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Written by Simon van Zuylen-Wood
- The New Republic
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Monday, February 13, 2012
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“If forty economists tell you it’s Thursday,” Jim Grant, the fiat money doomsdayer, warned, “you’d better check the calendar.” As I proceeded to do just that (Thursday, yep), the audience of conservatives at the CPAC panel “The Need For a 21st Century Gold Standard” continued nodding along. The panel had attracted a predictable assortment of eccentrics, including a sizable contingent of blazered college-age devotees of Ron Paul.
Sitting among them was also at least one would-be leader of the Republican Party: Rich “9-9-9” Lowrie, the man who crafted the plan that nearly sent Herman Cain to the White House. In our current reality TV presidential campaign, it’s men like Lowrie who have risen to the status of minor celebrity. But with that great power comes great responsibility. Just before the event ended, Lowrie stood up and ceremoniously thanked the audience for caring about gold, reminding them to keep an eye out for the issue on Cain’s recently-launched “Solutions Revolution” bus tour. Yes, a Herman Cain bus tour: As they say, the show must go on.
Like any reboot, of course, the “Solutions Revolution” is a slightly altered version of its predecessor. For one thing, it places a renewed emphasis on policy. Indeed, Cain is now trying to leverage his newfound power to push forward his policy priorities—more on those in a minute—within the Republican Party. He no longer wants to be President—he wants to be the GOP’s kingmaker.
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