Posted on 07/07/2004 4:58:05 PM PDT by CondiArmy
DECATUR, Ga. - Herman Cain is having fun.
The former head of Godfather's Pizza, who had drawn national attention as a black Republican running for a Southern U.S. Senate seat, seems amused and amazed as he sits at a restaurant and discusses his sudden popularity.
Even as he pauses to grab a bowl of soup at Atlanta Bread Co. - an effort to make up for a meal he missed while speaking at a Kiwanis meeting - people show their support.
"Go get 'em, baby!" remarks one supporter.
For Cain, seeking elected office for the first time, the experience is new and uplifting. "You have to see it to believe it!" he proclaims.
Shaking things up
Cain faces U.S. Reps. Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins for the GOP nomination to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga. The reason he's running is simple: to shake up the status quo.
"Either one of my opponents would show up, vote, but they won't rock the boat," Cain tells supporters. "I will show up, vote, rock the boat and then drive the boat."
Cain has certainly made a splash, running TV advertisements early and setting off a war of words between his camp and Isakson's about negative TV and radio spots. He has battled with Collins over which is the true conservative to the allegedly moderate Isakson.
But what has gotten most of the attention is not so much Cain's stance on the issues or even his sometimes unconventional campaigning. It's the fact that he's a black man running in a party that often draws a tiny share of the black vote.
Cain tries to defuse the issue, such as when he's asked about differences between himself and his opponents. He responds with: "The color of our eyes."
Cain said he doesn't alter his message when he's speaking to black voters. But he does add something: statistics showing how the problems he describes, like a Social Security system that needs to be restructured, are worse for blacks than for whites.
"When you look at the life expectancy of a black male, it is 68," he tells a biracial audience at the Rex World Outreach Center. "Well, I was informed by Social Security a few years ago that I could apply for benefits at 66...I mean, if God is good to me, I get to draw benefits for two years."
His party has erred by not giving black voters a "compelling reason" to vote Republican, he says. Instead, the party seems to want to get minorities to vote for Republicans simply because they are the party's nominee.
"What does that mean?" Cain said. "...Talk about the issues so they can connect with the issues."
The boldness in his message appeals to both black and white voters, Cain added.
"People rally around real solutions, real passion and real optimism, not the fake stuff. 'When I become your United States senator, I will fight for the mortgage interest deduction.' Whooptee-doo!" Cain said, laughing. "People don't get excited about mediocrity."
If Sandra Vincent, a Democrat running for the chair of the Henry County Commission, is any indication, Cain's strategy might be making progress. Vincent said she's known Cain for a while and plans to support him.
"I think that he is a candidate for all people, and that is what we need," she said.
Solutions in business
Cain touts his business credentials as an example of how he can get things done in Washington. He points to the Pillsbury World Headquarters project, an effort to build a new base of operations for the food giant.
"When I took over the project, it was behind schedule and over budget," he said.
By the time Cain was done, the project was finished "ahead of schedule and under budget."
Business experiences have also informed his politics.
Cain is the only Republicans running for Miller's seat who supports postponing the Base Realignment and Closure process, which could close up to a quarter of the nation's domestic military installations.
The candidate brushes off Collins' and Isakson's contention that BRAC should go forward because other states might use the extra time to catch up on preparations.
"They have tried to position it as, our bases are ready for BRAC," he said. "They're gonna survive. They probably will. That's not the point. The point is focus."
But Collins, a businessman himself, says that Cain's rhetoric masks a flaw in his logic.
"There's a difference in operating a business and serving in a legislative body," the six-term congressman said.
Cain dismisses the notion that his lack of time in Congress puts him at a disadvantage.
"They like to call that experience," Cain says. "Well, just because you've been somewhere 12 years or six years does not necessarily mean you've got 12 or six years of experience. For some people, it's one year experience six times."
(Excerpt) Read more at savannahnow.com ...
Please ignore the link to the article.
I visited his site a month or so ago after reading about him.
My only regret is that he isn't able to run in my state against our liberal senators.
Go Herman ping!
Herman Cain just rocks!
FReepMail me if you want to be ON or OFF this list
Go Herman Go! Pray for Herman Cain!
Click Here for the Herman Cain for US Senate Web Site
Click Here to see Herman Cain's Campaign Commercials
Click Here to Speak Up on the Cain Blog Spot
How do you spell Johnny Isakson?
m*e*d*i*o*c*r*i*t*y...he he he
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