The steady front-runner, Mitt Romney, and the half-dozen candidates scrambling to be his main challenger defined the early part of the GOP presidential race. But anti-Romney Republicans still have not coalesced around a single “conservative alternative.”
With Herman Cain’s recent surge in the polls, the businessman and all-around nice guy hopes to be the galvanizing figure to finally channel that support.
There’s no denying that Cain is bright, likable, down-to-earth and well-spoken. But Republicans would be wise not to let those qualities obscure his drawbacks.
Cain’s economic plan is a great example of both his appeal and his weaknesses.
Dubbed the “9-9-9 plan,” it would abolish the current tax code and replace it with a 9-percent business flat tax, a 9-percent individual flat tax and a 9-percent national sales tax.
Cain deserves credit for putting his neck out and making tax code simplification an issue in this race. The current tax system, which is complex and susceptible to political favoritism, certainly needs to be replaced with something better.
But as Newt Gingrich put it during CNN’s Western Republican Leadership Conference debate on Monday, “Change on this scale takes years to think through if you’re going to do it right.”
For all the good intentions behind it, the 9-9-9 plan is not well thought out.
Recent analysis from the Tax Policy Center shows that it would raise taxes on 84 percent of Americans. Not exactly a solid Republican platform.
Additionally, many conservatives argue that Cain’s proposed federal sales tax is just another revenue stream for the government that will inevitably face sharp increases in the future.
Liberals and conservatives alike worry about the disproportionate burden the 9-9-9 plan places on poor people and retirees. They would pay more for goods and services while experiencing none of the benefits of lowered income tax rates.
Only time will tell if Cain’s popularity drops off as we learn more about the results of the proposed 9-9-9 plan, but the excitement he generates and the reluctance to support Romney says a lot about the public’s appetite for a political outsider.
A widespread, wholly justified frustration with the status quo is the reason many gravitate toward Cain. Rather than Romney’s complex 59-point economic plan, Cain offers a simple economic plan. This doesn’t even include the tortured attempts to distinguish RomneyCare from ObamaCare.
But in fairness to Romney, his 59-point plan represents deeper consideration than 9-9-9 and would actually stand a chance of being implemented. RomneyCare was the product of four otherwise successful years governing Massachusetts. During this time he proved possesses the ability to serve effectively as an executive in public office.
Cain’s lack of political experience can be seen as a virtue to Americans who take an increasingly cynical view of Washington and the political class in general. However, the disadvantages of inexperience should not be taken too lightly.
Cain is obviously likable, but Republicans need to stay focused on electability, seriousness and, yes, even experience.
Reach the columnist at dcolthar@asu.edu
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