Businessman Cain enters 2012 GOP presidential race

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jillio said:
Exactly. I don't think a pizza restaurant is that big a player.
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lol, I'm not in mood to eat pizza due to lactose intolerant. :lol:

I doubt that Cain will able to win the primary GOP in next year.
 
Foxrac said:
lol, I'm not in mood to eat pizza due to lactose intolerant. :lol:

I doubt that Cain will able to win the primary GOP in next year.
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I agree. I hope that the lame candidates just keep coming out of the wall.
 
Steinhauer said:
Let me get this straight. Bush policies are what got Osama Bin Laden captured. But Obama gets credit for it because it happened on his watch.

The recession happened on Obama's watch, and you want to blame it on Bush?

okaaaaaay ....
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Ummm, in 2001 Bush said he didn't think of Bin Laden any longer, and in 2006 disbanded the CIA unit in charge of looking for him.
Plus the economic mess happened on Bush's watch.
 
His autobiography:

I was raised in Atlanta, Georgia by loving and hardworking parents. We grew up poor, but we grew up happy. Things weren’t always easy, but my mom and dad knew that if they kept their faith in God, faith in themselves and their faith in the greatest country in the world, they, too, could achieve their American Dream.

That dream, we discovered, was for my parents to own their own home and watch their two sons graduate from college. Those dreams required that my father work three jobs to support our family.

The first dream was realized in a brick home on Albert Street. I can still recall the excitement of the day, as he surprised us—even my mother—when he drove us to our new home.

Their second dream was realized when I proudly accepted my degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1967 and my brother graduated from Morris Brown College. Both of my father’s American Dreams were achieved. Now, I set off to achieve mine.

One year after graduating, I married the love of my life, Gloria. And together, we started our journey to achieve our Dreams. This meant relocating to Indiana where I would begin my Master’s degree program at Purdue University, while working full-time as a mathematician at the Department of the Navy.

After earning my Master’s degree and six years working for the Department of the Navy, we returned home to Atlanta, where I began to climb the corporate ladder with the Coca-Cola Company. I faced challenges, but I always remembered the values my parents taught me. With enough faith and determination, I knew I could go as high in corporate America as I desired.

I enjoyed a successful career at the Coca-Cola Company and later moved to the Pillsbury Company. Within a short period, I rose to the position of Vice President. When I got there, I thought I had already achieved my American Dream on the 31st floor of the new Pillsbury Corporate Headquarters with a corner office. But I quickly realized I wanted something more.

I resigned my position and started on another path- the restaurant industry. I knew that in order to be successful, I had to start from “the ground up.” This meant broiling hamburgers at Pillsbury’s Burger King division. After nine months of a grueling restaurant experience, I was assigned to lead a low performing region of 450 Burger King restaurants. Within three years, we became the best-performing region in the U.S.

I could have been content with my executive role with one of America’s biggest corporations. Instead, after consulting with my wife, we decided to take one of the biggest risks of our marriage: picking up our young family, relocating yet again and accepting the call to become CEO and President of Godfather’s Pizza, a company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

In 14 months, we turned the company around and returned it to profitability, and I ultimately led my management team to a buyout of Godfather’s Pizza. The company never went bankrupt, and today, there are still hundreds of locations across the U.S.

My success at turning around Godfather’s got the attention of fellow restaurateurs around the nation who invited me to join the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association and later elected me its chairman. In 1996, they retained me as the full-time President and the CEO of the National Restaurant Association, working on behalf of thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs.

In 1994, as chairman of the National Restaurant Association, I had the opportunity to speak with President Clinton during a nationally televised town hall meeting. Here, I challenged the President regarding the impact on businesses if his health care overhaul proposal were passed.

President Clinton attempted to assure me and the millions of viewers watching at home that his legislation would not harm American business owners and their employees.

I was skeptical. “Quite honestly Mr. President, your calculations are incorrect,” I said. “In the competitive marketplace, it simply doesn’t work that way.”

Through these and other appearances on behalf of the National Restaurant Association, I began working with business leaders across all sectors of the American economy. This led to my acceptance of a position on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and I was subsequently elected their chairman.

Today, I host a radio talk show, “The Herman Cain Show,” on Atlanta’s WSB 750 AM/ 95.5 FM. I serve as a regular contributor on several broadcast networks and as a keynote speaker at conferences and events around the nation.

Despite the many professional commitments of my life, I continued to enjoy most the time spent with family and friends. As my children got married and had their own children, I knew that I had an extraordinary obligation to do what I could to make this a safe and prosperous nation for them. The paramount joys in my life are my wife, Gloria, our children and our grandchildren.

I am grateful for the many professional successes I have enjoyed. I am grateful for the steadfast loyalty and unwavering love of my family and friends. And I am grateful for this country that is so exceptional that I was afforded the opportunity to achieve my American Dreams.

