Republicans mustn't think the surprise victory of Republican David Jolly in Florida's special congressional election means future GOP victories are a sure thing, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain says.
On Tuesday, Alex Sink, one of the biggest Democratic names in Florida politics, was defeated by first-time candidate David Jolly in a special election — a victory believed to be a jab against the Affordable Care Act.
"I agree with what David Jolly said when he was doing an interview earlier this morning that Republicans can't just run against the failed Obamacare plan," Cain told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"They have also got to talk about some other things that they would do.... The one that for some reason they keep avoiding is replacing the tax code. I don't know why they won't get on that because that would resonate with the American people."
Cain is also unimpressed with the way the GOP has been tackling the perception that it has not done enough outreach in minority communities.
"The Republican Party does not need to pander to blacks and Hispanics, Asians, or any other ethnic group. They need to just show up and clearly explain what the Republican Party stands for. They're not doing that," Cain said.
"They think that all they have to do is to mention the fact that they want to reach out, when in fact it turns out that they're not reaching out because they do not know how to engage those communities.
"When I ran for president, I was a face. [Former Rep.] Allen West was a face when he was a congressman. [Former Ohio Secretary of State] Ken Blackwell is a face of the Republican Party. We didn't have to pander to people. All you have to do is to put those faces out there and tell the story about what it is that we're trying to do."
Cain said he is not surprised that President Barack Obama's approval rating is down to just 41 percent in a new poll.
"People are starting to wake up when they experience Obama sticker shock for themselves or when they experience – they can't find a job, then it starts to hit home," Cain said.
"He's pander[ing] to people with things like raising the minimum wage, changing the overtime rules," he said.
"All he's trying to do is to pander to people, thinking that's going to buy some votes. It may buy a few, but I don't believe long term it's going to buy enough."
Asked if he might throw his hat in the ring for president again, Cain straddled the fence.
"Only God knows. God knew the first time and I didn't know and only God knows the next time,'' he said.
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