Twenty hands shot up.
“Well, we can stop right there,” said Frank Luntz, a fast-talking political consultant, as he paced before a Fox News focus group on May 5. “This is unprecedented.”
Luntz pointed to the top row, looking for answers. One by one, South Carolina Republicans in trucker caps and business suits raved about Cain. After watching the 65-year-old spar with fellow GOP presidential contenders, many were itching to join his ranks.
“He’s a breath of fresh air,” explained one gentleman. “He is the godfather of business sense, and he can attack Obama well,” declared a middle-aged lady. Others nodded vigorously.
Luntz was stunned. “[Cain] was not a real candidate before tonight,” he exclaimed. “What happened?”
Meet Herman Cain.
I liked this guy the very first time I heard him! I’ve read some disparaging remarks about him but wonder if that mostly comes from Democrat supporters.
IMHO one thing’s for sure: If Romney becomes the candidate it’ll be a repeat of McCain, Dole, etc. Romney reminds me a lot of Iggy in that he seems to completely change his views depending on what his pollsters are telling him. Americans are fed up with that. So are Canadians and a whole lot of others around the world!!!
I’ll be watching Mr. Cain. He sounds like the type of person I’l support.
For those who are interested, here’s the head-to-head with Clinton (mentioned at the link) that introduced Cain to the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WP5dYfBBzU
The look on Clinton’s face about 3/4 of the way through made me laugh out loud.
I watched the debate and the post-debate show on FoxNews. As we watched, I kept saying “This guy is the real deal.”
Let’s hope he does well.
Herman Cain? Met him (figuratively) years ago. But thanks anyways, Kate! Great link!
I’ve been forwarding the Herman Cain interview link to Sun News for a week now to friends.
I’m not saying “he’s my guy”, but he’s definitely fresh and likeable; let’s hope he survives vetting. The MSM will no doubt be more diligent in their vetting process this election cycle, as I trust they’ve “learned their lesson”/sarc and be much tougher on potential GOP candidates for integrity’s sake.
“On the death of Osama bin Laden, he was Shakespearean: “One right decision doth not a great president make.””
Oh -yeah-.
Even if he turns out to be some form of dork, stuff like that will force the other candidates to step up to the microphone with more vigor. Like Sarah Palin does.
I’m discussing this same issue with some friends on Facebook. One fellow said that on matters racial, Cain has said some things that many conservatives won’t like. Might anyone know if there’s any validity to this?
From the article:
As his national profile increased, Cain took on a leadership role at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, becoming chairman in 1995. “Spending time at the Federal Reserve was a good learning opportunity for me,” he reflects. “It helped me to understand economic philosophies and policies that I had not previously known about.”
Here’s my question: how in the name of God does a guy go from running a pizza chain in 1994 to becoming the Chairman of a Federal Reserve bank (there are only twelve in the US, BTW) and NOT know anything about central banking? It’s as if we plucked Jim Balsillie from RIM, and parachuted him into the Bank of Canada. And he was chair of the KC Fed at the same time he was chair of Godfather’s Pizza – which was his full time job?
This scares me because when an outsider is first introduced to central banking, it’s very confusing. And it takes years of study to know how things actually work. So there’s a tendency for new people to take the old dicta on faith, and apparently Cain has done so, as he has clearly said he sees no need to audit the Fed, and that the TARP program was a good thing for the US. He might be a refreshing wind of change on many things, but on the most important things in the world right now – the soundness of the US economy, its ability to carry and pay down its debt, the relative strength of the dollar, and the dubious wisdom of transferring billions of borrowed dollars to Wall St so that guys like Lloyd Blankfein can again pay themselves $100 million bonuses – at first blush, he sounds like more of the same.
I like Ron Paul.
Robert W – I wonder if the American politician (black) who has made ‘politically incorrect’ and frank statements about blacks – is Allen West. From Florida – and a really great, open new guy in Washington.
Yes I like Cain as well, but my choice for the GOP is Pawlenty…with a VP of, possibly Rubio or Allen West or Bachmann. [Rubio has said ‘no’ apparently]. And, keeping in the public eye, the extremely bright guys like Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor etc.
That’s something to note about the GOP; they’ve encouraged and enabled fresh new minds to emerge in the party. The Democrats, on the other hand, have rejected this and remind me of dehydrated voice boxes. (? does that metaphor even make sense??)
I totally agree with your rejection of Romney. No, no and no. He’s too much part of the establishment. Same with Newt Gingrich, Huckabee, and even, yes, Palin. I think that Palin has a far more important role to play on the sidelines, out of the political road, and thus, able to make open and blunt comments.
