and will damage an already shaky system.

But the biggest thing his supporters fail to see is, EXACTLY HOW on God's green Earth will Cain abolish all the established entitlements, local taxes, State income Taxes, etc,,, and replace them with his plan?

Many also fail to see that his plan included keeping the current Federal Income TAX (for a while) until his plan gets established. This is pure polyannish, Populist rhetoric, which seems to be the political persuasion of the week amongst the so called “Pure/True/Perfect” Conservatives.

[ozarkgirl]

“He has no experience for the job of President.”

If that’s your criteria, then Barack Obama is your man. He’ll be the only person on the ballot with experience as president.

Lol!

[JDW11235]

“How does Cain expect to relate to everyone being that he writes on the back cover of his book...”

You answered it yourself, (or rather, he did) “ as being American first.”

Hermain Cain, whether he will win the primary or not, is not vacationing. He’s campaigning. If you can’t see that, that’s your problem, and doesn’t really concern me. It’s the independents that need to be won over, because they sway the vote. Any black voters that leave the “Democrat Plantation” (as Allen West put it), will further help, because it’s an entire segment of the population that has been written off by some.

[JDW11235]

No need to be sorry, I agree.

[Beagle8U]

I like a flat tax at the national level with very few deductions.

That way you aren't taxing savings twice like the silly sales tax plans do.

[lahargis]

The handouts of the empowerment zones wont make it out the front door. Handouts are handouts. This is the SOC “Same old Crap” different day different politician handing it out. Got a pretty catchy name on it (999) but look inside at the guts and people wont like preferential treatment given out to certain people and not others..

[ozarkgirl]

Hallelujah brother! (or sister)

Excellent post.

[lahargis]

Conservative third.

[Roninf5-1]

They forgot to mention that Cain was the boss of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank.

Here is what Congressman Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking and Currency Committee for ten years, said of that privately owned, for profit corporation-

"Mr. Chairman, we have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. The Federal Reserve Board, a Government board, has cheated the Government of the United States and the people of the United States out of enough money to pay the national debt. The depredations and iniquities of the Federal Reserve Board has cost this country enough money to pay the national debt several times over. This evil institution has impoverished and ruined the people of the United States, has bankrupted itself, and has practically bankrupted our Government. It has done this through the defects of the law under which it operates, through the maladministration of that law by the Federal Reserve Board, and through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it."

Do you think the Fed has improved with age? Do you think they let strict Constitutionalists in the front door, let alone become Chairman of the Board.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

Oh I must have forgot, you are such a badass. So then, you are trying to convince me and other readers on this Forum, that Abusive floggings, attacks and rude behavior will continue until full support of YOUR candidate is achieved. (As well as increasing the number of members on this rapidly becoming exclusive forum.)

OK; Got it!

[Nucluside]

The only people who would have their taxes “raised” under the Cain plan are those who pay no taxes currently. Tax the poor and let them pay for some of their own upkeep. Cain does not go far enough in my opinion. Those who pay no taxes shouldn’t be allowed to vote, in my opinion. Those with “no skin in the game” think it is perfectly fine to exist as parasites off of those who produce.

[mkjessup]

You mean he is going to hire a bunch of unproven people with no experience in the job he’s giving them should he get to be president?

No, not at all. Like other Cain-bashers, you too have missed the point. You made a lame and semi-clever remark that 'Cain wouldn't hire Cain' based on his 'lack of experience' and I informed you that you needed to better acquaint yourself with Cain's total resume' which has more executive experience than even Sarah Palin had.

If you don’t have experience in the job you are applying for you dont’ get the job, period.

Review Cain's executive experience in the business sector and you'll find someone of substance. Cain wasn't picked to be the economic advisor to the Dole-Kemp campaign in '96 because he was an economic dummy (and don't even TRY the 'smear by association' tactic there).

You might get to be pizza delivery boy, but thats it.

Based on your inability to research the experience of a presidential candidate, I suspect you wouldn't get the job of vetting anyone in ANY campaign.

But they might save a slice of pizza for you if you empty the wastebaskets at night.