Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
TeamAmerica ·
October 17, 2011 at 6:57am
I caught about ten minutes of 'Meet the Press' this morning and of what I saw, Cain did at best a middling job explaining and defending his '9-9-9' plan. He seemed to often fail to directly answer David Gregory's questions, and I say this as a Cain fan. If you saw the entire interview, what was your impression?
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Apr '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
I overheard one question/answer about the Iranian assassination attempt and I was not encouraged, unfortunately.
Sep '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Ah well, there's always a Huntsman/Gingrich ticket to look forward to.
Dec '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
He doesn't get that many people will have their 7ish% SSI and HI tax replaced with a 9% income tax and a 9% sales tax. That's a tax increase unless the value of goods goes drastically down. Just because all of the "hidden" taxes go away in the manufacturing stream does not mean prices will necessarily go down.
Here's the video.
May '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
I don't think he's the answer we've been waiting for.
Oct '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
katievs
I don't think he's the answer we've been waiting for.
More and more, it is looking like you're right, unless he improves dramatically and quickly.
Pseudodionysius
Ah well, there's always a Huntsman/Gingrich ticket to look forward to.
Or Perry/Rubio, if Perry can start making a good case. I'm amazed that we have so few unflawed candidates who can persuasively articulate conservative ideas. Ah, if only Mark Steyn were an American citizen.
Edited on October 16, 2011 at 11:45pmSep '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Herman Cain was on Meet the Press this morning. David Gregory interrogated him about his 9-9-9 plan, and accounts of their exchange differ. The liberal-leaning Hill says that Cain “struggled Sunday to push back increasing criticism that his 9-9-9 tax reform plan would hurt low-income and middle-class Americans.” Ann Althouse, on the other hand, thought Cain “nailed Meet the Press:” I thought David Gregory really lost his cool early on, as he was questioning Cain about 9-9-9. If you watch the video, you can see he’s agitated and grimacing in a way that really lacks the usual polished journalist quality. … How does Cain deal with this barrage of disbelief from Gregory? He stands his ground and explains his program….This discussion got me thinking about the positive side of switching to sales tax. Reading the transcript, what strikes me is how slow-witted Gregory was. Repeatedly, Cain makes a simple, clear point, but Gregory doesn’t seem to get it. This became almost painful during an exchange about state sales taxes: MR. GREGORY: The other defect in the plan comes from fellow conservatives who say, “You’ve got some problems here.” … “The real political defect,” the Journal writes, “of the Cain plan is that it imposes a new national sales tax while maintaining the income tax. … A 9 percent rate when combined with state and local levies would mean a tax on goods of 17 percent or more in many places. The cries for exemptions would be great.” MR. CAIN: Don’t combine it with state taxes. This doesn’t address state taxes. If you add them together, yes, you’ll get that number. This is a replacement structure. These are replacement taxes. They’re not on top of anything. MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm. MR. CAIN: We replace capital gains tax. We replace the payroll tax. We replace corporate income tax, replace personal income tax, and replace the death tax. It is a replacement tax structure. MR. GREGORY: But where do state taxes go? You’re saying they’re going to be repealed? MR. CAIN: If you–with the current structure, you have state taxes, right? So with this new structure, you’re still going to have taxes–state taxes. That is muddying the water. MR. GREGORY: How so? MR. CAIN: Because today, under the current tax code, state taxes are there if they have it. If they don’t have a state taxes, they don’t have it. It has nothing to do with this replacement structure for the federal tax code. MR. GREGORY: But that doesn’t make any sense to me. If I’m already paying state taxes, and I have a new Cain administration national sales tax, I’ve got more state taxes. MR. CAIN: No you don’t. MR. GREGORY: How so? MR. CAIN: David, David. MR. GREGORY: You’re not saying they’re going away. MR. CAIN: Your state taxes are the same. Your federal taxes, in most cases, are going to go down. That’s muddying the water. MR. GREGORY: The Wall Street Journal says you have one on top of the other. There’s a combined levy. MR. CAIN: That is not correct, David. MR. GREGORY: Right. MR. CAIN: Let’s try this