Carson Campaign falling apart

[Bravus]

I'd predicted it would happen after the first couple of primaries, but it seems to be starting even sooner. Depending on which poll you read, Carson has dropped from second to fourth or so among the Republican contenders, some distance behind the front-runners. Now this: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/12/31/top-ben-carson-aides-quit-amid-campaign-turmoil/?_r=1

 

[Bravus]

Red line on the graph at this page is pretty dramatic in terms of trend: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html

[phkrause]

The problem is, he's not cutout for politics! He needs to do more trash talking, not to be so nice and soft spoken. He should've taken a look at what happen to Colin Powel, or at least spoken to him. Unfortunately he says things and than has to take his foot out of his mouth.

[Jack Chaffin Jr]

He was right up there until the issue became terrorism.  No one will be nominated today who proposes "dialogue first", because people are sick of more words while jihadis are entering the country unhindered.  He was also attacked about his speculation about the pyramids.  Ben is a smart guy, but the media is not on his side.  Obama could get away with "57 states" because the media had his back, while Ben has no such protection.

[joeb]

On 1/8/2016 at 9:13 AM, Jack Chaffin Jr said:

He was right up there until the issue became terrorism.  No one will be nominated today who proposes "dialogue first", because people are sick of more words while jihadis are entering the country unhindered.  He was also attacked about his speculation about the pyramids.  Ben is a smart guy, but the media is not on his side.  Obama could get away with "57 states" because the media had his back, while Ben has no such protection.

It's far worse than "the media is not on his side".  The media has actively smeared Ben Carson for months.  They attacked his credibility constantly.  Every time they were proven to be lying about him, they just moved on to the next lie without saying, Oops, we were wrong.  As Ben's credibility was his major attribute they attacked it constantly until their propoganda finally worked.  It just proves the old saying that if you tell the same lie often enough people will begin to believe it. 

It's the political left's favorite tactic: the politics of personal destruction.  They've used it against every non-Democrat candidate for the last several elections and especially against conservative black candidates and political appointees such as Clarence Thomas.  They can't go wrong when the appeal to the racism in their own party.

[CoAspen]

Candidates are responsible for their own credibility, stick your foot is your mouth, you will get called on it. All of the candidates have problems with facts and truth stretching. Its not about telling 'truth' but what they believe their audience wants to hear. BC is failing because he doesn't fully understand how to play the game. It is not the medias fault, but candidates always find them easy to blame. You want a leader that is always blaming someone else for their political campaign problems, then go for it!!

[bonnie]

Why not.Obama has always blamed Bush. Worked for him

[LifeHiscost]

Does anyone believe this?

…20Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. 21"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. 22"It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.…Daniel 2

God is Love!~Jesus saves!       

[CoAspen]

What does this have to do w/Carson campaign???

[JoeMo]

I really like and respect Ben Carson.  He is a deeply spiritual, god-fearing, and balanced individual.  But I question whether or not he's presidential material because of his lack of political experience and connections.  He is just too nice of a guy.  I just don't know if he's willing (or capable) of playing as dirty as some of his fellow candidates.

[joeb]

1 hour ago, JoeMo said:

I really like and respect Ben Carson.  He is a deeply spiritual, god-fearing, and balanced individual.  But I question whether or not he's presidential material because of his lack of political experience and connections.  He is just too nice of a guy.  I just don't know if he's willing (or capable) of playing as dirty as some of his fellow candidates.

Hey JoeMo,

What does playing dirty have to do with being an effective President?  The reason our country is in so much trouble right now is because we have a bunch of lying, characterless, politicians who love to play dirty games in charge of things.  We need change based upon honesty, truth, and a return to our government being run according to our Constitution.  Read some books on this and you will be amazed at how far removed we are from Consitituional governing.  Did you know that even our interstate highway system is unconstituional because it was created by the federal government?  James Madison had a bill sent before him by the Congress of his day to create a highway system funded by the federal government and he vetoed the bill because he said there is no power granted to the federal government to do any such thing.  Remember, according to our Consititution any power not explicitly granted to the federal government is denied it.  This also means all federal welfare/entitilement programs are unconstituional as well.  James Madison said the same thing about those types of programs at the federal level as he said about a federal highway system.

