- Anne Vinnola, Herman Cain and Joe Wurzelbacher at the SHOT Show 2011
As Herman Cain’s presidential campaign heats up the GOP polls I thought I would run my interview with him again.
One of the highlights for my 2011 SHOT Show was my interview with presidential hopeful Herman Cain. I was not even sure before January who Herman Cain really was for sure. He was some conservative talk show host from Atlanta. I did some quick research before the show and I found some really interesting things about Herman Cain. What a fascinating man!
As an outdoor writer it is not everyday that I am given the opportunity to interview political powerhouses or presidential contenders, but Douglas Warren of Alaska’s Healing Hearts is a friend of Mr. Cain and noticed on my Facebook page how I seem to be a political junky and well…he is correct. I feel it is so important for each American to get involved in the process and I love the whole political game. My best friend hates politics and I in turn am not a fan of football like she is, so I call elections my Super Bowl and that way we tolerate each others habits. Doug had invited Mr. Cain and his friend Joe Wurzelbacher (Joe the Plumber) to visit the show with him and I was excited to be granted an interview.
I met Mr. Cain and Mr. Wurzelbacher in the Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) booth and sat down for a very enjoyable visit. Mr Cain is lighthearted, warm and friendly with a great sense of humor, but once you get him speaking his heart in matters of this great land, he gets very serious and determined . Chit-Chat is replaced with well thought out plans and ideas to put the United States back on track from where many feel is certain disaster.
I asked Mr. Cain to tell me a little about himself and what makes him think he will be the best candidate to be our next president. I was soon absorbed in a pleasant but intense discussion with a passionate American describing specific ideas to fix the mess we are in. Mr. Cain has a life story straight out of the “American Dream textbook.” Growing up “poor but happy” is the way he describes his childhood.
When Mr. Cain spoke, one of the most refreshing things I found about him was the way he did not mince words. If something seems like a stupid idea for the U.S. well, he says it is stupid! I love the way he thinks problems through in a thoughtful and methodical way, giving clear thought to both the pros and cons with his eye on the big picture. He speaks an “Everyday American” language not “Pie in the Sky Politician” and is not in the least bit afraid to challenge those people making the choices for us these days. He is extremely intelligent though without sounding condescending.
The strength he possesses is that he can identify issues this country faces and systematically and effectively with confidence fix them. He knows who to put into place to do the job and then he gets out of the way and doesn’t micro-manage them. He has confidence in the people he puts in place.
Herman Cain has been at the helm of some of the most successful companies in the United States and completely understands how to turn around a failing company to turn a huge profit as he did with Godfather’s Pizza. Teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, Herman Cain took the reins and within 14 very short months turned the company around to profitability and solvency, thus garnering the notice of the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association who later elected him as Chairman.
Herman Cain understands how to handle employees,insurance, unemployent, manage payrolls, challenge poor thinking executives ahem…and really does know how it feels to work at the lowest level jobs in order to work your way up the ladder; he did it several times.
Mr Cain, once challenged President Clinton’s health care ideas in a nationally televised town hall meeting as being bad for small business and gee, looky there; in hindsight several years and squillions of dollars later he was right! No wonder Herman Cain and Joe Wurzelbaugher hit if off! They are not in the least bit afraid to speak up, ask the hard questions and tell the truth!
I asked him how he feels about gun control and he said,”I f a bill comes across my desk as president, that hinders American’s right to bear arms, I would veto it in a second.” Hmmm I liked that! He didn’t even look nervously around and start to sweat. He was straight forward and looked me unwaveringly t in the eye when he said it.
Herman Cain defines several key points that he would address as the President in his booklet Common Sense Solutions.
The first point is strengthening our national security. He sees as the primary duty of the President of the United States as protecting it’s citizens. He is also dedicated to the support of our brave military through the best training, technology and equipment necessary while also providing the veterans and their families with the benefits they deserve for their sacrifice.
Next he wants to unleash economic growth with across-the-board tax cuts to provide long- term relief including reducing the capital gains ta, permanently eliminating the death tax and he wants to cut government spending by modernizing and and eliminating some of our entitlement programs.
Mr. Cain had many more solid ideas and as I have continued to follow his campaign, I have liked even more of what he has had to say.
Find more info on him at www.HermanCain.com
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