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Jewish World Review Oct 17, 2011 / 19 Tishrei, 5772 The right argument for Cain By Star Parker
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's not just conservatives who are frustrated today. It is all Americans who long to see their nation regain its vitality, restoring freedom and prosperity at home and shining the light of human potential across the planet.
What is particularly frustrating is that the party out of power, the GOP, is supposed to be carrying the torch for these values. But it's barely happening. The party has become bogged down with careerists, rearview-mirror thinkers and its own inside-the-beltway elite.
Nothing could speak more to this problem than establishment attitudes toward the remarkable Herman Cain.
Take, for instance, a recent column by conservative columnist Mona Charen.
After extolling Cain's compelling virtues — his rags-to-riches success story, his love of America and the values that make it great, and the courageous ideas he has put on the table in his campaign — Charen dismisses his candidacy for lack of experience and political skills.
Others who dismiss Cain point to his lack of a national fundraising organization.
I just don't see it this way.
The American presidency is not a political job. The American president is the leader of the free world. The job, of course, demands political skills, but so does every job that requires working with other human beings.
One of America's worst presidents — Lyndon B. Johnson — had more of these political skills than perhaps anyone who ever held the office. What he critically
lacked was a clear vision and commitment to American principles of limited government and personal integrity.
What makes Herman Cain so interesting is the passion and clarity of his view of American freedom, and his Reagan-like ability to communicate and excite grassroots Americans.
A new Gallup poll on candidates' positive intensity — the percentage of those with strongly favorable opinion minus those with strongly unfavorable opinion — shows Cain so far ahead of the rest of the Republican field it is ridiculous.
He has a positive intensity of 35. In second place is Romney at 15.
Cain is the only candidate putting concrete and simple ideas on the table for getting this nation back on track.
The Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore said Cain's 9-9-9 plan for simplifying our horrendous tax code would be "rocket fuel for the economy."
Cain's support for getting rid of the Social Security payroll tax and replacing it with private retirement accounts would be a boon to all Americans, particularly for low-income Americans.
After adopting personal retirement accounts and other free-market reforms 30 years ago, Chile went from having one of the world's most sluggish economies to one of its fastest growing. Returns on these personal retirement accounts have averaged over 9 percent a year.
The Republican Party establishment needs to start listening to grassroots Americans and asking why no one is exciting them like Herman Cain.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Comment by clicking here. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education.
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