Cain supporters, stay tuned: We’ll take action from the outside

Since my campaign ended, I’ve been honored to hear from so many people who asked me to continue because they felt I was the person who could help this country fix things that urgently needed fixing. I will continue to lead but not as a candidate, because I chose to put family first.

I will continue to be your voice and our voice. We will make 9-9-9 a movement. We will put “strength” back into Peace through Strength and Clarity. We will become energy independent. We will put “united” back into the United States of America.

I know this from you: When the people understand it, they will demand it!

Brokenhearted, but not broken

December 4th, 2011
Herman Cain

You’re not defeated as long as you never stop fighting. And while my presidential campaign is suspended, it’s important to remember that my pursuit of the presidency was only a means to an end. As long as the end is achieved, victory will be at hand.

My incredible army of supporters, whom I can never thank enough for all they have done so far, have not labored in vain. The real prize is still ours for the taking.

I did not want to become president just for the sake of being president. I’m perfectly happy with what I’ve accomplished in my life and I don’t need the ego boost. Rather, I sought the presidency because our nation has some big problems to deal with, and it’s clear that our political class has neither the will nor the ability to solve them.

Media obsessed with nonsense; the voters and I are not

By: Herman Cain  

November 6th, 2011

I am a serious person, seeking the opportunity to do a serious and very important job. Our nation has very serious problems, particularly of an economic nature, and Barack Obama does not have the skill, knowledge or will to solve them.

I do.

Unfortunately, the media-driven process by which one must seek this opportunity is fundamentally unserious. I have touched on this before – the emphasis on “gaffes,” gotcha questions and time devoted to trivial nonsense – and everyone knows the process only became further detached from relevance this week as the media published anonymous, ancient, vague personal allegations against me.

Once this kind of nonsense starts, the media’s rules say you have to act in a certain way. I am well aware of these rules. And I refuse to play by them.

I confound the ‘experts,’ but why would I do it their way?

My continued strong performance in the presidential polls has the media, pundits and political strategists confounded, because I am not running my campaign in the way they say I am supposed to.

Newsflash: I’m not going to start now.

Having said that, I think it’s worth considering how the media and the talking heads assess candidates for the highest office in the land, and the criteria they use for deciding who is a serious candidate and who is supposed to be perceived as some sort of fringe figure.

Arthur Laffer brings reality to 9-9-9 discussion

by Herman Cain
October 24, 2011

One of my favorite criticisms of my 9-9-9 tax reform plan is the one where people indicate they would support the plan if only we could find a way to guarantee Congress could never change the rates in the future.

They must really like the plan to ask for that. Has any other presidential candidate ever been asked to guarantee that the tax rates he proposed could never be changed?

9 responses to 9 false attacks on the 9-9-9 plan

By: Herman Cain  
October 16th, 2011

Do you know why candidates for office tend to be reluctant to propose detailed plans? Because they know the plans will be flyspecked and picked apart by just about everyone. Inviting criticism doesn’t help you to get votes.

But fear of criticism prevents you from conceiving solutions to problems. So even if avoidance of criticism helps in propelling you to an election victory, how are you supposed to effectively govern? How are you supposed to fix the problems you told everyone you were going to fix?

That’s why I’m happy to see so much criticism of the 9-9-9 plan I’ve proposed. It shows that people are thinking seriously about a substantive idea. When people stop obsessing over “gaffes” and campaign strategy, and start honing in on fixing the country’s economic problems, we are getting somewhere.

Can you hear me Now

By: Herman Cain  
October 3, 2011

As I launch a two-week book tour around the USA promoting “This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House,” it’s a perfect time to reflect upon my campaign for president, and how we got to this point.

Entering the race to make the world a better place for my grandchildren – I made a commitment to do what I could to bring this country back to what Ronald Reagan so famously referred to as the “shining city on a hill.”

With 14 million Americans out of work, an unemployment rate of over 9 percent, a weakened military and a weakened dollar – we’re facing the worst economic times since the Great Depression.

