The problem with Carson is that he's a complete unknown in terms of what he would actually do as President. If you listen to him talk it's easy to see him as a composite of most of the memes that the GOP has tried to use over the last 20 years from the conservative side of the spectrum. The problem is that nobody is really that simple. Most candidates will move off of their public positions at the drop of a hat once the shit hits the fan and Carson is a major unknown in terms of how he would react to the many crises that a President has to deal with at the moment. With W you had the fact that he he had the neocons all around him and that his dad was always going to be in the background if he really needed advice on something hairy. Things went blooey anyway because the neocons were on a mission and his dad got shut out of the conversation but going in you still had the feeling things couldn't go totally haywire. With Obama you had his background as an academic to suggest that he'd at least think things through and you had the basic fact that he was likely to be fairly conservative to moderate in what he actually tried to do. This coupled with a steadying influence out of his VP and the fact that he leaned heavily on the Democratic establishment for the cabinet suggested that he really wasn't going to be a loose cannon out there. With Carson I don't get the feeling that I have any idea what he'd do in a crisis. Some of his statements have been rational and others have been somewhat bizarre, as is often the case with independent conservatives running under the GOP brand. However nothing that he's said gives me any confidence that we don't wind up with a Black Swan squared at some point in his Presidency and that is fairly scary.
Ok, first of all, I wasn't referring to anything Carson said or didn't say. I never heard or read what he said, because I don't care what he or any of these candidates say. Haven't watched a second of the debates and this whole argument here between Repubs and Dems to me is mental masturbation. I'd never deny any of you guys talking about it, I just think it's hilarious how one side chides the other side when BOTH sides are just as guilty. It's naive to think otherwise. I was just challenging the notion that West Point doesn't give "scholarships". Lol. You may not consider a 4 year college education that is completely paid for--tuition, housing, meals, books 100% footed by the institution and not the student or his/hers parents or relatives and not having mountains of student loan debt NOT a scholarship but I'm pretty sure everyone with out a semantics agenda would. And having a guaranteed job for 8 years after graduation might be looked at as enticing to a recent college grad sitting on top of a mountain of student loan debt as he's working as a waiter at Perkins or she's starting out as an admininistrative assistant at a local company. Unless you hate the military, that is. In which case you wouldn't take the appointment. _
So, there is some controversy over the difference between an "appointment" and a "scholarship"? that's pretty weak beer in my fridge. Although, he is so poor with the media you have to wonder how he can be expected to lead. The high pitched whining is really damning. Does he do that whenever he hears something he doesn't like?
and the lies continue to flow like water.. Evidently Dr. Carson protected his white HS classmates after MLK was assassinated during the Detriot riots. Too bad nobody remembers this either. On top of that, he took a class at Yale that wasn't offered while he was enrolled there. Amazing isn't it that no one ever remembers anything this man did. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...te-classmates-race-riots-af-article-1.2426739 and lest we forget... Ok.. can we close the book on Dr. Jekyll now? I got $10 says Mr. Hyde never existed.
the yale class should be pretty easy to confirm if he actually took it. I refuse to participate in your witch hunt won't cut it. so we'll see. the fact that nydn referenced the debunked and partially redacted politico story makes it questionable to me. let's see if the carson campaign can prove the yale class.
It must be tough realizing that your 2016 standard bearers consists of a pathological liar and a egomaniac. Neither one will ever get elected. Look, I'd like to have more choices to vote for but this is just nutz. Your party just can't seem to find a viable candidate and I think its because of their extreme vision of what America should be. If you want the GOP to get back to being truly relevant, then find quality candidates that can appeal to the mainstream instead of the fringe. If you have 11 candidates, you really have none. If the GOP really wants to appeal to people of color, then find candidates that aren't fakes, frauds, bigots or xenophobes. No one is gonna vote for Steppin Fetchit (Carson) or Rochester (Cain). You guys were on the right track with Powell but he wasn't radical enough.
you act like the candidates on the other side are any good. if ben carson is brian williams one of the other candidates will take their turn in the spotlight. the good thing is there is a decent pool to shake down and see what they have. who knows, maybe my preferred candidate will get a shot.
I have no idea who that may be but I do hope he's not the second coming of Mitt. On the left, we have a choice of 2 unlike your choice of 11. Like I said, I'd like a broader choice of politicians but the really good candidates just don't see the upside of running for POTUS. Between the money (thanks to Citizens United) polluting the entire process on down to the pretenders that think they can be president by appealing to a very narrow sampling of the population, we're picking from the cream of the crap, not the crop. So, in 2016 we get to choose our poison and yanno what? We deserve this crop of loser candidates. Why? Because we've forgotten how to compromise. We drift from one extreme to the other. There is no middle ground anymore and that's where the great statesmen used to ply their trade in gov't.
I like Paul's stance on many things, but he's not flashy or arrogant enough to grab the attention of the average voter. I liked his father too, but he was too loyal to his beliefs to catch on with either side.
He gets labeled as an isolationist by a lot of people and that hurts him. I don't think that's an accurate description of his philosophy but for whatever reason he cannot shake that. He doesn’t want to get involved in every conflict but does beleive in protecting our nation and our allies with a mighty military. the war hawks want to fight everything everywhere. It really doesn't make any sense for us to get involved in a lot of these conflicts we get into. Most of the time we just end up making things worse anyway. he's also against the Republican grain on some social issues like criminal justice reform and marijuana. His libertarian roots give him a much better stance here than traditional repubs imo, but it rubs some of the base the wrong way. Maybe with 2 fewer on stage Wednesday he can get more face time to discuss his policies and views.
Yeah I think it is unfair that he's labeled as an isolationist. He's made it clear that going to war should be a congressional decision. I agree the US should not be involved in every conflict, but if we choose to get involved we must go all in. The shit Obama had orchestrated over his tenure is just pathetic. Paul is a little underwhelming when speaking to a national audience, but I feel like that's a matter of comfortability at this point. He's a warrior in the senate. I too hope he gets a little more face time at this next debate. He needs to get a little more comfortable though.
Ron Paul was a certified nutjob with no interest in governing at all. His son is a lot better than that but his big idea is a bad idea and he hasn't figured out how to connect even with his base on everything else.
That's your take, mine is I expect complete honesty from a man (or woman) I will vote to put in office. No embellishment, no bullshit. His creating an alter ego as a young thug to then show how he pulled himself out of that pit is nonsense yet there are people who will now use that as a reason to vote for him. His story of turning down a "scholarship" to West Point is likewise nonsense, yet he hopes people will identify with the pseudoaltruistic reasoning that he turned his back on such an "offer" to become a surgeon. I don't want a man who lives in a fantasyland running the country, that's been going on for way too long already.
But there was no appointment offered or applied for. Some here say Westmoreland wasn't even in the same state when the "scholarship" was offered. Some day maybe we'll have someone in Washington who will defy the stereotypical answer to "How can you tell a politician is lying?" But this ain't the guy.
Sometimes yes; sometimes the lesser of the evils. Why any sane, intelligent, well-meaning person would want that job is beyond me - which is probably why we haven't seen one in decades.
