Herman Cain Surges Ahead
(AP) — If there’s a policy star in the Republican presidential primary it may be Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax overhaul plan. It has helped fuel the Georgia businessman’s sudden surge in the GOP race. But behind the catchy slogan is a reality: Experts say it will raise taxes on some Americans.
“The 9-9-9 plan that I have proposed is simple, transparent, efficient, fair and neutral,” Cain, the former Godfather’s Pizza chief executive, declared at Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, where his newfound higher status in the Republican primary race was on full display. Better-known Republicans seeking the White House relentlessly assailed both Cain and the centerpiece of his unlikely presidential bid, mocking it as simplistic and politically unworkable. “I thought it was the price of a pizza when I first heard about it,” joked former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
