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Cain, Now Running as Outsider, Came to Washington as Lobbyist SHERYL GAY STOLBERG October 22, 2011 WASHINGTON — Herman Cain, the Republican presidential candidate with the sharp wit and easy-to-remember tax plan, is a cancer survivor, radio host and former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza. On the campaign trail, he talks up his business experience, casting himself as a “problem solver” and Washington outsider. But the role that helped propel Mr. Cain into politics was that of an ultimate Washington insider: industry lobbyist. From 1996, when he left the pizza company, until 1999, Mr. Cain ran the National Restaurant Association,...

ATLANTA (AP) — Herman Cain is learning the hard way what it means to face the glare of the national spotlight. After captivating Republicans hungry for an alternative to 2012 GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney, Cain has made a series of stumbles that have left some questioning whether he's ready for the White House.

Huh? After weeks of repeating 9-9-9 and, in the process, making his bold and original tax reform plan common knowledge, Herman Cain today altered his slogan: GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain clarified his much talked-about “9-9-9″ tax plan Friday, saying those who fall at or beneath the poverty level would have a different plan: “9-0-9.”Cain took heat over his proposal, which replaces the current tax code with a 9% corporate tax, a 9% income tax and a new 9% national sales tax. Opponents have argued the middle part of the plan would increase taxes on the poor, who currently pay...

Herman Cain Blasts Planned Parenthood, Abortion Biz Attacks Him by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 3/15/11 6:24 PMDuring a presentation before a set of conservative bloggers in the nation’s capital today, likely Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, a pro-life businessman, bashed the Planned Parenthood abortion business — which went after him in return.Cain said he supports revoking the federal taxpayer funding for the abortion business: “I support de-funding Planned Parenthood. “Tactically how [Congress] does it…I can’t tell you.”The African-American then went further and talked about the racial overtones behind the founding of the abortion business by Margaret Sanger.“You probably...

Thursday, October 20, 2011 Reflecting national trends, businessman Herman Cain has now jumped to the front of the Republican pack in Iowa. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Iowa caucus-goers shows that Cain is in front with 28% followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 21%. Congressman Ron Paul is a distant third at 10% followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 9%, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann at 8%, and Texas Governor Rick Perry at 7%. The sixth place finish for Perry is a sharp decline from early September when Perry was the frontrunner both nationally and...

Via Greg Hengler and Guy Benson, if this answer doesn’t destroy him, nothing will. I get the sense watching it that he’s so unsure of how to answer this exceedingly easy question that he defaults to Netanyahu’s position on the assumption that prisoner swaps must always be the wise, statesmanlike, conservative thing to do. The alternative, that he knows what he’s talking about yet is still sincerely inclined to release the guy who planned 9/11 plus dozens upon dozens of other jihadi fanatics in exchange for one G.I., is even worse. I’d bet 95 percent of people asked on the...

What if we didn't have to choose between the lesser of two evils this year? http://www.americansforhermancain.com/

Anyone up for paying $18,000 sales tax on the next $200,000 house you purchase? I didn’t think so. And for those of us who work our way up the ladder of success at the workplace that next promotion may require moving to another city or state another house and another $18,000 in sales tax. We are either going to become a nation of renters or go bust trying to move up the ladder of success. (Hell on the Middle Class) Cain’s 999 plan is really the 999 plus 10 plan. Maybe you forgot that you no longer have a Social...

(CNN) - Herman Cain said Tuesday he could feel the pressure from his fellow 2012 candidates ahead of the CNN Western Leadership Conference Debate in Las Vegas. "The way it feels is that you got this big bull's-eye on your back, and it keeps getting bigger," Cain told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." Programming note: GOP presidential candidates next face off at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, October 18, in the CNN Western Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada. Submit your questions for the debate here. "It feels great, but as you know, the challenge is 'how do...

Herman Cain deserves credit for proposing a tax-reform plan that is specific, promotes economic growth, and has captured the imagination of conservatives nationwide. His 9-9-9 plan builds on the insight that one of the chief defects of the current tax code is its bias toward consumption over savings. But his plan’s peculiarities of design, substantive weaknesses, and political naïveté render it unworthy of conservative support.

