Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s “9-9-9 plan” would reduce corporate and income tax to nine percent, and would introduce a national 9 percent sales tax. People may debate the merits of the plan, but for those who practice archery, it recalls a jocular joke that some may find offensive.
The second most inner ring of the target is worth nine points. When an archer strikes it three times – nine nine nine – some archers sordidly refer to the score as a “German virgin”, as in “nein nein nein.” (Nein is German for “no”.)
“It’s an old joke,” says Ron Carmichael of the Texas State Archery Association. “It’s not used a lot to the point where you grind it into the dirt or you ever use it in a malicious way.”
Carmicahel says it still triggers chortles among archers to hear Cain repeat the 9-9-9 refrain. At Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, the word “nine” was said 85 times, according to Think Progress. Here’s their video to prove it:
