S-s-s-s-s-mokin'!

Have you seen the new ad from the Herman Cain campaign?


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CBS calls it "bizarre" and notes that the ad is, currently, unlisted. Which means you can't go to the Cain YouTube channel and find it unless you know where to look.

ABC takes the opportunity to run down a list of Cain campaign staff with "interesting" backgrounds.

The Atlantic asks, "For real?"

Rather than go on, let me sum up the reaction: the ad generated a lot of criticism from people who already didn't like Herman Cain.

I'm not a smoker, so it didn't particularly appeal to me. But smokers don't like being criticized, just like everybody else.

Obama smokes, but hides it. Cain's campaign manager smokes, and posts it on YouTube.

I'm wondering how this is going to play out.

Nine-Nine-Nein

After the 2008 election, some people who supported Barack Obama told me they were shocked -- SHOCKED! -- when he actually did some of the things he said he'd do in the campaign.

When I challenged them with, "Didn't he say he'd do that?" the usual response was, "Well, I didn't think he would."

I don't want to be that guy. But, I'm thinking I may turn out to be that guy.

I'm supporting Herman Cain. The parallel with Barack Obama should be obvious.

No, not the black thing. Cain grew up black, Obama was raised by a bunch of crazy white folk. If elected, Cain would be America's first black president.

No, what I'm talking about is: 9-9-9.

I like a lot of things about Herman Cain, but I don't like the 9-9-9 plan.

On the face of it, that seems odd, since that's all you hear about Cain.

The two biggest things I like about Cain are:

• He's a successful businessman, and we need someone in the White House that understands business. Without that, the economy will, well, do what it's doing today.
• He's a conservative. That means that, when situations arise, I'll more than likely be satisfied with how he handles it.

Those two items are the most important thing about Cain. When compared to the other candidates, he's strongest on these two qualifications. And that's enough for me.

But, what I don't like is the 9-9-9 plan. Or the 9 part. No, that 9. The other one. No, that that one. The other one. Yes, that one. The national sales tax.

Here's the plan:

• Business Flat Tax – 9%
  
  • Gross income less all investments, all purchases from other businesses and all dividends paid to shareholders.
  • Empowerment Zones will offer additional deductions for payroll employed in the zone.
• Individual Flat Tax – 9%.
  
  • Gross income less charitable deductions.
  • Empowerment Zones will offer additional deductions for those living and/or working in the zone.
• National Sales Tax – 9%.
  
  • This gets the Fair Tax off the sidelines and into the game.

Flat tax rates for business and individuals is a good thing. If you make twice the money, you pay twice the taxes. It's that national sales tax that I don't like.

Opening up one more way for the government to get our money? That's a no-go. You start a new tax, you'll never get rid of it. It took over 100 years for the government to stop billing you for the Spanish-American War.

The saving grace is, a national sales tax may be unconstitutional. If there will be a tax on everything sold, what about land? If you sell property, does the national sales tax apply? If so, it could run into the same problems brought up in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co., which ruled that income tax was unconstitutional, and was the impetus for the 16 Amendment to the Constitution. A national sales tax may require another amendment. And I don't want another amendment; every time somebody touches the Constitution, they screw things up. Well, not every time, but in the last 100 years. We don't need another 18th Amendment fiasco, for instance.

The thing most people know about Herman Cain, 9-9-9 plan, is just about the only thing I don't like about his platform. I do want tax reform; I just don't like the national sales tax portion of that plan.

I still support Cain for president. I hope he wins. But, when it comes time to implement 9-9-9, I hope he fails.

Cain sounds like one of you people

Disclosure: I have financially contributed to the Herman Cain campaign.

There's a minor kerfuffle going on about something that Herman Cain said. It's widely reported that he said he couldn't support Rick Perry as the Republican nominee.


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Yep. That's what he said. And that bothers me.

You see, I've been going on and on about how, no matter who the GOP nominee is, we need to support him. And some of you get your panties all in a wad about that.

"I'm not ever going to support Mitt Romney!"

"I won't vote for Rick Perry!"

"If Sarah Palin isn't the nominee, I'm not voting!"

"If Sarah Palin is the nominee, I'm not voting!"

"Ron Paul is nuts!"

Okay, that last one is okay. But still, nuts as he is, he'd a darn sight better than Barack Obama. But some of you are saying you won't support this guy or that girl. Well, now Herman Cain sounds a lot like some of you people. Maybe he's pandering to the panties-in-a-wad crowd.

I don't care for that. I suspect Cain will backtrack, and soon. He'll come up with some statement that sounds like some crafted statement talking about how we can disagree about important issues, but still have the same overriding goal: defeat Barack Obama and return competence to the White House.

But what should have say? Or, better, what should he have said to Wolf Blitzer's question, "Could you support Rick Perry if he were the nominee?"

• Against Obama? Of course. Hell, Wolf, I'd support you over Barack Obama.
• I fully support Rick Perry for vice-president.
• I would support Rick Perry if Zombie Reagan turned down the nomination.
• Nine, nine, nine.
• Not if he was the Democrat nominee. Has he switched back to being a Democrat?
• That's a stupid question, Wolf. What do you think I'm going to say? That I wouldn't support Rick Perry? Do you think I'm nuts

What do you think Herman Cain should have said?

Counting the Cain crowd

So, how many people attended the Herman Cain announcement and rally in Atlanta yesterday?