Pawlenty? Sure, he has ‘no charisma’ but why on earth do we require charisma in a leader? Remember Trudeau? And Obama? Look at the results of their charisma.
Pawlenty is dull. And committed, knowledgeable in economics, fiscal management, history. And with principles and integrity; patriotic, astute. And experienced in government. Perfect to take the role of president.
Compare with Obama: ignorant, arrogant, always ‘on the make’, always campaigning; divisive, pathological liar, anti-American, inexperienced..etc.
I can’t see any other candidate with the attributes of Pawlenty…
For the 2016 election, I think that Rubio & Ryan would be an amazing ticket (in whichever slot you prefer).
As for 2012 … Obama has clearly already shifted into campaign mode and is raising millions upon millions of dollars for next year. Though he may be a bumbler on a whole lot of issues, he has the American Media Party squarely behind him. Night after night they will broadcast the same refrain:
Obama can do no wrong.
Obama can do no wrong.
Obama can do no wrong.
Oh, and Republicans are evil.
He’s going to be tough to beat folks, no matter how much further America slips into debt. 🙁
P.S. A FB friend just shared with me that this is part of Herman Cain’s plans:
Tax reform
Job creation
National sales tax-abolish the IRS
Budget deficit/national debt 10% cut across the board then department line by line cuts
Reduction of capital gains tax
Reduction of corporate tax rate to 25%
Nice to have you back Et!
robert w- yes, I can see Ryan/Rubio in 2016.
And I like Cain’s suggestions for tax reform, which would create jobs.
Do you realize that all that Obama does – is campaign? He leaves all policies and programs to others to develop. Then, he might campaign for them, using his presidential podium to lie, misinform, obscure facts and constantly belittle, smear and insult any and all who reject Him.
ET, have you followed the interviews showing that Obama had little to do with the decision to off Osama? Obama kept delaying and was as indecisive as usual while Panetta and others including Clinton basically were going ahead with or without Obama’s input. The picture of the group watching the assassination going down shows Obama in a golf shirt and jacket as he was brought from the golf course to watch.
KevinB
I can’t speak directly to “central banking” but I can say that I do strongly believe that the process of bringing in management experts from different industries is a good strategy for many businesses. Although there is a often a learning curve, people from outside the industry can often see solutions that have been overlooked by industry experts.’ Management’ itself is a skill set that can be applied across a wide range of applications. This is why I’m an advocate of third party management for industries like health care and education. Our health and educations systems would be run more efficiently if we’d left the doctoring and teaching to the doctors and teachers and the numbers and scheduling to the number crunchers and the schedulers. I’m not disputing your comments, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this strategy isn’t successful in the banking sector as well.JMO
I’d love to see Cain vs obama in a debate. Something tells me that Herman Cain would pull a verbal “Ali” on him. you know, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
I agree Robert W, safe money is on Obama.
It will be very easy for voter to justify voting for the “O” considering it will likely be obvious that the GOP will control the House and the Senate after 2012. Americans will be weary of granting anyone the ‘Super Majority”.
That said, the price of Gas will be a major thorn in Obama’s side, and might very well be the catalyst for an anti-Obama tide in 2012. I’d suggest that gas prices stabilizing between $4-$5 is the best Obama can hope for. Much higher than that, or lower prices because of another economic recession will be very damaging to the ONE.
Ron Paul is a flake, well he is. I like this guy thou.
dave- I’m sure those interviews are right. Obama is constitutionally unable to make a decision about ‘things’ or ‘events’ that are not part of his body, so to speak. He is only able to interact with people – directly – and only in one way: to manipulate people to be in his control…but he can’t think about or consider any situation, any thing, any person, any event, that is not about this personal manipulation.
And now, of course, he is taking all the credit.
Consider me a conspiracy freak; I’ve thought that Bin Laden was dead, of natural causes, many years ago. We haven’t had any evidence of his being alive for at least 8 years…those videos of his various threats were all old photos of him with a voice-over.
But Obama needed a messianic event to bolster up his presidency; his polls are very bad – both in foreign and domestic affairs. And here, we have The Great One…who, ahh.. personally went in and got Bin Laden.
No proof of course. Not a picture, nothing. Just His Word.
So -since I have a hard time accepting the words of the Messianic One in any and all other situations, I have a hard time accepting this; it’s too campaign-neat, too stunning that Bin Laden hid for so many years.
