Herman Cain: I’m forming an exploratory committee for 2012

I know the basics of his bio — accomplished CEO, talk-radio host, cancer survivor — but not much more beyond that. Even so, it got my attention a few days ago when he won Red State’s 2012 “tournament,” topping Mike Pence in the semifinal and Palin in the final. Is that because Cain’s a Red State favorite or is the grassroots support for him out there broader than anyone realizes right now?

He says a run isn’t definite yet but it’s likely since it looks like the base is ready for an “unconventional candidate.” (Evidently they weren’t ready in 2004, because he got crushed in the Georgia GOP primary by Johnny Isakson.) As an interesting gloss on his potential appeal, read this long but interesting Ron Brownstein piece on the “managers vs. populists” dynamic shaping up within the GOP ahead of 2012. The archetypes on each side are Romney and Palin, of course, with “managers” running mainly as economic surgeons and “populists” running against the sclerotic D.C. establishment. Cain, as a successful businessman and popular “true conservative,” has credibility in both roles, and as a practiced public speaker, he should rock that tea party debate in August. (Huckabee, as a blue-collar social con hero and a governor for 10 years, arguably does too.) Does he have any chance of challenging Palin and/or Huck in Iowa, though? As noted in the excerpt, he’s already spending time there, which is smart since winning or finishing a strong second is his only shot at momentum. But c’mon. Surely either Sarahcuda or Huckabee’s going to run; it’s unimaginable that they’d both pass when either stands to clean up among Christians if the other stays out. How does Cain cope with that in the caucuses?

Here’s an interview with Cain that Ed conducted a few months ago during the Right Online conference. Exit question: With both Mitch Daniels and Tim Pawlenty suddenly sounding like their hearts aren’t in a presidential run, is Romney home free as the de facto nominee of the “managerial” wing of the party?

For those who don’t know him:

Herman Cain (born December 13, 1945) is an American newspaper columnist, businessman, politician, and radio talk-show host from Georgia. He is best known as the former chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. Cain’s newspaper column is distributed by North Star Writers Group. He currently lives in the Atlanta suburbs.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at Morehouse College in 1967, and a master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University.

Cain worked as a mathematician for the Department of the Navy, a business analyst for the Coca-Cola Company, and for the Pillsbury Company, where he became Vice-President of Corporate Systems and Services within three years. Cain hoped to reach a corporate presidency, and to pursue this goal he decided to resign his senior position and move into the restaurant industry.

Cain entered Pillsbury’s Burger King division, where he worked his way up from making hamburgers to managing 400 restaurants in the Philadelphia region. Under Cain’s leadership, the region went from being the chain’s worst-performing in the country to its best.

In 1986, Cain was appointed head of Pillsbury’s struggling Godfather’s Pizza chain, which he restored to profitability in 14 months, and organized a buyout of the company from Pillsbury in 1988. Cain went on to serve on the board of the National Restaurant Association, chairing the board from 1994 to 1995 and becoming President and CEO in 1996. In 1999 Cain became President of RetailDNA.

Cain has been cited as one of the primary “saboteurs” of the 1993/1994 health care plan of President Bill Clinton and then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In 2004, Cain ran for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, pursuing the seat which came open with the retirement of Democrat Zell Miller. Cain sought the Republican nomination, facing Congressmen Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins in the primary. Cain and Collins both hoped to deny Isakson a majority on primary day in order to force him into a runoff.

Collins tried to paint Cain as a moderate, citing Cain’s support for affirmative action programs, while Cain argued that he was a true conservative, noting that he opposed the legality of abortion even in cases of rape and incest.

Cain finished second in the primary with 26.2% of the vote, ahead of Collins who won 20.6%, but because Isakson was able to win 53.2% of the vote, Isakson was able to avoid a runoff against Cain.

In 2006, Cain was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in both his colon and his liver. After surgery and chemotherapy, he has reported that he is cancer free.

Cain hosts The Herman Cain Show on Atlanta talk radio station News Talk 750 WSB from 7-10PM EST Monday through Friday and serves as a commentator for Fox News Business and a syndicated columnist distributed by the North Star Writers Group.

In 2009, Cain founded “Hermanator’s Intelligent Thinkers Movement” (HITM), aimed at organizing 100,000 activists in every congressional district in the United States in support of a strong national defense, the FairTax, tax cuts, energy independence, capping and cutting government spending, restructuring Social Security, and defending the U.S. Constitution.

RE: Paging all illegal immigration fighters...what is Cain’s position on this issue? Anyone know?

SOURCE : http://bridgetdgms.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/herman-cain-could-be-obamas-worst-nightmare/

EXCERPT

Immigration ‘reform’: Stop pandering and get it done!

Cain said he doesn’t expect the Obama administration and Congress to pass any type of “immigration reform” before the November election.

“They just want to give the impression that they are passionate about the plight of illegals in this country so they do as little as they possibly can,” he explained. “That’s what this is about – pandering to the Hispanic vote.”

Likewise, he said Democrats are banking on the federal lawsuit against Arizona being drawn out this year.

“It is just their way of setting up to say, ‘We care about the plight of Hispanics in this country. We care about illegals in this country who might be racially profiled,’” Cain said. “They don’t give a flip about racial profiling! This is all politically motivated. So they had to sue Arizona to bring attention, and they’re going to drag it out intentionally so it gives the impression that they’re passionate about Hispanics in this country.”

However, Cain said he believes the Democrats’ plan will fail:

“I’ve had Hispanics call my radio show who are legal immigrants, and they say they’re insulted by what the administration is doing in giving the impression that it’s going to give a free pass to all those people who are here illegally. I get dozens of calls like this. Not only are they insulted, they say it’s going to backfire because most of the illegals aren’t going to be able to vote anyway. The legal Hispanics here do not like the fact that Democrats are trying to pander to Hispanics by trying to show this false compassion for this illegal immigration issue.”

For true immigration reform, Cain said, the U.S. must

1) secure the border,

2) enforce the current laws and

3) streamline the process for becoming a U.S. citizen.

“‘Comprehensive immigration reform’ is a joke, because it would mean government is capable of solving all three problems at once,” he explained. “When was the last time government solved one problem correctly? Time is up!”

He noted that Republicans tried “comprehensive immigration reform” in 2007, led by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and it failed.

“The Obama administration could not execute ‘Cash for Clunkers,’ not to mention the mishandling of the Gulf oil tragedy,” Cain said. “Add the lawsuit against Arizona and the rhetoric about ‘comprehensive immigration reform,’ and we have a political delay tactic to do nothing.”

Securing the border is not a difficult task with the technology available to the U.S., he said, but pandering and political correctness are keeping the job from getting done.

“Failure to enforce the current immigration laws is just negligence by the federal government,” Cain said. “And when Arizona wants to do something to protect itself, it gets sued. I am on Arizona’s side of this fight.”

He added, “Lastly, no one has reviewed the process for becoming a citizen since dirt! Just ask people who have done it the right way about how frustrating it is.”

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HERMAN CAIN