I’m not done yet!
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Herman Cain
 
Steinhauer said:
Let me get this straight. Bush policies are what got Osama Bin Laden captured. But Obama gets credit for it because it happened on his watch.

The recession happened on Obama's watch, and you want to blame it on Bush?

okaaaaaay ....
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So it's Obama's fault almost every wealthy nation in the world decided to follow in Iceland's footsteps? Keep in mind, when Iceland adopted their neoliberal policy, and their economy boomed because of it, everyone copied them even the United States. Problem is neoliberalism tend to lend itself to bubbles.
I find it amusing you're blaming a single President on a mob mentality.

Don't confuse neoliberalism with actual liberals. In this context, I am talking about lassiez-faire economy, the thing Ronald Regan would orgasm over if he could implement those policies.
 
More from Cain:

I graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in mathematics in 1967. Back then, we didn’t use fancy calculators to solve problems. Instead, we utilized formulas to “solve for x.”

The same holds true in life. Throughout my own, “solving for x” meant learning how to nurture a family, how to navigate the corporate world during unfavorable times and how to deliver results. In delivering these results, I have always maintained a sense of humanity while achieving bottom lines and profitability. It stems from my humble beginnings, upbringing and spiritual compass.

I grew up in a three-room house during the height of segregation. My father worked three jobs-- as a barber, janitor and chauffer—and my mother was a domestic worker. They toiled tirelessly to provide for my brother and me in hopes of giving us a better life than what they ever knew. And they did.

After I graduated from Morehouse College, my wife and I moved to West Lafayette, Indiana, where I earned my Master’s degree from Purdue University in 1971. Though my coursework was rigorous, I also worked full-time for the Department of the Navy, helping to develop ballistics and fire control systems for America’s military. It was here I learned that each person should contribute whatever he or she is able to defend this great country.

After six rewarding years in the Department of the Navy, I began to blaze my trail in the corporate world. Here, I formulated my “common sense solutions” strategies that helped to “solve for x” in the various problems of corporate America. I took these “common sense solutions” to Coca-Cola, Pillsbury, Burger King, Godfather’s Pizza and the National Restaurant Association. They even worked during my tenure as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Later in life, “solving for x” meant finding a way to survive stage 4 cancer of the liver and colon. Sustained by an unmovable faith and the love of family and friends, I am now five years cancer free.

Over the course of the last year and a half, I have crisscrossed the country and shared my vision for America. More importantly, I have listened to the concerns of folks all across this land -- from the farmer in Iowa to the retiree in Florida to the student in South Carolina. Throughout my needs assessment tour, I have learned that America faces significant challenges and we are right to demand a return on our investment. We see ourselves as putting so much in, and getting so little out—in the form of widespread joblessness, runaway debt, skyrocketed energy prices and an unclear foreign policy agenda.

But, we remain undaunted. Americans know that “solving for x” simply means using the right formula. What’s that formula, you might ask? Working on the right problems. Asking the right questions. Removing barriers to success. Surrounding yourself with the right people.

This is my “common sense” approach to real leadership. This approach is coupled with a steadfast belief that politics should never compromise principles. And my principles are rooted in the Constitutional guarantees of limited government and individual freedom.

I believe in a strong military and clear foreign policy that ensures the safety of our country. I believe in lower taxes, less regulation and private sector job creation that ensures the economic stability of our country. And I believe in the moral foundation upon which this nation was based and continues to make Her strong, independent and free.

In the end, it will be up to the American people. They will decide if my “common sense solutions” make up the proper formula to “solve for x.”

Read more: The Case for Herman Cain for President -- Solving for X - FoxNews.com
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jillio said:
Exactly. I don't think a pizza restaurant is that big a player.
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Maybe you also think that way about Federal Reserve Bankers? :dunno:

"Stupid people are ruining America" - Herman Cain
 
Besides, Godfather's Pizza is horrible: they still use imitation cheese.
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Uggghhh, that won't go over well in the Wisconsin heartland!

Cain is a smart guy and he's clearly worked hard all his life. He won't ever win the primary, but he'll advance the dialogue. And he's that rare breed: a black conservative. That makes him interesting, too.

I don't think there is any Republican out there right now of the current crop of contenders who can beat Obama, but I could see Cain being some sort of a player on the national stage. He sounds worlds smarter than Palin, for sure - not that that takes much...
 
Beowulf said:
Bush had eight years, and look at what he did.
And funny, the only mentality I see is one of "Give Bush credit only for the good stuff."

Besides, Godfather's Pizza is horrible: they still use imitation cheese.
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The point was that Obama made a promise to close Guatanamo ... but didn't do it.