Cain or More of the Same

By: Herman Cain
September 26, 2011

The results of last Saturday’s Florida straw poll sent a message to Washington, D.C. and the media establishment. “We the people” are still in charge of this country. The actual vote still matters, not just what the political and media pundits anticipate.

My winning total of 37 percent of the vote eclipsed the so-called two front-runners combined. Both campaign camps have tried to spin the results for other than what they really suggest. Namely, the citizen’s movement is bigger and more influential than most people recognize, and that message is more powerful than money.

Governors Romney and Perry spent a considerable amount of money trying to influence the outcome of the Florida straw poll. We rented a bus and did some bus tours, which gave me an opportunity to give a lot of speeches about my solutions on how to fix our nation’s crises, instead of more political rhetoric and ideas that all sound the same.

Solving the Nation's Problems

By: Herman Cain 

September 19, 2011

 

The first step in solving a problem is to make sure you are working on the right problem. I know this observation sounds like common sense but it is void in the White House and Washington, D.C. We have become a nation of crises, and this administration continues to miss the target as to what the problems are, and therefore the crises get worse.

We have an economic crisis followed closely by crises in energy, immigration, foreign policy, national security and the most severe crisis – a deficiency of leadership.

The U.S. Economy is on Life Support

The U.S. Economy is on Life Support

By: Herman Cain  
September 12th, 2011

The U.S. economy is on life support. The stock market is on a roller coaster. The unemployment situation has gotten worse. The Middle East is more volatile than ever. Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in history, while President Obama’s approval rating has hit a new low.

And now, after his big “jobs speech” before a joint session of Congress last week, the president wants to spend another nearly $450 billion to turn things around, since the first stimulus of nearly $1 trillion did not work. The speech contained the same kind of ideas he proposed earlier, packaged in some different rhetoric except for two new additions.

The U.S. must stand with Israel

By: Herman Cain  

August 28th, 2011

 

Imagine living in a neighborhood where most of your neighbors wish you would move away. Since you have a right to be there and it happens to be the home of many generations of your family, you refuse to be intimidated into leaving, even though you are violently attacked frequently, and sometimes family members are killed. Although painfully saddened, your resolve to remain there is not weakened.

That neighborhood is the dwelling place of Israel, a nation surrounded by many of its enemies.

Having spent last week in Israel talking and listening with many of Israel’s citizens, the deputy speaker of the Knesset, the leader of the opposition party in the Knesset, the mayor of Jerusalem, the mayor of the city of Ariel and the deputy prime minister, and touring the landscape of Israel, I now have a greater appreciation for the threats against Israel, its frustrations and its genuine desire for peace.

Mr. President, you’re fired! (But if you refuse to leave, here’s an economic plan for you)

August 21st, 2011
by Herman Cain


I realize that only the voters can fire President Obama in November 2012. But his performance and his potential plan for serious economic growth are not likely to change anything. The board of directors would have no choice.

But America has a choice. Elect Herman Cain president in 2012.

Here’s Phase 1 of my economic growth plan. It’s called the 9-9-9 plan.

Inside the presidential debate: A missed opportunity for the voters

August 15, 2011
by Herman Cain

First, let’s clarify some of the media noise about my campaign and my intentions.

I am running for president, seeking the Republican nomination. I finished 5^th in the Iowa straw-poll last Saturday ahead of six other candidates. The candidates who finished ahead of me spent millions on TV and radio advertising, and we spent $0.

We have no debt beyond travel and other expenses, which we settle within 30 days after the end of the month. We are raising money at a rate ahead of expenses. We are running the campaign like a business. What a novel idea, and it’s working!

Enough talk, Mr. President: Try something different

August 7th, 2011
by Herman Cain

Immediately following the debt ceiling debacle, the White House announced that the president will take a three-day bus tour through the Midwest to hear people’s concerns about the economy, and talk about measures to boost economic growth and job creation.

Is President Obama that out of touch?

