Cain: 'We deserve better'

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Former Republican presidential contender Herman Cain Tuesday called U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address a "hodgepodge of liberal ideas."

Cain, who was forced out of the race for the GOP nomination in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, delivered the response to Obama's speech for the Tea Party Express, declaring Americans "deserve better than what we have."

Cain accused Obama of engaging in the blame game, and attacking businesses and Congress. He said the speech amounted to a "hodgepodge of liberal ideas -- no big ideas that would fundamentally change how things work in Washington, no big ideas that would impact job growth, no big ideas that would stimulate economic growth in this country."

"I say in response … some of us are not stupid. The state of the union is not good," Cain added. "We want common sense solutions. That's how we do it outside of Washington … The American people, the Tea Party people, know this nation is broke … and Washington is broken. We can't spend our way to prosperity. … We also can't tax our way out of debt."

Cain called economic growth under Obama "anemic" and rejected Obama's calls for tax incentives to spur the alternative energy industry and encourage companies to bring jobs back from overseas, calling instead for a simpler, fairer tax code. Before pulling out of the race, Cain proposed a so-called 9-9-9 tax code -- a 9 percent personal income tax rate, a 9 percent national sales tax and a 9 percent corporate tax rate.

"1773 was when the colonists got fed up. Their act of defiance was the Boston Tea Party. Two years later, we had the start of the American Revolution. Eight years later we won. We can do it again. We need another revolution. Not bombs and bullets. Brains and ballots. Washington is out of touch with the people. They sometimes forget they work for us. We must remind them. We the people are coming. That's the tea party message," Cain said.