Free Republic

The best thing that can be said about Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s economic plan and its Tuesday rollout speech is that before now, he didn’t have a plan, and now he does. He can check that box. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, and, as a good Republican, I support everything he said. The problem is, we have supported it all before. Our voters want and appreciate creativity. This didn’t offer much in the way of anything new. This program is Steve Forbes-lite. But it is what it is. Now he has to stick with it. “Cut, Balance, and Grow”...

Two-time presidential candidate Steve Forbes endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential bid — and his campaign's flat tax — in an interview on Fox News. Forbes said Perry's plan will have "a very low rate, with great, generous exemptions for adults and for children," adding it would also lower the corporate tax rate. Businessman Herman Cain has said he is modeling his 9-9-9 plan on Forbes' flat tax principles — though according to a Forbes spokesman, Cain and Forbes have never discussed the plan. Forbes said he believes Perry's plan will be more appealing than Cain's because it does not...

Huh? After weeks of repeating 9-9-9 and, in the process, making his bold and original tax reform plan common knowledge, Herman Cain today altered his slogan: GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain clarified his much talked-about “9-9-9″ tax plan Friday, saying those who fall at or beneath the poverty level would have a different plan: “9-0-9.”Cain took heat over his proposal, which replaces the current tax code with a 9% corporate tax, a 9% income tax and a new 9% national sales tax. Opponents have argued the middle part of the plan would increase taxes on the poor, who currently pay...

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Cain 37% Romney 27% Ron Paul 12% Perry 6% 86% say they're somewhat or very satisfied with the current GOP field. Univ of Iowa Poll Press Release 102111

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said on Friday that poor Americans will not have to pay the 9 percent flat income tax under his now-famous “9-9-9” tax reform plan. During a speech in front of a vacant train depot in Detroit, the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO staunchly defended his signature tax proposal from critics who say it will raise taxes for lower-income Americans. Cain’s plan would throw out the current tax system in favor of a 9 percent corporate tax, a 9 percent income tax and a new 9 percent national sales tax. He said Friday that poor people under...

The Primary Week That Was: CainÂ’s 9-9-9 Becomes 9.1-9.1-9.1; Vegas Hosted Fight Night; BachmannÂ’s NH Staff Quits This past week was, I think, the most interesting of the campaign so far. If we look back to a week from today, Rick Perry introduced his very solid energy plan as the first of three parts of his overall economic plan. He has also begun laying out his flat tax proposal. That rollout showed a campaign finding some new energy and generating some positive headlines, a change in its fortunes from the previous couple of weeks. But Perry came into the week...

Herman Cain seemed to enjoy his turn auditioning for the role of Mitt Romney’s chief foil Tuesday night. Luxuriating at the center of the table thanks to surging poll numbers, he basked in the attention of his rivals as every exchange seemed to come back to his signature 9-9-9 tax plan. It’s a good thing Cain relished his moment in the spotlight, because it’s almost certainly downhill from here. The pizza magnate’s ascension has been the product of his well-honed outsider’s shtick, his stirring personal story and his charisma. It’s a package that resonates with Tea Party activists who are...