Is this man serious competition for Barack Obama?
Florida Courier ^ | 3/10/11 | FCAdmin Herman Cain, former pizza chain CEO, considers running for president FROM WIRE REPORTS
Herman Cain won a presidential straw poll at a tea-party event in Phoenix recently, which brings up an obvious question: Who is he?
Other than one of the few Republicans to have declared his interest in his party’s presidential nomination, Cain, 65, is the former chief executive officer of Godfather’s Pizza, and he worked as a conservative radio host in Atlanta for years.
Herman Cain
Herman Cain He has become a tea-party favorite through his advocacy of, among other things, the so-called Fair Tax, which would eliminate the federal tax code in favor of a national consumption tax on retail sales. He also supports returning to the gold standard.
‘Black American patriot’
His radio chops are evident in high-spirited speeches such as the ones he delivered at the Tea Party Patriots conference in Arizona and at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier in February.
"We are an exceptional nation, and we want to keep it that way," he said to raucous cheers in Phoenix. "I don’t know any mediocre Americans."
Cain, an African-American who says liberals are destroying the American dream, hasn’t hesitated to invoke his background when comparing himself to President Barack Obama.
"I’ve been called so many names for being a Black American patriot who happens to be conservative," he said at CPAC. "You will get called racist just because you happen to disagree with the president, who happens to be Black. Well, they call me racist too, because I disagree with the president."
‘Creating quite a buzz’
He takes credit for helping to derail President Bill Clinton’s health-care initiative during his first administration. As the chairman of the National Restaurant Association in 1994, Cain said his opposition during a televised town hall helped build momentum that forced Clinton to abandon the effort.
Cain won the most support among those attending the Tea Party Patriots gathering while Ron Paul, who won the straw poll at CPAC, attracted the most votes overall when online voters were added.
Cain started his exploratory committee earlier this year – and while he hasn’t made a full-blown commitment to running, a "Draft Cain" movement on the Web has sprouted.
"He’s creating quite a buzz,’’ said former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Richard Schwarm. "He is someone Iowa caucus-goers are going to take very seriously.’’
A long shot
Steve Scheffler, a member of the Republican National Committee and leading social conservative in Iowa, said Cain was "beginning to garner some interest’’ in the state. Last fall Cain campaigned for two state legislators aligned with the tea party who defeated incumbent Democrats.
Republican strategist Rich Galen, who worked on former Sen. Fred Thompson bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, said some conservative supporters are noting that it didn’t take long for Barack Obama to rise from community activist to U.S. senator to president.
Schwarm said even little-known candidates can compete in Iowa against those with better national name recognition. In 2000, Steve Forbes finished a strong second in the caucuses behind George W. Bush but far ahead of John McCain.
"He is a long shot, but so is almost everyone else right now,’’ Schwarm said. "The variable is how active will the tea party people be.’’
Cain said his business success has left him wealthy, but not at a level where he could self-finance a campaign. Cain said he’s eager to travel through Iowa and other early-nominating states, meeting one-on-one with voters.
"Leadership is the ability to take a good idea and sell it,’’ said Cain. "When the public understands it, they will demand it. You’ve got to be able to sell the idea.’’
The Associated Press and McClatchy Tribune/MCT were used in compiling this report. More information on Cain:
http://www.hermancain.com