Our national debt has now surpassed the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), because the national debt has grown faster than the anemic GDP growth rate. The unemployment rate was just reported for the month of July at 9 percent, which is the 30^th consecutive month exceeding the promised-to-not-exceed 8 percent rate. The agonizing debt ceiling deal did not prevent the S&P rating agency from downgrading our nation’s credit rating. Businesses are going bust, and some families are broke.

Obama’s weak leadership and wrong direction

August 1, 2011
by Herman Cain

Forget President Obama’s 40 percent (and still falling) approval rating. That just means that less than 45 percent of those surveyed have no clue about the direction of the country. Or, those same people support the president’s weakening of America. And please spare me the worn-out excuses that it was Bush’s fault, or things are bad because it was worse than he thought.

Consider the facts:

President Obama ended the Space Shuttle program as of two weeks ago when the last shuttle returned safely from its mission. We will now have to thumb a ride from the Russians if we want to get to the Space Station, and it will cost us dearly. John F. Kennedy’s vision of our leadership in space technology and exploration will soon be a national nightmare. We will now be a follower instead of a leader.

President Obama owns this debt crisis

July 25, 2011

Last week in this commentary I documented what I thought was a major crisis of leadership in the White House regarding our national debate over the debt ceiling and debt.  The crisis in the Oval Office is apparently even worse than I thought – and frankly, I thought it was pretty bad to begin with.

This weekend we have learned that President Obama has more or less abdicated leadership on this issue. If he can’t get his way, which includes raising taxes and raising the debt ceiling, he doesn’t even want to talk. Congressional leaders are meeting without the president or even any of the president’s staff in an effort to reach a deal on spending and the debt ceiling.

Obama’s debt ceiling debacle

July 18th, 2011 

After being AWOL on the debt ceiling debate for weeks, President Obama is now trying to swoop in like some super hero who is somehow above the fray in Washington.  He is trying to convince us that he is the lone leader among 535 want-to-be Congressional leaders. And if they do not solve this Obama-created crisis, Obama is positioning himself again to blame the Republicans.

Some of us are not that gullible. We’re not buying it.

Economic Vision, Part 3: A fairer tax

July 11, 2011

Paying taxes is a fact of life, because there are certain things that our federal government must provide as enumerated in the Constitution. But paying taxes does not have to be unfair, burdensome and costly. Our current system of taxation is all three, and it got that way little by little over time since 1913.

The Fair Tax (H.R. 25) is a fairer tax because it is just the opposite. It is fair because the consumer determines their taxes based on their purchase behavior instead of being determined by the government based on one’s capacity to produce. Our production is measured in terms of personal income and business profits.

Cain’s economic vision: A job for every home

June 27, 2011

I have developed many strategic plans for success throughout my 40 years of business experience, but the one I am about to present for the nation is the most humbling. Business strategic plans had to capture the keys to profitability and growth. This national economic vision must capture the keys to prosperity for everyone who has a desire to achieve their American dreams.

It starts with education, then a job, and then a career.

Private sector must lead recovery, and government must get out of the way

A senior Obama Administration official said recently that the private sector will have to lead this economic recovery. He’s right! But the private sector cannot do it unless government gets out of the way. The Obama Administration’s policies have increased the size of the federal government, increased regulatory barriers and dramatically increased the national debt.

Most Americans sitting around the kitchen table knew that we could not spend and regulate our way to prosperity. But the president and the Democrat-controlled Congress at the time did it anyway. And now, after nearly $1 trillion in government spending, the economy is still stalled. Namely, 1.8 percent growth in Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter of 2011is anemic, and a 9.1 percent unemployment rate continues to be disappointing to the nearly 15 million people who are still unemployed.

Empowerment: The solution America needs

06-6-2011

We hear all about America’s problems every day. We can’t get away from them, especially when the bad news is compounded with more bad news about natural disasters. The latest economic and jobs news is yet another indication that this nation’s problems are getting worse and stifling our prosperity.

And every time this administration or Congress tries to fix a problem, it gets worse. That’s because the administration believes more government, more spending and more taxes are the answer to everything.

The real answer is less government, less spending and less taxation.

