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On Ben Carson
I like Ben Carson. I really do. I think he is probably a wonderful man, certainly a gifted surgeon, and he takes a strong, no-nonsense stand on abortion.
But I don’t see him as president.
First, some of the things he’s said are going to haunt him in the unlikely event he becomes the Republican nominee. That bit he said about “bodies filled with holes,” was a strange way of talking about murder victims. I’m sure what he meant was “It’s tragic that people choose to do these horrible things, but those horrible things done by criminals and madmen don’t justify taking away the rights of ordinary, law abiding citizens.” But what he actually said was “I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away.” I know what he meant, but I also know how it’s been spun.
Second, I am sure he is a fine doctor, but does that qualify him to be a political leader? It certainly doesn’t disqualify him, but I don’t see anything in his experience that will translate well.
Third, he seems a bit mousey to me. His answers during the debates and his comments in videos and other things I’ve seen leave me feeling like he is just trying to be nice to everyone. He is a super nice guy, I am sure, and I wonder if he wouldn’t just get trampled by people like Biden, Clinton, etc.?
Well, what about you Carson supporters? Am I wrong? Tell me why.
Image Credit: “Dr Ben Carson at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference” by Michael Vadon – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Published in Politics
I would not worry about it. If he makes it to nominee the Dems and the press will tear him apart. It will be sad to see how they will destroy such a good, intelligent, accomplished man but they will do it and take glee in do it. The Dems and friends can not let a minority that is not a Dem to win high office. It would take away their main advantage. So it will not be allowed.
This is one of the reasons I don’t support him. I don’t think he will defend himself well.
Beyond his outsider status my impression is that what you wrote here is precisely his appeal. It is that comforting quiet manner that people would love to see in their own doctor, a modest genuine decency which makes him stand apart from all the bomb throwers out there.
He has neither the communications skills, nor the fighting spirit necessary to be an effective president. Ben Carson is a wonderful man, and an excellent role model for any of us, but he lacks the skill set necessary to be an effective President.
He should consider running for congress or the senate.
Spin, I was in your camp. However, the more I see of Carson the more I like. He says and thinks about things the way a blood and soil conservative thinks about things. i.e. He is conservative because that is how he was raised and his life experiences, religion, studies, etc. have only reinforced his conservatism.
I am not a Carson supporter, but I do believe the man has the depth of intellect and personal backbone to be a competent President. I do believe he can handle the media by the martial arts technique of using their own strength against them.
Imaging the typical media hit campaign on Carson. Unless they have videos of him , it will be false witness, rumor and character assassination. I do believe that would backfire.
Anyway, I am projecting a Trump-Carson deal within two months.
I think all the points here are valid. I just think your assumptions are wrong.
Maybe mousey is a word but so is gracious and so is meekness. Some of the blathering, blustering, bombast’s are great at firing up the base but I see America finally getting tired of the whole show. I have news for everyone here. The base isn’t going to elect the next President, period.
What qualities does a “politician” need exactly. Boy has the game changed. We used to look for honesty, character, resilience under stress, oratory skills and intelligence. Now we look at who’s got the most political connections, who’s got the most state capitols memorized and who can talk the loudest.
There are several Republicans in this race who I find superb. Frankly, I will vote for whoever gets the nod. Carson isn’t my first choice but he is up there for the reasons above. I just find the very premise and the rationale of the OP to be a sad indictment on our culture. 200 years ago our founders would be aghast that this man’s resume as it stands would be used against him in such a way.
Which assumptions?
I wouldn’t mind him doing brain surgery on me… ;-)
I basically agree with you. I don’t think he could win in the general against the Clinton machine. Too quiet too nice. We used to say that was why Mark Martin (race car driver) would never win a championship……too nice. He didnt, and Carson would win the election. He may make a fine one but you have to win the job to find out.
Would he? Tell me why.
I think you’re both wrong. He’ll wheel and charge, and counter-charge if needed.
If you both are right, how would he be different than Jeb Bush?
I really wish he had done this instead. I think he has potential.
Doesn’t he reside in Maryland?
A rather deep blue state, I have difficulty seeing him gaining such higher office while he resides there.
Who do you see as an alternative to Carson? Trump is the current, and has been the pretty constant frontrunner. Rubio? Too establishment, damaged himself in the Gang of Eight fiasco. Nobody trusts him on border security. Jeb? Cue Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. Half the party hates him so much they prefer candidates who’ve never won an election before. Fiorina seems to be fizzling out. Cruz hasn’t been able to stay in double digits.
Carson’s not as bombastic as Trump, but he still says things that make left-wingers’ heads explode. And he doesn’t apologize for saying them, either. I’d take him over ¡Jeb! or Rubio.