Cain said 15,000. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said 10,000.

Who to believe?

Well, the same article talked about his "20-minute speech."

I recorded it. I started the recording as he was walking onto the stage, and stopped it when he left the stage. The video is 33:05:


The ratio of 33:05 to 20:00 is roughly the same as the ratio of 15,000 to 10,000.

I'm thinking there were closer to 15,000 than 10,000 ... based on what I'm seeing, and what I know about how most media outlets over conservatives.

Meeting Herman Cain

Wife and I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta for yesterday's Herman Cain announcement. We attended the private breakfast beforehand, and had the chance to get close to the candidate.

Well, sort of.

You see, the agenda called for breakfast at 9:15, with Mr. Cain arriving at 9:45.

Only, it didn't work out that way. He got there early.

I had just finished going through the buffet line and was back at the table when he entered the room. And that caused a sudden shift in everyone's activities. Including mine.

I glanced to my left, saw his path was going to take him right by me, and decided to place the plate on the table, and let the rush of folks take me over.

The rush of folks came first.

I was jarred, and my plate of food fell. $2,500 worth of sausage biscuit and fruit hit the floor. Okay, I'm exaggerating about the cost. But, this being a campaign event, some people may have paid that much just to attend. So it's possible, just not factual. Had it been one of them instead of me, then, yes, it would have been $2,500 worth of sausage biscuit and fruit.

But my food did fall. Or the plate did. And the food was on the place. And not all of it stayed on the plate. Some of it bounced off the plate and onto the floor.

So, I'm standing there in the aftermath of a crash of plate, table, chair, and floor, with the person I came to meet just a few feet away. He's ahead of time, and this is a chance to spend some unscheduled time meeting and chatting with him. And maybe ask some questions.

Only, I've got food at and on my feet.

So, I grab some napkins from the table and squat. Meanwhile, there's a crowd working there way past the table and me, trying to get close to Herman Cain. Legs, knees, hands all participating in the rush, and not in a helpful way, either.

I gather all the parts of biscuit and fruit -- the parts of the plate of food that actually left the plate and took up residence on the floor -- in napkins as best I could, then stood and placed the ex-breakfast on the table.

Here I am, standing with buttery, sausage-soaked biscuit and bits of melon on my hands. Wife hands me the hand sanitizer, and I start my Mr. Monk impersonation, rubbing the cleaner as fast and as thoroughly as I can.

I have missed my best opportunity to meet the man I came to see. But, not my last opportunity, as it turned out.

After I finally got all the food off the floor and my hands cleaned, I look for a place to dispose of the bits of the inedibles. I start scanning the room. First, straight ahead, to the podium, looking for Herman Cain, hoping to plan a chance to get up close.

The room was still abuzz, but I didn't see Herman Cain anywhere. Had he made a quick appearance and then departed for some other pre-announcement work before coming back for his scheduled talk?

No, as it turns out, he was at his family's table, talking with his children and grandchildren. I discovered that when I turned to my right and found myself eye to eye with Herman Cain.

He must have quickly glanced at my name tag -- either that or he's a huge fan of this blog; I'm thinking the former, but telling myself the latter -- called me by name, and told me he was glad to seem me as he shook my hand.

I responded in kind, and glanced to the lady on my left. The Wife extended her hand and she and Herman Cain exchanged pleasantries. He introduced Gloria, his wife, and the proper greetings occurred.

He turned his focus to the family at their table, and we turned our focus back to our table.

So, while I did get to meet him, my breakfast malfunction messed up my best chance to actually chat and ask questions.

The sausage biscuit was good, though. The parts that didn't fall on the floor.

Herman Cain's announcement

Atlanta businessman Herman Cain announced his candidacy for President of the United States.

And we were there! And by we, I mean me. And now, you were there, too!


[Direct link]

If you're not supporting Herman Cain, that's okay.

Actually, it's not. What's wrong with you?

Anyway, we were there and will post a little more later.

Ask a candidate

Never one to learn from my mistakes, I'm soliciting questions for another politician. This time, it's for Herman Cain.

I'll be at the private event in Atlanta Saturday morning, and at the public event at noon Saturday.

I'm seeking questions to ask Herman Cain over at IMAO. If you want to play along, leave your questions there.

Getting a new bumper sticker, a follow-up

A little over a year ago, I decided to get a new bumper sticker for the car.

My older bumper sticker was ... well ... in need of replacing.

Okay, it was a window sticker. And it was way out-of-date.

And sort of lame, as I mentioned at the time:

Now, yes, I know, it's pretty lame to keep a bumper (or window) sticker up after the election. And I'm lame for still having it up.

But, I want to let people know this: I did not vote for Barack Obama.

Leaving the McCain sticker on was a way of saying that. But, it's still lame to have an election sticker after the election. Particularly 540 days after the election.

Well, it's now 916 days since the election, and I finally took the McCain sticker down.

I got a lot of suggestions, both at my little blog and at IMAO.

While some of them were excellent suggestions, I waited.

Well, the wait is over. I now have my new sticker.

It's actually a bumper sticker. But, being me, I put it on the window.

And, since it's sticker supporting Herman Cain, I expect I'll be called a racist, too.

Herman Cain says number two isn't good enough

Herman Cain spoke with Fox News this week about the report that the U.S. economy could fall to number two, behind China, in five years:

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An actual successful businessman running for president.