Ben Carson on 2016: ‘Likelihood is strong’

[jct74]

Ben Carson on 2016: ‘Likelihood is strong’

By KENDALL BREITMAN | 9/23/14 6:02 AM EDT

Former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon and conservative activist Ben Carson said there is a “strong” likelihood that you will see his name in the presidential primaries come 2016.

“Unless the American people indicate in November that they like Big Government intervention in every part of their lives, I think the likelihood is strong,” Carson said Monday night on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” according to a show transcript, when asked about the chances of a presidential run.

Carson, who was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President George W. Bush, said that he will be waiting for “a few more months” before making any definite decisions, and predicted that he will make a formal announcement in May of next year.

“I think the chances are reasonably good of that happening,” Carson said. “I want to make sure that it’s clearly something my fellow Americans want me to do. And I’m also waiting to see what the results are in November, because if the people indicate that they truly do want a nation that is for, of and by the people, then I, along with I hope many other people, would be willing to give it everything we possibly have.”

...

read more:
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/0...un-111238.html

[mosquitobite]

He's the biggest threat, imo.

[jmdrake]

He's the biggest threat, imo.

Ben Carson is a non-interventionist and he likes Rand. I hope we don't start treating him like "the enemy" as some of us did Gary Johnson. In fact, as someone who likes Carson on a personal level, I won't stand for attacks on him. Some seem to think that Dr. Carson will turn into a political "Mr. Hyde" and viciously go after Rand and do the bidding of the neocons. Sorry, but that's not the man's character. (I know you haven't said that.) So the other question is, will he "take votes away" from Rand? Maybe. But unlike Gary Johnson, he has the possibility of pulling votes away from other candidates as well. Johnson only appealed to libertarians. Carson, with his social conservative views, does not. That means he can pull Huckabee voters. Now imagine GOP debates where Rand Paul and Ben Carson are saying the same thing on foreign policy. Carson is on record against the Iraq war. How is Rush Limbaugh, who spend ALL this energy into praising Ben Carson, going to look going after him (Carson) like he did going after Ron Paul? Same for Hannity and Levin and all the rest of the GOP hacksters. But they won't be able to slam Rand on foreign policy and leave Carson alone for saying the same thing. That said, I don't expect him to get any traction. He has no political experience and no political machine. Building either of those things takes time. I would be shocked if he won Iowa. Him winning New Hampshire with his social conservative views is nigh impossible. Sure he could pull a "Jesse Jackson/Barack Obama surprise" and win big in the south on black votes, but that will be very difficult because most blacks just won't cross over and vote in the GOP primary just to vote for him. He could win evangelicals in the south on Super Tuesday without a ground game, but again that's spliting votes with Huckabee. The GOP establishment won't back him, that's for sure. It's one thing to criticize Obamacare. It's another thing to criticize the Iraq war. If he and Rand run I think the main strategy should be to pick up an endorsement when he inevitably drops out.

[CaptUSA]

Ben Carson is a non-interventionist and he likes Rand. I hope we don't start treating him like "the enemy" as some of us did Gary Johnson. In fact, as someone who likes Carson on a personal level, I won't stand for attacks on him. Some seem to think that Dr. Carson will turn into a political "Mr. Hyde" and viciously go after Rand and do the bidding of the neocons. Sorry, but that's not the man's character. (I know you haven't said that.) So the other question is, will he "take votes away" from Rand? Maybe. But unlike Gary Johnson, he has the possibility of pulling votes away from other candidates as well. Johnson only appealed to libertarians. Carson, with his social conservative views, does not. That means he can pull Huckabee voters. Now imagine GOP debates where Rand Paul and Ben Carson are saying the same thing on foreign policy. Carson is on record against the Iraq war. How is Rush Limbaugh, who spend ALL this energy into praising Ben Carson, going to look going after him (Carson) like he did going after Ron Paul? Same for Hannity and Levin and all the rest of the GOP hacksters. But they won't be able to slam Rand on foreign policy and leave Carson alone for saying the same thing. That said, I don't expect him to get any traction. He has no political experience and no political machine. Building either of those things takes time. I would be shocked if he won Iowa. Him winning New Hampshire with his social conservative views is nigh impossible. Sure he could pull a "Jesse Jackson/Barack Obama surprise" and win big in the south on black votes, but that will be very difficult because most blacks just won't cross over and vote in the GOP primary just to vote for him. He could win evangelicals in the south on Super Tuesday without a ground game, but again that's spliting votes with Huckabee. The GOP establishment won't back him, that's for sure. It's one thing to criticize Obamacare. It's another thing to criticize the Iraq war. If he and Rand run I think the main strategy should be to pick up an endorsement when he inevitably drops out.

