The GOP’s new godfather

With the 2012 elections on the horizon, many conservatives are uneasy about the lack of an obvious front-runner for the job of denying President Obama a second term. While the GOP field lacks clarity, it does provide a platform for new talent to stand out and wow the party faithful. According to a Zogby poll released Tuesday, Herman Cain is getting that attention. Though a relative unknown, Mr. Cain jumped to second place among surveyed primary voters.

Like Mitt Romney and Donald Trump, Mr. Cain brings a background of private-sector success that contrasts sharply with the weak resume of our current commander in chief. Prior to his election, Mr. Obama’s signature achievement off the public dole was to serve as a “community organizer” - whatever that means. On the other hand, one of Mr. Cain’s early assignments in business was to manage 450 of the lowest performing-Burger King locations in the Philadelphia region. Within three years, those stores were among the chain’s top performers. He then turned his attention to rescuing a near-bankrupt Godfather’s Pizza. After restoring its profitability, Mr. Cain bought the company.

Such stories resonate with a country desperate to find a leader capable of restoring national prosperity. Perhaps that’s why Mr. Cain received such high marks in the May 5 GOP presidential debate. Most of the crowd knew nothing beforehand about Mr. Cain, but a Fox News focus group overwhelmingly approved of what it heard, especially on the topic that matters most: the economy. “One of the biggest problems we have with this country right now is too much government intervention trying to tell businesses how to do what they do best - which is create jobs,” Mr. Cain said in the debate. “Government doesn’t create jobs, business creates jobs. We need to get government out of the way.”

Via Weasel Zippers