The surprise horse in this race for me is Herman Cain. Now at first blush you might think it crazy that a black man is running as a Republican. Yes, that in itself is rather interesting. However, we are looking at the first generation of black millionaires in the country, so all things considered, it’s not that much of a shock. Still, what is most interesting to me about the man is that, while I disagree with his platform, I am pleasantly surprised at his honest, straightforward approach in selling it. After decades of double-talk, it’s a nice change.
When Herman Cain is asked a question, he provides an answer. If he doesn’t have all the information, he’s smart enough to not wing it. This is in sharp contrast to most politicians who know little, and speak for hours on subjects in which they are by no means familiar. It’s nice to know there is someone out there who is smart enough to know he is not smart enough.
Still, Cain often comes across as a high school student who, while filled with grand theories and ideas, lacks the insight and life experience required to understand their implication. For example, his 9,9,9 plan is supposed to boost the economy. Well, it will do that. It will boost it into the ground. On spec, I like the plan. It is simple, addresses much of the tax code problems, and streamlines the tax process to a point where we could eliminate much of the 450 billion dollars we provide to the IRS. However, after mild scrutiny it is pretty obvious that it would destroy an industry of Accountants, Tax Lawyers, and Financial institutions. Not that I’m very fond of any of those institutions, but the billions of dollars these industries generate would be gone. Also the millions of people doing those jobs would need somewhere to work. I’m not sure killing an Institution, and putting millions on the bread lines is a well thought out strategy.
His position on Abortion is a little frightening as well. He thinks that Abortions in cases of Rape and Incest should be banned. When he was asked about whether an abortion should be done to save the life of the mother he stated “that’s up to the family to decide.” I have a problem with that stance. If you’re going to ban it for rape and incest, then why give a pass for the life of the mother? You’ve already got one leg in the crazy box, you might as well put the other in as well. I’m not a fan of abortion, but I’m also not a fan of telling people how to live their lives. I don’t know how you can call yourself a conservative, and tell people what choices they should make about their own bodies. And forcing a 12 year old victim of incest to carry a child to term that her father produced is sickening beyond words.
Now you may ask yourself with all these faults why I like Cain? Well, I don’t have to agree with someone to like them. I’m not saying I would vote for him. I just find honesty a refreshing characteristic in politics. He’s also very articulate, which is a welcome change from Rick Perry. If you gave Perry two words, and a map, it would be a week before you got a coherent sentence out of the man. Not to mention I’m pretty sure he’s clinically retarded, similar to many of the prisoners he’s executed. I also like dealing with someone who doesn’t change their mind based on the political winds of the moment. Listening to Mitt Romney’s political ideology is much like dealing with the weather in Colorado. If you don’t like it, just wait. It will be completely different in just a few minutes.
So here and now, this hardcore Democrat will make a prediction: If Herman Cain can make it past all the Caucuses, Primaries, and Tea Party crazies, there is a 50/50 chance he will be the next President. Once he gets past that onslaught it will make for quite the interesting race to the White House. Hell, and if Cain finds a way to keep the right-wing from finding out he’s black, his nomination will be a lock!