Guatanamo was established under Bush's watch. Water boarding detainees to extract information was condoned by the Bush administration and condemned by Obama. Obama was elected primarily for his promise to close Guatanamo (which he didn't do) as well as the reason he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Osama Bin Laden was captured as a result of information extracted by the use of water boarding (which Obama condemned as well as made the promise to close Guatanamo which he didn't do).

So, in effect, Osama Bin Laden was captured as a result of policies put into motion by Bush. You even have Democrat leaders stating this openly (because they can't hide this fact). However, Obama supporters will not give Bush due credit and are claiming that Osama was found on Obama's watch .. therefore, Obama gets full credit.

Since the recession also happened on Obama's watch, he should get full credit for the limitless borrowing and spending his administration has done. Obama supporters still want to blame Bush for the recession... even though the recession happened on Obama's watch.

Now, you have Herman Cain stating that playing the blame game will not fix the economy. Blaming Bush hasn't picked up our economy, unlimited borrowing and spending hasn't picked up the economy, the Obama stimilus plan hasn't picked up the economy.

Its time to change the course and solve for x. Cain is getting me and my family's full support.
 
Steinhauer said:
Then we shouldn't care at all about the recession, is that what you are saying?

Maybe that is why Obama should be a one term president ... just saying.
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Won't happen if the Republicans can't get a real (ie electable) candidate in the field. Extreme-right tea party candidates won't ever win, and everyone knows it. They have just as much chance as Howard Dean did for the liberals.

Steinhauer said:
PolitiFact | President Obama's promise to close Guantanamo Bay Detention Center: Broken
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Yeah, lots of us are less than thrilled about Obama. But while he's crappy at keeping his promises to the people who put him in office, he's still more likely to pursue legislative and political goals that I'm in favor of than any Republican (especially a Tea Partier) I've seen.

Steinhauer said:
One of the recurring themes I have seen during the Obama administration is the "blame Bush" mentality.

Obama has had three years to fix the economy.
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I'm actually partially with you. I'm not a huge fan of "blaming Bush". It's been long enough, shit that's happening now is happening on Obama's watch.

However, a few things.

1) How do you (personally) measure "the economy"? There's a myriad of indicators, which everyone on both sides can point to to claim that the economy is either coming along swimmingly, or sinking faster than a rock. That's not to say that I disagree that it's still in bad shape, but I'm curious what specific measures you're looking at, since I'm not certain I'd agree that it's necessarily "worse" or even "as bad" as when he took office, so much as that it's still far less "better" than everyone wanted.

2) He's the president. Just as I don't buy that Bush had anything to do with the country going into a recession, I don't buy that Obama had all that much control over which direction the economy went, either. You can claim he chose policies that didn't help it, but I've certainly not seen any numbers indicating that anything he's done has either helped or hurt the economy. The biggest thing I could see would be health care, and I don't believe at all that that was bad for business. At the least, it was a huge boon for the insurance industry... :roll:

Foxrac said:
Fix the economy take so longer than usual for all politicians and Cain won't fix the economy in one year.
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This, and what I said above - presidents don't have much of any control over the economy either way.

Steinhauer said:
Cain will have the entire Tea Party vote.
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I doubt it. He's got much lower name recognition than some of the other Tea Party candidates (who may or may not run). If either Palin or Bachmann runs, I'd be shocked if Cain gets even a fraction of the Tea Party vote. And ultimately, when it comes down to it, the primaries are for party members to vote to decide which candidate they think can win. Many Tea Party members will vote for a "safer" candidate who they think can actually beat Obama, since they know someone like Cain hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of beating him.

Steinhauer said:
The point was that Obama made a promise to close Guatanamo ... but didn't do it.

Guatanamo was established under Bush's watch. Water boarding detainees to extract information was condoned by the Bush administration and condemned by Obama. Obama was elected primarily for his promise to close Guatanamo (which he didn't do) as well as the reason he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Uh... Definitely not "primarily". It was one of many things that liberals liked about him (and one of many that we were later disappointed by him on - the invasions of privacy that his administration have advocated for are far more damaging, though), but far from the only thing. And while I'm sure his promise to close it also definitely helped him win the Nobel, the overall sentiment appeared to more be because of his (also now missing, though I blame this equally on both parties) "post-partisan" rhetoric and espoused openness to international diplomacy.

Steinhauer said:
Osama Bin Laden was captured as a result of information extracted by the use of water boarding (which Obama condemned as well as made the promise to close Guatanamo which he didn't do).

So, in effect, Osama Bin Laden was captured as a result of policies put into motion by Bush. You even have Democrat leaders stating this openly (because they can't hide this fact). However, Obama supporters will not give Bush due credit and are claiming that Osama was found on Obama's watch .. therefore, Obama gets full credit.
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Unsubstantiated facts, which have been in dispute. And the whole "who gets credit" thing is just childish. Who cares?

