Herman Cain: the Republican Party’s New Darling

When asked about what he would bring to the White House if elected in November 2012, Herman Cain, the Republican Party’s new favorite, responded, “I would bring a sense of humor to the White House because America’s too uptight!” Maybe we shouldn’t look too far for the reasons behind the former head of Godfather Pizza’s breakthrough. Herman Cain is a simple and jovial individual, a businessman more than a politician. And he’s black.

For the Tuesday night debate in New Hampshire on Oct.11, organizers sat Cain to the right of the current Republican favorite, Mitt Romney, after Cain complained a few weeks ago that he didn’t have much time in the spotlight. The polls now put him in second place behind the former Massachusetts governor (and even in the lead in South Carolina). Seventy percent of Republicans say that the more they see of Cain, the more they like him. Columnist David Brooks said, “He is happy, funny intelligent. When the debates turn to him, you’re sort of like, ok, I’ll listen to this.“*

“The Price of a Pizza”

Herman Cain has a magic formula to improve economic conditions: the 9-9-9 plan. It’s 9 percent income tax, 9 percent corporate income tax and 9 percent sales tax. An excellent communicator (he gets paid $25,000 per speech), he has developed a quasi-advertising message out of his plan, and his audiences chant along with his slogan: “9-9-9!” On Oct. 11, the “lower ranking” candidates tried to break his momentum. Michele Bachmann remarked that the 9-9-9 plan upside down makes 6-6-6. “I think the devil is in the details,” she stated. Jon Huntsman, the moderate Republican, mocked Cain, saying, “It’s a catchy phrase, in fact I thought it was the price of a pizza.” Ultra-conservative Rick Santorum accused Cain of wanting to increase the income tax in many states that currently don’t require the tax by saying that, “”Zero-zero-zero is better than 9-9-9.”

At 65, Herman Cain is not even campaigning. Instead of surveying the bleachers, Cain is out promoting his book, This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House. In it, he tells his life: born to a poor family in Georgia, Cain rose in the ranks and became the CEO of Godfather Pizza. Later, he became president of the Federal Reserve of Kansas City and a host to a radio talk-show. He survived colon cancer and continues to preach in a Baptist church in Atlanta.

Hermanator’s Movement

His only previous electoral experience failed. In 1994 Herman Cain ran for a senate seat in Georgia. Later, he founded the Hermanator’s Intelligent Thinking Movement. When asked by The Wall Street Journal about the Occupy Wall Street protests, he said that those who are unemployed and not rich should blame themselves.

The fact that Herman Cain is black also figures well for him in the Republican party. Professor William Jelani Cobb from Rutgers University called it a form of racial insurance policy, which allows a candidate to overcome the accusations of racism that the Tea Party faces. “Cain himself joined this mad parade of racial non-bigotry months earlier, saying he would ban Muslims from his Cabinet, or at least force them to sign special loyalty oaths. How can that be bigotry? A black guy said it,” he jokes in his Washington Post article.

William Bennett, former Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan, remarked on this phenomenon. Regarding the Republicans who voted for Barack Obama in 2008: “If you voted for him the last time to prove you are not a racist, you must vote against him this time to prove you are not an idiot.” And Herman Cain is the candidate that allows voters to do both.