Ben Carson on 2016: ‘Likelihood is strong’

[jmdrake]

The real question is, who is going to go to Washington with a goal to bring more liberty to the country?

Ron Paul obviously had that goal, and the integrity to not be coerced by the establishment.

Rand Pau seems tol has decided his best shot to move the needle is to be a bit less rigid than his father. Time will tell if this is effective or not but I at least trust that Rand's goal is to try to score wins for liberty and not just line his pockets.

Justin Amash, Thomas Massie, and Walter Jones have me convinced of this as well.

All have different approaches, some are more hard-line than others, but I know where their loyalty lies and it's to liberty and to the country.

The question for Carson -- and I don't know how he can convince me, to be fair -- is will he be loyal to those goals, or is he corrupt/corruptible?

I like Carson a lot, but unless he convinces me of the above, I view any advances he makes as more a threat than a help.

I do like him though, and if he can be trusted -- and that's the biggest IF in my opinion -- he has some serious potential, being a doctor/neurosurgeon and being black (because, sadly, so many people would vote for him simply because he's black).

He also, like Ron Paul, comes across as very genuine/honest. Whether he actually is or not, is a different question, but it's a noteworthy quality.

I am certain that Ben Carson is not corruptible. And I'm equally certain that this means he can't possibly become POTUS.

 

[economics102]

I am certain that Ben Carson is not corruptible. And I'm equally certain that this means he can't possibly become POTUS.

If he's not corruptible, he truly could be a help to Rand though. Unlike Gary Johnson, Carson could deliver an audience that isn't already in Rand's pocket. One of the problems with Gary Johnson was he didn't really bring a new audience to the table beyond Ron Paul. His only major distinction in policy was being pro-choice, but obviously if that's the only reason you're pro-Johnson, switching to Ron Paul, who is pro-life, is probably not in the cards.

And as with Johnson, it really does help to have two pro-liberty voices on stage in the debates. The problem with Johnson was Ron Paul didn't benefit much from that because Johnson was shut out of the debates pretty early on.

 

[TaftFan]

I don't get why Carson would run if he likes Rand.

 

[jmdrake]

If he's not corruptible, he truly could be a help to Rand though. Unlike Gary Johnson, Carson could deliver an audience that isn't already in Rand's pocket. One of the problems with Gary Johnson was he didn't really bring a new audience to the table beyond Ron Paul. His only major distinction in policy was being pro-choice, but obviously if that's the only reason you're pro-Johnson, switching to Ron Paul, who is pro-life, is probably not in the cards.

And as with Johnson, it really does help to have two pro-liberty voices on stage in the debates. The problem with Johnson was Ron Paul didn't benefit much from that because Johnson was shut out of the debates pretty early on.

That and the fact that despite being a governor, Gary Johnson was not a household name. Ben Carson was well known before the Obama presidential breakfast and extremely well known now. If he got shut out of the debates, at this point I would suspect the Rush Limbaughs of the world to cry "foul" and give him free publicity on their shows.

 

[Uriah]

http://theiowarepublican.com/2014/i...nal-draft-ben-carson-for-president-committee/
Dated Sept. 18th, 2014

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Draft Ben Carson Committee, a political action committee formed to draft Dr. Ben Carson into the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, today announced that State Rep. Rob Taylor, R-West Des Moines, and his wife Dr. Christi Taylor will serve as the Committee’s Iowa state chairs.

“Iowa plays an extremely important role in the presidential race, and a strong presence in the state is crucial to convincing Dr. Carson to run,” said Vernon Robinson, the Committee’s campaign director. “We are thrilled to have Rob and Christi chairing the draft effort in Iowa as we continue to build momentum here and around the country.”

 

[fr33]

And Carson in a debate with seasoned politicians? He'd get destroyed.

Actually he's a better speaker than most politicians and he doesn't have a record to be labeled a flip flopper off of.

 

[KEEF]

Why? He has zero chance of winning. He has never held office before, no political or executive experience whatsoever and wants to run for president. He will be a distraction at best.

Yes but look at how much attention 999 got without holding office prior to his run.

 

[Uriah]

His support is entirely confined to the tea party. He has no cross-appeal to the rest of the GOP, or outside of the party at all. If Carson runs, his goal will be to set himself up for writing another book, not winning the presidency.

Here in Iowa the Christian Right love him.

 

[jmdrake]

I don't get why Carson would run if he likes Rand.