one more time. State taxes are there today. The current tax code is a 10 million word mess. You have probably 100–you have thousands of loopholes and tricks and what I call “sneak attaxes” in the current code. State taxes today, whatever they are, zero or some number, has nothing to do with replacing the tax code. Nothing. Gregory was similarly oblivious when Cain explained why his plan wouldn’t lead to big price increases: MR. GREGORY: The reality of the plan is that some people pay more, some people pay less. … “Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, is working on an analysis of Cain’s signature proposal. Although the plan’s details remain sketchy, Williams said it would increase taxes for the poor and middle class, despite Cain’s statements to the contrary. “‘For starters, about 30 million of the poorest households pay neither income taxes nor Social Security or Medicare levies. So for them,’ he says, ‘doing away with the payroll tax doesn’t save anything. And you are adding both a 9 percent sales tax and 9 percent income tax. So we know they will be worse off.’” That’s the reality, Mr. Cain. Without making a judgment about it, why do you think that’s an acceptable reality for the overall goal of reform? MR. CAIN: First, they’re missing one very critical point about the sales tax. It wasn’t even mentioned in that analysis that you read. On the price of goods, there are invisible taxes that are built into everything we buy. We’ll simply–those invisible taxes are going to go away. And we’re replacing them with a 9 percent visible tax. For example, take a loaf of bread. The farmer pays taxes on his profits. The company that makes the flour, the baker, the delivery man. By the time that loaf of bread gets to the grocery store, there are a series of invisible taxes, which are also called embedded taxes. So, in reality, those taxes go away and so the price of goods don’t go up. MR. GREGORY: You’re saying they actually go down? MR. CAIN: Yes, they actually go down. MR. GREGORY: Based on what? MR. CAIN: Based upon competition. Competition drives prices down. For example, suppose one breadmaker says, “I’m going to charge $2.20 for a loaf of bread,” and the other one says he’s going to charge $2.40 for a loaf of bread. Well, guess which one is going to win out based upon the quality being essentially the same? MR. GREGORY: My question had to do, however, with the reality of this plan. MR. CAIN: Mm-hmm. MR. GREGORY: The wealthiest Americans would pay less, the poorest Americans and middle class would pay more. You don’t dispute that. MR. CAIN: I do dispute that. Cain is making a very important point here, but Gregory just isn’t sharp enough to get it and follow up in a meaningful way. I am not sure whether Cain’s 9-9-9 plan is a good idea or not, but the level of sophistication that David Gregory can bring to the conversation to too low to be helpful.
Oct '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Am I the only one who thinks it's funny TeamAmerica doesn't know who hosts Meet the Press?
Oh, well, it is the Sunday morning political show that airs on MSNBC, after all;-)
Edited on October 17, 2011 at 12:42amSep '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
The above post was from Powerline. I couldn't figure out how to get it in the original. Sorry!
Oct '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Albert Arthur- Well, excuuuuse me! :-).
Edited on October 17, 2011 at 1:18amAug '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
I am just impressed you found the hidden work-around for the 200 word limit. You win the Ricochet Hacker award for the weekend!
Cain did fine.
As far as the tax plan we all pay at least 9% in taxes before the income tax is taken into account and if you add the employer portion of the payroll tax, then the deficit is only 4.15% (18% combined - 13.85% payroll and medicare taxes alone) - but only if you spend everything you make. The effect on each dollar you save would be like it was taxed at 2% on the front end and not at all on the back end - compared to the status quo. Imagine a Roth IRA with no contribution limits and no restrictions on the use of the money and you begin to see the possibilities.
I would support it only as a Constitutional amendment based on the camel's-nose-under-the-tent-theory, however.
<Just imagine the hue and cry from shareholders for corporations to increase dividends>
Aug '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
It appears Mr. Cain has done his homework. When will the press catch up?
May '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Here's part of what Jonathan Tobin over at Commentary had to say:
Edited on October 17, 2011 at 5:58amJun '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
David Gregory is still the hyper hack that cuts off his guest's answers like he's always done. A very rude Sunday show host.
