Herman Cain entered the Wake County GOP Convention at the N.C. State Fairgrounds yesterday evening with his characteristic energy and passion, after a full day of touring the Triangle.
After a rally supporting Republican Congress candidate Bill Randall, Cain stopped by UNC-Chapel Hill before speaking in Raleigh.
On his tour to inspire Republicans to vote, Cain said he will support whoever wins the Republican nomination and serve as an ambassador from the American people.
“I will also consult with the ultimate Republican nominee and give them the benefit of what I’m learning being out here not as a candidate,” Cain said in a press conference. “One of the reasons why I’ve continued to speak is that I get feedback from debates, and I want to be able to pass that on.”
Despite traveling all day, Cain excited the crowd at the convention with signature gusto, quoting Emeril Lagasse, telling the crowd to “kick it up a notch.”
Opening with a fire-and-brimstone style speech, similar to the blessing that prefaced the event, Cain defined his major disagreement with President Barack Obama, saying the U.S. is a religious nation.
“We are a Christian-Judeo, God-believing nation,” Cain said. “This nation was founded upon faith.”
Cain touched upon policies he endorses, including his 9-9-9 strategy of making nine percent income, national sales and corporate taxes.
Cain said he’s continuing to tour because he’s still valuable for the Republican Party.
“A reporter asked me, ‘So why you still out here talkin’?’ I said because people are listening, and I have something to say. That’s why I’m still involved,” Cain said.
The speech ended in Cain rallying the Wake County Republicans behind his parody of the Obama 2008 slogan “Yes we can,” and he said Americans need to find inspiration in change.
“One of America’s greatest strengths is that it can change,” Cain said. “We always found a way to change for the better. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and experienced Jim Crow…I used to ride in the back of the bus. Now, I have a bus with a picture of my face on it. I own the bus.”
Shortly after Cain rehashed the same Pokémon quote he said when he suspended his campaign, Susan Bryant, chair of the Wake County Republican Party, left him with a blessing, continuing the heavy Christian undertones of the meeting.
“Be careful and God bless you-we need you,” Bryant said, wrapping up the speech.
Though Cain boarded his bus shortly after his speech to move on to another event in his Solution Revolution tour, he’s left local Republicans animated with endorsements for their campaigns.
Bill Randall, a Republican running for District 13’s seat in Congress, supports policies similar to Cain’s, especially his 9-9-9 tax reform.
“He still has a lot of strong support from the Republican Party,” Randall said. “And I think it is evident that he has a lot of power because the Wake County Republican Party, which is the largest Republican Party in the state of North Carolina has brought him here.”