You can find the quotes from Madison, and other Presidents, on things like this in Walter E. Williams book titled American Contempt for Liberty.  Thomas Sowell, in a couple of his books, also documents how far we have moved away from Consitutional government.  Since the Woodrow Wilson administration until now our Consititution has been almost completely destroyed.  As the Consitution is our only guarantee of liberty, real liberty doesn't really exist in the US anymore. 

[CoAspen]

The above remarks are slanted and incomplete.

n 1816, President James Madison proposed federal funding for a system of internal

improvements (including roads) in the states, asking that the Constitution be amended to let the

federal government finance and construct the projects. A bill to finance internal improvements

with funds from a bonus payment from the Bank of the United States passed Congress in 1817.

President Madison vetoed the legislation on the last day of his term (March 3, 1817) because the

constitution had not been amended.

5

Over the years after its construction, Cumberland Road deteriorated badly from heavy traffic and

a lack of funds for maintenance. Because of the road’s deterioration, Congress passed legislation

in 1822, which authorized the federal government to collect tolls that would be used for

maintenance. President James Monroe vetoed the legislation and stated in his veto message that

the collection of tolls implied a power of sovereignty that was not granted to the federal

government by the Constitution.

6

Congress provided funding for repairs to the road.

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42140.pdf

 

But, lets never let the facts get in the way of our 'pet' complaints about government.

[CoAspen]

[JoeMo]

15 hours ago, joeb said:

Hey JoeMo,

What does playing dirty have to do with being an effective President?  The reason our country is in so much trouble right now is because we have a bunch of lying, characterless, politicians who love to play dirty games in charge of things.  We need change based upon honesty, truth, and a return to our government being run according to our Constitution.  Read some books on this and you will be amazed at how far removed we are from Consitituional governing.  Did you know that even our interstate highway system is unconstituional because it was created by the federal government? 

As the Consitution is our only guarantee of liberty, real liberty doesn't really exist in the US anymore. 

The only practical way to have the idealistic form of honest constitution-abiding government about which you are fantasizing is to fire them all and start over. (Wait - that's not practical!)  Our current form of government exists to feed itself and not the people; and "we the people" don't have the intestinal fortitude or sacrificial spirit to go through the national pain it would take to correct course.  Let's say "Gentle" Ben gets elected.  Where are his Washington contacts?  Do you really think a gentleman like him could control a totally polarized and paralyzed House and Senate?  Nobody owes him anything.  On the other hand, he owes nobody anything, either; which could be a positive.

Revelation talks about an unholy trinity (three unclean frogs). I believe this unholy trinity is a marriage of politics, economics, and religion which all come together to form the beast power out of which will come the AntiChrist.  I also see this trinity "coming together" all over the world right now.  The Chinese market takes a dump and the DJIA hemorrhages.  The top governments of the world get together and decide that global warming is a more existential and imminent threat that jihadi Islam.  Hillary's email and Miley Cyrus' latest naked escapade eclipse the civil wars in Syria and Yemen in the media.  ISIS is already here in the U.S.; and our president's biggest concern is taking guns away from law-abiding citizens - which only makes us less able to defend ourselves.  Do you REALLY think that the world can get back on a level playing field without divine intervention?  Do you really think that an honest, caring man like Ben Carson can change that?  I don't.  For that matter, I don't think any of the current candidates will be able to fix things.

It would indeed be great if we had a bunch of honest politicians full of integrity and selfless concern for the American people rather than self-enrichment.  But the fact is that we don't.  We have a coin operated government where the golden rule reigns - he who has the gold gets his way.  God's word says that this system will crumble into rust; which tells me that until Christ comes, we will not have the idealistic government of which joeb (and I for that matter) dream about.

[CoAspen]

You have some interesting points of view...but....