Businessman Herman Cain is leading President Obama in a new head-to-head poll, with seniors and independents taking a particular liking to Cain's unconventional candidacy. The survey from Rasmussen Reports showed Cain squeaking ahead of Obama in a hypothetical general election contest, pulling in 43 percent compared with Obama's 41 percent. The lead is within the margin of error. But Cain is the only Republican to have any lead over Obama in head-to-head polls conducted by Rasmussen over the past several weeks. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was trailing Obama 41 percent to 43 percent in a survey earlier this month,...

Herman Cain deserves credit for proposing a tax-reform plan that is specific, promotes economic growth, and has captured the imagination of conservatives nationwide. His 9-9-9 plan builds on the insight that one of the chief defects of the current tax code is its bias toward consumption over savings. But his plan’s peculiarities of design, substantive weaknesses, and political naïveté render it unworthy of conservative support. Cain’s ultimate objective is a 30 percent national sales tax, but his interim plan is to replace the current income, payroll, and corporate tax codes with three new taxes. A 9 percent income tax would...

And his peers unanimously liked him, describing him as a charismatic leader. “Right away I liked him,” McQuillian, the Nebraska banker said. “He had a positive personality – very outgoing, very engaging guy, just impressive.” As chairman, his former colleagues said, he was a strong but collaborative leader who asked questions and encouraged maximum participation among board members. “He had a very take-charge sort of style, but one who looks for agreement among others,” said Jerry Shreeves, a senior vice president at the Kansas City Fed during that time who attended board meetings with Cain. “He didn’t drive things down...

It's not just conservatives who are frustrated today. It is all Americans who long to see their nation regain its vitality, restoring freedom and prosperity at home and shining the light of human potential across the planet. What is particularly frustrating is that the party out of power, the Republican Party, is supposed to be carrying the torch for these values. But it's barely happening. The Party has become bogged down with careerists, rearview-mirror thinkers and its own inside-the-beltway elite. Nothing could speak more to this problem than establishment attitudes toward the remarkable Herman Cain.

So what about Herman Cain's 999 tax plan? Turns out it has some very good aspects -- and some others, not so good. I'd give it two rousing cheers and one bronx cheer. ...But here we come to a problem. Cain doesn't get rid of the income tax. Instead, he reforms it. And then he adds a new levy -- a national retail sales tax -- on top of it.

Many of you have seen the new bumper stickers from various conservative groups that goes something like this: OBAMA = One Big A$$ Mistake, America! That definition has now been added to UrbanDictionary.com, and with your help, it can be "thumbed-up" to the top-ranking position. Left-wingers succeeded in labeling Bush as a "failure." But we can turn the tables and get America to realize that Obama really is one big mistake! Click here to give this new definition the "thumbs-up." Thanks!

Fueled by Tea Party supporters, conservatives and high-interest GOP primary voters, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain now leads the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. snip Cain checks in as the first choice of 27 percent of Republican voters in the poll, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 23 percent and Perry at 16 percent. After those three, it’s Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 11 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 8 percent, Bachmann at 5 percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman at 3 percent.

Sales tax won't raise prices! Its a REPLACEMENT tax, not an add on tax. It replaces taxes already embedded in prices. Marginal costs go down

Cains share of the GOP primary has jumped 10 percentage points since Sept. 26 and is now at 38%. Mitt Romney is second with 18%, followed by both Rick Perry and Ron Paul, at 12% each.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a presidential straw poll taken at the National Federation of Republican Women’s (NFRW) 36th Biennial Convention on Oct. 1, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain took a near-majority of the vote. Cain received 48.9 percent of the 505 total votes cast, with Rick Perry placing a distant second and Mitt Romney placing third. The poll featured nine Republican presidential candidates. ... Herman Cain – 48.9% Rick Perry – 14.1% Mitt Romney – 13.3% Newt Gingrich – 12.5% Rick Santorum – 6.9% Michele Bachmann – 1.4% Ron Paul – 0.6% Gary Johnson – 0.4% Jon Huntsman –...