Business in Politics: A Good Combination?

The Republican debate on October 11 brought new attention to Herman Cain and his candidacy. Cain has climbed in the polls, mostly because of attention given to his 9-9-9 tax proposal. Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza, is only the newest business person in the political spotlight. He's certainly not the first.

The original businessman for this campaign cycle is a holdover from the last: Mitt Romney. Before becoming governor of Massaschusetts, Romney was co-founder and chief of Bain Capital, among other business ventures. He also was involved in creating and managing offshore tax havens for wealthy Americans.

Voters are increasingly concerned with corporate power, abuse of the tax code, and the influence vast amounts of corporate money have on politics. Fewer are willing to accept the notion that being successful in business translates into being a successful political leader. Here's a look at others besides Romney and Cain that have helped shape that image.

George Bush presidency

Not only was George Bush the first president to have an M.B.A., he surrounded himself with former business persons. Dick Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton. Donald Rumsfeld had been a CEO, and numerous others working for President Bush came from the business world. The economic record of the Bush Administration brings doubt to the premise of having business leaders govern.

Meg Whitman, California gubernatorial candidate

The former CEO of Internet selling giant eBay touted her business experience in her bid to become governor of California in 2008. She came in behind Jerry Brown, and faded out of the political limelight. In September of 2011 she was named president and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

Carly Fiorina, California Senate hopeful

Fiorina, like Whitman, ran unsuccessfully in California in 2008. Her bid to unseat incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer behind her, Fiorina is still very active politically. Formerly CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina has been tapped to be vice chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. It's an organization tasked with helping Republicans win Senate seats.