Oh, how messy the Republican presidential race has been lately.
While volatile uncertainties usually characterize the early stages of a presidential election, it’s clear that the GOP has displayed no consensus about its future direction. More recently, the emergence of seasoned businessman and political newcomer, Herman Cain has given the race a fresh perspective. He shines a new light on a election cycle usually dominated by politicians’ recycled ideas. However, Cain has little experience besides his previous successes as an influential businessman, including his position as CEO of Grandfather’s Pizza and his experience as the head of the National Restaurant Association. His inept political experience and outlandish societal deductions suggests he should not be president of the United States.
Undoubtedly, Cain maintains a navigable distance from the typical Washington mold. His background in business and collegial studies in mathematics and computer science are not typical among Washington’s elite. Many Americans, no doubt conservatives, have voiced interest in a businessperson, rather than a banal Washington politician with a peculiar political agenda, running the White House.
At first, the prospect of an African-American, conservative businessman making America’s tough decisions seemed as exciting as it was unlikely to certain GOP loyalists and Tea Party sympathizers. Yet, a closer look at Cain’s ideas and agenda display his scathingly impractical ideas of what it takes to be the leader of the free world.
Akin to many conservative thinkers, Cain advocates for the “unbundling” of education “from the federal government down to the local level,” according to his campaign website. A supporter of both charter schools and school vouchers, Cain’s ideology on education draws parallels to a business model, where school districts “reward” teachers whose students excel through “performance initiatives.”
Although history shows that people generally work harder if promised an increased monetary reward, pitting teachers against other teachers via a merit pay system “destroys the collaboration and teamwork that are essential to the culture of the school,” according to Diane Ravitch of New York University. A recent experiment conducted by Vanderbilt University offered middle school math teachers up to $15,000 bonuses for student achievement and concluded that, apart from some “temporary” gains for fifth graders, the vast majority of students did not progress any faster than the teachers who did not receive some form of monetary reward. Although he vows that it worked in New Orleans in a post-Katrina environment, Cain’s treatment of education as a “business model” has been proven impractical.
With a seemingly simplistic and now infamous idea of taxation, his flat nine percent income, sales and corporate tax would effectively end the IRS and repeal the Sixteenth Amendment. His past remarks, though later retracted, stated that he would not nominate a Muslim to his cabinet if president. His belief that the science behind global warming is “poppycock” and his proposal to build an electrified 20-foot tall fence along the U.S.-Mexico border uncover his sparse, unrealistic and negligent ideas about America.
Fortunately, the past week or so has shown that the fiery businessman’s presidential bid may be in trouble, as recent sexual harassment allegations from multiple associates reveal the troubled waters ahead for Cain’s campaign.
I’ll admit that it’s hard to not respect Cain’s straightforward candor. It’s certainly nice to have a candidate who wants to bluntly address the issues at hand. However, Cain is not politically well rounded, and his ideas from the business world do not necessarily transfer to the political realm.
Although, with the Iowa Caucus still two months away, the actual Republican race is just beginning, and Cain’s train still has time to lose or gain steam.
Ethan Safran is a freshman with an undeclared major. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
