Herman Cain on Principles & Values Republican Businessman & Talk-Show Host; 2011 GOP frontrunner

Exceptional nation: put "united" back into the United States

• We deserve a fairer and simpler tax code. We need a bold tax code, a bold solution, that starts with throwing out the current tax code that we have and putting in a structure that is fair to everyone equally.
• We deserve an energy independence plan. "Made in America" is possible if we maximize all of our energy resources right here at home.
• We deserve a balanced budget. We have been on this path of spending for decades now.
• We deserve a government that listens to its people rather than a government that ignores its people.
• We deserve a strong military, not a weakening military. Under this administration, our military has been cut and cut and cut.
• We deserve a brighter future for our grandchildren instead of the nightmare scenario we are facing.
• We deserve as a nation to put the word "united" back into the United States of America.

Survived cancer by relying on his wife & their faith

We were getting into our car--the surgeon's office was only 5 minutes from where we live--and [In 2006, my wife] Gloria and I were shocked coming out of the surgeon's office [after being told of liver cancer and colon cancer]. I'll never forget it. That was the first time that I was emotionally shaken. Gloria corrected me.

I drove us home and we prayed and then I said, "We'll figure out what we need to do." Gloria asked me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Do you need me to drive?" she asked.

"No, I can drive." Then I said, "This is a true test of my faith."

"Our faith,"

Married college sweetheart as soon as she graduated college

Then we made the biggest personal decisions of our lives: Gloria Etchison was beautiful. Let's face it; I was first attracted by her looks. And then I figured out she was also smart.

On our first date, we went to the movies. I don't remember which one, but After her graduation a year later, we were married. It was June 23, 1968.

Our daughter, Melanie, was born in 1971 and Vincent followed six years later. I asked Gloria to marry me and she said "yes." I was a senior at Morehouse when we formally got engaged and Gloria was a junior at Morris Brown.

Raised in segregated Atlanta of the 1950s and 1960s

To make ends meet and still have a hope of making a better life for Thurman and me, It wasn't easy to raise a family in the segregated Atlanta of the 1950s and 1960s. Dad wanted a nice house and a nice car and to put away enough savings to provide for Mom in the event of his death. Mom and Dad were able to achieve their dreams because we didn't have government in the way as much as it is in the way today. Mom worked as a maid and Dad worked three jobs: as a barber, as a janitor at the Pillsbury company, and as a chauffeur at the Coca-Cola company. That was a typical experience shared by many Americans.

Best debate prep is to just be yourself

Comments like that confirmed: "Just be Herman Cain."

Did I study for that debate? Yes. Did I do "debate prep" with my staff? Yes. And they were INTENSE.

Did I study a lot of material? Yes, of course I did. But you can overdo the prep and leave the fight in the gym.

We've slid down the side of that shining city on the hill

CAIN: Obviously starts with economic growth. I've already laid out how I would do that with my 9-9-9 plan. But what Americans are looking for in order to build their confidence is leadership. There is a severe deficiency of leadership in Washington, D.C. And once we fill that void, I believe the American people will begin to develop some confidence again. In terms of believing in this nation, Ronald Reagan was the one who said that we are a shining city on a hill. We've slid down the side of that hill. Americans want somebody who's going to lead them back up to the top of that hill. That's how we turn this country around.

Uniquely qualified to be America's CEO

Tea Party checks the powers within the Republican Party

A: The Tea Party plays a large role in 2012 elections from the presidency to congress. It's a powerful voice in the conversation. It also plays a role in checking the powers within the Republican party and keeping us to our word on issues of the day. The Tea Party is as strong as ever because folks are concerned, if not fearful, about our move from Constitutional Government.

Focus on the Three E's: economy, entitlements, and energy

American laws in American courts, not Shariah

A: First, the statement was would I be COMFORTABLE with a Muslim in my administration, not that I wouldn't appoint one. I would not be comfortable because you have peaceful Muslims and then you have militant Muslims, those that are trying to kill us. And so, when I said I wouldn't be comfortable, I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kil us. Second, yes, I do not believe in Sharia law in American courts. I believe in American laws in American courts, period.

