[ Vanity ] Trump needs Carson to split evangelical votes and block Cruz

[springwater13]

I really hope Trump isn't making a tactical error by kicking Carson when he is down. My view is that Carson is a kook with crazy 7th day adventist theories (grain in the pyramids) as well as terrible democratic positions on key issues (2nd amend, amnesty, TPP Obamatrade). He will implode on his own schedule and doesn't need Trump to help him along. He is in the campaign to sell books and build his brand.

But Carson is very effective as a vote splitter to block Cruz from winning Iowa and gaining traction. There will always be a sizable percentage of the republican party (especially among evangelicals) that will be resistant to Donald Trump because of his personalty, history, religious questions etc.

I think the biggest danger to Trump is not Rubio but Cruz. Cruz can effectively consolidate the evangelicals with the outsider tea party folks and that is a danger to Trump long term.

Trump needs Carson to dilute the evangelical vote so Cruz doesn't get traction. I don't think it is in Trump's interests to have Carson implode right now. Where would pissed off Carson's support go? I think a lot of it goes to Cruz and long term Cruz is much more dangerous to Trump than Carson. If Cruz wins Iowa, Trump has major problems. If Carson wins Iowa, I think he can be marginalized as a kook later on as Iowa being Iowa. Of course, if Trump wins Iowa, katy bar the door. There is no stopping him.

[80skid]

Carson isn’t the right guy for the job.

He’ll be great in the cabinet.

[SunkenCiv]

Carson's view about the pyramids as granaries -- completely baseless -- emerged in 1998, over 15 years before he quit the Democratic Party. The thing is, there are a great many people of color among the Seventh Day Adventists (and a strong drift toward vegetarianism, btw, fwiw), and they will cleave to him (in the Old Testament sense) over the vilification being dogpiled on by the left.

Notice also that Trump's remarks about the West Point/Yale controv are being framed as its main reason, when in FACT the whole thing was cooked up by the Demwit attack machine that runs most of the media in this country. To change the subject on having been called out on some inaccuracies, they'll try to change the subject and blame Trump.

So will Carl-aid drinkers around here.

• Ben Carson: Archaeologists Are Wrong, The Pyramids Were Built To Store Grain
• Ben Carson's unusual theory about pyramids ("It's still my belief, yes.")
• Egypt pyramids for grain not pharoahs: presidential hopeful Carson
• Trump pokes fun at Carson's pyramid theory
• Ben Carson: Egyptians used the pyramids to store grain, not bury the pharaohs
• Aliens, Pyramids, and Granaries? What on Earth Was Ben Carson Thinking?
• Archaeologists To Ben Carson: Ancient Egyptians Wrote Down Why The Pyramids Were Built
• The Meaninglessness Of Ben Carson's Views On Egyptian Pyramids [the money quote]
• Carson on the defensive over claims of past violence, pyramids
• Rand Paul Mocks Carson's Pyramids Theory: I Think It Was Aliens!

[grania]

Stop it with the tactics. Dr. Carson isn’t fit to be President. What’s best for the nation is to get him out of the race.

[UncleRicosFootball]

Go Cruz Go

[RginTN]

My view is that Carson is a kook with crazy 7th day adventist theories (grain in the pyramids)

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Do you consider Christianity kooky? God created the heavens and the earth, Adam and Eve were God’s creations, Jesus healed the sick, rose the dead and was taken into heaven...

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as well as terrible democratic positions on key issues (2nd amend, amnesty, TPP Obamatrade).

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really wanna go there ok here goes the response to that- Trump endorsed the wealth tax, supports Kelo, advocated single payer(still likes it), was pro-abortion and gave money to dems until recently. Last, Trump has said that once illegals go back home the good ones can come back to be legalized...

[springwater13]

There is nothing in Christianity or in the bible about Joseph creating the pyramids to store grain. Sorry that argument doesn’t fly.

If you want to bash Trump’s democrat history, Carson was also a democrat. In fact, Carson only registered as a republican LAST YEAR. Trump has been a republican at varying times (also independent) 0since the 80’s.

Trump is weak on abortion. Yes, but he never worked on aborted fetal tissue in his research like Carson. He also never referred patients to abortion clinics and doctors for consultations like Carson did.

[JRandomFreeper]

Concern trolls will always be concerned.

Welcome to FR.

/johnny

[nathanbedford]

The real issue is why would anyone prefer a renegade Democrat over a committed conservative? The real question is not whether Carson's demise, which you accurately predict, will benefit Cruz but whether Trump's campaign damages Cruz' campaign?

If a conservative has a choice between Trump and Cruz, that is if by fiat at we could decide who will win the nomination and the general election, it is incomprehensible that he would choose Trump.

It is impossible to compare Trump's bona fides as a conservative against Cruz because Trump has none. It is dangerous to assume that Trump with his appalling negatives can win the general election. It is frightening to consider when Trump might do if actually elected.

