The fury of Ben Carson (campaign vows to make Cruz pay)

Politico ^

[springwater13]

The candidate and his flailing campaign look consumed with one thing: Making Ted Cruz pay for 'dirty tricks' in Iowa.

Five days from the New Hampshire primary, Ben Carson has yet to set foot in this state since his fourth-place finish in Iowa. His detour to Florida for a fresh set of clothes has become a running joke online. The candidate is, by all indications, consumed by what he calls the "dirty tricks" of Ted Cruz’s campaign.

"Dr. Carson feels absolutely robbed, violated," said Armstrong Williams, a Carson confidant, in a phone interview. "He realizes, the Democrats are not his enemies trying to malign him. It's people who smile in his face, shake his hand, go out to dinner with him - and yet, they’re trying to destroy him behind his back."

[Mollypitcher1]

Yeah, unhuh. Just like the woman walking down the street, grabbed and raped. It’s her fault because she was walking down the street! SICK OF BLAME THE VICTIM!

[Springfield Reformer]

People lose their jobs over lesser indiscretions. Carson bailing in the middle of crunch time while his team is collapsing sends a fair signal he’s making the smart decision to get out of a race he cannot win. If he is so out of tune with the expectations put on any candidate, so ill-prepared to manage an adverse rumor precipitated by his own actions, I fail to see how this person is really ready to be President.

And another thought. Supposedly he denied the rumor partway through this mess. Fine, Ben, what are we to think? You’re bailing on the campaign for “cloths” (riiight) whilst your campaign machinery is disappearing from under your feet. Do we believe your denial? Has a politician ever denied something that was in fact true? Will those Carson votes really be wasted? Yes they will. They were better spent on Cruz, though others here question if any votes actually changed at all, and that’s a fair question. But if they had, better they go to Cruz than Trump. No value going to Carson.

Peace,

SR

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

This makes me lose respect for Ben Carson and Armstrong Williams. They are unwilling to admit their own team error in releasing such questionable news at that time. They are even more guilty than CNN is for this. Hello? It is a political campaign with lots of candidates. Of course that news release will cause people to question whether he is serious and whether he is dropping out. Of course voters want their vote to count.

Cruz needs to take the high road and only briefly point out the Carson team mistake, then move on to the policy differences between himself and Carson. Also throw in the fact that CNN, Rubio, Paul and probably others were doing the same thing. That’s what campaigns do during a caucus. They have to disseminate relevant news fast.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Bunk. Bunk bunk bunk. You are just shamefully using this to trump up your maniac candidate.

[HereInTheHeartland]

He still isn't in New Hampshire????!!!
So Cruz has been proven right it looks like.
Carson basically has dropped out if he is still in Florida

[matthew fuller]

" Seventh Day Adventists are second only to Scientologists when it comes to seeking retribution."

I knew that, but I had forgotten about it. Those two religions, as well as the islam form of government, are all unacceptable to me as presidential candidates that I can support. I did support Romney for President, but now that I think about it, I don't believe that I will ever support a Mormon again.

[Kenny]

It doesn’t matter what Dr. Carson was thinking, if he was close to getting out or not. He made it clear before Cruz sent out his msgs that he was NOT dropping out and was in the race. He had events scheduled for NH & SC.

But even if he didn’t, even if it totally looked like he might drop, that’s not a green light for someone to take it on themselves to tell voters in actives caucuses that Carson dropped. If Cruz hadn’t seen his life flash before him with the entrance polls, maybe he would have confirmed.

What Ted did was to grab the only life preserver out there, Carson’s votes. He deliberately knocked Carson out of the running to take the votes.

Stop trying to defend it, it’s indefensible.

[inpajamas]

Maybe Carson has a dilemma. He was going wind down and out — he is cutting 50% of his staff — but now he can’t.

[inpajamas]

Prove Carson lost one vote or stop.

[Techjock]

Pure nonsense. Cruz’s GOTV is what beat Trump and Carson in Iowa. Whether the emails and voicemails you speak of contained guenuine information or not, Cruz Campaign’s ability to communicate with them was due to the effort and investment that was made on the ground game. Trump lost because he believed the polls and tried to get by on the cheap. Carson lost because his Iowa polling had completely collapsed. Emails and voicemails had nothing to do with either’s failure to win.