Exactly. So much good in this post and everyone should read it.

Carson running is nothing but a good thing for us. We should do everything we can to encourage him to run. Carson's message, while similar to Rand's, is different enough to draw in a whole different crowd. Obviously, he has no structure and has very little chance of making a serious run, but with him in the race, he will lay cover fire for Rand. Those other candidates may be quick to attack Rand, but they won't do that to Carson. Carson will destroy Santorum and Frothy's support will flitter away.

Meanwhile, when Carson finally drops out, I would fully expect him to endorse Rand.

This is why we shouldn't be attacking him. He is not a threat; he is an opportunity.

We attack him at our own peril. We have it in our power to turn the supporters of a useful ally against us. Or we can welcome them in with open arms when they no longer have a candidate to support.

[Matt Collins]

He has no network and is not capable of winning the nomination.

[69360]

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.

[Christian Liberty]

I like Ben Carson as well, that's not to say that he's ideal but he's probably the second best candidate next to Rand. Which isn't saying a ton, but its something. I'd support him.

[thoughtomator]

Carson is an unrepentant gun controller, making him an extreme longshot as a GOP candidate.

[CaptUSA]

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.

No. At worst he'll be a distraction. At best, he'll hand over a nice base of support to Rand at the right time, including email lists and other fundraising capabilities.

For Carson, it wouldn't be about winning the nomination. I'm sure he recognizes reality. But it could garner him more lucrative book deals. Aside from the personal benefits, however, I think it will provide Carson a bigger platform to discuss the problems with government interference in the markets. He could make a real difference to people who wouldn't be able to hear it from Rand's mouth. And it will play right into Rand's strategy.

Plus, he'd make one heck of a Surgeon General!

[CaptUSA]

Carson is an unrepentant gun controller, making him an extreme longshot as a GOP candidate.

This is a complete exaggeration of his position. Granted, his positions on this issue are not perfect (especially, relating to urban areas), but you don't have to exaggerate them. He defends the 2nd amendment, but draws some distinctions that we wouldn't. Still, he's better than the most of the others that will be in the debate.

[jmdrake]

This is a complete exaggeration of his position. Granted, his positions on this issue are not perfect (especially, relating to urban areas), but you don't have to exaggerate them. He defends the 2nd amendment, but draws some distinctions that we wouldn't. Still, he's better than the most of the others that will be in the debate.

^This! People forget that Carson grew up in the inner city and has worked at an inner city hospital. He's probably seen his share of gunshot wounds, many for stray bullets. There was a "pro gun" story some months ago I started to post but didn't when I realized it could be taken either way. A man and his wife used their guns to stop some thugs from abducting their daughter, but in the process one of their stray bullets (likely from the wife because she didn't hit either thug) lodged in a neighbor's bedroom wall a few feet above her house. If you're shooting a 50 cal at a deer or an intruder and you're out in the woods it's unlikely your stray bullet will hurt anyone. But a 50 cal that misses it's target in an inner city? Don't get me wrong. Gun control is wrong city or country. It's not the solution. But I understand why Dr. Carson made that particular distinction.

One other sad truth. Dr. Carson's non-interventionism will likely hurt him more than any gun control position. The republican governor of Tennessee (GOP) was part of Mayor Bloomberg's gun control initiative and is unrepentant about it.

[brandon]

I'd probably vote for Carson. Depends how much of a social con he ends up being.

[mosquitobite]

