Herman Cain

Anyone else watching these debates? I liked Herman Cain alot in the first four debates, but now that he is a supposed "tier-one" guy instead of the clever pizza guy with nifty one-liners, I think his bubble might burst faster than Perry's.



With more attention and criticism from the other candidates who used to ignore him as a sideshow, Cain is not handling the stress well. When someone snipes at his 9-9-9 plan, he looks to about blow his lid. What used to look like confidence is turning into cockiness, and once you take him outside 9-9-9, he's suddenly not so clever and full of simple solutions.



And then the 9-9-9 plan. I think it died last night. As one blogger said--"Give the Federal Government the reins on a national sales tax before they curb spending? NEIN-NEIN-NEIN!!"



I kind of wish Cain hadn't seen the bump the last two weeks. I thought he'd be a decent VP selection for whichever candidate got the nod, but now it's becoming clear he's in over his head. Then again, I guess it's a good thing he's getting exposed now instead of as VP etc.

9-9-9 could work, but it'll never get through Congress. Lobbyists won't allow it. Congress won't vote for a plan that entirely changes how they waste money.

Hunstman's statement he thought the 9-9-9 idea was a pizza promotion was hilarious. Cain's raising of the painted over rock at Perry's ranch was dealing the race card. And his refusal to condemn Perry's prominent evangelical promtor who called us all cultists was busg, given his reason. "I am not running for chief theologian," he said. But he is interested in studying old, painted over rocks I guess!. Cain is not presidential worthy.

The guy quotes from the Pokemon theme song and gets his tax ideas from the default settings of Sim City. At least that's what Time magazine says.



That would be forgivable (and even kind of sweet) but the dude said he would pick Alan Greenspan for Fed Chairman while condemning the actions of Ben Bernanke. Sorry but picking the guy whose monetary policy led to the housing bubble and collapse you denied was coming doesn't get a pass. But it gets worse. Somehow you find Greenspan praiseworthy but his successor, Ben Bernancke, who has simply continued the same policies Greenspan started. I know politicians (with rare exceptions) all flip-flop but come on.



Oh and he supported TARP (which means he doesn't believe in free markets) along with Perry, Romney, Gingrich and Huntsman.

I was pretty intrigued by the 9-9-9 plan since I'll look at anything that radically reforms the US tax code. We've been promised that almost as long as politicians have promised energy independence. (999 also set up the other debate gem of the evening by Michelle Bachman, turn the plan name upside down and the "devil's in the details" ha)/ But mixing the flat tax with the fair tax seems like a decent way to broaden the tax base, simplify it so everyone pays and reducing my tax burden etc...



But here's a very interesting article from a times op-ed who takes the plan to task. Since no details are available, he has to make a bunch of them up but they make sense to me and now it seems like a splendidly BAD idea and that's before we have any details on it.



http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/inside-the-cain-tax-plan/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



let me know what you think.

Meh. I'd vote for Cain over Obama, but the 9-9-9 is too gimmicky and expands Federal reach rather than contracts it. Sales tax is the domain of states, not the feds. I don't want to pay 17 percent sales tax once you ad up state, local, and federal tax.