Cain is better in his appearances. But this is what it has always been with Cain. If you don't like him now, you will not like him later or how he's been in the past. Many, though, have not been exposed to his "common sense" solutions and have not evaluated them against others and their "politician" speak.
Cain is an inspirational speaker. He's a grind-it-out leader and an excellent listener. He is very intelligent. He has excellent political skill and marketing instincts. Cain is a very successful person. He has unbelievable energy.
But Cain is a conservative. Let's don't beat around the bush. If you want a more "national" government versus a limited "federal" government, then Cain is not your guy. Cain could be a Heritage Institution candidate. If the Tea Party is not your cup of tea, then Cain is not your man.
That's why his appearance on Meet the Press will be picked apart by some. It was fine. He's a conservative.
Jul '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
We would have had to wonder about the person who answered that question in some detail. Cain was right in responding that without the details -- assuredly known only to those with a need to know -- he was not in a position to comment. That whole situation, as it happens, is a bit squirrely on the face of it.
Knowing he has a firm position on the security of this nation is what is important.
Aug '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Cain did fine. At least he holds firm conservative beliefs and is consistent in communicating them.
That's a lot more than one can say about Romney.
May '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Hm, a blend of the Heritage Foundation and the Hoover Institution? It doesn't get more genuinely conservative than that!
Feb '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Way better than I expected. (And I pressed "Like" half-a-dozen times as I read the earlier comments.)
Edited on October 17, 2011 at 12:09pmApr '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Cain stood his ground well. He stuck to his guns well when Gregory's line of questioning became absurd and nonsensical (MR. GREGORY: "But that doesn’t make any sense to me. If I’m already paying state taxes, and I have a new Cain administration national sales tax, I’ve got more state taxes.")
His answer on Iran was very sensible. He would have been foolish to let Gregory goad him into labeling the assassination plot an 'act of war' - with the inevitable follow-up questions that would have provoked.
In the end, 999 is compelling because it's the only truly transformational idea out there from any of the candidates. It would very likely spur significant economic growth. The question is whether Cain could effectively sell it to the American people while Obama, the media - and dare I say even some conservatives - demagogue it to death.
May '10
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
In foreign policy, Cain doesn't so much disagree with "neo-conservatism," as he apparently never heard or read the word before. When asked what he thought of it, Cain said that he isn't a neoconservative, but a conservative, which makes no sense. (He could have exhibited some rudimentary understanding by saying, e.g., he believes in interventions only when they are in America's interest.)
It's not about a vocabulary text, but about whether Cain has spent 5 minutes thinking about foreign policy. With killer religious freaks in Iran likely getting nuclear capability soon, this is not acceptable, to me at least.
MR. GREGORY: Would you describe yourself as a neoconservative then?
MR. CAIN: I'm not sure what you mean by neoconservative? I am a conservative, yes. Neoconservative, labels sometimes will put you in a box. I'm very conservative, but...
MR. GREGORY: But you're familiar with the neoconservative movement?
MR. CAIN: I'm not familiar with the neoconservative movement. I'm familiar with the conservative movement. And let me define what I mean by the conservative movement. Less government, less taxes, more individual responsibility.
Edited on October 17, 2011 at 12:52pmApr '11
Re: Meet the Press-How Did Herman Do?
Some people think Cain didn’t know the flavors of conservative, this from a guy who was a talk radio host, has been hanging around conservative conferences for many, many years, has had conversations with thousands of people on the right side of politics over decades. One thing I noticed about Cain is people seem to automatically think they know something but Cain is ignorant. You can see it in the interviews, David Gregory being a good example. Watch the video, read the transcript, then decide who is the ignorant party. Some Cain biographical tidbits:
1992-1996 board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
1996 Senior Advisor to Dole/Kemp Campaign
Cain briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000
2004, Cain ran for the US Senate in Georgia
"The Herman Cain Show" WSB radio, Atlanta, Ga.