But, like all conspiracy plots, I have no evidence either for or against it. I just consider it too neat for Obama’s agenda…and Obama’s agenda is always and only about: Himself.
I hold ALL these people by the standard Gov Palin has set, Cain has a ding so far when he said “we didn’t NEED to see the pictures” of OBL. Thought that was strange, also his Fed time doesn’t set well in my gut. I am a Palin supporter, period!! Her record is right on and I think she’s been running all along. Who has fought for us, took arrows for us, Gov Palin!! She didn’t have to do anything but she did and she has been right on EVERYTHING!! I’ve watched and listened to EVERYTHING she has done. Her India trip was awesome and don’t get me started on WI!!! If you haven’t watched that video you have to. Palin is it has been from day one!! :)grrrr!!!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if this strategy isn’t successful in the banking sector as well.
Banking isn’t based on any known business strategy. Making nearly $100,000 dollars appear where there was only $1000 isn’t a strategy, it’s a scam.
I like Palin too Jann. Her expertise and experience with Energy Policy should serve her well.
Politically speaking, I’ve learned not to underestimate Sarah Palin, but her negatives are extremely high. I suspect that Obama’s approval ratings will have a bearing on the GOP candidate (although I don’t approve of this). If BO has a comfortable lead going-in, then a brash move like nominating SP might be what the GOP is looking for. IF BO is hobbled at that time, the GOP and its supporters might go into “prevent defense” mode and elect a ‘safe’ candidate. I would advise against this and recommend nominating the best candidate regardless of BO’s polling.
ET: I didn’t know you liked Obama that much, he must have kissed and told!
Re Cain.. I don’t like the GAMING aspect..”Our Black against your Black”. Yes! my opinion sucks, but we (both parties) tend to pick some leaders for all the wrong reasons and end up losing when the debate shifts. McCain & Kerry were each picked as a strong Military counter candidate
Palin is not dead.. she has made some mistakes in her own State that don’t bode well for a national
campaign…She just needs the right talking points, and stick to them
Obama is going to self destruct over Libia, that action has nothing but losers ..UN, NATO will all be flushed together….
JMHO
I like Caine. He sounds genuine and is quick on his feet. His down to earthness is refreshing when contrasted with O’s evasive boilerplate. At this stage I think he would be a wonderful VP side of the Republican ticket.
As for the nominee, Romney would be a disaster. My favourite so far is Pawlenty. Too bad Thune pulled out. Christie would be great. Palin is going to sit this one out and pull her Earl of Warwick routine, which I think is wise. It is early and we still have to hear from Rudy and Jeb.
I like Cain, but I think he’s just the decoy of the month.
The right people want Palin to run, but the Dems and the media want to pick the GOP candidate for 2012. They’re doing it again.
I read somewhere that she won’t announce until June or July because of waiting 2 yrs to clear legal crap back in Alaska.
It’s all about the primaries,,,If she’s in, it a different ballgame.
Her overall Gallup favorable rating among Republican and Republican-leaning indies crossed 70% for the first time this year. After doing some math from the excel sheet that Gallup provided (you can view it by clicking on the link), here are the numbers from April 25-May 8 among 1664 Republican and Republican-leaning independents:
Palin: 71%
Huckabee: 65%
Romney: 60%
Gingrich: 57%
Trump: 53%
Paul: 49%
Bachmann: 43%
Pawlenty: 35%
http://conservatives4palin.com/2011/05/palins-overall-gallup-favorable-rating-among-republican-and-republican-leaning-independents-hits-a-high-mark-for-the-year.html
The Republicans are like the Liberals here. Long on fools , short on brains.
What a pathetic bunch to choose from. If Obama wins again there will be no America left.
JMO
but I still don’t like Justin Bieber . . .
Only tweenies do.
He has the backbone of an eel.
No Israel tour for this milktoast boy toy robot.
The perfect metrosexual in training.
JMO
Pawlenty was a big backer of carbon offsets. He’s not the one for me.
Cain is a rare combination of a self-made man who also has experience in high finance, as the individual Fed banks are the crossroads of US finance.
Of course, I’d be completely in for Sarah,too. None of the losers that make up the Repub mainstream,though.
Thanks for the heads-up re Cain, Kate – I’ve been out if the loop on US politics since the election call here in CDa.
