In Zell's footsteps: Herman Cain says NAACP is a worthwhile entity no more Atlanta Journal Constitution Published on: 01/05/05 (This weekend on Fox News, Mr. Cain denounced that race played any factor whatsoever in Katrina recovery efforts: the following is a copied and pasted article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution from Mr. Cain's website).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.
Even 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:
He's created a non-partisan, not-for-profit foundation called "A New Voice" that will tackle issues such as the reformation of the U.S. tax code and the Social Security system. Cain's already cut two radio ads backing President Bush's effort to persuade the American public that Social Security is facing a crisis that must be addressed immediately.
An accompanying political action committee will be able to offer campaign contributions that will enhance its clout.
At 4 p.m. Saturday, Cain launches a weekly, two-hour radio talk show that he hopes to syndicate nationally. In Georgia, "The Bottom Line" has signed up eight stations. In Atlanta, you can hear him on WGKA (920 AM). There's the possibility that he could become a talking head for the Fox network.
"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.
Cain is following Zell Miller's path to greatness. He's written a book, using Miller's agent and publisher. Cain is an author several times over, but most tomes have been in the motivational, Dale Carnegie line. This new one — he won't give away the title — is about "the politically homeless."
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.
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