Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

[Alma]

I am reminded of the first lines from Raymond Carver's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:"

My friend Mel McGinnis was talking. Mel McGinnis is a cardiologist, and sometimes that gives him the right.

Ben Carson is a brilliant doctor, and, because of that, used to being patronized for all his other ****ty takes.

 

[YankeeFan]

Americans need to stop pretending that Ben Carson is a remotely plausible candidate for president. He knows nothing. He's a smart, black conservative, although not smart about anything that remotely qualifies him for the presidency.

Can you guys settle on Rubio and be done with it?

He doesn't appear to know what the debt limit is:

Ben Carson struggles to explain debt limit stance - CNNPolitics.com

But let's not overstate his support either. He's at 17% in the latest RCP average:

2016 - 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination | RealClearPolitics

Less than one in five Republicans supports him for President.

 

[Alma]

Marco Rubio is Lane Kiffin. As Lane Kiffin should not be put in charge at USC, so, too, Marco Rubio should be nothing more than a VP for many years to come

 

[YankeeFan]

Marco Rubio is Lane Kiffin. As Lane Kiffin should not be put in charge at USC, so, too, Marco Rubio should be nothing more than a VP for many years to come

Even when wrong, your posts try to at least demonstrate some thoughtfulness.

This comparison makes no sense. If you're going to compare someone critically to Lane Kiffen, I would expect nepotism to be a part of it.

How do you see these two to be similar?

 

[Alma]

Even when wrong, your posts try to at least demonstrate some thoughtfulness.

This comparison makes no sense. If you're going to compare someone critically to Lane Kiffen, I would expect nepotism to be a part of it.

How do you see these two to be similar?

Lane Kiffin wasn't hired as head coach at USC because of nepotism. Or Tennessee. Monte Kiffin didn't get Lane Kiffin either of those jobs. Lane got those jobs because he's a world-class recruiter and a good face.

Lane got Monte jobs at those places, though.

And Jeb Bush would have a place in a Rubio administration. A nice place, I suspect.

 

[User 11148]

... Marco Rubio should be nothing more than a VP for many years to come

Yeah. You really shouldn't even think of running for President until you've completed at least one term in the Senate.

 

[Brian]

Imagine being John Kasich and watching all these knuckleheads ahead of you in the polls, none of them with anywhere close to the same resume.

 

[YankeeFan]

Imagine being John Kasich and watching all these knuckleheads ahead of you in the polls, none of them with anywhere close to the same resume.

I like Kasich just fine, going back to when he was in Congress.

But, it's not his resume that's being rejected by Republican primary voters. He's one of these guys who seems embarrassed to be a Republican, and his views don't represent those of the conservative base.

Trump tops the polls because of two main reasons, his strong opposition to illegal immigration, and the voter's belief that he will fight for what he believes in, as opposed to what they see from establishment Republicans, who make promises during campaigns, and don't live up to them.

 

[da man]

I like Kasich just fine, going back to when he was in Congress.

But, it's not his resume that's being rejected by Republican primary voters. He's one of these guys who seems embarrassed to be a Republican, and his views don't represent those of the conservative base.

Trump tops the polls because of two main reasons, his strong opposition to illegal immigration, and the voters' belief that he will fight for what he believes in, as opposed to what they see from establishment Republicans, who make promises during campaigns and don't live up to them.

This is 100 percent on the money.

 

[dixiehack]

But there's the rub. Other than himself, what does Donald Trump truly believe in?

 

[YankeeFan]

But there's the rub. Other than himself, what does Donald Trump truly believe in?

I think it's pretty clear that Trump supporters believe (for the most part) that trump believes in what they believe in. We saw the same phenomenon with Obama and his supporters in 2008.

Beyond that, some Trump supporters don't care about his positions beyond immigration and/or don't care about his positions one way or another. They just want party leaders to be punished for taking them for granted.

 

[Webster]

Ben Carson has an amazing life story and an almost unbelievable career as a doctor. He is an unqualified American success story and is a role model.

He also doesn't seem to have any clue about what it means to be President. It seems that his main policies are to tithe, love Jesus and hate Obama. Just because he speaks slowly and without spittle doesn't mean that what comes out of his mouth isn't clueless and often hateful.

 

[Riptide]

I like Kasich just fine, going back to when he was in Congress.

But, it's not his resume that's being rejected by Republican primary voters. He's one of these guys who seems embarrassed to be a Republican, and his views don't represent those of the conservative base.

Trump tops the polls because of two main reasons, his strong opposition to illegal immigration, and the voter's belief that he will fight for what he believes in, as opposed to what they see from establishment Republicans, who make promises during campaigns, and don't live up to them.

Kasich is smart enough to come toward the middle, which extremists on both sides should learn to embrace.

You're not going to resurrect the past. You can only build for the future. And our majority is in the middle.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

Ben Carson has an amazing life story and an almost unbelievable career as a doctor. He is an unqualified American success story and is a role model.

He also doesn't seem to have any clue about what it means to be President. It seems that his main policies are to tithe, love Jesus and hate Obama. Just because he speaks slowly and without spittle doesn't mean that what comes out of his mouth isn't clueless and often hateful.

Do you believe him to be articulate?

 

[albert77]

Kasich is smart enough to come toward the middle, which extremists on both sides should learn to embrace.

You're not going to resurrect the past. You can only build for the future. And our majority is in the middle.

Very true. Unfortunately, that probably won't win you the nomination in either party the way American politics is practiced in 2015.

 

[dixiehack]

I think it's pretty clear that Trump supporters believe (for the most part) that trump believes in what they believe in. We saw the same phenomenon with Obama and his supporters in 2008.

Beyond that, some Trump supporters don't care about his positions beyond immigration and/or don't care about his positions one way or another. They just want party leaders to be punished for taking them for granted.

I think you're right in your basic analysis, and that scares me. The rabble clamoring for a "strong horse" is how a Putin or Mussolini gets in power. And while we hopefully have enough checks and balances in place to keep a president from doing that level of damage, this craving for authoritarianism (even if its supporters would never call it that) is a long-term threat to the health of the country.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I like Kasich just fine, going back to when he was in Congress.

But, it's not his resume that's being rejected by Republican primary voters. He's one of these guys who seems embarrassed to be a Republican, and his views don't represent those of the conservative base.

Trump tops the polls because of two main reasons, his strong opposition to illegal immigration, and the voter's belief that he will fight for what he believes in, as opposed to what they see from establishment Republicans, who make promises during campaigns, and don't live up to them.

Also: He's famous.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

I think you're right in your basic analysis, and that scares me. The rabble clamoring for a "strong horse" is how a Putin or Mussolini gets in power. And while we hopefully have enough checks and balances in place to keep a president from doing that level of damage, this craving for authoritarianism (even if its supporters would never call it that) is a long-term threat to the health of the country.

Come on, say Hitler. You know you want to.

 

[YankeeFan]

Also: He's famous.

His name recognition and fame certainly helped him, as does his willingness to to do multiple interviews per day, and to communicate directly with his supporters via twitter.

The other candidates may lack his fame, but they also lack his willingness to do interviews, and talk to the voters. I don't have a lot of sympathy for them in that regard.

 

[dixiehack]

Come on, say Hitler. You know you want to.

No, because I don't think he has some kind of deep-seated racial/religious/xenophobic hatred fueling him. I think he just craves power for its own sake.