Herman Cain rejects ‘African-American’ label, talks up Obama’s Kenya connection

Don't refer to Herman Cain as African-American.

The former pizza company mogul and Republican presidential candidate-- who is also black-- corrected Bloomberg View columnist Jeffrey Goldberg during an interview last week.

"I am an American. Black. Conservative," Cain said, repeating an identifier he has been using. "I don't use African-American, because I'm American, I'm black and I'm conservative. I don't like people trying to label me. African-American is socially acceptable for some people, but I am not some people."

Cain said the ancestors he "can trace" were born in the U.S. "and then it goes back to slavery. And I'm sure my ancestors go all the way back to Africa, but I feel more of an affinity for America than I do for Africa. I'm a black man in America."

But when it comes to the commander-in-chief's identity, Cain strongly links Barack Obama to Africa, and even went as far as to incorrectly claim Obama was raised in Kenya.

"Barack Obama is more of an international," Cain told Goldberg. "I think he's out of the mainstream and always has been. Look, he was raised in Kenya, his mother was white from Kansas and her family had an influence on him, it's true, but his dad was Kenyan, and when he was going to school he got a lot of fellowships, scholarships, he stayed in the academic environment for a long time. He spent most of his career as an intellectual."

Goldberg corrected Cain, noting Obama spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, not Kenya. Cain reportedly responded "Yeah, Indonesia."

Cain said his candidacy will "take race off the table" and end what he has repeatedly said is the White House's decision to "play the race card."

Cain's longshot campaign has been gaining ground with the help of his die-hard tea party fans and in the absence of a robust GOP presidential field. Instead of trumping his race on the campaign trail, he has sought to tamp down focus on his ethnicity.

"The importance of me being black really isn't that important," he told reporters Monday. Cain is often asked to defend both the tea party and the Republican party in general against accusations of racism.

"I believe that most people have gotten past color, I really do, especially the Republican party," Cain said today.

Racism and politics recently intertwined during calls for Obama to provide a long-form birth certificate proving his birthplace of Hawaii. Cain was one of the politicians saying the calls were warranted.

A Gallup poll released Monday showed Cain placing third with 9 percent support in the GOP race behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney who held 24 percent, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (who has stated she is not yet exploring a presidential campaign) who received 16 percent.

Cain is scheduled to participate in Monday night's presidential debate in New Hampshire.

(Photo of Cain: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

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