He has potential that’s for sure. Very much a cross between Eisenhower and Reagan – lots of experience as an administrator like Ike lots of public speaking experience like Ron. Never been elected to an office before running for potus (Ike) master at the concise soundbite (Ron). If he can get some fundraising momentum he could be formidable. the electorate around he world is becoming less and less beholden to the party elites so candidates like Cain can beat out a Romney where such a thing would have been unthinkable as little as four years ago.
2. Pawlenty is still my choice for now. He has the admin background that is a prereq this time around. And his policies are far enough to the right to be palatable to the tea party wing (Daniels is missjg that among other things). Cain could change my mind in time. Christie must be sorely tempted.
3. Rubio as vpotus is as close to a lock as I think has ever been the case. He delivers Florida and begins the Sherman like process of the GOP bringing the hispanic/Latino vote into the GOP where it really belongs. (he’s Jason Kenny south)
4. Obama has a less than 10% chance of reelection. It is almost impossible for hike to win Ohio Penn or fla. Thus he can’t win. Period.
I guess the next year is now about selecting the new US presidential candidates. My personal preference is for Ron Paul but whether he’d win a presidential race is a good question. Cain sounds interesting as he’s certainly got business experience although he’s too chummy with the Federal Reserve for my taste. Still, it’s clear that he’s made it on his own and isn’t an affirmative action “success” like the big zero. Also he’s got Math and CompSci degrees which immediately elevates him above those contenders with arts degrees. Ron Paul is a doctor which puts him even higher on the scale;-)
The big question is whether Sarah Palin could win as president? She’s very popular among Republicans but seems to be especially reviled by leftists. The easiest way I’ve found to set of Canadian liberals is to make a positive mention of Palin and Paul in the same sentence.
I’ve read about Rubio’s background and he seems to have potential. Interesting how when one looks at the backgrounds of Republican presidential contenders one finds a lot of people from fairly humble beginnings who worked their way up in pursuit of the American dream (Rubio and Cain). When one looks at the Democrat hopefuls, one finds members of the US aristocracy and clueless academics and this is the party that paints themselves as supporters of the working class?!
The results of Luntz focus group and $3.50 will get you a coffee. Cain was okay at the debate. Unlike Pawlenty and Santorum he could answer a question without clutching the Bible. But he’s in love with the pipedream of “Energy Independence” which puts lie to his supposed love of free markets. If it’s true that he supports TARP and central banking then he is an absolute no go.
I want to like RP, but I much prefer Gary Johnson. The rest are losers. Seriously, Palin? That would provide some laughs but it isn’t going to unseat Obama. The GOP can screw up anything.
Libertarian?:
Luntz may be the best in his field – his books are excellent.
…
Palin is a fading force – the MacArthur of our era in terms of her impact on the GOP.
Rubio hasn’t administered anything. Obama’s principle drawback (politics aside) is the he is a hopeless administrator. The next potus will need to have impeccable credentials in that regard – governors or businessmen or generals only. That disqualifies Paul and Ryan as well. (from Eisenhower on only those with good administrator backgrounds were successful potuses.
Herman Cain may have a slim chance, but it’s still about 100,000 times better than Ron Paul’s.
Indiana:
Hey, I don’t disagree with the idea of bringing fresh ideas to the party. That’s a lot of what the whole management consulting business is about.
But, he didn’t bring fresh eyes, IMHO. It appears that he has bought, hook, line, and sinker, the standard Fed approach. They brought him into the club, showed him around, and very quickly gave him the big chair. He got very comfortable with it, and equally quickly learned not to rock the boat. I recall in the Greenspan era dissenting voices from the St. Louis and San Fran Feds, but never from KC.
However, a Paul-Cain ticket might have enough cross appeal to unseat Bambam.
I saw his interview on sun t.v. and he does seem like the real deal almost like a black,male version of sarah palin..lol.
Anyway i think there are alot of good candidates like mit romney, or jim demint they both seem like good guy’s same with donald trump but he shot himself in the foot with the birther thing now he has been cast in a negative light just like micheal savage said long before trump opened his mouth …..I LOVE MICHEAL SAVAGE the guy is a geinius. sarah should easily grab vice pres.
[Romney’s]too much part of the establishment. Same with Newt Gingrich, Huckabee, and even, yes, Palin. ~ ET
Isn’t that a rather broad-spectrum definition of the “establishment”?
Ladies and gentlemen, please do try to separate who you’d like to see as president from who you think can BECOME president.
Obama is wounded but not dead. He lost his agenda when he lost the House and several Senate seats. Republicans are certain to take the Senate in 2012.
But if we nominate Cain, Palin, or Bachman we will be handing Obama a second term. It will be a repeat of 1996.
