Herman Cain vs. Sheila Samm Tittle -- a Republican Matchup (ContributorNetwork)
GOP front-runner Herman Cain is not the only candidate with business credentials seeking the Republican nomination for president next year. Associated Press reported 259 people have filed candidacy petitions with the Federal Elections Commission, including a little-known candidate from Fredericksburg, Va.
Here's an inside look at the Sheila Samm Tittle:
Qualifications
According to Madame President Tittle, "Samm" as she prefers to be called is a high school graduate and has completed various continuing education courses related to her work experience. She is a widowed mother of one grown son, also a businessman.
Like Cain, Tittle also is running a nontraditional campaign for the nomination. Campaign manager Rick Knox said in a telephone interview that Tittle has elected to skip the Iowa caucus and the South Carolina primary and focus their initial energies on the Deep South and other key states.
Jobs
Knox said Tittle has "created and started numerous companies and never benefited from affirmative action." Tittle writes on her website that her experience in creating jobs from scratch is important to rebuilding the American economy. "Samm has created jobs, not just talked about it," Knox said.
"Our message is not to the country club Republicans. Our message is to the middle class," Knox said.
Like all other Republican candidates, Tittle is opposed to Obama's plan to create 600,000 new jobs through another stimulus package.
Abortion
Tittle believes abstinence should be taught in schools and that people should wait until "the responsible age" to begin a family. Having an abortion is ultimately the right of the mother, but Tittle said taxpayer money should only be used to fund abortions in cases of rape and through no fault of the mother. Cain told the Washington Post that he would ban abortion under all circumstances.
Term Limits
She is a strong believer in instituting strict term limits for members of Congress, congressional staff and all federal judges. Her plan would restrict members of the legislative and judicial branches to 12 years of service, including the members of congressional staff. "We need to cut their pay and send them home," Knox said.
The Denver Post reported Texas Gov. Rick Perry has also called for term limits for Supreme Court justices, although Perry was nonspecific on how many years he would advocate.
Dan McGinnis is a freelance writer, published author and former newspaper publisher. He has been a candidate, campaign manager and press secretary for state and local political campaigns for more than 30 years.
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