Quote

....our president's biggest concern is taking guns away from law-abiding citizens - which only makes us less able to defend ourselves. 

Really? You think that is his biggest concern? Lets be honest and not  use NRA rhetoric. Everyone is law-abiding until they break the law. Having laws enforced that do back ground checks makes sense or people will want to know AND complain about mass shootings where unstable people have obtained weapons. You obey the law, you can buy and sell the 'guns' people are so dearly in love with. Gun violence is on the rise and more people own guns. Defense? Really? That phrase is so out of date and moldy I wonder why it is still used. Ho, I know!! To instill fear!!

We had a President once who was a self avowed Christian and tried to live and rule by those values....remember him? Roundly trashed...oh thats right...he wasn't a republican Christian!!

Politics! Things could change, if people get involved and stop voting party lines, think for themselves, stop listening to stump talk, half truth political commercials, etc,etc. We the people are the reason for what happens, we put them in office, over and over. 

People like to quote from history about this pres or that pres, forgetting that at no time have we had a public that agreed or saw him as 'the one. It is only in death that they obtain greatness. This is a huge country of states with diverse ways of life and thinking. That is a hard task to keep all under control, let alone being a leader in the world and considered the top dog. How long have we been around, pretty good job  has been accomplished, I would say, even with all the faults and warts.

Half full or half empty. I agree with Obama's words....when they tell you how terrible everything is, don't believe them(they lie).

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

my observation from reading the LA Times & Seattle Times (both very liberal newspapers), and generally watching CNN and ABC News (never Fox), is that our POTUS comes across as being more concerned about gun control than he is about terrorism or protecting Americans.  Granted, there's always politics "behind the scenes" that very few see, but it certainly seems that Obama seldom speaks out publicly unless it's about gun control.

It's been interesting to me lately, that in the current "occupation" of Oregon's Malheur Wildlife Refuge by armed protesters, that in my online comments, conservatives have labelled me as a Democratic "libtard".... which is funny because I'm a Republican moderate.  It's just that I happen to be someone who doesn't vote party lines — I vote after considering the words and actions of candidates.  And I calls them as I sees them..

**back to topic**

[CoAspen]

We all have our perceptions and understanding that in the media what will get the most views/read is what people remember, so I would agree with you. But the reality is that just watching the evening news for the last 7 years, it ain't true. Whenever there is gun violence yes one hears a lot more about gun control. If the pres wasn't speaking out he would be criticized for it. Gun violence is a very real problem and needs to be addressed. Since I live in CO and have seen 3 school shootings and others, maybe I am just a little more weary of the NRA rhetoric than others....well Sandy Hook people probably have it on their minds more.

...I will shut up and get off my soap box....nothing new to say...back to topic of BC!!!!

[JoeMo]

Just to get this back on topic...

With The Donald off of the stage for tonight, I hope they give Dr. Carson a fair chance to speak his peace (or is it piece?)

[Bravus]

"my observation from reading the LA Times & Seattle Times (both very liberal newspapers), and generally watching CNN and ABC News (never Fox), is that our POTUS comes across as being more concerned about gun control than he is about terrorism or protecting Americans."

Which is entirely, 100%, the rational concern to have. The chance of being killed by a random American with a gun is literally hundreds of times as great as the chance of being killed by a terrorist. If you want to protect Americans (from actual death and injury, rather than from irrational fear), gun control is absolutely the place to put your energy.

[GayatfootofCross]

4 hours ago, David 'Bravus' Geelan said:

"my observation from reading the LA Times & Seattle Times (both very liberal newspapers), and generally watching CNN and ABC News (never Fox), is that our POTUS comes across as being more concerned about gun control than he is about terrorism or protecting Americans."

Which is entirely, 100%, the rational concern to have. The chance of being killed by a random American with a gun is literally hundreds of times as great as the chance of being killed by a terrorist. If you want to protect Americans (from actual death and injury, rather than from irrational fear), gun control is absolutely the place to put your energy.

