Herman Cain shares his CEO-informed wisdom on This Week with Christiane Amanpour, exhorting blacks to consider Republican economic arguments and warning about the dangers of sharia law. Yawn. AMANPOUR: Let me move on to some things that you've
October 2, 2011

Herman Cain shares his CEO-informed wisdom on This Week with Christiane Amanpour, exhorting blacks to consider Republican economic arguments and warning about the dangers of sharia law. Yawn.

AMANPOUR: Let me move on to some things that you've said. Right after the debate in Florida, you told Wolf Blitzer of CNN that, basically, African-Americans, blacks in this country had been brainwashed over the years into supporting Democrats.

CAIN: Yes.

AMANPOUR: I mean, isn't that really an inflammatory thing to say? I mean, do you really believe that African-Americans, blacks, are so easily manipulated?

CAIN: I also said in that same interview...

AMANPOUR: No, but let me you ask about that. That word is very inflammatory.

CAIN: It is. I'm going to answer your question. I also said the good news is a large percentage of black people are thinking for themselves. Now, I think that -- if the word is inflammatory, that's too bad. It is true. And here's why: because some black people won't even listen to someone who appears to be a conservative or a Republican. I call that brainwashing.

AMANPOUR: Some would say that -- some would say that actually it's because those policies and what you're proposing, for instance, don't meet their demands or what they're looking for.

CAIN: And I say that the reason they don't see them as meeting their demands of what they're looking for is because they have not looked at them. My economic growth and jobs plan, as an example, is not partisan. It is a solution that benefits everybody, especially the African-American community.

AMANPOUR: Well, let me as you about that, because 999...

CAIN: Yes. Yes.

AMANPOUR: ... you talk about 9 percent corporate, 9 percent income tax, and a 9 percent national sales tax.

CAIN: Yes.

AMANPOUR: And economists are saying that that could actually disproportionately affect poorer people, African-Americans, and all sorts of poorer people.

CAIN: Ask them to do the math.

AMANPOUR: Apparently they have done the math.

CAIN: No, they have not, because I have done the math. Let me give you an actual example. If you take the median income of $50,000 a year...

AMANPOUR: But what about $20,000 a year, people who are paying less?

CAIN: If it's $20,000 or $25,000, just divide by two, OK? It started with the median income, OK? If you start with $50,000 a year, the same numbers work. You get the same conclusion if they make $25,000 a year. Here are the actual numbers, $55,000 a year under the current system, they're going to pay approximately $10,000 in taxes. It includes the payroll tax. Now, on the 999, they're going to pay $4,500, 9 percent of $50,000. Now, if they -- that means that they an excess of about $5,500 because they're now paying $10,000.

If they paid a 9 percent sales tax on everything that they buy, which means they bought all news goods and services, they would still come out $2,000 ahead. So what I'm saying is, those economists need to do the math. They're making that assertion based upon wanting to attack it and turning it into a class warfare argument.

AMANPOUR: I want to ask you about something else that you've said. You've said -- and we're going to show a graphic -- that there's been a creeping attempt to gradually ease Sharia law and the Muslim faith into our government. And now listen to what Governor Chris Christie has said about the fear of Sharia law here in the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIE: This Sharia law business is crap. It's just crazy. And I'm tired of dealing with the crazies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So he's saying that those kinds of fears that you espouse and others are crazy. What do you say to that?

CAIN: Call me crazy, but there are too many examples of where there has been pushback.

AMANPOUR: You don't really mean this, though, do you, Mr. Cain?

CAIN: Oh, yes, I do.

AMANPOUR: Sharia law in the United States?

CAIN: Some people would infuse Sharia law in our court system if we allow it. I honestly believe that. So even if he calls me crazy, I am going to make sure that they don't infuse it little by little by little. It's not going to be some grand scheme, little by little. So I don't mind if he calls me crazy. I'm simply saying...

AMANPOUR: You're sticking to it?

CAIN: I'm sticking to it. American laws in American courts, period.

AMANPOUR: American laws are in American courts...

CAIN: Yes.

AMANPOUR: ... so the people of this country should be safe for the moment.

CAIN: Exactly.

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