Curmudgeon's Corner

Cain is Able

Posted by Al Campbell on Sept. 30, 2011

Political, U.S., Economy, People Making A Difference

Listening to Jerry Bott on WISN this morning, I heard him say “Cain is able”, an obvious play on the Biblical story of two brothers.  I don’t know if he is the first to utter that phrase, but I’ll wager that we’ll be hearing a lot more of it.

As I talk with people, I am hearing more and more that this person or that person thinks he or she might be able to vote for Herman Cain.  I said it myself a few evenings ago and had to stop and think of what I had just said.  Voting against someone rather than for someone is not what I want to do as I’ve mentioned before.  I have crossed the line in my own mind; I could vote for Herman Cain and be quite comfortable with my decision.

He is a genuine person so far as I can tell.  He has a positive attitude and has a sense of humor.  He can poke fun at himself.  He has a solid business track record.  He has the “cancer survivor” tag that can play either for or against depending upon how it is spun.  He has a “plan” as it seems all candidates must have, and I like the simplicity (“my 9-9-9 plan”) although it probably needs some tweaking.  He has great business experience and understands that we can’t spend more than we have.  He has taken on failing organizations and made them well again while inspiring the people with whom he worked.

It seems, unless he manages to derail himself with a misstatement, he is gaining in political strength when the rest are either flattening out or losing ground.  The field is about as fluid as it can be even without a “Palin” or “Christie” factor injected.  Cain survived the Perry emergence and has gotten better and better in the debates, and in interviews.

His business success indicates, to me at least, that he knows what he doesn’t know and that tells me he would assemble a team that would help him in areas such as foreign policy.  He is a good communicator, and that is very important in a race for the Presidency.  The current President certainly excelled at oratorical skills and that earned him a lot of credibility whether or not deserved.  Cain doesn’t strike me as the eloquent orator, but he gets his point across and does so with sincerity.

So far as the “he has no political experience” complaint, I look at Sen. Ron Johnson and think that he has ably put that plaint to rest.  In fact, no political experience might well be a positive.  I have no doubt that Cain could handle the position given where he has been and what he has already accomplished.

I could vote for Herman Cain, and do so with confidence and a smile on my face.  Maybe I’ll have that opportunity.