I hadn't paid much attention to Herman Cain until the other day when he won the Florida straw poll. And frankly, had basically written him off because I thought the last thing the electorate would or should do, was support an inexperienced candidate after living through the horrors of the current incumbent. But then, after his rise in the national polls, I looked his history up and found a very impressive background.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, his mother was a cleaning woman and his father, who was raised on a farm, was a chauffeur. Growing up in Georgia he graduated from Morehouse College in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics, and received a Master of Science degree in computer science from Purdue University while also working full-time in ballistics for the U.S. Department of the Navy.
Next he worked for Coca-Cola as a business analyst, then moved on to Pillsbury, soon becoming director of analysis in its restaurant and foods group. Assigned at first to analyze Burger King, then a Pillsbury subsidiary, he ultimately managed 400 stores in the Philadelphia area. Under him, in three years his region went from the least profitable for Burger King to the most. That prompted Pillsbury to appoint him President and CEO of another subsidiary, Godfather's Pizza. Aiming to cut costs, during a 14-month period he reduced the company's 911 stores down to 420, making them finally profitable. Then in a leveraged buyout in 1988, Cain with other executives and a group of investors bought Godfather's from Pillsbury where he continued as CEO until 1996, when he was asked to resign by the board.
In 1992 Cain became a member of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, serving as chairman from January 1995 to August 1996, when he resigned to become active in national politics. He was also a 1996 recipient of the Horatio Alger Award.
Cain publicly opposed the 1993/1994 health care plan of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. As president-elect of the National Restaurant Association, he challenged Bill Clinton on the costs of the employer mandate contained within the bill and criticized its effect on small businesses.
Cain transformed the debate by challenging Clinton at a town meeting in Kansas City, Mo., asking the president what he was supposed to say to the workers he would have to lay off because of the cost of the "employer mandate." Clinton responded that there would be plenty of subsidies for small businessmen, but Cain persisted, saying "Quite honestly, your calculation is inaccurate. In the competitive marketplace it simply doesn't work that way."
So, although Cain still lacks the kind of experience a governor has, and would have a huge task simply to learn what's needed to effectively perform as president, his credentials are quite impressive, including the stint at the Federal Reserve. And that got me to thinking about how the current incumbent would campaign against Cain. Because, what could he say?
Cain not only represents everything the incumbent isn't, his successes refute every word and belief the incumbent utters. He's a guy who started with less than nothing, built himself up and got to the top with no help that I found written about, which seems the antitheses of "soft" to me.
So, on one hand we have an incumbent with no real experience himself, never holding a job in the real world, who thinks he'll change the world with his mouth versus someone who's made himself a complete success under the very conditions the incumbent claims don't work.
Therefore, I, for one, think a debate between these two would have the incumbent stuttering for a month because he's totally clueless as to what the real world's all about.
That's it for today folks.
Adios
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