Ben Carson is a non-interventionist and he likes Rand. I hope we don't start treating him like "the enemy" as some of us did Gary Johnson. In fact, as someone who likes Carson on a personal level, I won't stand for attacks on him. Some seem to think that Dr. Carson will turn into a political "Mr. Hyde" and viciously go after Rand and do the bidding of the neocons. Sorry, but that's not the man's character. (I know you haven't said that.) So the other question is, will he "take votes away" from Rand? Maybe. But unlike Gary Johnson, he has the possibility of pulling votes away from other candidates as well. Johnson only appealed to libertarians. Carson, with his social conservative views, does not. That means he can pull Huckabee voters. Now imagine GOP debates where Rand Paul and Ben Carson are saying the same thing on foreign policy. Carson is on record against the Iraq war. How is Rush Limbaugh, who spend ALL this energy into praising Ben Carson, going to look going after him (Carson) like he did going after Ron Paul? Same for Hannity and Levin and all the rest of the GOP hacksters. But they won't be able to slam Rand on foreign policy and leave Carson alone for saying the same thing. That said, I don't expect him to get any traction. He has no political experience and no political machine. Building either of those things takes time. I would be shocked if he won Iowa. Him winning New Hampshire with his social conservative views is nigh impossible. Sure he could pull a "Jesse Jackson/Barack Obama surprise" and win big in the south on black votes, but that will be very difficult because most blacks just won't cross over and vote in the GOP primary just to vote for him. He could win evangelicals in the south on Super Tuesday without a ground game, but again that's spliting votes with Huckabee. The GOP establishment won't back him, that's for sure. It's one thing to criticize Obamacare. It's another thing to criticize the Iraq war. If he and Rand run I think the main strategy should be to pick up an endorsement when he inevitably drops out.

I will not attack the man, but from my perspective in this red state - I hear his name A LOT and from the tea party. I think Carson will take anti-establishment votes that would otherwise go to Rand and social conservative votes that might otherwise go to Huckabee. Either way, that helps the establishment character.

I don't know enough about Carson to dislike him like I do Ted Cruz. But Obama came out of nowhere and made it to the WH. Do NOT discount the possibility of Republicans wanting their own affirmative action candidate.

[jmdrake]

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.

Hmmmm...zero chance of winning....distraction....sounds like what I heard about Ron Paul. Yes Ron did already have political experience. Rand has it now. If I was advising Carson I would tell him to run for some smaller office first. But I'm not that close to him. (I've really only seen him at a distance, but I know people who know him personally.) But while he would be a "distraction" I see it as one that helps us. Anyway, his running is entirely up to himself and his wife. I wish him the best whatever he does.

[jmdrake]

I will not attack the man, but from my perspective in this red state - I hear his name A LOT and from the tea party. I think Carson will take anti-establishment votes that would otherwise go to Rand and social conservative votes that might otherwise go to Huckabee. Either way, that helps the establishment character.

I don't know enough about Carson to dislike him like I do Ted Cruz. But Obama came out of nowhere and made it to the WH. Do NOT discount the possibility of Republicans wanting their own affirmative action candidate.

True about Obama, but Obama was properly groomed. He went from nowhere to the Illinois state senate to the U.S. Senate to the Whitehouse. Proving you can win statewide in a general election is typical of presidential nominees. That's one thing Rand has over Ron. It will be interesting to see how tea party types react once they fully understand Ben Carson = Ron Paul on foreign policy. If he pulls more Huckabee votes than Paul votes I count that as a net win. I saw Huckabee as another establishment candidate. And if the Republicans are willing to back an antiwar candidate just because he's black...well that means we (the libertarian movement) have come a long way baby! Seriously. Michael Steele was put out to pasture shortly after stating that the war in Afghanistan was wrong. Sure that wasn't the reason officially given for his ouster but.......

That said, I don't expect the establishment allowing an antiwar candidate to gain traction without a fight. Rand will be fought an Ben Carson will be fought as well. I suspect they'll put all of the debates on Friday night or Saturday. (Carson is a Seventh-Day Adventist like me.)

[William Tell]

[Christian Liberty]

True about Obama, but Obama was properly groomed. He went from nowhere to the Illinois state senate to the U.S. Senate to the Whitehouse. Proving you can win statewide in a general election is typical of presidential nominees. That's one thing Rand has over Ron. It will be interesting to see how tea party types react once they fully understand Ben Carson = Ron Paul on foreign policy. If he pulls more Huckabee votes than Paul votes I count that as a net win. I saw Huckabee as another establishment candidate. And if the Republicans are willing to back an antiwar candidate just because he's black...well that means we (the libertarian movement) have come a long way baby! Seriously. Michael Steele was put out to pasture shortly after stating that the war in Afghanistan was wrong. Sure that wasn't the reason officially given for his ouster but.......

That said, I don't expect the establishment allowing an antiwar candidate to gain traction without a fight. Rand will be fought an Ben Carson will be fought as well. I suspect they'll put all of the debates on Friday night or Saturday. (Carson is a Seventh-Day Adventist like me.)

Would your/Carson's religion prohibit participation?

Romans 14:5

[William Tell]

I would hold off on praising him, at least until he has been in a debate or too. He has no record, besides his statements. Some of which are good, and some of which are pretty darn bad.

[CaptUSA]

I will not attack the man, but from my perspective in this red state - I hear his name A LOT and from the tea party. I think Carson will take anti-establishment votes that would otherwise go to Rand and social conservative votes that might otherwise go to Huckabee. Either way, that helps the establishment character.

I don't know enough about Carson to dislike him like I do Ted Cruz. But Obama came out of nowhere and made it to the WH. Do NOT discount the possibility of Republicans wanting their own affirmative action candidate.

I think you underestimate the importance of a ground game in GOP politics. You need good infrastructure and it takes a long time to build. You need to have channels open with the players in the early states. Now, that's not to say he couldn't inherit someone else's infrastructure, but it's really unlikely. People seem to forget that Obama started running for President as soon as he was elected to the Senate.

To you first point, if he pulls votes away from Paul, that is fine. As long as he's pulling votes away from the others as well. But if we start trashing him, then any votes he pulls will go somewhere else when he does drop out. I want them to come our way. I don't worry about Paul being someone's second choice to Carson. I worry about Paul being an unacceptable choice because his supporters trashed their favorite candidate.

[William Tell]

This is a complete exaggeration of his position. Granted, his positions on this issue are not perfect (especially, relating to urban areas), but you don't have to exaggerate them. He defends the 2nd amendment, but draws some distinctions that we wouldn't.

Like not understanding simple English?

the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

[thoughtomator]

This is a complete exaggeration of his position. Granted, his positions on this issue are not perfect (especially, relating to urban areas), but you don't have to exaggerate them. He defends the 2nd amendment, but draws some distinctions that we wouldn't. Still, he's better than the most of the others that will be in the debate.

He's not a full-blown Democrat on the issue, but saying you shouldn't be able to own a semi-auto if you live in a city is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of people. We're not talking .50 cal here, we're talking common self-defense weapons that a sensible city resident would want to have on hand for an emergency.

[CaptUSA]

Like not understanding simple English?

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.

[mosquitobite]

I think you underestimate the importance of a ground game in GOP politics. You need good infrastructure and it takes a long time to build. You need to have channels open with the players in the early states. Now, that's not to say he couldn't inherit someone else's infrastructure, but it's really unlikely. People seem to forget that Obama started running for President as soon as he was elected to the Senate.

To you first point, if he pulls votes away from Paul, that is fine. As long as he's pulling votes away from the others as well. But if we start trashing him, then any votes he pulls will go somewhere else when he does drop out. I want them to come our way. I don't worry about Paul being someone's second choice to Carson. I worry about Paul being an unacceptable choice because his supporters trashed their favorite candidate.

Apparently you missed all the threads about the state conventions this year. EVERY state had a "Run Ben Run" booth at their GOP convention. Please don't consider me inept at party politics. I'm heavily involved in my state, and not as a Libertarian.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

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

[rpfocus]

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

Exactly. His candidacy would be a complete waste of time, money and energy. He has ZERO chance of winning the Republican nomination. And Carson in a debate with seasoned politicians? He'd get destroyed.

[Uriah]

https://www.facebook.com/RunBenRun.org
http://www.runbenrun.org

There is a National Draft Ben Carson movement. People in my local party are talking about him. A structure is being built for him as of right now. He could win Iowa. I would not count him out. 183,000+ likes on Facebook is nothing to ignore.

[specsaregood]

Who recalls that Carson was mentioned in that tv show "the wire"? Named by a kid as a role model they would want to grow up like.

[amy31416]

In the absence of Rand, I'd give him serious consideration.

[Crashland]

https://www.facebook.com/RunBenRun.org
http://www.runbenrun.org

There is a National Draft Ben Carson movement. People in my local party are talking about him. A structure is being built for him as of right now. He could win Iowa. I would not count him out. 183,000+ likes on Facebook is nothing to ignore.

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.

[jmdrake]

Would your/Carson's religion prohibit participation?

Romans 14:5

Not sure what you meant by the Romans 14:5 quote. I'll save that for the religion forum. (Hint there are a lot of days mentioned in the Bible other than the one mentioned in the 10 commandments. But again, wrong forum. I only mentioned his religion in this forum because I suspect it could become a campaign issue.)

As for religion "forbidding", it's not like we practice excommunication. People make up their own minds. That said, I'm not comfortable doing political stuff on Sabbath. I think that's time for God and me and family. I kind of feel like I'm cheating myself giving up on that gift for worldly things. That said, Dr. Carson has given commencement speeches on Saturday. He might feel that bringing his Christian worldview to a national stage in a debate would be a form of witnessing.