Ben Carson’s coming takeover: What Tea Party’s new star means for 2016

[DonViejo]

He's an accomplished retired neurosurgeon with fringe right views. How far can that take him in a presidential bid?

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON

Just as the GOP always seems to hype a quasi-moderate Great Midwestern Hope (Tim Pawlenty, Tommy Thompson) in every presidential cycle who ends up fizzling before the campaign even begins, it has also recently featured far-right African-American candidates (Alan Keyes, Herman Cain) who capture the imagination of the party’s base before flaming out in the early primaries. What’s interesting is that both groups are anomalous in the GOP in general: there are no real moderates left in the party and less than 5 percent of African Americans vote Republican. Of course they can’t win. But it does give the effect of a Big Tent and always provides a certain amount of excitement, particularly when the candidates are interesting iconoclasts. (The GOP midwesterners are inevitably snoozers on the campaign trail, though.)

Ben Carson, an African-American retired neurosurgeon, is a phenomenon less known outside right-wing circles. But it appears he’s a big fan favorite and is coming on strong. At the recent Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans he came in second only to Ted Cruz as their top choice to run for president and only by 1 point.

He’s currently on a book tour all over the country selling his book “One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future” and is being met with rapturous crowds wearing buttons that say “the Doctor is in the White House 2016? and “Run Ben Run”, the latter of which is the official slogan of the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee. They had reportedly raised over $4 million by the end of April. A recent Rasmussen poll showed Rand Paul and Carson coming closest to Hillary Clinton out of all the potential Republican candidates. And among likely Republican voters only Rand Paul and Ted Cruz ranked higher.

He has been cagey about his willingness to accept the challenge only saying that he’s warming to the idea and issuing a not-exactly-Shermanesque denial of intent by saying, I don’t want to do it but if we’re left in a situation where there’s not a lot of enthusiasm for anybody else, I would never turn my back on my fellow citizens.”

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http://www.salon.com/2014/07/09/ben_carsons_coming_takeover_what_tea_partys_new_star_means_for_2016/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. The Gifted Hands guy?

Very interesting. . .

[OKNancy]

2. He has a big problem though

HE IS A LOON

( even worse than the others mentioned)

[ellenrr]

13. maybe they deliberately pick a Black person who is crazy...

cuz their strategy is to make Black people look bad.

I mean - Herman Cain is also really nuts

[riqster]

14. Maybe it's the other way round: only a crazy POC would become a Repub, after all.

[Chan790]

15. Alan Keyes is also really nuts.

You may be onto something.

J.C. Watts, also a goddamned loon.

[kimbutgar]

3. The guy is an embarrassment and insane

He may be a gifted surgeon but the crap that comes out of his mouth is reprehensible.

Saying the Happy song is a communist song shows he has some mental problems. The GOP needs their "see we're not bigots token black man " just like the black woman in the GA GOP who heard they called her the house n word they say the same about Carson, West and Cain. Token uncle Tom's.

[GeorgeGist]

4. Friend at Johns Hopkins claims Carson was asked to retire.

[Arkana]

5. It can't.

Carson is 50 pounds and one bug-eye away from being Uncle Ruckus from "The Boondocks", and his whole schtick seems to be "I'm a crotchety old man who thinks complaining about young people will make me popular".

[Mz Pip]

6. He's nuts.

I can't figure him out. He's obviously intelligent enough to become a brain surgeon, but he seems to completely lack any critical thinking skills. He said the song "Happy" was part of a Communist plot. That is just nuts. It's a song and not a particularly controversial one.

[ellenrr]

11. my thots too. He's not a nut like a sara palin nut; he did become a brain surgeon,

but geez - what happened?!

I've known of him for years. many years ago he would always be pointed to as "a Black man can make it" sort of shit,
like yeah, in spite of racism, inferior schools, housing, police, etc...any Black boy can become a neuroscientist.

but until recently, never have heard him spout this kind of crap...

maybe he has a brain tumor - that can effect your personality.

[Mz Pip]

16. Interesting

Makes me wonder if he really believes the crap he's spewing or like Limbaugh, says outrageous things to maintain his place in the conservative limelight. He's certainly received a lot of attention from the lunatic fringe of the party. It takes a whole lot of ignorance to believe the garbage the wing nuts believe.

[ellenrr]

17. I wonder that about a lot of people. There are a lot of ignorant people in this country,

but certainly you can't call Carson ignorant.

He's a neuroscientist and doesn't believe in evolution?!

something else must be going on...

but I don't know what.

I understand people talking stupid/crazy to make money- I don't agree, but I understand the rationale.
but it seems that many times there is more going on than greed.

Maybe it is, as you suggest, need for attention.
but that is sick.

[rtracey]

7. he is not right

He believes the Earth is 5000 years old, he thinks welfare, medicare, medicaid, should be banned, yet growing up he used all of them. He is dangerous, but will not get past primary, not everyone agrees with his...... heritage, if you understand.

[Fred M]

8. Another GOP Attempt at Saying,

"Some of our best candidates are black! Honest!"

[ellenrr]

12. it would be funny if he became the gop candidate- how would the racists attack him?

[Danmel]

9. saw a "run, Ben, run" bumper sticker

On a car on Long Island today! Carson is batshit crazy.

[UCmeNdc]

10. He talks as if he is coming apart. He is crazy.

Worked under pressure too long?