Why not? Liking someone doesn't mean you can't run against him. I truly believe Gary Johnson liked (and likes) Ron Paul. Some folks here treated Gary Johnson as "the enemy" even after Ron had effectively dropped out of the race. I never saw the need for that. I think he may feel called to run. He is a religious person and he could interpret his odd thrust into the public spotlight as providence.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Why do this?!

Ultimately, this may the issue that brings him down, but why would you want to be the one to do it? Wouldn't it be far better to allow someone else to go after him on this? Don't be an idiot. While not 100%, Carson is helpful to our cause. Don't tear him down before he even has a chance to help.

Because anyone who deviates from the ideas of freedom and liberty should be questioned, no matter their record or identity. The whole point of the liberty movement was to rally around ideas, not personalities. Or it was, at least. That seems to have shifted over the last several years.

jmdrake: I guarantee you that Carson will not be singing the same antiwar tune during his presidential run as he did some years back. The first sign of his conversion will be the people with whom he surrounds himself politically. Think of a wager, and I'll likely agree to publicly put my position on the record on this issue.

 

[jmdrake]

Because anyone who deviates from the ideas of freedom and liberty should be questioned, no matter their record or identity. The whole point of the liberty movement was to rally around ideas, not personalities. Or it was, at least. That seems to have shifted over the last several years.

There is a difference between questioning someone's positions on the issues and going on the attack. One mistake Ron Paul made in 2008 was his "tyranny carrying a Bible and wrapped in a flag" comment in response to Huckabee's "Christmas" commercial. That didn't win Ron any friends anywhere.

jmdrake: I guarantee you that Carson will not be singing the same antiwar tune during his presidential run as he did some years back. The first sign of his conversion will be the people with whom he surrounds himself politically. Think of a wager, and I'll likely agree to publicly put my position on the record on this issue.

Well Rand isn't singing quite the same antiwar tune but I still hear strains of it. And considering that the population at large is more antiwar now than it was a few years back, with more and more republicans questioning the Iraq war, being antiwar no longer has the stigma it once had.

 

[Chieppa1]

Doesn't he not give a shit about gay marriage? Won't that screw up this "social conservative" vote? Not that that is bad thing. That topic needs to be off the debate stage.

 

[brandon]

Ben Caron, the anti-gun birther, will be 2016's Herman Cain.

I can't really see that. Cain was a sort of eccentric talking head with a bit of a wild side.... kind of like Giuliani. Carson strikes me as a more reserved intellectual type without many skeletons in his closet. Granted I don't know much about the guy so I might end up being totally wrong.

 

[jmdrake]

Doesn't he not give a shit about gay marriage? Won't that screw up this "social conservative" vote? Not that that is bad thing. That topic needs to be off the debate stage.

Actually he doesn't support gay marriage and when that came out he started getting blackballed. He even was asked not to speak at John Hopkins commencement when he's the most famous doctor ever to work there. I wish he'd take the view I've adopted of "Get the government all the way out of marriage". It took me a while to figure that out myself. Thank you torchbearer if you're reading this!

 

[Chester Copperpot]

id vote for carson if rand didnt run... hes a doctor at least.. so far i seem to like them all in congress... better than an f'ing lawyer

 

[jmdrake]

id vote for carson if rand didnt run... hes a doctor at least.. so far i seem to like them all in congress... better than an f'ing lawyer

Hmmmmm....I'm a lawyer and my ex-wife is a doctor. I don't know at this point if I like doctors better.....

 

[CaptUSA]

If Carson decides to run, there will be two candidates on the stage for which we can cheer. There may be times where we shake our heads at both of them, but we can rejoice in listening to them rebut the BS coming out of the mouths of the others.

 

[Bastiat's The Law]

Huck and frothy? Come on they are not serious candidates. Neither will ever be potus.

Either one could win 2 of the first 3 primaries.

 

[Bastiat's The Law]

Mike Huckabee won the 2008 Iowa straw poll and came in 3rd nationally in the GOP primary process for popular votes and second in the delegate count. While we won the Iowa delegates in 2012, Santorum stole the headlines by winning the straw poll. Either Santorum or Huckabee (or both) could cost Rand especially early on. Neither should be underestimated. This isn't an issue of who ultimately becomes president. It's who's a factor in the primary process and why.

Especially initially when momentum is so important in terms of energy, excitement, and donations for a candidate's campaign. We have to win early to prove our legitimacy. It was the fatal flaw in Ron's campaign.

 

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Huck and frothy? Come on they are not serious candidates. Neither will ever be potus.

Huckabee is 100 times more serious than f-ing Ben Carson.