Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain will deliver a State of the Union rebuttal for the Tea Party Express on Tuesday, right on the heels of President Barack Obama's address and a followup response by the GOP.
"Herman Cain has been a steadfast advocate for the values of the Tea Party and the practical solutions needed to solve the problems that face our nation. By following President Obama, Cain will have an opportunity to square off with the failed policies of the Obama administration," Sal Russo, chief strategist of the Tea Party Express, the nation's largest Tea Party political action committee, said in a statement announcing Cain's speech. "Whether it is a flat tax, a fair tax or a combination of the two, reforming the tax code must be a priority. Americans want straight talk and honest solutions, and Herman Cain will deliver a pro-growth message strongly and clearly."
While the Tea Party may be standing behind Cain, it doesn't look like the news networks are. Fox News, MSNBC and CNN all told the Atlantic Wire on Tuesday afternoon that they had no plans to broadcast his approximately 7-minute address. The lack of interest in the broadcast will force viewers to watch Cain speak online.
Cain has been doing his best to remain in the media spotlight after suspending his presidential campaign last year in the wake of numerous claims that he'd sexually harassed female co-workers while head of the National Restaurant Association. He launched his Cain Connections campaign earlier this year, which he's since promoted by offering the "unconventional" endorsement of "the people" and appearing with comedian Stephen Colbert in South Carolina for a rally the day before the state's GOP presidential primary.
In a release Tuesday, he rolled out his latest video, which promised to help bring about a "revolution" at the polls in 2012.
Last year, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) delivered the Tea Party's inaugural State of the Union response, an event that was widely ridiculed for a technical mishap that left her looking at a camera that wasn't broadcasting the address to a national audience.