Campaign Manager: Shaan Prabhakar

Candidate: Herman Cain 

About the Representative:

Interests: I am planning on attending college to major in chemistry following graduation, and I hope to eventually become a doctor.

School involvements: Track and Field (winter and spring), National Honor Society

Why did you want to get involved with Mock Convention? I think Mock Convention is a great learning tool for students at North Penn. We are not taught about the goings-on in the political arena, so a simulated convention is very beneficial in that we are able to experience what it is like to be a state delegate or representative first-hand.

What are you most excited about? I am most excited to see the excitement and energy that I think will come hand-in-hand with the convention. Most people may not get excited about politics or government, but the convention is a fresh and unique way to look at politics–everyone is able to get hands-on experience. While the students who are attending may not know exactly what they are in for, I think they will be surprised when they realize that they are able to have fun while learning about politics.

Why are you interested in politics? / Why is it important that students understand politics? As high school seniors, our class represents the newest group of Americans who are eligible to vote, and it is important that come election day, we have at least a basic understanding to base our political decisions on. As was evidenced in the Iowa caucus last week, every vote counts, and getting to a ballot box should be everypone’s priority on election day. However, the only way to make that vote count is by understanding politics and how each candidate reflects each of our interests and values.

About the Candidate:

Current Position Held: Key member and advocate for the American’s for Prosperity group

Background information: Herman Cain’s life symbolizes the American dream. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee without even the roof of a house over his head, his parents, who were working multiple jobs, were unsure if they would be able to pay for Cain to attend college. Fortunately for him however, Cain’s father was able to save enough money over many years to allow for his son to study at Morehouse College, where he received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then went on to receive his master’s degrees in computer science from Purdue University, a skill he used in his first permanent job at the Coca-Cola Company. He would then take up various  jobs for multiple companies before he was appointed President and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, which had called Cain because the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Cain was able to cut the deficit and turn a profit for Godfather’s Pizza in only fourteen months, a feat which gained him national recognition as he was made President of the National Restaurant Association. In 2000, the accomplished businessman looked to expand his influence by becoming a Republican Presidential candidate for a short time, and he also ran for the US Senate in Georgia, but did not make it past the primaries. Now in 2012, Cain still wishes to run for President, he is simply waiting for a larger support base.

Major campaign points: Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plans, which call for a 9% national sales tax, a 9% tax on individual income, and a 9% tax on all business transactions, is at the forefront of his campaign, and it helped to catapult him to the national stage. He also believes that small business is the key to a brighter economic future, and he would reduce regulations and legislations that inhibit growth.