Now doubts are cast on Carson’s story of sheltering white classmates during Detroit race riots

Daily Mail ^ | 11/7/2015 | Kelly Mclaughlin

[BlackFemaleArmyColonel]

As Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson defends his past descriptions of receiving a scholarship offer for the US Military Academy at West Point, new doubts have been on his past, including a story of how he sheltered white classmates during Detroit race riots. Carson blasted the media on Friday after several reports questioned the validity of his book, Gifted Hands, but the presidential hopeful told the press that they were being unfair and he felt like the victim of a ‘witch hunt’.

Questions about Carson's assertions about his personal history, including his claim that he was a troubled youth beset at times by violent behavior, and his inaccurate pronouncements about historical events have gained attention as he has risen to the top of some national polls.

'I think what it shows, and these kinds of things show, is there is a desperation on behalf of some to try to find a way to tarnish me,' Carson said no Friday night during a news conference outside West Palm Beach. 'Because they have been looking through everything,' he added. 'They have been talking to everyone I have ever known and everybody I have ever seen. There has got to be a scandal.'

He told reporters, 'My job is to call you out when you're unfair, and I'm going to continue to do that.'

The most recent story under question is a harrowing tale he told last month of protecting his white high school classmates the day after Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. Violent race riots hit the neurosurgeon-turned-politician’s predominantly black Southwestern High School in Detroit. Carson, who was a junior lab assistant with a key to the school’s biology lab, sheltered his frightened friends from violence by bringing them into the workroom, he told the Wall Street Journal.

[Twink]

WTH?

I like and support Trump for President. I ain’t restrained.

The one person, the only person, running for President who isn’t a politician, and isn’t afraid to say what he thinks/believes. Yeah, I wonder why he’s popular, lol.

Oh right. Twitter. Those who post on Twitter are representative of the rest of us. Whatever that had to do with anything.

[Marcella]

...but it does seem to me too that Carson has *enhanced* events to make himself look better.”

Carson wrote what happened in his youth and no one has found any evidence that he lied. There was no point to lie about his early anger or that he left some student friends into a lab when King was assonated or that General Westmoreland offered to help him get into West Point. It was Politico that went to West Point to find papers about his trying to get in West Point. They thought he actually tried to get in which was wrong. He did not take up Westmoreland’s offer.

None of that was extraordinary, it just happened. His autobiography was written years ago and it got him nothing for telling about his past - no reason to make anything up. People read that book and there was no question that it was true. It is only now that the media is trying to cast a shadow on him - and they are failing.

He was a brain surgeon who helped people and was head of pediatric neurosurgery - my God, if that isn’t exemplary, I don’t know what is. You say he “enhanced” events to make himself look better - all you need to do is see what he accomplished in medicine - that is the biggest true enhancer anyone could have - how many people have accomplished that and came from a poor family to do it?

I am not voting for him and don’t think he has his campaign organized as he needs it to be but to say he enhanced his early life to make himself look better is ridiculous as his accomplishments as an adult are greater than most people.

[cripplecreek]

Trump supporters are lying liberal scumbags.

[cripplecreek]

The most disgusting part of this whole episode is that after all of the whining and crying about the media from Trump, he and his followers immediately join right in with the media to assault someone else.

Mark Levin said he doesn’t condone any candidate who uses this media attack as a means of furthering their own campaign. He didn’t mention Trump but only Trump has been on twitter flapping his gums about Carson being mentally ill, lying, refusing to prove his past etc.

[Lumper20]

I have a problem with anyone in the military who thinks Clinton was a decent Pres as ordered coed BCT plus lowered standards etc.

[Marcella]

“...after all of the whining and crying about the media from Trump, he and his followers immediately join right in with the media to assault someone else.”

Trump is a petty whiner and he gets his kicks downing other people to try to make himself look bigger, better, smarter, and don’t forget - GREAT! God help us if he is president - he will turn the White House into a Trump house with real gold fixtures in the bathrooms and gold paint everywhere.

[Kid Shelleen]

>> If you want to argue a man like that is a conservative, you need a dictionary. <<

That is not my point. I just think after the CNBC debate debacle this is a perfect opportunity to attack the double standards the MSM applies to different candidates. Just like Trump exposed the GOPe frauds, Dr Carson can expose the corrupt media.
When the media and starts cherry picking through Ted Cruz's bio and record you just might have wished conservatives hit back harder at the media.

[CatherineofAragon]

Thank you.

[CatherineofAragon]

Well, hi there, stalker.

Twink, I’ll make this single response to you to tell you that I’m not going to participate in your grudge game. Got it?

Now you can respond to this post with three or four or five more, as you often do, but you’ll have to disrupt the thread on your own.

[cripplecreek]

They always try to convince others to go along and vote for their liberal so they don’t have to bear the burden of guilt alone.

