Posted on 10/10/2015 6:26:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
For the fourth time this week, Ben Carson finds himself embroiled in controversy. This time, he’s in trouble with the Left for declaring that, “the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed.” Before that, he caught flack for saying that people should rush mass shooters, that the loss of constitutional liberties is “more devastating” than a body with bullet wounds, and that not “every lifestyle is exactly of the same value.”
The list could go on — Carson has been touching off such online tempests for months.
Each time, the pattern is the same: Carson expresses his opinion — typically grounded in common sense and widely shared by the American people — the media declares that some people are “offended,” and he doubles down, restating his position again and again in the same calm, even tone.
Here he is, for example, addressing his comments about the Oregon shooting:
The media and the Left loudly proclaim that his remarks are “offensive” so as to avoid addressing his points. Does anyone really think that it would have been just as easy to oppress Jews in Germany and elsewhere if they’d been heavily armed? After years of watching mass shooters gun down innocent victims sheltering in place, do people really think it would be worse to rush the gunmen? Is anyone arguing that children from intact, mother-father households don’t do substantially better than those from broken homes?
#share#Carson’s response to the howls of the PC left is the right one: We’ll call it “apathetic conviction.” He’s not outraged by the outrage; he simply doesn’t care. The outrage bores him. And no response is better calculated to rob critics of their power than boredom. You’re offended by my comments? I’m trending on Twitter? Wake me when the shame-storm is over, and then let’s debate my arguments on their substance.
This is what sets him apart from Donald Trump. While Trump claims to disdain political correctness, he often tries to deploy it as a weapon against his opponents, demanding apologies and terminations when he feels offended:
People have been forced to resign positions for far less than @JonahNRO’s “tweeting like a 14 year old girl” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2015
This isn’t escaping political correctness; it’s reinforcing outrage culture with more outrage. Both Carson and Trump are connecting with voters who are tired of cautious politicians, of “leaders” who head for the hills in the face of controversy. But Carson’s way is the better way, the way best calculated to not only drain the outrage merchants of their power but also to change hearts and minds. No wonder he has the highest favorability rating in the GOP field, and remains the only Republican candidate to consistently outpoll Hillary Clinton.
The Carson approach is replicable. Few people have the temperament or desire to follow the Trump model of answering shouts with more shouts. We can, however, ignore the outrage and articulate our convictions.
If a social-justice warrior screams on Twitter, and no one is there to hear him, does he make a sound?
— David French is an attorney and a staff writer at National Review.
Carson AND Trump are fighting brain-dead PC...
Hollywood made a major motion picture staring Daniel Craig about armed Jews and they’re doing their best to forget about it already.
Look how the media is handling Professor Anthea Butler’s pronouncement that Dr. Carson “should get the ‘coon of the year’ award......” albeit she has made dumb/politically correct remarks in the past....it is my fear that Negro’s like Butler, a racist herself, would keep a Carson presidency down...although Carson says her remark is too stupid to warrant an answer or words to that affect. Obama’s presidency has ripped open America’s near color blindness with his own racist ideology to the point long gone slavery is in the forefront for many Negro’s now...the idiocy of reparations being talked about.....
“National Spew”...
I don’t give a flip what anyone at NRO thinks
Now we are posting on Style points????
Wow
just wow
Goldberg doesn’t have that job...Rich Lowry does. That of course is probably worse....
I think both have handled it well....you have to be yourself....Trump is being Trump and Carson is being Carson.....
You could give them reparations of $1,000,000 each and in 6 months they’d be broke again. They’d be poor, and the rich would be richer. It’s easy to separate people from money if they’ve never had it before.
Then the complaints start again.
Why is it "offensive" for Ben Carson to voice his reasoned viewpoint on these issues or incidents? The answer is that it is NOT "offensive". It just is different than what the liberal Left and media want the narrative to be and they use this term "offensive" as easily as they use the term "racist" to put people down and shut them up.
While I haven't decided yet who my primary candidate will be when I vote next spring, Dr. Carson is way up there on my scale of an intelligent, thinking leader. I am so glad that he and a few other Republican candidates aren't falling for this apologizing ordeal every time the Leftist media and the liberals deem their opinions and ideas "offensive". He sticks to his guns and I like that. It means he is principled.
An example of the exact opposite of this is Martin O'Malley, that obscure democRAT candidate, who practically broke his leg getting down on bended knee to apologize and beg forgiveness for the unforgivable sin of saying, "All Lives Matter", when the "Black Lives Matter" creeps attacked him. That kind of apologist behavior and constantly claiming you're "Sorry" for things you say, is the sign, not of a leader but of a gutless wonder.
The way I see it, Dr Carsons appeal is to reasonable people who will respond to his rational persuasions.
Here on one side abandoning teamwork of any type. Each individual opinionated and assured of their own individual ‘rightness’. Then splintering into balkanized shards because nobody can tolerate the others position. Like herding cats they’re all going in their own direction.
And on the other side we are dealing here with people who have pushed into office a soft communist in the 70’s, a serial rapist in the 90’s and a notorious, if inexperienced, Marxist community activist in the new millennium. These are people who cant get enough of it and are promoting a known and active communist as their nominee. And they march in a disciplined coordinated jack booted lock step. Thumping down the road with their right arm saluted out over the next shoulder and their heads turned to the left. Such people are not moved by the good Doctors sharpened but sedate offerings.
Now I like Dr Carson. He’s the smartest man in the room and I admire the way he defends his positions and statements. But these are not reasonable people. Donald Trump is the kind of Sledge hammer these people require. The Fine Scalpel of a brain surgeon may not hold these people together.
Just my opinion...
NR not listening very carefully to Carson. He very clearly spoke against the media in his speech to the National Press Club. In fact, he lectured them about their duty to the American people. When the cameras panned the audience at the end during the applause, many were not applauding and sitting stonily.
He said he was speaking out to increase awareness of the American people as to what is happening.
Carson is not a passive critic of the media.
When the conspiracy led by Lyndon Johnson and J Edgar Hoover killed President Kennedy and completely confused the presstitutes and the public, the "insiders" learned they can tell the public just about any lie and get away with it.
Americans weren't born fools, instead, they have been trained to listen to the presstitues. The presstitutes get their stories from the gubermint goons. The presstitutes and the public don't know the truth from fiction, they don't even have a remote clue.
Has he any idea of the casualties involved in house to house combat all the way to Tokyo?
and his book dedication is:
Dedicated to the millions of Americans who fought, sacrificed,and died to provide freedom and prosperity for us and our progeny.
Hey Doc Carson...that DOESN'T include opening our borders and giving illegals a free ride.
I stopped reading his book right then and there....didn't get past the dedication page.
I have to say that Carson is growing on me.
I’m sorry GOPe but this divide and conquer strategy you used against Conservatives in 2008 and 2012 is not going to work again. Both Trump and Carson are far superior to your GOPe candidates. We all know who the real enemies are. We not going to waste our time in stupid “who is better” fights until all the GOPe canidates are gone
I’m sorry GOPe but this divide and conquer strategy you used against Conservatives in 2008 and 2012 is not going to work again. Both Trump and Carson are far superior to your GOPe candidates. We all know who the real enemies are. We not going to waste our time in stupid “who is better” fights until all the GOPe canidates are gone
Agreed. Let Trump be Trump, Carson be Carson and Cruz be Cruz. WE will have pleanty of time to hash this out once all the GOPe canidates are out of the race. Conservatives need to stay on target. Not get suckered again like we did in 2008 and 2012 into an inter-mural blood bath.
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