From Pepperoni Pizza to possible President?

That’s what Republican businessman Herman Cain would like to do.

Cain, who has never held an elected office, has been taking on the GOP political class and doing far better than anyone expected.

While he did once serve a term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas, he’s best known as the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza. The rest of the GOP lineup includes four governors, one former senator, and three members of the House of Representatives (including one former speaker).

Cain, much like former Governors Gary Johnson and Jon Huntsman, was not a household name before campaign season began. And yet, he won the recent straw poll in Orlando. Big time.

National Review, a conservative magazine, was quick to observe that past winners of this straw poll have gone on to clinch the GOP nomination.

But Why is Herman Cain doing so well? How is it possible that the CEO of Godfather’s Pizza trounced both former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry?

Is it his casual Muslim-bashing? For example,

“I would have to have people totally committed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of this United States. And many of the Muslims, they are not totally dedicated to this country. They are not dedicated to our Constitution. Many of them are trying to force Sharia law on the people of this country.”

Maybe it’s his “9-9-9″ economic plan, which sounds an awful lot like a carryover from his pizza days, and about which one observer remarked,

“Everything he’s talking about is if you just provide tax cuts to rich people we will all fare well… But hasn’t that been the theme for 30 years and doesn’t everybody agree that the middle class does not fare well? This is a triumph of amnesia.”

Who is Herman Cain? Plain-talking outsider? Defender against the imposition of Sharia law on American soil? Presidential material?

While perusing the Internet today,  a Facebook group called Unreal Americans grabbed our attention. The group’s purpose is to confront “conservative mistruths, propaganda and down-right lies about the progressive agenda.”

The group recently posted this image to their newsfeed:

along with a caption asking Facebook users to “Click LIKE & SHARE if people calling for “zero taxes” shouldn’t be using public streets and sidewalks.”

Already, 6,225 people have liked the image and 2,368 people have shared it with others.

We think the group raises an interesting point, what do you think?

Congratulations to Scott Ward ’92, director of aquatics at the McDonogh School, who was recently recognized for his excellence in teaching with the Thomas R. Harper Endowed Teaching Chair. From the Reisterstown Patch:

Scott Ward, director of aquatics at the McDonogh School, isn’t much for personal accolades.

Ward, a 1992 UMBC graduate, doesn’t know his record of wins as swimming and water polo coach at McDonogh, where he thinks he’s worked for about 18 years, give or take.

That Ward doesn’t even keep track of the most simple statistic – time of service – makes his point.

“I just feel like it’s not that important,” Ward said. “I can look it up.”

Being more focused on student athletes than himself is perhaps exactly why Ward was awarded the Thomas R. Harper Endowed Teaching Chair at the school.

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Have your own great news to share? Send it to us as a class note via our website or by email UMBC Magazine editor Richard Byrne at byrne@umbc.edu.