The best governors this country ever had were non-professionals who believed in non-professional government: Washington, Madison, Adams and Jefferson.
You need to add Lincoln. Funny thing, there’s a real similarity between Lincoln and Cain:
-Lincoln, before running for president, rose mostly in the private sector, becoming a highly successful railroad lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate.
-Cain, before running for president, rose mostly in the private sector, becoming a highly successful businessman in the restaurant business, a very competitive business, and also ran unsuccessfully for the Senate.
Looks like Cain has an excellent set of credentials for turning the country around.