Steinhauer said:
Since the recession also happened on Obama's watch, he should get full credit for the limitless borrowing and spending his administration has done. Obama supporters still want to blame Bush for the recession... even though the recession happened on Obama's watch.
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See above re:economy.

Steinhauer said:
Now, you have Herman Cain stating that playing the blame game will not fix the economy. Blaming Bush hasn't picked up our economy, unlimited borrowing and spending hasn't picked up the economy, the Obama stimilus plan hasn't picked up the economy.

Its time to change the course and solve for x. Cain is getting me and my family's full support.
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I don't think anyone is saying that "if we just say that it's all Bush's fault, then the economy will get better". And by certain measures, the economy has picked up, some. Just not as much as expected/hoped for.
 
StSapphire said:
...I doubt it. He's got much lower name recognition than some of the other Tea Party candidates (who may or may not run).
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Neither did Barack Obama when he was first mentioned as a candidate.

If either Palin or Bachmann runs, I'd be shocked if Cain gets even a fraction of the Tea Party vote.
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Not all conservative voters are thrilled with the idea of Palin running; Bachmann, maybe.

ultimately, when it comes down to it, the primaries are for party members to vote to decide which candidate they think can win.
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Technical note:

In some states, primary elections aren't for party members only. In South Carolina, voters can vote in any primary that they wish, whether or not they are members of those parties. (Only allowed to vote in one primary, however.)
 
Reba said:
Neither did Barack Obama when he was first mentioned as a candidate.
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He had much more name recognition than Cain did for his speech at the '04 Party nomination thingamajig.

Reba said:
Not all conservative voters are thrilled with the idea of Palin running; Bachmann, maybe.
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Fair enough, but if either (or both!) of them run, they'll certainly steal a lot of thunder from whatever thunder Cain may have had.

Reba said:
Technical note:

In some states, primary elections aren't for party members only. In South Carolina, voters can vote in any primary that they wish, whether or not they are members of those parties. (Only allowed to vote in one primary, however.)
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Fair enough. I remember hearing about Republicans voting in the Democratic primary in '08 (for Clinton, supposedly to "extend the race" and damage both candidates more), and I've heard plenty of talk on the parts of Democrats claiming that they'll vote in the Republican primaries if Palin runs to vote for her since they view her as an exceptionally weak candidate.

Seems silly (on both parts) to me, but eh. In our country, politics is nothing more than just another sport, to most people. That's why so many people always only cheer for their own team. You don't say "wow, good job" when your rival team scores a touchdown against you, and you don't say "huh, good idea" when your rival team proposes and idea you don't actually vehemently oppose. And it's really a shame.
 
StSapphire said:
He had much more name recognition than Cain did for his speech at the '04 Party nomination thingamajig.
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Really? I had never before heard of him. Even during the campaign, many of his supporters kept getting his name wrong, and didn't know anything about his life or political background.

...Seems silly (on both parts) to me, but eh. In our country, politics is nothing more than just another sport, to most people....
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I'm glad that our primaries are open (not for the reasons you stated) but to allow independents and people from minor parties an opportunity to participate in the selection of candidates.

I've always heard the theory (mostly joking) that people would vote in the opposing party's primary but I don't know anyone who was serious about it. Most people are more concerned with getting their candidate into the race.

That doesn't mean it never happens. I'm just not aware of it happening.
 
Steinhauer said:
Then we shouldn't care at all about the recession, is that what you are saying?

Maybe that is why Obama should be a one term president ... just saying.
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The president is responsible for EVERYTHING, not limited to business alone.

This recession is much worse as Great Depression and it took very long time to recover, also look at recession in Japan and they had for 10 years, mostly during 1990's. None of politicians can do instant fix the recession because it take more time and may be much longer than you think. It may take about 10 years to have economy that's similar to 2005-2006 after recession started in late 2007.

No, you won't know about status of Obama reelection in next year because it is complicated and he has similar approval rating as Clinton and G.W. Bush that prior to reelection so both of them managed to won the reelection.

I'm going vote for Obama in 2012 reelection.
 
Reba said:
Really? I had never before heard of him. Even during the campaign, many of his supporters kept getting his name wrong, and didn't know anything about his life or political background.


I'm glad that our primaries are open (not for the reasons you stated) but to allow independents and people from minor parties an opportunity to participate in the selection of candidates.

I've always heard the theory (mostly joking) that people would vote in the opposing party's primary but I don't know anyone who was serious about it. Most people are more concerned with getting their candidate into the race.

That doesn't mean it never happens. I'm just not aware of it happening.
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I know a lot about him in 2005-2006 when he was considered/rumored to be Hillary Clinton's vice president but he decided to run on his own. He was mostly recognized by residents in IL and WI.
 
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