Cain you believe it?

We had to leave Orlando before the totals of the GOP’s Presidency 5 straw ballot were announced. As we drove home, our cells filled up with text messages – Cain Won! -- and calls from home rang out in disbelief. Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, and a low man on the establishment’s radar, exceeded the combined total for Perry who came in second at 15 percent and Romney who came in third at 14 percent. Cain won by a landslide at 37.1% of the votes!

Herman Cain has been a favorite of the tea party since the tea party formed in 2009. He’s spoken at rallies and his radio shows were filled with tea party talking points about less government, free markets and moral leadership. Herman has had a following of loyal tea party members because he tells it like it is, doesn’t hold any punches and is a rock-solid conservative. He was a Tea Party Member before the tea party formed. The irony of this win took me back to about a year ago. I had been invited to attend a very prestigious event for DC conservatives in a beautiful resort. I was asked to speak there on behalf of the Tea Party Movement. After the April 2009’s large tea party rallies across America, we were getting requests to speak at these large gatherings of DC insiders. We think it was because they were intrigued with this outpouring of citizen activists. I knew they wanted me to come with a sign in hand, buttons with crazy sayings on them and tea bags hanging from a large hat. I usually left that stuff at home and came dressed as a “normal” person instead. It took them off guard because the perception of what a Tea Party Member might look like or act like never materialized.

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At this specific event, Herman Cain was there. I had already met Herman at a prior event and was thrilled to see him there. He was just beginning to talk about running for President. He was there to meet the DC insiders and start his talks with them about his potential run. They were cordial and everyone was professional. What I noticed, however, was a lack of belief that Herman would make it. The cocktail talk went something like this: “He’s a nice guy.” “He has a radio show, I believe.” “He was the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.” “He has a long way to go to win.” “He’ll have a hard time getting funding.” They all liked him but they didn’t think he stood a chance against their guy at the time, Mitt Romney. I remember standing in this beautiful resort among all the DC insiders and wondering why Herman didn’t stand a chance. He was a great guy, a former successful CEO, he was well-polished and well-spoken, and he was “real.” As a newbie to politics, I had a hard time understanding why Herman could not win the endorsement of the DC insiders. And I wondered if we would have another 2008 win for Obama IF we continued business as usual in the GOP. The thought of that scared me and it should scare all of us. If Obama wins the 2012 election, we will finish our travels to Socialism, USA and our lives will never be the same again. We have never stopped pouring tea since the first tea party event in 2009. Two and a half years later as the jobs disappear, the Tea Party Movement grows. Two and a half years later, as the media and Hollywood continues to call us names, the Tea Party Movement grows. Two and a half years later, as we watch our country destroyed by corruption and greed, the Tea Party Movement grows. Two and a half years later, as we came together at a GOP establishment event, the Tea Party Movement sent a message -- “Times they are a changing and the people are in charge.” The people are rising up and the message is loud and clear – we want our government to leave us alone. We want them to get out of the way so we can rebuild America from the mess they have made. We want a leader who has the heart of the people. We want someone who loves America and all it stands for. We want someone who has worked hard and lived the American dream. We want someone who respects us. We want someone who is not an insider – we want someone who has been “out here” with us. There were others on the stage who resonated with the Tea Party Movement too. But last night, Florida sent a message that the pack is narrowing and a real leader is emerging. As the GOP said the week before this straw poll – “Whoever wins this poll, will win the Republican Party’s nomination for President.” That has been the history of this straw poll. Will history repeat itself? The months ahead to 2012 will be paved with political maneuverings by strategic campaign consultants. The media, too, will do their part to downplay this straw poll message. It has already begun with William Kristol, a DC media insider. He refused to give Cain the win and stated it was more a vote against the GOP instead of a vote for Cain. (See the article here: Sorry Cain, this is a vote against the GOP). This will be the strategy of consultants and the media. We wish them well as they blindly refuse to accept the American people are tired of playing games and they are taking their country back. Miracles still happen and America saw one last night. Herman Cain, an underdog and a Tea Party favorite, handed the flame of liberty back to the people. It felt good to be a part of a miracle. One of our friends in the car said, “Yes, We Cain!” as the text message came through. Obama stole our “can” from us. Will Cain make America able again? To learn more about Herman Cain: Watch Herman’s video here: Herman Cain Train video We wish Herman well and all the others who stand for less government, free markets and moral leadership. The road to 2012 will be paved with good intentions but what we really want is more than intentions – we want results. The leader who can make results happen will get our votes.