Citing his extensive business experience, GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain today told the co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” that the U.S. public is ready for ”a businessman, problem solver, first,” not a politician.

“When I speak to groups all over the country,” Cain said, making his media rounds for his book tour. “When I say I’ve never held public office, I get a spontaneous applause because they’re tired of politicians as usual.”

Cain also addressed Chris Christie’s potential entry into the race, before the New Jersey once again said that he will not run.

“If his heart’s not in it, he should not do it,” Cain said. “So I have to conclude that he’s made this decision for the right reasons.”

Cain has come under fire for recent statements he made regarding the black vote. In an interview with Wolf Blitzer last week, Cain said black voters were “brainwashed” into voting Democratic. He stood by the comments today, saying, “The good news is a lot of black Americans are thinking for themselves.”

But he added, “There are some that are so brainwashed, that they won’t even consider a conservative idea.”

As for ways to attract the black vote, Cain said, “You save the savable, and if they’re not savable because they don’t even want to hear the idea about my 9-9-9 plan. I tried to give that to some people and they didn’t want it because they saw me as a Republican, they saw me as a conservative. I call that being brainwashed, not being open-minded to another idea.”

Joy Behar took Cain, a self-proclaimed social conservative, to task for his view that homosexuality is a choice. Cain said, “Well, you show me the science that says it is not and I could be persuaded.”

Cain stressed, however, that he could put his personal views aside when governing people with various backgrounds and beliefs. “I’m going to make my decisions based upon the Constitution of the United States of America,” he said. “That’s what the president has a responsibility to do.”

When “The View” pointed out that Obama had vowed the same thing when he ran in 2008, Cain said ,”I’m not Obama.”

Since his surprising win in the Florida Straw Poll last month, Cain has gone on to win two more straw polls. He continues to climb in the polls and is tied for second place with Perry at 16 percent (behind Romney at 25 percent) in the latest ABC News-Washington Post poll.