DEL.ICIO.US
Published on: 01/05/05
This is the "no" that could launch a dozen statewide campaigns.
Herman Cain, the former pizza magnate and U.S. Senate candidate, has turned aside the pleadings of the Republican elite and is taking a pass on the '06 race for lieutenant governor.
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MOST POPULAREven as you read this, a herd of Republican state senators are punching buttons on their cell phones, frantically seeking spousal permission to fill the gap left by Cain, an African-American whose candidacy GOP leaders hoped would recast the racial dynamics of Georgia politics.
Not that he isn't honored by all the pushing, Cain said Wednesday. The problem is that the job of lieutenant governor just ain't what it used to be. Mark Taylor, a Democrat, now holds the post. But a Republican-controlled state Senate has stripped Taylor of his power, his prestige — just about everything but his boxer shorts.
Even if a Republican replaces him, the next lieutenant governor can't be guaranteed that he'll be anything more than a figurehead.
So has Cain given up politics — and a shot at the Governor's Mansion in 2010? Heavens, no. He's simply determined that the lieutenant governorship is an inadequate vehicle. Cain figures he can hang on more tightly to his core supporters by privatizing his ambitions, on a national-level. To wit:
An accompanying political action committee will be able to offer campaign contributions that will enhance its clout.
"Let's just say we're talking. I mean, I live in Atlanta and CNN hasn't called me. What's a guy to do?" Cain asked.
Miller outraged Democrats by declaring their organization "a national party no more." Cain is likely to cause a similar stir among African-Americans. He takes aim at the NAACP, which he said "has deceived and sold black people out."
Example? Cain is furious that the organization has already announced its opposition to an overhaul of the Social Security system that would include personal investment accounts. Actuarially, black men and women die earlier and thus reap the least from the Social Security system.
Cain said his book isn't aimed just at minorities, but at a middle America that — according to the author — doesn't buy wholly into either party: "Democrats are losing loyal voters, but the Republicans aren't picking them up. Democrats are ideologically bankrupt. Republicans have a major brand-identity problem."
The last phrase may be the most telling. Cain is Republican from head to foot. But in avoiding the lieutenant governor's race, he's keeping his network of followers — and his own identity — somewhat separate from Georgia's GOP machine. It's a move that smacks of maneuverability, and one man's intention to remain a player.
