COMMENTARY | If Herman Cain can't logically and clearly defend his 9-9-9 tax plan during debates, then the business man and Republican presidential hopeful is destined to lose the surge he has seen in national polls. Cain's plan underwent severe criticism during the Oct. 18 GOP debates, especially from fellow front-runner and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, who asked for clarification that constituents would be paying both a national and state sales tax. Cain countered each argument by saying candidates were comparing "apples and oranges."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich chimed in on the plan's over-simplification; Rep. Michele Bachmann deemed it a value-added tax; and Texas Gov. Perry honed in on the fact that the plan would institute a sales tax in sales tax-less New Hampshire. Candidates cited a nonpartisan research group analysis, by the Tax Policy Center, that concluded 84 percent of Americans would pay more taxes under 9-9-9.
But Cain stands by his confusing "apples and oranges" defense, claiming any analysis finding Americans would pay more taxes is wrong. ABC News reports a post-debate Cain commented, "I believe that the attacks I got tonight shows that they still don't have a plan so their only strategy is to attack mine. All of the attacks that were made were erroneous. I'm not worried about it."
He should be worried. Those of us adding up all the fruit are coming to the same total as Romney. "Fine," said Romney during the debate. "And I'm going to be getting a bushel basket that has apples and oranges in it because I've got to pay both taxes."
The former Godfathers CEO should be more worried given former Republican darling Perry's recent rise and fall in popularity, experienced in just a few months' time. Perry had poor debate performances in September and fell short on explaining his support of education for illegal immigrants and his relating of Social Security to a Ponzi scheme.
Now former front-runner Perry is in third place, with 13 percent of the Republican vote, according to an Oct. 13 through Oct. 17 Associated Press-GfK poll. Romney has 30 percent of the vote and Cain 26 percent.
An Oct. 12 Public Policy Polling poll showed Perry in fourth, behind Gingrich, and Cain ahead of Romney by eight points.
Cain needs to pay attention to the fluidity of the polling numbers and crystallize his defense of the 9-9-9 tax. Unsupported vague assurances and bidding people to visit his website to figure it out for themselves isn't going to cut it in this election.
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