Q: So, a purity test or a loyalty test? Ask a Muslim a few questions that you wouldn't ask of a Christian or Jew?

CAIN: Sorry. No, you are restating something I did not say, When you interview a person for a job, you are able to get a feeling for how committed that person is to the Constitution, in order for them to work effectively in the administration.

Ran for president to make better world for grandkids

This whole journey for me--and I didn't know it at the time--started for me on Jan. 22, 1999, when my granddaughter Celina was born. I didn't think I was going to make it back to the hospital from an out-of-town trip in time. But as God's will prevailed, I did get there in time. My wife came out and told me we had a granddaughter. We were both thrilled.

I went inside the delivery room, and my 39-year-old daughter said, "Dad, would you like to hold her?" I took this little 15-minute-old baby in my arms and I looked at that little face. The first thought that went through my mind wasn't about "How do I ensure her future?" but "What do I do to help make this a better nation and a better world?" And that's when my journey started in order to be here.

Pledge's "under God" is a collective reaffirmation

It was no accident that in some of our earlier years as a free and independent nation that our leaders added "In God We Trust" to all of our currency.

And to send a message to the rest of the world when Communism was on the rise in the 1950s, Congress added the words "under God" to our pledge of allegiance. They were not just words. It was a collective reaffirmation that we know the ultimate source of our greatness as a nation.

America's moral foundation does not need to be rewritten. It needs to be respected and taught to our children and grandchildren. It is the basis for our concept of freedom.

OpEd: Apologist right out of black conservative playbook

Cain grabbed headlines in New Hampshire when he made a case for his presidential candidacy in racial terms. "There are some people who will say, `I'm not going to vote for another black guy because this one didn't work out,'" Cain told his audience. "And my response is, well, what about those 43 white guys you put in there? How did they work out? Don't condemn me because the first black one was bad.

Liberals SIN: Shift the subject; Ignore facts; Name-call

They are trying to destroy this country at all costs. They have only three tactics: S-I-N. They shift the subject; they ignore facts; and they name-call.

2004: Won second place in US Senate Republican primary

US polarized: party divide; racial divide; economic divide

Religious faith & political views inextricably intertwined

1986: As CEO, refocused Godfather's Pizza on brand identity

2004 decision to run for US Senate was divinely inspired

In May 2003, a fellow conservative suggested that I run for retiring Sen. Zell Miller's seat, so I prayed a lot about the idea. As I picked up my Bible, it slipped & fell open on the floor. I picked it up and noticed it was open to the book of Mark's 8th chapter. I stopped in my spiritual tracks: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? This was not the first time I had read this verse, but it was the first time it seemed to jump off the page at me. It made me think about giving back more since I had been so blessed. At church the following Sunday, our pastor, preached a sermon titled "A Calling." He described a calling as "the intersection of your talents and human needs." I knew it was God trying to tell me something.

Think of yourself as the CEO of SELF, Inc.

Happiness equation: something to do + someone to love

Unlikely candidates succeed under more uncertainty

To make decisions, a leader must be comfortable with risk

If right questions not asked, biggest problems go unsolved

Hope is key to happiness; happiness is key to success

Principles of happiness and success: you're the CEO of SELF

Make a strategic plan as CEO of SELF

Leaders must be self-motivated, focused risk-takers

• D (Drucker) Ability to recognize that people must motivate themselves.
• E (Entrepreneurial) Ability to take risks and make the tough decisions.
• F (Focus) Ability to block out the unnecessary and concentrate on the necessary.

• R (Remove) barriers that prevent people from being self-motivated.
• O (Obtain) the right results by working on the right problems.
• I (Inspire) the passion within people to perform better than expected.

Member of the Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party movement is a populist conservative social movement in the United States that emerged in 2009 through a series of locally and nationally coordinated protests. The protests were partially in response to several Federal laws: the stimulus package; te healthcare bill; and the TARP bailouts. The name "Tea Party" refers to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the source of the phrase, "No Taxation Without Representation."