The more Trump and his supporters complain, the tougher Bernie Sanders looks to the American public. There is rich irony in that the very supporters that gravitated to Trump because of his tough guy attitude are actively undermining that image by repeating the excuse making and whining that Trump is displaying on the stump this week. You may have actually aided in fatally damaging Trump’s tough guy image in this campaign. But please keep making excuses for him.

[Springfield Reformer]

Ridiculous. I’ve been following politics for about half a century. This is child’s play. Cruz asking for votes because another candidate is sending mixed signals is well within the range of civilized campaigning. If anything, to me it demonstrated who was better equipped to take quick advantage of an opponent’s show of weakness. Cruz takes on Putin, he beats him. Trump or Carson take on Putin, they whine all the way to Siberia that they should have won and can’t we have a recount. In the world in which we live, I want my family under the protection of national administrations that will be run by sharpies like Cruz, not sore losers. Seriously. We have real futures at stake here. I cannot believe the childishness of those two complainers.

Peace,

SR

[matthew fuller]

DB has a valid point- you don’t. Why exactly would the Carson people say anything like that to CNN?

[Kenny]

Cruz didn’t “ask” for votes. He told voters, already in caucus with not opportunity to verify, that their candidate was no longer an option therefore vote for him.

It was wrong, he knows it’s wrong, apologized but too little too late. It’s not normal politics, it’s not ok. What would you people have thought if someone interpreted a Cruz comment as he was dropping out and pulled this crap.

I know it’s hard to accept when you’ve backed a liar and cheater but it is what it is.

[windsorknot]

Prove Carson lost one vote

It shouldn't be that hard to find the vote-switching Carson supporters if they're out there, especially if there were a significant number of them.

[tumblindice]

“Yeah! Carson said he was pitted and was going to get some freshly laundered clothes. I took that to mean, hey— he admitted he was all washed up.”
Eddie “Widowspeak” Cruz

[inpajamas]

Right. Trump has enough money to find as many as he wants. ;)

[SierraWasp]

Oh come on Ben... Man up! Politics ain’t bean bag!!!

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

How candidates respond to criticism and crisis, and how well they can control their emotions, is something worthwhile to know. For voters who are concerned that the nominee is able to unite as many in the party as possible for the general election, the ability to play nicely with others is important.

This isn't the general election, where winning on a single Tuesday night is ultimately the only thing that matters. How you win actually matters as well, and being able to win without permanently alienating others is important.

More than one candidate is failing that test right now.

[Springfield Reformer]

I know it’s hard to accept that Cruz won Iowa fair and square. But accusations against his character are pure Alinsky. His people made a rational interpretation of Carson’s actions. It is even reasonable under those circumstances to question Carson’s denial and ask for his votes anyway. The only way you get a smoking gun to prove a lie is if you can show the people who relayed the message knew it was false at the time they sent it. When the denial came later, they were free to believe or disbelieve it. At best, all you can show is an error in judgment. I don’t think it was even that. But why are people here so ready to throw a good, honest conservative under the bus for someone like Trump? It really makes no sense to me.

Peace,

SR

[DJ MacWoW]

Cruz didn’t “ask” for votes. He told voters, already in caucus with not opportunity to verify, that their candidate was no longer an option therefore vote for him.

The first tweet came from a Rubio supporter at 6:29pm that wasn't even IN Iowa. The man then deleted it but not before others saved it.

6:56 First Cruz Email. Please show me where it states Carson is dropping out.

Carson isn't even holding rallies or really campaigning.

Ben Carson's campaign had a bus driving around for most of 2015 and I thought it was brilliant and clever. They got it all painted up and drove all over the place so people would think Carson was here when he wasn't. They weren't lying to people. The campaign was trying to the best it could with a candidate who wouldn't campaign. You had to get his face out there somehow so they drove around this moving billboard all over the state. That's clever. That's using your resources to maximum advantage. And that's the exact same thing the Ted Cruz campaign did with this caucus story.

The fake Ben Carson controversy should end here and now