Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
I float an idea whose time may never come, but I float it nonetheless. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that, whereas 83% of African-Americans held “strongly favorable” views of Barack Obama five months ago, only 58% do so now.
I do not mean to suggest that putting Herman Cain on the ticket would enable the Republicans to sweep the black vote in this country. It would not do so. But it would, I believe, help them to make inroads – substantial inroads, and it might be a real game-changer in other ways as well.
No group has suffered more from unemployment and underemployment than our fellow citizens of African-American ancestry. They are, for the time being, loyal to Barack Obama, whom they have accepted at least provisionally as one of their own. But they are not at all satisfied with his accomplishments, and they are restive and even angry. Some among their leaders have even hinted that the President has betrayed “his people” – and, in a sense, he has.
Nothing Barack Obama has done was genuinely aimed at bringing down unemployment. He and his advisors seized on the recession of 2008 as an opportunity to pass a series of measures, long desired by the left, that had nothing to do with priming the economic pump. The so-called “stimulus” bill was a big pay-off to the unions, the public-sector unions in particular. Obamacare was sold as a jobs bill, but it was never really that. Dodd-Frank has paralyzed the financial services industry, and the prospect that there will be dramatically higher taxes in the near future has depressed hiring. Black Americans are not alone in suffering from Obama’s recklessness, but they have been hit very, very hard. They know it, and they are resentful.
Herman Cain has many virtues. He has turned around a major business; he has experience with the federal reserve. He has tremendous dignity, a sense of humor, and a plethora of good sense. He lacks the familiarity with foreign affairs needed in a President, but he has undoubted expertise of a sort most welcome in a Vice-President. He is forthright, direct, even eloquent, and he is a genuine African-American. Ten seconds of listening to him talk is sufficient to demonstrate that. He is a good man, and he could be for us a very useful man. And what he does not know about foreign affairs, he could easily enough learn in an office subordinate to the President, as others have in the past.
One card that the Democrats will play this year will be the race card. They will play it as never before. They will play it against Mitt Romney, using certain aspects of Mormon theology to smear the man. They will play it against Rick Perry. Just being from Texas makes him guilty, right? And the mainstream media will vent hyperbolically on this theme.
But if Cain were on the ticket – not a fake, invented, post-modern African-American from Hawaii, Indonesia, and the Ivy League, but the real thing – these charges would go nowhere. They might even backfire. Moreover, Cain could begin the difficult, but rewarding task of teaching free-market economics to the one group in this country that most needs to learn about what it can do for them.
I do not mean by this to suggest that Cain would be a better Vice-Presidential pick than Marco Rubio. I like them both; and, if forced to choose, I would probably opt for Rubio. What I would suggest, however, is that Cain would bring some strengths to the ticket and to the office as well. Can you imagine him up against Joe Biden?
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Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
Roberto
Paul A. Rahe
Roberto: Vice-President? Why should he settle?
... domestic considerations trump everything. Sep 21 at 6:37pm
When domestic considerations are allowed to trump everything, you get a world war. You remember the 1930s and forget the 1940s. · Sep 21 at 6:41pm
Not at all. With only a passing review one can easily see the winds of war blowing across the globe, the seeds being planted. The danger is there yet it is hubris to believe that we can alter its' course. Our military strength is directly proportional to our economic well being, crippled at home it is the height of absurdity to imagine we can control events abroad. Our nation is weaker economically and more divided politically than it has been in decades, we are in no position to save others from their folly.
If we cannot get our own house in order then nothing else matters. · Sep 21 at 7:32pm
Yes, but if we ignore the larger realities outside the country while doing so, it will mean war -- and we have no one to watch those realities other than the President. Cain is not qualified for the top job . . . yet.
Apr '11
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
Cain for Fed or Treasury would be just fine. But for VPOTUS? While I understand and somewhat agree that he might be a politically expedient pick, absolutely not. Isn't anyone bothered by his rather un-American religious litmus test? (If this has already been discussed at Ricochet, my apologies, and please point me in the right direction to get up to speed.)