This is not to do only with trumps inherent narcissism, his boorishness, his biography, his position at flip-flops on issue after issue which are repugnant to conservatives, it has to do with his absence of a political philosophy beyond the world according to Trump and that makes him dangerous if elected and dangerous to the conservative cause if conservators permit conservatism to be associated with his name.

[springwater13]

Honestly, my personal opinion is Trump/Cruz is the winning ticket. They balance each other great. I like Cruz a lot but Trump is my guy.

[RginTN]

You called Carson’s faith kooky. Many consider Christianity kooky. That line of attack won’t help attract Christian voters. Also Trump did not support Kim Davis. Not good. Want to attract Christian voters don’t alienate them by giving in to the Christophobics.

That’s right both Trump and Carson have a Dem History which means they need more time to get their Conservative bonafides. On the job learning it too risky. Support Ted Cruz the consistent Conservertive.

[erlayman]

It reads like the OP called Carson a kook. Neither Christianity or man himself, who has made numerous pioneering advancements that have revolutionized the field of neurosurgery, not to mention being a Emeritus professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are crazy. Throwing derogatory terms around, then you’re just trying to be crude, at best (and to no real meaningful ends.)

[conservativegamer]

I’ve never supported a man that cheats on his wife/mother of his children, and I don’t intend to start now. I said the same thing about Newt. For me personally, Trump doesn’t have the character I look for in a leader. I don’t need perfect, -we’re all sinners- but I have to have some standards.

[kalee]

I’m an independent who supports Cruz. Carson is too naive and inexperienced and Trump is not a conservative.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Do you consider Christianity kooky? God created the heavens and the earth, Adam and Eve were God’s creations, Jesus healed the sick, rose the dead and was taken into heaven...

Okay, first of all, SDA is not a Christian religion. I thought myself well informed about them before, but they, in fact, redefine the Trinity, and teach a form of Tri-Theism. IOW, three gods united in purpose. Second of all, the stupid pyramid stuff is not in the Bible, so don't get Christianity mixed up with Carson's loony stuff.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

If a conservative has a choice between Trump and Cruz

True conservatives must choose Trump. Cruz is not honest about his positions on amnesty. And he screwed us on Fast Track, and there's a good reason to think it wasn't because he was deceived. His wife works for Goldman Sachs and was a member of the CFR. Cruz lied or has a weird definition for "conservative" when he claims she was a "conservative dissident" when working for them. She supported their policies, but just "dissented" in that she thought the Mexican economy should be fixed with business friendly practices.

[fatnotlazy]

I get yelled at by Trump supporters for saying so, but I still think Trump is not in the race for the long haul. His candidacy is a publicity stunt or an ego stroke or something, but it's not all that serious. He and Ted Cruz have been getting together on some things, so I suspect that when Trump does bow out, his supporters will gravitate to Ted Cruz. They don't trust Dr. Carson, they don't want Rubio the amnesty pimp and the rest of the field is too liberal, incompetent or both.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I’ve never supported a man that cheats on his wife/mother of his children, and I don’t intend to start now. I said the same thing about Newt. For me personally, Trump doesn’t have the character I look for in a leader. I don’t need perfect, -we’re all sinners- but I have to have some standards.

Your standards will give you a holly roller with ties to creepy Domionist cults on the one side (Cruz) and the SDA cult on the other (Carson).

Cruz's father is apparently a fake pastor. Never ordained anywhere. Schools do not exist. Does not have a church. Does not have a "translation" company. Cruz sits there and campaigns with him, appealing to the lowest common denominator of kooks on the planet-- the deepest pit of Domionionist/NAR/C. Peter Wagner hell:

http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/carol-morgan/2013-10-23/ted-cruz-tree-apple-and-lot-questions#.Vj8jorerTIV

This writer is a stupid liberal, but read the parts on Cruz and his religious history. I've looked to find that "church" of his, or what church he supposedly leads as a pastor, and it cannot be found. Videos are available on YouTube with the father giving his bizarre theology of "Kings" who must go and conquer the mountains of society to come and give the money over to the "Priests," IOW, the Pastors.

There are no true Christians in the race. There are no "true conservatives" in the race. We have in Trump an imperfect man and a country that needs sane leadership. I'll work with what I got!

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Ah, actually I gave the wrong link. I got it out of my bookmarks from when I was doing research a few days ago. Here is the real link I intended to share:

http://www.alternet.org/comments/belief/some-real-truths-about-sketchy-past-ted-cruzs-father-rafael#disqus_thread

[9YearLurker]

Carson really doesn’t even belong in the cabinet.

He’s a freakish lifelong publicity seeker without the capabilities to be president or the conviction to run other than for personal gain.

I think the worst of the stretches in the personal history he’s woven over decades of selling himself as some kind of hero is the one where he was supposedly proven the most honest student in a class that Yale never offered, documented by a Yale student newspaper that never documented it.

He’s a variation on 2012’s Herman Cain and the sooner he fades away the better.