Dear skeptics and critics

By Herman Cain  

May 29th, 2011

 

Wow! I must be causing some people quite a concern as a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. The establishment skeptics are still stuck in the traditional campaign paradigm of immediate name ID, lots of money, and having held a worthy elective office before. The critics are pounding on what they perceive as my weaknesses. And the Democratic National Committee now has me on its radar and is sharpening its blades for a Cain attack.

I’m running for president . . . and I don’t run for second place

“Just to be clear, I’m running for president of the United States of America, and I’m not running for second place.”

That was my announcement on Saturday May 21, 2011 in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. It was a high noon event with over 15,000 of my closest friends in attendance!

I wanted to be very clear of my intentions because of the usual three reservations expressed by skeptics about a “dark horse” candidate winning the Republican nomination for the presidency. Name recognition, money and not being a previous office holder are the usual negatives pointed out by political pundits.

I’m not going to shoot from the lip on Afghanistan

5-15-2011

Ever since the South Carolina Republican presidential debate, reporters have continued to challenge me for not having a specific plan for our nation’s involvement in Afghanistan. They continue to think that if you are running for president then you must have an answer for everything. I don’t! A real leader has the right questions for everything.

When asked about what I would do about our involvement in the war in Afghanistan during the debate, I answered by asking the questions that should have been asked before we got involved many years ago. What is our mission? How does it serve our interest? Is there a path to victory? If not, then what is our exit strategy?

Top three priorities: Real economic growth, energy independence, national security

5-9-11


“Fellow patriots of this exceptional nation, the United States of America, we need real economic growth. We need a real energy independence plan. We need real national security clarity. But most of all, we need real leadership, and not more political position-ship. God bless you, and God is blessing America.”

That was my 30-second closing statement at the South Carolina Republican presidential debate on May 5, 2011. Since we were only allowed 30 seconds to close, I was forced to severely narrow my usual seven critical issues down to three, which I consider co-critical number one issues that we must solve for the survival of this nation.

There is no reason for the U.S. to let China pass us by

5-2-11
Many economists have estimated that if China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continues to grow at approximately 10 percent annually, and the United States continues to grow at its anemic rate of 2.5 percent or less, then China’s GDP will be bigger than ours in 15 to 20 years.

Last week, the International Monetary Fund released an analysis showing that if the differences in exchange rates between the two countries are factored out (purchasing power parity), then China will surpass the USA in economic strength in less than five years!
Neither of these observations sets well with the American psyche, and losing our economic dominance in the world is not who we are. But more importantly, China’s economic dominance would represent a national security threat to the USA, and possibly to the rest of the world.

Obama’s energy policy: Blame at the pump

4-24-11

President Obama recently said that the economic situation was worse than they expected when he took office. That’s code for “blame Bush” again for Obama’s failed economic policies, which have not stimulated the economy.

He has chastised the business sector for sitting on over $2 trillion in accumulated cash instead of hiring people they do not need. That’s blaming the business sector for not making stupid decisions to prop up his failed policies.

Let foreign profits come home

4-11-11

For decades, Democrats have insisted on taxing profits generated by U.S. companies in foreign countries, because they thought it would force businesses to keep the investments in the U.S.

Wrong!

The unintended consequences were just the opposite effect. A business-friendly environment always works better than force.

Energy independence requires bold goals, bold leadership

4-3-11

Herman Cain

The president believes in energy security. I believe in energy independence. In case you missed the president’s weekly radio address, here is what the White House released on energy security, so I will not be accused of not understanding what they meant. The title of the address was “Energy Security Can Only Come If We Invest in Cleaner Fuels and Greater Efficiency.”

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Obama discussed his strategy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and secure our nation’s energy future.  When the President was elected, America imported eleven million barrels of oil a day.  This week he announced a bold, but achievable goal of cutting this number by one-third by 2025.

Energy dependence: A completely unnecessary national security risk

3-27-11

In the early 1970s, America’s dependence on foreign oil was a little over 20 percent. Today, our dependence on foreign oil is over 65 percent. We have become more and more energy dependent because we have never had a serious energy independence strategy, and we still do not have one.