May '11
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
Paul A. Rahe
Neither Rice nor Powell was ever on the ticket, and Bush did not run at a time when African-Americans were noisily, even bitterly, unhappy with a President from the Democratic Party. Moreover, Cain is a populist who speaks -- genuinely from the heart -- in the accents of a black preacher. Close your eyes; listen to Rice, then Powell. You do not know that they are black. Try closing your eyes and listening to Cain. Sep 21 at 6:38pm
Clarence Thomas sounds "black" with all the history of a typical black person of his age. The black community hasn't embraced him. It's folly to beleive a conservative black person can bring in black voters. Too many negative perceptions and history for any conservative to overcome in the black community. A few token black candidates isn't going to change that.
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
This deserves attention and discussion.
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
thelonious
Paul A. Rahe
Neither Rice nor Powell was ever on the ticket, and Bush did not run at a time when African-Americans were noisily, even bitterly, unhappy with a President from the Democratic Party. Moreover, Cain is a populist who speaks -- genuinely from the heart -- in the accents of a black preacher. Close your eyes; listen to Rice, then Powell. You do not know that they are black. Try closing your eyes and listening to Cain. Sep 21 at 6:38pm
Clarence Thomas sounds "black" with all the history of a typical black person of his age. The black community hasn't embraced him. It's folly to beleive a conservative black person can bring in black voters. Too many negative perceptions and history for any conservative to overcome in the black community. A few token black candidates isn't going to change that. · Sep 22 at 6:21am
What I am suggesting has never been tried. Cain on the stump will not be ignored. Thomas is constrained by his office. Remember: most African-Americans are social conservatives. One thing is certain. We will fail if we do not try.
Aug '10
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
The most intriguing part of the suggestion for Cain as VP is the potential debate with Biden. I'd pay money to see that.
Mar '11
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
As Presidential candidates go, John McCain had foreign policy experience. How's that workin' for ya? Did his absolute lack of foreign policy experience hinder Obama as a candidate? At this point we of the conservative--or conservative/libertarian--persuasion had best not let our quest for the perfect drive out the good. Rubio will make a great follow on to President Perry if his VP Cain doesn't. Cain's role as VP would not be to move the needle on the black vote, but rather to move the needle on the independent voters who voted Obama to "give black a chance." Unlike Obama who was elected because he ran black, Cain would be an asset first for who he is and what he's done. His color is an added political bonus in a campaign against our second black president( Bill Clinton being our first.) Obviously in this coming election no one can be against Obama except racists.
Apr '11
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
Derek, you've stolen my thunder. Ninety percent or more of black voters will vote Democratic, even if their candidate were John Edwards and the Republican candidate were Herman Cain. But . . . there are probably a lot of white independents who want to tell their grandkids one day that they voted for the first black president. Having Herman Cain on the ticket would give us a chance at those voters. That said, I'd love to have HC as our VP, no matter what his race is. As others have said, I'd love to see him debate Joe Biden.
Jul '11
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
Roberto
Paul A. Rahe
Roberto: Vice-President? Why should he settle?
... domestic considerations trump everything. Sep 21 at 6:37pm
When domestic considerations are allowed to trump everything, you get a world war. You remember the 1930s and forget the 1940s. · Sep 21 at 6:41pm
If we cannot get our own house in order then nothing else matters. · Sep 21 at 7:32pm
Domestic issues should be the first priority of the federal government, yes, but foreign relations are the exclusive responsibility of the executive branch. I like Cain a lot, but I think it would be irresponsible to make a man president who is not qualified to deal with the unique and explicit duties of that office.
The idea of Cain as VP is very tempting, especially since I'd like Rubio and Ryan to lead in congress a bit longer. The veep spot would allow Cain to lend his expertise to the domestic/fiscal issues while learning on the job about foreign policy.
-E
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
I agree wholeheartedly with this part of your post.
Re: Is Herman Cain Vice-Presidential Timber?
How sweet it would be!