For many Ga. GOP-ers, Newt no Cain
By: Kendra Marr
May 13, 2011 06:43 PM EDT
MACON, Ga. ? It had all the trappings of a homecoming. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who helped Republicans rise to power in this once-solid Democratic state, returned Friday deliver his first speech as a presidential candidate before thousands of state GOP delegates.
But ahead of Gingrich?s scheduled address Friday evening, party activists were buzzing about another favorite son ? Herman Cain.
?He doesn?t talk political,? said Jeanette Bean, a Gwinnett County delegate who was passing out Draft Cain stickers. ?He talks straight. He doesn?t mince his words and says it how it is. It?s so refreshing,?
Plenty of other attendees seemed to agree. Kicking off the two-day convention, Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss gave a shout out to both Georgia natives. ?We?ve got Newt Gingrich,? he said, which earned a whistle of approval from one member of the audience.
When Chambliss added, ?We?ve got Herman Cain,? loud whoops, cheers and applause were heard.
Among convention goers, Gingrich was more of a secondary thought. ?We?re very excited to see Cain ? and of course, Newt,? said Deborah McCord, a Columbia County delegate.
Cain, a Morehouse College graduate, plans to announce his presidential candidacy on May 21 at Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta. But he?s already lined up quite a fan base ? especially among tea party activists, a group Cain has been diligently courting.
Here, Georgia Republican Party members gushed over the former talk show host?s business savvy. Before he was CEO and president of Godfather?s Pizza ? his best known business venture ? Cain worked for Coca-Cola and Pillsbury, served at the helm of the National Restaurant Association and was appointed to the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, later becoming its chairman.
?He?s actually run a business, met payroll and understands that you can?t go around spending whatever you want,? said Bean.
Kay Goodwin, a Pierce County delegate who has known Cain since his unsuccessful 2004 Senate bid, said the excitement around Cain actually began building at last year?s state convention.
?He cares about the issues I care about: smaller government, less taxes, pro-life, strong defense,? she said, proudly sporting a Herman Cain button. ?He?s adamant about the issues. He?s passionate. Praise the Lord he?s around.?
What about Gingrich? ?We?ll just smile,? she said.
Enthusiastic praise for Cain was frequently sprinkled with subtle jabs at his home-state competition.
?He does not have some of the personal baggage ?? said Bulloch County Chair Roger Allen said of Gingrich, pausing to better phrase his thoughts. ?The choices he?s made hasn?t given ammo to some of his detractors.?
?It?s important to me the stand he takes on moral issues,? said Pat Tippett, co-chairwoman of Georgia Conservatives in Action, said of Cain. ?He?s been married to the same wonderful woman for 43 years.?
?He?s not a politician,? said Karan Bumann, a delegate from Jasper County.
John Lawrence, an alternate delegate from Gwinnett County, laid out the criteria for his ideal 2012 candidate: ?What we all want is a crusader ? someone who will rise to the top and storm the gates of hell with a water pistol. No one?s met those standards.?
?Maybe Herman has,? interjected his friend John Crayton, a Gwinnett delegate.
?Oh yeah, definitely Herman,? Lawrence said.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=453F6253-96A5-48D3-A550-DD74E5B6064B