Are we talking who you want to be president, or who you think can win? I think Fiorina has as good a shot as anyone, same for Rubio. I think either would do better on the national stage, in terms of running a good campaign.
Trying to Bork Carson could prove to be a really bad idea. Smearing a guy who’s generally considered to be likable can backfire big time. Especially when your candidate is generally considered to be an obnoxious crook. Hillary would have to be really dumb to go there. Of course, Hillary has about the tinniest of tin ears when it comes to politics.
Ronald Reagan was supposedly too nice to be President. An “amiable dunce”, they called him. But he slaughtered both of his Democrat opponents. Likability counts.
Who would you rather sit down and have a beer with? Carson, or Hillary? That’s what I thought.
I wouldn’t want Rubio as President, period. I consider him to be ¡Jeb!’s Mini-Me on border security. Border security is a deal-breaker for me, and Rubio is an epic fail on the issue. I don’t trust him as far as I could spit – into a Category 5 hurricane.
I’d be okay with Fiorina as both candidate and President, but she doesn’t seem to be getting much traction. It’s pretty hard to picture someone winning the general election when they can’t stay in double digits in their own party.
I would disagree with that as a rule. Primary elections are just different. To take it from the other side, I think it’s entirely possible Jim Webb would be a formidable candidate as the Democratic nominee in a general election.
It may be true about Fiorina, though. I suspect part of what’s going on is that she sounds too much like a politician to pick up the “outsider” vote (and after all, she tried pretty hard to be a senator), while lacking the experience to really gain credibility with those of us who prefer a record.
“May” being the key word here. I suppose it relies on trusting that his character would result in good decision making and that he would be wise enough to surround himself with good people. I’m not really advocating this position but it seems to be the primary argument for him.
My favorite way to judge likeability…and I’m not even kidding.
This is my main concern about Carson. 2016 is going to be a no holds barred street fight and more important than any policy position* is whether the candidate is willing and able to take a punch and give a harder punch back.
*As long as they’re not positions that make Republicans say “forget it” like Mark Kirk has been taking in Illinois (voting for funding Planned Parenthood, sounding like Dick Durbin on the 2nd Amendment).
I’m still leaning Rubio (sticks tongue out). Other than being from Fla and everyone saying “Jeb/Rubio” I don’t see them linked as the same guy. We have different opinions on Rubio’s immigration positions and have hashed them out already. I just don’t see Carson standing a chance in the general and Rubio could possibly be great against those cadavers the Dems are rolling out there. I would support either with no reservations over Hillarybot 2000
I think Fiorina will make another charge in the next debate.
The media does NOT want her against Hillary – that might be far too dangerous.
Right now, Carly remains my favorite.
Carson and Rubio tied for second.
Cruz
…
…
Jeb
Trump
He says things that make my head explode, too. Whether it’s the belief that if the US declared energy independence, the Saudis would have gotten Bin Laden out of Afghanistan and into US custody without the need for a war, or that neighborhood watches should be disarmed (responding to Trayvon Martin), or that he thought gays wouldn’t find it offensive to be compared to animal lovers (after his speech, he was told they did, so he doesn’t say it any more), Carson’s up there with Trump in saying things that are just plain dumb; the sort of Bushisms that Bush never actually said.
He seems genuine, and I suspect that if he were to win the nomination, he’d study up and learn a little (a key respect in which he is superior to Trump), but that he doesn’t think that likely right now. As such, he’s still speaking in a stream of consciousness sort of a manner.
I generally agree with the sentiments expressed here, but I’d like to point out three things:
1) Most of us were introduced to Ben Carson through his keynote speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast where he stood no more than ten feet away from Barack Obama and performed a little brain surgery on him. He got inside his OODA loop. It was the most exhilarating moment of Obama’s administration for me so far.
2) The kids really like and respect him for his mild manners. Just ask my first-time 2016 voter teenager and her online friends.
3) He’s got the smartest campaign manager on the Republican side. Maybe on either side.
I wouldn’t count him out yet.
I do worry that he’d get steamrolled once in Washington, if he made it that far, just from lack of political experience.
Slightly off-topic, I’m old enough to remember when any criticism of a black presidential by the opposing party was immediately rejected as “racism”.
Ah, the good old days.
On topic, I like Dr. Carson a lot. I believe he brings an interesting perspective (quiet confidence, nonpolitical) to the election season. But as mentioned, I’m not sure how he’ll do in the street fight against Hillary. We don’t know what skeletons are in his closet yet.
Exactly.
NO; no it doesn’t qualify him to be a political leader. BUT….
What of the ‘qualities’–and I’ve never used that term more loosely than here–needed to win the Presidency qualifies the victor to be POTUS?
He’s qualified to be Surgeon-General. That’s about it.
And I, too, like the guy.