Cain-Train Dodges Fruit – Cruises into First; Romney “Pantsed”

Herman Cain has claimed the position of frontrunner…. at least in one poll.  An average of polls provided by Real Clear Politics from October 7 – 16 has Cain in the slimmest of leads, just a half a point ahead of Mitt Romney, 26% to 25.5% respectively.  This is obviously well within the margin of error but it sends a clear message – Herman Cain is in this race to stay.

Of all the candidates in this race so far, Cain seems to be the only one whose meteoric rise has not been met with a total engine flameout, like Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman have experienced. The answer is quite simple. If one wants to achieve orbit one has to have a substantial vehicle and enough fuel to make it there. Simply put, Cain’s 9-9-9 plan has put him firmly into this race and in many accounts, controlling it.

While the two governors (Romney and Perry) were busy throwing mud patties at each other, Herman Cain was steadily making progress using a technique perfected by the great communicator himself, Ronald Reagan. Many of us know this as the KISS method – keep it simple stupid.  The 9-9-9 plan is more complex than three numbers, but it does resonate with a simple (yet not simplistic) idea of a flat percentage rate on taxes for everyone.

And while many of the other candidates spent a good part of last Tuesday’s debate picking up apples and oranges and attempting to throw them back in Cain’s face, nobody else offered up a straightforward, practical plan that actually and quite literally levels the playing field. In fact, with the exception of Romney’s 57 point plan, most of the other candidates have only given lip service to their economic plans for the country’s future. Ron Paul has posted his plan on his website but the fact of the matter is that Cain’s 9-9-9 plan is the one at the top of everyone’s conversation list.

As a legitimate frontrunner Herman Cain is now and will continue to be a target of the media as well as his Republican competitors. Yet as a successful businessman, Cain is experienced with the proven formula to become a winner. In the real world, it is not tearing down your opponent’s product that makes you a success; it’s creating a better product and promoting effectively. While Cain’s promotional skills could use some polishing, it is his product that seems to be doing well with more and more voters.

This is obviously a lesson the other candidates have not yet learned.  To a person, they all claim to be the best conservative and therefore the best Republican for the job.  Yet many, Mitt Romney in particular, demonstrated either a colossal level of ignorance regarding supply-side economics or a willingness to demagogue an opponent for their own political interests.  To have a so-called conservative (whose conservatism has been openly questioned by many) have Cain’s replacement tax analogy whiz right by him is the political equivalent of being “pantsed” in front of the entire school.  A true supply-sider can see how the dramatic decrease in Corporate and other embedded taxes will result in lower costs of good and services and thus counteract the increase in sales tax.  Romney, Santorum, Perry and Bachman either didn’t get it or they were merely engaging in demagoguery.   Not good either way.

So even while other candidates and pundits alike are still writing off the Cain-Train as a flash in the pan (offering up a wide variety of excuses) Herman Cain continues to dig it out towards the finish line. Now, an entire field of GOP hopefuls is counting on his tank to run empty.  What they may not realize is that the Cain campaign may very well have designed the ultimate fuel efficient vehicle. If this is the case, the rest of the field will only see dust from this point.  Time and, hopefully the truth will tell.