Sounds like some are reaching the point of simply saying “Screw conservatives” and pandering to liberals instead.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3357649/posts

Its funny, a few months ago 99% of FReepers would have told you that Romney’s big mistake was in pandering to liberals and here they are calling for Rump to do the same.

[CatherineofAragon]

Wow, that thread has no shortage of posts that approve of liberal pandering.

Romney won the independent vote but what did that get him? If the conservative base doesn’t turn out to vote, it’s just another loss.

[cripplecreek]

Ted Cruz is correct. 54 million evangelicals stayed home last time and the GOP won’t win without them.

[Norm Lenhart]

It’s pretty meaningless for us to wish anything with the media. They will undoubtedly do anything within their power to destroy anyone that is not their choice.

I am all for attacking the media at any and all opportunity. What I am not for is sticking our necks out for a guy that has problems far beyond a media attack. Thinking like that is how we ended up with Romney.

Instead of slitting our own throats on yet another amnesty supporting gun grabber, why not simply put or efforts into supporting someone that actually follows the constitution and let one liberal destroy the other. Because lets face it. Every second we waste on Carson is one not applied to assisting someone better suited to the job.

The media is what it is. It’s going to attack. Thats what it does. and it is as biased as a thing could be. But unless the other candidates want to unite in a media blackout, it is a total waste and counterproductive to turn this into central strategy. And they simply will not, in the middle of an election they are trying to win, unite to fight a media war.

When one of them that IS worth electing wins, THEN unleash hell from a position of power and shut them down through all means available.

[Yaelle]

But, but, after Sellllllllma, Obama’s in love mommy and daddy decided to make the world an interracial rainbow of harmony and conceive their glorious son.

Oh, whoops, no, the media’s extensive fact checking reported EVERYWHERE that Obama was several years old at the time, and his sperm donor had screwed a 17 year old girl in his college class and got her knocked up, even though he was married with two children. And the pair never married or lived together. The media DID thoroughly debunk Obama’s claim, right??

[CatherineofAragon]

"Ted Cruz is correct. 54 million evangelicals stayed home last time and the GOP won’t win without them."

Yep, it's the truth. Meanwhile he's out working the grassroots, explaining why conservatism is truly the tide that lifts all boats. The conservative-leaning folks in small towns who are generally ignored by the other campaigns take note and appreciate his efforts, and he even manages to pick up a few of the others---"Reagan Democrat" types---who respond to his common sense message.

[NKP_Vet]

He’s a strange cat, that’s for sure. How about his insistence in 2004 that his own cancer was cured by tree bark he bought through a pyramid scheme.

[cripplecreek]

(Dec 2011) Rush Goes On the Record with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren

Here's the big problem, Greta, for the Republicans. And I am a lone wolf on this. The rule of thumb in elections, both parties, 40 percent are going to vote Democrat automatically, whatever you do, 40 percent are going to vote Republican, automatic, no matter what you do. And in the middle, who do we have? The precious, God love them, independents and the moderates. And they are the targets. They are the focus of every election. And our brilliant campaign consultants tell our candidates they are the ones that know how to go get a majority of those independents. And we have, as Republicans, put ourselves in prison to this whole silly notion that you only win elections by moving to the center and getting great independents. Fine and dandy, but if you squander your base in the process, you haven't a prayer.

During that primary race Limbaugh also noted that Ssantorum won nearly 60 of Michigan's 83 counties while Romney only concerned himself with the heavily populated moderate to liberal areas. He concerned himself with pure numbers and didn't really worry about whether the base liked him because he relied on fear of the democrats to bring the base on board for the general election.

Trump shows even greater lack of respect for the flyover conservative base. Even Romney was smart enough to know better than suggest people were brain damaged from eating too much corn if they didn't support him.

[CatherineofAragon]

"During that primary race Limbaugh also noted that Ssantorum won nearly 60 of Michigan's 83 counties while Romney only concerned himself with the heavily populated moderate to liberal areas. He concerned himself with pure numbers and didn't really worry about whether the base liked him because he relied on fear of the democrats to bring the base on board for the general election."

"Trump shows even greater lack of respect for the flyover conservative base. Even Romney was smart enough to know better than suggest people were brain damaged from eating too much corn if they didn't support him."

I forgot about that moment of brilliance.

Even Ann Coulter, who has since gone off the rails with Cruz birtherism, recognized that the conservative base MUST turn out to win elections.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Well if you concede that FR is a conservative site then I would say the level of Trump support on FR is a significant portion of conservatives. Especially true since such a small minority of Freepers are anti Trump. Flyover country looks pretty happy if you watch the 20,000 plus Trump rallies. :-)

[CatherineofAragon]

I see conservative principles advocated by Trump supporters every day.

For example: universal healthcare, dismissal of abortion as no big deal, fondness for Bill Clinton and approval of his presidency, desire for Trump to disregard the Constitution and “reign” by executive order...

Oh, yeah. “Severely” conservative principles.