Hey liberals, the race card has expired

3-20-11

We have a crisis of crises in this country and some people continue to make the false claim that the Tea Party movement is racist, simply because many of us disagree with the policies of the Obama Administration. They also play the race card to try to dismiss President Obama’s leadership deficiencies.

Last week, a reporter asked me about some homemade signs at early Tea Party rallies, which were offensive toward President Obama and which quickly disappeared from subsequent rallies. But the reporter never mentioned the barrage of Bush-bashing by the liberals in the media who made it a sport when Bush was president.

People are hungry for leadership

After a jam packed week of nearly 20 speaking and listening events in Texas, Iowa and New Hampshire, I hear a consistent message from people. They are so concerned about the lack of leadership in the White House and Congress that they are now scared for our future.

People are certainly justified in their thinking when you consider a stalled economy despite claims by the administration and the Obama Broadcasting Networks that we are in a recovery. They should go and ask the 15 million people who can’t find jobs because only a few are being created in this economy.

A Crisis of Crises

March 6, 2011
After two months of the new 112^th Congress, they and the president have managed to keep the government going for another two weeks. Wow! There’s only six-and-a-half more months to go in this fiscal year. They are really on the ball!

The workers who landed one of those 192,000 jobs created last month to bring the unemployment rate down to 8.9 percent have got to be celebrating. I am happy for them and hope they are not so deep in debt that they can still avoid personal bankruptcy. We now only have to create another 14,808,000 jobs for the unlucky ones who could not find a job because the economy is still stalled.

Unions and their collective disregard for taxpayers

The mayhem in Madison, Wisconsin over the last two weeks has highlighted the determination of organized labor unions to continue to restrict workers rights, and to try to intimidate Gov. Scott Walker and the taxpayers into some more unsustainable demands.

Leadership Requires Leadership

February 21, 2011

All of the attempts by the media to make stories out of the budget battles going on in Washington D.C. will not change the bottom line of how it will end up, no matter how many ways they try to create a story. Namely, the taxpayers will get stuck with more debt and more taxes again.

Someone should tell Obama: Business people are not stupid

After I published my 2005 book, They Think You’re Stupid, I thought I should have titled it They Think We Are All Stupid All the Time because it appeared that pure politicians, especially liberals, didn’t think any of us were capable of seeing through their denial, deceptions and lack of leadership.

Based on President Obama’s latest speeches and comments from other prominent liberals like Howard Dean, the latter title would have been more appropriate. They continue to try to convince the public that their failed policies are working, that they need more time, and that more federal spending plus bigger government are the answers to our problems.

Liberal Lunacy

February 7, 2011
A week ago I attended and spoke at a private conference in California, which was hosted by two very successful and prominent businessmen. These businessmen and their wives have hosted this same conference in Palm Springs for the last eight years, where many of the invited attendees are also successful people.

The real state of the union . . . by the numbers

February 2, 2011
Now that the mainstream media is hopefully done swooning over President Obama’s State of the Union Speech, some of us are more concerned about the real State of the Union, by the numbers. It’s not what he said or did not say, nor is it how he said it. It should be about our national security and our national economic health.

Trickle-down economics

Januray 9, 2011
Imagine what would have happened to the economy if Congress had extended the tax rates permanently instead of just for two years. Imagine what would have happened if the payroll tax holiday had been for a year for the employee and the employer, and for the full 12.4 percent Social Security portion.

I was prescient in 2010, so let’s have more predictions for 2011!

January 2, 2011
The annual predictions derby has started again. I wanted to resist getting into that race this year, but when I went back to see how I did at the beginning of 2010, I was pleasantly surprised. Here are the predictions I made for 2010 in my January 3, 2010 commentary:

• The economy will not improve in 2010. Check!
• The unemployment rate will remain above 9%. Check!
• Businesses will remain in a state of “stop”. Check!
• The $787 billion stimulus will just grow government. Check!
• Republicans will regain control of the House. Check!
• The Senate will be split 50/50 (It’s 51D/47R/2Ind). Close!