Obama’s only power as president now is the appointment of judges and justices. These people will affect the way law is interpreted for the next 20 years or longer based on stare decisis.
We currently have numerous 5-4 decisions on the court with Kennedy breaking the tie in our favor. Souter, Kagan, Sotomayor, Breyer, and Ginsburg are consistently to the left of Che Guevara. Kennedy, Ginsburg, and Scalia are in their mid to late 70s.
If Obama gets one or two more SCOTUS choices, it will be DEVASTATING to our Republic. If he appoints Ginsburg’s replacement, he will rejuvenate that seat. If he replaces Kennedy or Scalia, he will change its composition.
There is NOTHING more important than getting an R in the White House in 2012, no matter how moderate or RINO you think he is. The Senate will ensure the president toes the line and appoints good justices. The best they can do with Obama in office is force him to appoint a stealth liberal.
Again, don’t be short-sighted in your political desires. You have to take the long view. We did a bad job of cultivating young talent until 2008, but they are not seasoned enough to be president in 2012. In six to eight years, they will be ready.
If by some quirk of luck Obama stumbles and loses, we run the risk of losing the House in 2014 if every activist position floods into public consciousness. This was the Demon Rat’s big mistake. Let’s not return the favor. The American people can take change only in small doses.
Unwinding 80 years of growing government control can’t happen overnight, and should not. We’ve already made too many life altering decisions based on the incentives we were given. We risk much by offering up too much pain at once. Populism, for better or for worse, is the way to make incremental changes. We’ve already proven we can take and hold power. Now we must prove we can use it well.
There is NOTHING more important than getting an R in the White House in 2012, no matter how moderate or RINO you think he is.
I’m a little more concerned with policy than HUR DUR GO TEAM RED HUR DUR. It’s your asinine attitude that got 8 years of Bush (ie protObama) and us stuck with Harper.
Cain seems very impressive. My current favorite Fantasy Candidates League choice for President is still Allen West, although he came out with something disturbing about repealing Obamacare not being a top priority a few days ago. (You all do realize of course that a Black GOP candidate will in no way shape or form get them to stop calling us “racists”, right?)
I also worry that he hasn’t held political office for long enough. Not a negative for me personally, but overall a negative.
Palin for Veep.
Just a question … who is more not white – obama or Cain?
infinitysquared – that’s above my paygrade*, but here ya go:
http://famous-relationships.topsynergy.com/Jesse_Jackson/Contact.asp
*(psst: The real answer is Cain but you didn’t hear it from me)
Actually, Obama is sort of a walking, golfing, teleprompter-reading negation, isn’t he? So maybe it’s him.
libertariansaresmarter not very bright comments. I think we could have done a lot worse than being “stuck with Harper”.
The advantage that the US has is a strong TEA party movement which had quite a significant impact in congress. That level of public participation is necessary to ensure that the US doesn’t get stuck with tax and spend RINO’s. There is a lot more public input into who gets elected in the US than in Canada and mistrust of the political classes there is at an all time low.
I don’t know who will get the Republican nomination but I hope it’s someone who’s independently minded and non-statist. Unfortunately politics attracts psychopaths and narcissists.
Now that we have a majority Conservative government in Canada I can go back to my position of actively opposing Conservative statist policies. We need a TEA party movement in Canada to ensure that the Conservative party doesn’t become just another Canadian statist party.
There is a lot more public input into who gets elected in the US than in Canada
I used to think this was a good thing and then I actually talked to the electorate. The idiots in office are there because we voted for them. Further, the TP just isn’t cutting it. I want to like them, but the TP candidates are mostly bombs. Allen West has betrayed the fight against Obamacare. Really who other than the Pauls got in Congress on the TP wave and doesn’t suck?
Now that we have a majority Conservative government in Canada I can go back to my position of actively opposing Conservative statist policies. We need a TEA party movement in Canada to ensure that the Conservative party doesn’t become just another Canadian statist party.
Oh BRILLIANT. If you open your eyes a little you might notice that the CPC IS a statist party and has been for years, and now that people like you have ensconced them in power semi-permanently there is no way to change the CPC. That party shed any grass roots control a while ago and is in stone-cold lockdown. We have no one on our side, no hope; we’re screwed and it’s your fault.
“I used to think this was a good thing and then I actually talked to the electorate.”
At some point, you’re going to start re-thinking this hardline libertarian thing if you don’t catch yourself – unless you want to force libertarianism on people for their own good, but watch it; heads have exploded over less.