Spinners and Winners
After running a memorable presidential campaign, Herman Cain is once again "firing up the Cain train" with a new bus tour and radio talk show. Never one to shy away from controversy, Cain spoke with Spinners & Winners about his take on Romney's chances, the Republican veepstakes and his own future in presidential politics.
Since suspending his campaign in December of last year, Cain has made three separate endorsements. In May he finally endorsed Mitt Romney, after previously endorsing both Newt Gingrich and the American people. "The endorsement process is an evolution," Cain tells ABC's Jonathan Karl. "What you try to do is you endorse someone that you believe in and their ideas and their solutions align with yours."
Despite being slow to endorse him, Herman Cain says he fully supports Mitt Romney in the fight to beat President Obama in November. He says he is in regular contact with Romney's campaign and is encouraging the presumptive nominee to take strong stands on important issues, particularly tax reform. Cain's own tax reform proposal — dubbed "999" — was his signature campaign issue as a presidential candidate. "What Governor Romney has to do is to be bolder with his proposals."
Although he is confident that his party's ticket will take back the White House this year, Cain cautions Republicans against complacency. "The way Governor Romney could blow it is number one: if Republicans get over confident. Number two: don't slow down in terms of the amount of effort that you have to exert in order to make sure that we win."
As for Romney's search for a vice presidential nominee, Cain says he should pick someone he believes in. "If the nominee were Herman Cain," he says, "my shortlist would include people like Rep. Allen West out of Florida, Rep. Paul Ryan out of Wisconsin and Sen. Marco Rubio and a senator out of Oklahoma, Coburn, Sen. DeMint… They are not afraid to challenge the establishment."
Herman Cain has no regrets about his run for President which came to an end amid revived allegations of sexual harassment dating back to his time as president of the National Restaurant Association. Cain says he has no second thoughts about suspending his campaign when he did. "I don't regret putting family first."
"The only thing I would have done differently is I would have better prepared my family for the dirt," Cain tells Spinners & Winners. "I did not know that it would be that vicious and that it would be that dirty."
As for 2016, could we see another presidential campaign from Herman Cain?
"I never say never," says Cain. "I'm not saying that you might today, but I never say never."