‘Tis disappointing. This habit we have. Of picking apart the details of what candidates promise us during their campaigns. 

First, why do we believe them at all? Does any politician solemnly pursue exactly what he promised? I am not being cynical here. We all know the pursuit never happens. We know circumstances change. We know the reality of wielding power is different than the fantasy of campaigning. For example, President Obama promised to close down Gitmo. When reality smacked him he backed down. He promised the tides would fall. He is still working on that. The reality is that the odds are against him.

Here is another reason to take these promises and plans with a few grains of salt. Or maybe another glass of wine. These guys will not have the power they pretend they will have.

“When I am President, I promise you that I will ___________.”  Fill in the blank. They fill in the blanks with promises that require power they will not have. Remember, they share power with all those birds in Congress.

Lately, folks have gone over Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan with microscopes. They tell us this part won’t raise quite enough money as planned. And that the poor will feel a burden here or there.

Knock it off! No president can dictate what a tax bill will be. No president can say this is exactly how we will reform the tax code and expect to see his ideas pass Congress unscathed. Even if he has huge majorities in both houses. Knowing that, we ought to stop treating his proposal as if it would ever be a done deal.

A smarter thing to do would be to consider other things his proposal reveals. It reveals he understands we have a major problem with our tax code. It is clogged with thousands of pages of arcane garbage. Its mission is no longer simply to collect taxes. Its mission now is to favor this group and punish that group. It is to second-guess what behavior should be rewarded. And what should be discouraged. Its mission is to reward big donors. To re-shape society.

Cain recognizes this. That reveals that he thinks differently than most politicians.