Herman Cain enters 2012 GOP race

Herman Cain, the former chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, speaks in Waukee, Iowa in this March 2011 file photo. / Steve Pope/Getty Images

ATLANTA — Herman Cain has run a pizza chain, hosted a talk radio show and sparred with Bill Clinton over health care. He's never held elected office.

Now the Tea Party favorite wants to be president.

"In case you accidentally listen to a skeptic or doubting Thomas out there, just be to clear ... I'm running for president of the United States and I'm not running for second," he told a crowd at Centennial Olympic Park on Saturday. Chants of "Herman" erupted.

The announcement by the businessman, author and talk radio show host that he was joining the expanding Republican field came after months of traveling around the country to introduce himself to voters.

Now the 65-year-old will see if he can use that grass-roots enthusiasm to turn a long-shot campaign into a credible bid.

Cain supports a strong national defense, opposes abortion, backs replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax and favors a return to the gold standard.

He lost a three-way Republican U.S. Senate primary bid in Georgia in 2004 with one-quarter of the vote. His "Hermanator" political action committee has taken in just over $16,000 this year.

Cain has said he's running "a bottoms-up, outside-the-box campaign." Supporters say he taps into the Tea Party-fueled desire for plain-speaking citizen candidates.

Born in Memphis, Tenn., and raised in Atlanta, Cain is the son of a chauffeur and a maid. He attended historically black Morehouse College, earned a master's degree from Purdue University and worked as a mathematician for the Navy before beginning to scale the corporate ladder.

He worked at Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and Burger King before taking the helm of the failing Godfather's Pizza franchise, which he rescued by shuttering hundreds of restaurants.

He burst onto the political stage when he argued with President Clinton over the Democrat's health care plan at a 1994 town hall meeting.

"On behalf of all of those business owners that are in a situation similar to mine," asked Cain, "my question is, quite simply, if I'm forced to do this, what will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate?"

The late Jack Kemp, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1996, once described Cain as having "the voice of Othello, the looks of a football player, the English of Oxfordian quality and the courage of a lion."

In 2006, Cain was diagnosed with liver and colon cancer. He says he's been cancer-free since 2007 and credits the nation's health care system with keeping him alive. He says it's one reason he's so opposed to the health overhaul championed by President Barack Obama.

At a speech last week in Macon, Ga., Cain gave a glimpse of the rationale for his candidacy. He said the American dream is under attack from runaway debt, a stagnant economy and a Democratic administration forcing a legislative agenda citizens don't want.

[Barbbtx]

LOL all the racists comments here are from the left.
Yet the tea party will always be the racist ones because
1) if we vote for Cain and he wins, ( we voted for him to prove we weren't racist when we really are.)
2) if he loses, it's because we didn't vote for him because he's black, that makes us racists.

Why is the left so obsessed with skin color? I mean hec, remember Chris Mathews saying about Obama's State of the Union speech. He was just so good, I forgot he was black for an hour. Is that what you liberals do. Think about skin color all day long and then accuse others of being racists? It's projection is what it is.

[Mortarman429]

That is what they do!

[Barbbtx]

God, I can't belive all the liberal racists on this site!
Newt can't even say food stamps without leftist racists equating food stamps and blacks and the accusing HIM of racism.
Well, I guess if nothing else, Cain's run for the presidency is showing who the real racists are.

Herman Cain 2012

[Lindag10]

He seems irrelavant. I wish I could afford to utilize the "American health system" myself. Seems like the GOP is more interested in doing away with it for the common folk and making it only for the wealthy. Oh well, he does seem a little better than the Newt.

[vageorge]

Good Grief. Now they are going to run a pizza man for president. Aren't there any qualifying standards? When will the voters learn? They elected a unqualified neighborhood organizer last time and see what we got. He has almost completely destroyed the US. And now they want to run a pizza man. Why?? No qualifications for the job. It really is time for a reality check

[Mortarman429]

The current guy was a community organizer. At least Cain ran a business.

[RET-ABNRGR-CSM]

Good morning "meboard" - well, I got banned again Sweetie - my guess it was "paghre", "ret-w" or some dude named "olboy" that went crying to CBS -- As you know punkin -- I get called all kinds of nasty names - but I don't go snibbling to "Daddy"

"Rangers Lead The Way!"

XOXO

[ajvw]

the left wing bigots are out full force.

[meboard]

by cbsnacilbuper May 22, 2011 5:24 PM EDT
What a racist thing to say.

[ajvw]

I've been labeled a racist many times here because I disagree with nobama's policies. Read your fellow lefty's comments regarding Mr. Cain and you call me racist. LOL

[meboard]

by cbsnacilbuper May 22, 2011 8:42 PM EDT
Keep dreaming lady, you ship is sunk. Get used to President Cain.

Cain is Able!
---
More like Citizen Cain...

[meboard]

"He burst onto the political stage when he argued with President Clinton over the Democrat's health care plan at a 1994 town hall meeting."

---

You call that a "burst"??? OMG...this guy has NEVER held a political office in his life and he decides to start off his political carrier at President? Another good clown to add to the car...

[judarofi43]

lincoln's first political office was president too,asswipe

[djpoirrier]

Being a politician isn't a career. They are there to serve the citizens, then to go back to their regular job afterwards. It's today's politicians that have made it into a career, just doing whatever they can to get elected and not worrying about what the people want.

[ladyang]

the "Godfather" doesn't have a chance of even getting the nomination. He won't take one state during the primaries - not one!
He might be a better choice for "God-Focker"

[user000049586849302948603]

I especially like how Cain pronounces the word "with" as "wiff"; not exactly confidence inspiring. He should get a speech therapist or something so that he doesn't sound so ignorant.