Herman Cain on Monday defended comments about racism he'd made over the weekend.
"I don't have a lot of patience for people who want to blame racism on the fact that some people don't make it in America," he said on FOX News Channel’s Hannity.
The GOP candidate claimed that his business and academic achievements were "walking proof " that racial discrimination doesn't hold people back.
His remarks backed up a similar complaint he made on Sunday's 'Face The Nation'.
"I don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way," he had said.
The former Goldfather's Pizza CEO has taken heat for those remarks. Princeton professor Cornel West told CNN on Sunday that Cain "should get off the symbolic crack pipe" if he doesn't believe racism affects people.
Cain shot back on Monday that "West has been in academia too long. He is out of touch with the real world." The republican hopeful also attacked Occupy Wall Street protesters for blaming banks rather than the president.
"I believe this a coordinated effort of the unions and Obama supporters to distract the American people from the real problem which is the failed policies of the Obama administration," he said.
Last week, Cain characterized the movement as un-American and charged that "if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself."
Cain surged in yesterday's Gallup poll, taking a close second place to Mitt Romney's first. The results are a sharp turn from last month's numbers, which had Cain tied for 4th after Romney, Rick Perry and Ron Paul.
Watch his full interview on Hannity below: