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Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« on: March 08, 2014, 03:06:51 pm »
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/200264-is-ben-carson-2016s-sleeper-candidate

March 08, 2014, 06:59 am
Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?

By Alexandra Jaffe

Neurologist Ben Carson could be 2016’s sleeper presidential contender.

You won’t find him in early polls, and he doesn’t make headlines for huddling with top advisers in primary states.

Carson is lauded for his plainspoken yet forceful ability to speak clearly about the party’s values. The retired physician rose to prominence after delivering a controversial speech at last year’s National Prayer Breakfast, where he lambasted President Obama and his policies while standing just feet away from the president.

Now, his supporters believe Carson, as a black Republican and a true political outsider, could be the one GOP candidate capable of taking down Hillary Clinton.

That simple star power has made him one of the biggest draws at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, earned him a prime speaking slot on Saturday, and and even inspired an unlikely movement to draft him into the presidential race.

But for as much of a surprise as his rise with conservatives has been, he’s still a reluctant candidate.

Carson maintains he doesn’t want to run and isn’t making any serious preparations for a bid, but in a Thursday interview with The Hill, it was clear that he has thought seriously about the logistics of a campaign.

“My hope, obviously, is that someone else will really catch fire and generate a great deal of enthusiasm. If that doesn’t happen in another year and there’s still a lot of people clamoring for another option, then I will have to really look seriously at it,” he told The Hill in a phone conversation.

But people are already clamoring for Carson. He wouldn’t give specifics on where his packed speaking schedule had taken him in the past few months, but said he visits states in every corner of the country, headlining fundraisers and civic events and speaking at schools about conservative principles and on the dangers of ObamaCare.

“People are so thrilled to see that they’re not the only one with common sense. But the problem is the people with common sense have been beaten down so they’re afraid to express themselves,” he said.

That’s why he’s trying to “wake the American people up” — a central theme of his speech on on CPAC’s closing day.

“I’m going to talk about how [conservatives have] been picking on little things and making big arguments out of them, rather than looking at the big things that are destroying our country,” he said, noting the national debt as an example of a troubling “big thing.”

But don’t call his address a precursor to a presidential run. Carson said that “if it’s supposed to happen it’s going to happen,” and that he’s leaving the preparations “in the hands of God.”

Or, the hands of Vernon Robinson, a former congressional candidate and George H.W. Bush appointee and one of the co-founders of the Draft Ben Carson for President Committee.

The organization raised $2.83 million from 47,000 donors in its first six months of operation — considerably more than the $1.25 million the similar “Ready for Hillary” effort made in its first six months, and they’ve deployed 1,700 active volunteers to GOP functions nationwide to gather draft signatures.

Standing in the noisy hallways of CPAC, where a troupe of volunteers were passing out “Ben Carson for President” swag two floors down, Robinson told The Hill that the group is hoping to triple that sum by the end of the year.

“We’re trying to do three things: Get a million people to sign the [draft] petition by the end of the year, raise someplace between $7 or 8 million from 150,000 donors by the end of the year and we’re trying to build a political infrastructure,” he said.

Robinson is so enthusiastic about Carson for president because, he says, he may be the only candidate that can take down Clinton.

“He’s the only guy who can broaden the GOP base, get 17 percent of the black vote, get a healthy number of Hispanic voters, while still staying true to conservative ideals,” Robinson said. “[Carson’s] very effective at communicating conservative ideas so that the average American can understand.

Carson said he was aware of the draft effort but that he would “have to see something on a sustained basis” in terms of encouragement to run, and that “$2-3 million is not anywhere close to enough money” to support a campaign.

Carson did say, however, “I’ve heard from some very big donors” encouraging him to run, though he wouldn’t offer any names. He readily acknowledges that he’s not steeped in politics and would need a team with that experience to mount a strong challenge.

And, as any serious contender would do, he’s sizing up the field before he makes his decision.

“I really am waiting more to see what the field looks like. If there’s somebody out there who is truly exciting people, there wouldn’t be any need for me to run,” he said.

But that hasn’t happened yet: “I think there are a lot of potential people. No one has really grabbed the imagination of the American people.”

Indeed, if the need is there, he just might do it. Begrudgingly.

“I don’t particularly want to do it,” he told The Hill, “but I would never turn my back on my fellow Americans.”
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Offline Gazoo

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2014, 03:14:15 pm »
He speaks at CPAC today, I believe after Gingrich.  :patriot: :hands:

This makes me happy, happy, happy!
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Offline EC

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2014, 03:21:41 pm »
He has the qualification you really want in a president.

He doesn't want the job.
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Offline Gazoo

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2014, 03:32:52 pm »
He has the qualification you really want in a president.

Yes. He is AN OUTSIDER and a brilliant man.

ON A SIDE NOTE: I find it odd that those that always pipe in and say, 'let them wait until they are in politics awhile then we will see, are usually the ones that despise the thought so strongly about any long term, 'it's HIS turn,' politician running.

I think Carson would make a superb President because we need an outsider to clean house.

Quote
He doesn't want the job.

I think he does if he sees no one else can take the helm to really CHANGE things.
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2014, 03:36:13 pm »
He has the qualification you really want in a president.

He doesn't want the job.

I remember reading a short story a long time ago where the president was chosen by arrest

Offline aligncare

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2014, 03:43:26 pm »
Quote
Carson is lauded for his plainspoken yet forceful ability to speak clearly about the party’s values. The retired physician rose to prominence after delivering a controversial speech at last year’s National Prayer Breakfast, where he lambasted President Obama and his policies while standing just feet away from the president.

Only a brother could've gotten away with criticizing Obama in his presence without triggering a firestorm media frenzy. Although, as I recall his speech did raise a few eyebrows among liberal talking heads (redundant).

But if Carson were to declare his intention to get in the race (freudian?) watch for liberal PC to turn hostile as their underlying racism percolates to the surface.

Another thought. Obama has so poisoned the well of race relations that folks may be leery of pulling the lever for another black man or woman for a long time to come.

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2014, 03:47:04 pm »
He has the qualification you really want in a president.

He doesn't want the job.

And none of the baggage of a career politician!  He's my first choice at this point in time!
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Offline sinkspur

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2014, 03:53:40 pm »
He's a sleeper candidate all right.

He's guaranteed to put you to sleep every time he speaks.
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Offline Gazoo

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"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

Offline jmyrlefuller

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2014, 04:26:57 pm »
Only a brother could've gotten away with criticizing Obama in his presence without triggering a firestorm media frenzy. Although, as I recall his speech did raise a few eyebrows among liberal talking heads (redundant).

But if Carson were to declare his intention to get in the race (freudian?) watch for liberal PC to turn hostile as their underlying racism percolates to the surface.

Another thought. Obama has so poisoned the well of race relations that folks may be leery of pulling the lever for another black man or woman for a long time to come.
See what happened to Herman Cain the last time around if you want a sneak-peek of what's in store if Ben Carson seeks the Presidency.

I don't think he'll seek it right off the bat. He may seek a lower office first.
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Offline EC

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #10 on: March 08, 2014, 04:30:54 pm »
And none of the baggage of a career politician!  He's my first choice at this point in time!

He's up there for me. Not top pick (yet), but he knows how to put together a solid team and leave them to get on with their jobs while he gets on with his - any brilliant surgeon is half personal expertise and half teamwork. He's good with people. Very precise in how he communicates. He puts the lie to "blacks are helpless and need a boost up."
The only down side is he is used to working retail, not wholesale. One or two distinct problems at a time. Give him 4 years in Sibelius' slot to get him into working large scale, and he'd be formidable.
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Offline Gazoo

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2014, 04:35:40 pm »
I doubt they can call Carson Uncle Tom and get away with it. Nor will they be able to pull what dems, Obama and Hillary do best, politics of personal destruction. Hillary coined the term to refute all of the Clinton scandals when VRWC got old. They know nothing but to attack. They have the CIA.NSA.FBI on their side to bug any political opponents computer. The Alinsky tactic they use to target is getting real old and most are not phased by the media bias campaign anymore.
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #12 on: March 08, 2014, 11:17:36 pm »
Came in third in the CPAC Straw poll (behind Rand Paul and Ted Cruz)... what this tells us is people want candidates who are not cowards.
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Offline MBB1984

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Re: Is Ben Carson 2016's sleeper candidate?
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2014, 02:51:29 am »
I like much of what Carson says.  However, you cannot take anyone seriously as a candidate unless they have been elected to high public office.