Thread: Herman Cain: The first black President we should have had

Well technically the "first one" is only half black.. :p

True dat.

I dunno.

I like what he says, and how he says it, but there is reality that he'd have to be able to work with congress to effectively address the issues as he frames them. I think that's called the art of compromise, and from what I've seen, the big egos from the corner office tend not to do this well, and I would think that it would lead to his downfall, or at least, ineffectualness.

To be totally honest, I said the same when "The Donald" was running for much the same reasons.

Actually, running a company involves a lot of consensus-building as well. Now generals, they tend to have problems with not being able to just order things done, but even they adapt because being a general, or being a CEO, or being a politician involves learning the art of diplomacy and compromise.

Cain's strengths are his management ability, his economics knowledge, his ability to speak well off the cuff(any idiot can read a speech). His weaknesses are an unfamiliarity with campaigning, his statements about Muslims, and his lack of policy knowledge outside of economic policy.

All in all, I think he'd make a good President, but I don't think he'd get there. The Obama campaign is a well-oiled machine, the Cain campaign is and will continue to be not quite up to prime time. He'll be unable to deal with the Obama team's attacks and he'll likely shove his foot in his mouth a few times. If the top priority is defeating the incumbent, Cain is an unnecessarily risky choice.

Great VP candidate though.

Romney as President
Cain as vice president
Newt as a senior policy adviser

I could live with that.

Originally Posted by eohrnberger

Romney as President
Cain as vice president
Newt as a senior policy adviser

I could live with that.

I wouldn't have a problem with that either.

Originally Posted by eohrnberger

Romney as President
Cain as vice president
Newt as a senior policy adviser

I could live with that.

Romney and Cain maybe, Newt not so much. He's a snake.

Newt's fine as an ideas guy, he just can't lead.

Originally Posted by adaher

Actually, running a company involves a lot of consensus-building as well. Now generals, they tend to have problems with not being able to just order things done, but even they adapt because being a general, or being a CEO, or being a politician involves learning the art of diplomacy and compromise.

I disagree. Running a company may require diplomacy but at the end of the day you are the boss and can put their foot down and say "I'm the boss, make it happen or I fire you." Cant really do that to Congress. Being a good leader, and politics in general, requires the ability to compromise. I dont see much indication Cain has that willingness.

All in all, I think he'd make a good President, but I don't think he'd get there. The Obama campaign is a well-oiled machine, the Cain campaign is and will continue to be not quite up to prime time. He'll be unable to deal with the Obama team's attacks and he'll likely shove his foot in his mouth a few times. If the top priority is defeating the incumbent, Cain is an unnecessarily risky choice.

Great VP candidate though.

His own party will be more of a problem for Cain than Obama.

His positions, though popular, are not tenable. He's apparently a supporter of the gold standard which is, to me, a sign that someone doesnt have a great understanding of the modern economy. His other positions seem very populist and I dont see that he has a solid plan to replace the revenue gained from all the taxes he wants to cut, his 999 plan wont cover it.

Originally Posted by Hoplite

I disagree. Running a company may require diplomacy but at the end of the day you are the boss and can put their foot down and say "I'm the boss, make it happen or I fire you." Cant really do that to Congress. Being a good leader, and politics in general, requires the ability to compromise. I dont see much indication Cain has that willingness.

Well, I think that unlike CEOs, who focus on what they can control, Presidents tend to get involved in things they can't. A President wields a lot of power on his own even if Congress never does what he wants, and good Presidents use this power effectively. Cain could focus on government reforms, make things more efficient, and that alone would be a boon for the economy and save taxpayers money. Clinton understood this well, governors usually do. Obama, being a Senator, saw his job as legislator-in-chief, and when he can't get his way with Congress he doesnt' seem to have any clue what to do. And with 12 years and counting of poor executive branch leadership, Cain would be more than occupied just fixing the mess the executive branch has become.

His positions, though popular, are not tenable. He's apparently a supporter of the gold standard which is, to me, a sign that someone doesnt have a great understanding of the modern economy. His other positions seem very populist and I dont see that he has a solid plan to replace the revenue gained from all the taxes he wants to cut, his 999 plan wont cover it.

The CBO would have to score that. I think politically, the 9-9-9 plan is ignorant. Once you establish a sales tax without doing away with the income tax, future Congresses will just raise the income tax and the sales tax.

Originally Posted by adaher

Well, I think that unlike CEOs, who focus on what they can control, Presidents tend to get involved in things they can't. A President wields a lot of power on his own even if Congress never does what he wants, and good Presidents use this power effectively. Cain could focus on government reforms, make things more efficient, and that alone would be a boon for the economy and save taxpayers money. Clinton understood this well, governors usually do. Obama, being a Senator, saw his job as legislator-in-chief, and when he can't get his way with Congress he doesnt' seem to have any clue what to do. And with 12 years and counting of poor executive branch leadership, Cain would be more than occupied just fixing the mess the executive branch has become.

Could, but probably wont.

The CBO would have to score that. I think politically, the 9-9-9 plan is ignorant. Once you establish a sales tax without doing away with the income tax, future Congresses will just raise the income tax and the sales tax.

Under the 999 plan (IIRC), there has to be a two-thirds majority to raise taxes, which is pretty difficult to get unless you have a single party controlling Congress.

Originally Posted by Hoplite

Could, but probably wont.

He probably would, becuase that's generally the first thing any CEO does in a new organization is figure out what's working and what's not and changing it. Governors usually place a big emphasis on that as well when they win the White House. Good ones anyway. Legislative accomplishments don't mean squat if you have an executive branch too dysfunctional to be able to implement anything effectively. And for the last 12 years, that's been the case. I dare say that even though it doesn't make the headlines, it's probably the single most important thing affecting whether a President will be successful. And it's entirely under his control.

Under the 999 plan (IIRC), there has to be a two-thirds majority to raise taxes, which is pretty difficult to get unless you have a single party controlling Congress.

Not if there's a clear need for it. But that's a dumb idea anyway. If we don't think simple majorities can control the budget process, then we need to delegate the whole thing to an outside body and remove it from the democratic process, like we did with the money supply.

Originally Posted by eohrnberger

Romney as President
Cain as vice president
...

That may be the most plausible ticket pairing of the candidates I've heard so far.