Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

Jesus Christ, some of you nitwits have quite a knack for missing the point. I damn well know Stockdale was not some idiot and was actually an extremely impressive guy ...when he was serving as a Naval Officer. Just like I'm sure Ben Carson is an extremely impressive guy ....when he's practicing medicine.

But the point is that does not come across when they enter the high stakes political world, as is often the case with folks who seem brilliant in one area but look foolish when they enter politics. Leaving your wheelhouse can make a mighty big difference in how people perceive you. The fact is Stockdale's performance in that ill-advised run with Perot in 92 left much of the country wondering how this bumbling sometimes barely-coherent dude could possibly be the same guy with that incredibly impressive resume. And if you don't admit that, you either weren't around to see it or aren't being honest with yourself.

 

Since when is Hammond honest with anyone?

 

My question stills stands, though. Why does this not work the other way?

 

Most of the public are not politically "sophisticated," to put it mildly. Many believed Stockdale was senile or had serious health problems, and I doubt they even knew what he did for a living. They didn't think, "How did this guy become an admiral?" Honestly, how many people factored in his performance in the VP debate and did not vote for Perot based on that?

 

Stockdale was never supposed to be Perot's runningmate come the election. He was listed on nominating petitions, as a procedural matter. When Perot dropped out, and then came back in, it was too late to name someone else.

Hoover Fellow and retired Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale has agreed to serve as "interim" vice-presidential running mate for H. Ross Perot, the Texas entrepreneur and billionaire who is an independent candidate for president.

Stockdale told reporters at a March 30 press conference in Stauffer Auditorium that he doesn't expect to be Perot's final running mate but he probably would accept if the position were offered.

"I'm not here for me. I'm here for Ross Perot. There's no budget, no arrangements, no phone bills - nothing," the 68-year-old registered Republican and Congressional Medal of Honor winner said of his agreement with Perot.

In several television appearances over the past month, Perot has said he would run for president if volunteers put his name on the ballot in all 50 states. His 800-number has logged more than a million telephone calls, presumably from would-be volunteers, since his March 16 appearance on the Larry King show, the New York Times reported on March 29.

In a March 30 press release from the Perot Petition Committee of Dallas, Texas, Perot said he was naming Stockdale as his interim running mate to meet requirements in 28 states that a running mate be identified on petitions circulated to add his name to the November ballot. Perot said he would announce a final running mate by the time of the Democratic and Republican party conventions this summer.

Stockdale to be Perot's interim running mate

If his poor debate performance -- one he really wasn't prepare for -- left you with the idea that he was only an impressive figure when/while serving as a Naval Officer, then it's likely the only thing you know about his post military career.

 

Well, he also was close to 70 years old and later died of Alzheimer's. I felt bad for the guy at the time, and have no doubt he was a brilliant military man in his prime.

 

There are people here who think Stockdale was sincere when he asked "Who am I? Why am I here?"

 

Oh hell, George Wallace was a serious third-party threat in '68 ... Curtis LeMay put an end to all of that. LeMay was a brilliant and decent man (he was way out front on pushes to desegregate the armed forces) but he had a political tin ear. Somehow, most people, left or right, therefore remain more impressed (for good or ill) with the guy at the top of the ticket.

It puzzles and puzzles me ...

 

The 800 number for Perot seems horse and buggy quaint now. It does make me wonder how much closer to winning he could have come to winning if his supporters had the Internet to support organizing (and if he didn't do the weird "drop out" phase over the summer.) It turned out he called it right on NAFTA.

 

He did little to no retail politics. Unlike Trump (who's obviously running in a party primary, which is different), Perot didn't really do rallies. He mostly relied on media -- free and paid, including long blocks of time purchased on all of the networks.

If he had made campaign appearances around the country, he would have earned so much more regional news coverage. I always thought it was a big mistake that he didn't do so.

He did?

 

I think Ben Carson was a great surgeon.
I'll leave it at that.

 

We need more presidents who give good speeches.