Herman Cain’s promise to America is simple: Elect him President and the former fast-food executive will turn the economy around, just as he turned around Godfather’s Pizza. Everywhere he goes, Cain recounts how he took over the struggling chain in the 1980s and made it profitable in a brisk 14 months. “I am not a politician,” he said at this week’s Republican debate in New Hampshire. “I am a problem-solver with over 40 years of business and executive experience.”
Cain is being modest here. He is a politician, just one who hasn’t held office. And like most politicians’ log cabin stories, Cain’s oft-told tale of how he rescued Godfather’s is kind to its hero and notable for what it leaves out.