Perry and Cain

Columnist Bud Kennedy On GOP debate stage, Rick is no Reagan Fort Worth Star-Telegram 11/11/2011 does some amusing theater criticism of Gov. Goodhair Perry's performance in Tuesday's Presidential debate:

Awkward and often confused, he has become less of a participant in the Republican debates than a comic sidekick doing walk-ons, shouting about how we're "sittin' on a treasure-trove of energy!" and then grinning for applause.

But he does remind us that Perry is still a well-financed contender:

Yet Perry remains the top challenger, said Richard Murray, professor of political policy at the University of Houston.

"He's the only candidate who has the funding," Murray said.

"Cain has no personal money and shows little ability to raise it. So as we move into the primaries, Perry will remain the only realistic alternative [to Romney]."

Speaking of the supposed front-runner for the moment, Steven Thomma of McClatchy Newspapers explains Cain's 9-9-9 plan: Good for the rich, bad for the poor12/12/2011. Like most everything the Republicans support.

Cain proposes to scrap the current tax code and replace it with a flat 9 percent tax on personal income, a second 9 percent tax on corporate income, and a third 9 percent tax on sales. It also would eliminate the payroll tax paid for Medicare and Social Security, the estate tax, and capital gains taxes.

While the Cain campaign has not produced enough details for thorough independent analysis, a flat 9 percent income tax and a 9 percent national sales tax would almost certainly mean higher taxes for at least the 30 million U.S. households that now pay no federal taxes.

And it almost certainly would mean big tax cuts for the wealthy, who now pay a 35 percent marginal rate on their income above $379,150.

Tags: 2012 election, herman cain, rick perry