..and let's add the high probability  that POTUS is being briefed everyday on covert operations and intelligence here and abroad on ISIS/radical muslems etc without  talking about it all the time.!

[JoeMo]

My concern is that the POTUS is in denial of (or is OK with) radical terrorists already being here; and spins acts of radical Islamic terror into gun violence.  Take Ft. Hood for instance; or San Bernardino.  Yeah, more people are killed by criminal gun violence that by terrorists - right now.  But more people are killed by cars, nicotine, and alcohol than are killed by guns.

Anyhow, this topic is about Ben Carson - not guns.  I was seriously disappointed last night at how the Fox News panel appeared to ignore Dr. Carson in last night's debate.  Or was it that Dr. Carson is just not as rude or assertive as the other candidates, as demonstrated by his reluctance to interrupt them like they were doing to one another.  At any rate, I fear that Dr. Carson's days as a viable candidate are numbered.

[Bravus]

I'll agree with you on that. Though possibly not for a reason you'll like.

A comedian friend summed it up perfectly: The GOP debates are supervillain contests. The way to win is to demonstrate more evil - I'll bomb more people, start more wars, drop wages and conditions further, and so on - and also to be ruder, more arrogant and more aggressive than anyone else.

Dr Carson has some pretty evil policy positions, but he's just too civil in discussion to win a supervillain contest.

Trump, on the other hand, is so good at supervillaining he doesn't even need to show up to win!

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

both the Republican and Democrat debates are full of the candidates giving their constituents what they think they want to hear, regardless of whether or not it's sound policy, logical, or truthful.  Politicians of both parties are windbags and they all have a personal agenda.  Voting is always a matter of trying to choose the lesser of two evils.

I'd like to hear each candidate state why he or she wants to be President.... not why they *think* they'd be good at it; rather, why they *want* to have that job.

[LifeHiscost]

I'll never  be able to understand why, other than lust for power, anyone would want to be president. Most individuals have a difficult enough time pleasing their spouse, let alone 2,000,000 people.

God is Love!~Jesus saves! 

[GayatfootofCross]

and now this?

http://deadstate.org/fbi-joins-investigation-of-flints-water-crisis-making-it-officially-a-criminal-probe/

Ben Carson: People who advocate for separation of church and state have ‘schizophrenia’

By James Forsythe

Posted on February 3, 2016

Appearing before an assembly of his constituents, Carson declared that since God is in the Deceleration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and on U.S. coinage, there is in fact no actual separation between God and politics.

 

 

Right before finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses, Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson issued a final plea to voters, saying they should beware of people who advocate the Constitution’s separation of church and state clause because they suffer from a certain type of “schizophrenia,” causing them to have “seizures” every time they lay eyes on a cross.

Appearing before an assembly of his constituents, Carson declared that since God is in the Deceleration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance (est. 1954), and on U.S. coinage, there is in fact no actual separation between God and politics:

 

We Americans must be proud of who we are. We cannot give away our values and principles for the sake of political correctness. And, you know, there are those —there are those who go around proclaiming “Separation of church and state! You can’t put anything up that has anything to do with God, certainly nothing to do with Jesus Christ,” and, you know, “I’ll have a seizure if I see a cross,” and all this kind of [censored], you know…

The fact of the matter is: Do they realize that our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, says we have certain inalienable rights given to us by our Creator, a.k.a. God? That the Pledge of Allegiance says we’re one nation “under God”? Most courtrooms, on the wall, it says “In God We Trust.” Every coin in our pocket, every bill in our wallet, says “In God We Trust.” If it’s in our founding documents, it’s in our Pledge, in our courts, and it’s on our money, but we’re not supposed to talk about it, what in the world is that? In medicine, we call it “schizophrenia.” And doesn’t that explain a lot of what’s going on in our nation?

According to Hemant Mehta of Patheos, “Carson’s wrong so many times in that little speech. We’re not having seizures if we see a cross. We just want the government remaining neutral on matters of religion, and we’re rightfully angry when we see Christianity get free government advertising.”

Watch: