Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Rotunda Online
The Rotunda
Friday, July 25, 2025

Cain Train Gains Strength

The question of whether or not you should take "Grand Old Party" (GOP) Presidential contender Herman Cain seriously should have been answered earlier in this campaign. Instead, now you really need to ask yourself exactly how seriously you want to take him.

Cain has already reached the point of no return and the point of controversy. Some are surprised this former CEO of Godfather's Pizza has made it this far in the race. Others are upset that he did not call out of order a bunch of people booing a gay soldier's question during a recent GOP debate.

Regardless of your political affiliation, Cain should not be taken lightly as just another candidate. He has appeal and he has experience in exerting executive power—to bring calmness and rationale to any conversation. Still, he is able to allow his conservative policies to shine through in a rather sly fashion.

Cain reminds me of two people—Ronald Reagan and Mike Huckabee. Both showed a passion to the GOP and both made a difference during their respective campaigns. Obviously, Reagan was the victor, as he actually was able to win his party's nomination and go on to the White House. However, Huckabee can be just as influential a candidate outside of the White House.

Perhaps most surprisingly up to this point is Cain's victory in the Florida straw poll two weeks ago. That victory seems to be very reminiscent to what Huckabee did in 2008. Moreover, with this power alone, Cain might just be able to top other hopeful strong-arms, such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and the rest of the Tea Party front.

Cain's coalition might just work since many people are already seeing Perry as too much of a mainstream moderate conservative. What the strong Republican base wants right now is a candidate who is not afraid to return to and help perpetuate further the ideals of social conservatives. Additionally, Cain has the support of Christian conservatives, the biggest advocates of social righteousness out there.

He can be socially conservative all he wants, but really the impact zone right now where Cain is really gaining steam is in his economic plan. Hold that thought.

Mitt Romney has stated that he "cannot fathom" the fact that America spends more than what is earned per year. His platform is based around cutting federal spending and reforming aging entitlement programs. Further, Romney, just like every other presidential candidate before him, has pledged to reduce the size and extent of government as well as balance the budget. Oh, and taxes—cut them.

But Romney doesn't have a solid plan. Not a plan with numbers, not a plan with a purpose.

At least Cain has a solid plan that can be laid out in a logical three-step listing. It's called the 9-9-9 plan, and its concept is to set a flat tax rate for the three sectors of business, individual and national sales. That means each business would pay a nine percent tax, each individual would pay a nine percent tax (an income tax) and each national sales tax would be set at a universal nine percent rate. This would allow everyone a fairer share in paying taxes.

Cain hopes his plan would be capable of bringing in some $1.12 trillion annually from the income tax. For businesses, about $270 billion would be brought in while the sales tax could spark an annual $378 billion. The only downside of this, however, is a big downside—a downside of almost $400 billion.

The only answer to the solution would be for the government to cut spending. And we all know that will happen.

But even if his plan might not make the most sense right now, Cain is sure to gain more attention since his victory in the straw poll. Even if people do not like the 9-9-9 plan, it looks better than a trembling economy on the foundation of a nine percent unemployment rate. For that, we can say nein, nein, nein!