Businessman and radio host Herman Cain stopped in Las Vegas last week as part of his preparation for a possible presidential run in 2012. The Republican is the first potential candidate so far to have created an exploratory committee, often the first step for those who hope to win their party’s nomination.
Cain has been traveling the country and testing the waters, generally eschewing large events with significant media coverage in favor of intimate settings with the conservative activists and Tea Party groups that constitute much of the GOP base.
Sponsored by two local Tea Party organizations, the Thursday night gathering was a private affair in a Summerlin community center with seating limited to sixty. The media was represented only by two local talk-radio hosts and a Nevada News Bureau contributor.
The former CEO and cancer survivor, whose only prior political experience was an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate in 2004, was well-received. Cain touted his business experience as a former CEO and identified his priorities as “strengthening national security, really stimulating the economy, cutting spending…and then one of my other big ones is developing an energy independence strategy.”
(VIDEO) Herman Cain discusses how to use business experience to solve problems
Cain expressed opposition to the cancellation of missile defense projects in Europe and to the new START treaty, in which he believes the United States “gave away too much.” Strengthening national security, he explained, includes providing more resources to the military involved in two foreign wars.
(VIDEO) Cain on national defense
Cain stated, “We need to unleash the full economic potential of this economy.” He asserted that, contrary to the economic stimulus plan advanced by the Obama administration, his would have included permanently extending tax cuts, abolishing the Social Security withholding for a limited time and reducing the corporate income tax rate.
(VIDEO) Cain on stimulating the economy
Spending cuts would include what he described as both horizontal and vertical cuts. Cain defined horizontal cuts as 10% spending cuts in each department. Vertical cuts would include eliminating entire programs.
(VIDEO) Cain on spending cuts
Cain also advocated developing the United States’ own resources to achieve energy independence. “We are not the Saudi Arabia of coal,” he claimed. “We are the OPEC of coal. We’re not just the Saudi Arabia of natural gas, we’re the OPEC.”
(VIDEO) Cain on developing an energy strategy
Immigration also came up in what Cain called his “big five” issues. He recommended a three-pronged immigration solution – “secure the border, enforce the laws that are there and promote the path to citizenship that’s already there.”
(VIDEO) Cain discusses immigration policy
By all indications, the Republican Presidential field in 2012 will be a large one.Herman Cain may not currently have the name recognition of some of the likely candidates but, judging by his reception among the conservatives and Tea Partiers at his latest Las Vegas appearance, he may well have a real shot at garnering support among the GOP base.