Posted on 12/22/2014 8:09:24 AM PST by Maelstorm
INDIANAPOLIS — A conservative think tank recently sent Ben Carson, a potential presidential candidate and fierce critic of the federal health care overhaul, a series of messages to post on Twitter during the grilling in the House of Jonathan Gruber, the M.I.T. economist who advised the Obama administration.
Mr. Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, has set off a prairie fire of rank-and-file conservatives urging him to run for the Republican nomination. He liked the think tank’s idea, but he knows that he excites supporters because he is an unscripted outsider. So he wrote his own Twitter posts, including, “Why was it necessary to disrupt entire medical system to take care of the needs of 15% of the people?”
With former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida moving closer to declaring his candidacy, and the Republican establishment determined not to repeat the mistakes of the lengthy nominating fight of 2012, the rise of Mr. Carson suggests the best-laid plans of the party for 2016 may not go as smoothly as desired.
Even as Mr. Bush began to quietly line up donors, and the attention of the news media turned last week to policy disputes over Cuba between two other potential high-profile contenders, Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, Mr. Carson was riding an under-the-radar groundswell.
In Iowa, which holds the first voting for nominees, a local chairman or chairwoman has been recruited in all 99 counties, something no other potential candidate can claim. A national committee to draft Mr. Carson into the race, Run Ben Run, has raised more money than the high-profile outfit urging voters to get “Ready for Hillary.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Carson has some problems but his focus on the Health care law and his outsider status is beginning to give him a Perot like status without the ears and the accent.
Ben Carson group outraises Ready for Hillary by 60% has raised 10 Million http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/draft-ben-carson-group-raises-over-10-million-on-verge-of-announcing/article/2554816
Those damn blacks. Always causing trouble, eh, New York Times?
Unity? From the likes of McConnell? Jeb? etc.?
They are irredeemably stupid. Count on them doing just that.
Unity is overrated.
I'd vote for Steny Hoyer before Bush or Carson.
Running a campaign and fundraising, and becoming a cult of personality are much different than being able to govern a nation.
We already have one "president" with no governmental experience, running a country. We don't need another.
Though I like what I know of Ben Carson, I wouldn't let him wire my house, or want him to pilot the jumbo jet I'm flying.
Cult of personality is fine when your an artist, musician or actor, it's unsuitable for positions requiring substance, knowledge and experience.
Conservatives need unity, though.
The more conservatives who run in the primaries, the greater a chance a GOPe wins the nomination.
That’s how it usually happens.
He is unqualified to be president. He has absolutely zero chance of being president. The only thing outlyers like these guys can do is guarantee a bush nomination which is bad either way, of course bush will give it to the dems, but being a liberal, his presidency would be a disaster.
The GOP e nominee hand picked by whoever it is that bankrolls them,vies with the dems for their voters.
They both write off conservatives, like Romney wrote off the 47%, which he should have. But he writes off conservatives too (missed that one on tape) so he couldn’t afford to write off those who didn’t like his truth telling
Ben Carson and all the others who will get in the way of a conservative viable candidate must not do this.
he will be a great surgeon general please stop.
The GOP e still thinks it can win liberal voters in the general.
If Obama ran a third time he’d win all liberal voters. Bill De Blasio would win all liberal voters.
NOt one liberal would vote for anyone named bush.
THis is insane.
I’m voting for my little dog Coco! She is trained to not crap in her dish or wet on my leg.
You would think that the GOP would be looking for someone like Carson or Cruz. Someone new who can really cast the party in a different bolder light but all they want is power that they can control and that is why they hate Cruz and soon they will release the hate on Carson. While some of Carson’s positions may trouble me (gun control) I am very impressed with his position on Obamacare and his credibility there. He can speak to it in the way no other potential candidate can and even if he doesn’t manage to prove his worth to get the top of the ticket he would be very valuable as a VP. I am in wait and see mode. I like Cruz primarily now but I’ll go with any anti-establishment pick. We need a candidate that understands that the status quo is not enough. Mealy mouthed “Immigration is an act of love” that makes grown men want to puke needs to never get close to the White House.
Not one conservative would either.
GOPe hand wringing bump for later....
Carson is not ready for prime time.
How will he react when asked about guns and confronted with video of himself saying that people in urban areas shouldn’t have assault rifles?
He recently commented that Egypt could take the Palestinians but I doubt Egypt really wants a whole new radicalized trouble making population. Plus, I doubt the Palestinians want to leave. Let alone convincing Muzzies to give up the dome of the rock is a tough sell to say the least.
He would be better off helping raise money for 1 solid conservative candidate who has held elective office.
Just what the country needs, another president who can’t be criticized or impeached because of their skin color.
Romney didn’t “wrote off the 47%”, he, and no one else could ever even define what 47% he was talking about.
It was a stupid blunder, typical of the man.
We are still suffering from the most recent upstart who basically came out of nowhere, ran and won.
==
If Carson shows he can be elected at a state/local level, he might eventually be a ‘viable’ candidate.
Months ago, his supporters were running ads stating that ‘he is the only one who can defeat Hillary.’ How do they know? He has never run for any elective office. Just saying you wanna be prez doesn’t make it happen nor make one a good candidate.
Yeah right, the retiree is going to enter politics as President of the United States.
Let’s not waste time on this nonsense.
Obola may be a token, but he’s the NYT’s token.
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