I know Tom never gets tired of mocking poor old Ben Carson who may actually be the True Believer puppet of savvy manager Armstrong Williams it turns out. This campaign is less about making Carson money via a book tour than Williams via a book tour.
This would make Ben-Elvis with Williams as Colonel Parker.
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/exposed-unstable-ben-carson-is-a-mere-puppet-of-his-business-manager-armstrong-williams/22955/
And this is the guy leading the Republican party primary right now.
I will grant you this. The more Ben talks the further out there we seem to get. Maybe he sounds like he's from Mars. Fittingly then he suggested that aliens built the pyramids.
"Ben Carson is doubling down on his theory that the Egyptian pyramids were not built as funerary monuments but in fact were built by the biblical Joseph, when serving as Pharoah's Prime Minister, to store grain. "It's still my belief, yes," Carson told CBS News today in Naples, Florida."
"But after this story went live on the site today a number of you wrote in to say that we'd buried the lede. And when I looked again at the story I discovered you were definitely right."
"In the course of his explanation, Carson said "And when you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they’d have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, ‘well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how-’ you know, it doesn’t require an alien being when God is with you.” (emphasis added)."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/carson-doubles-down-plus-space-aliens
In all fairness just to be accurate, he's not quite saying aliens did it-but rather those who don't know God as he does thinks they do.
Look, mock Ben Carson all you want, Tom Brown. LOL But when the religious conservatives hear this they count that as proof Ben's a true prophet.
Rush Limbaugh listeners always say 'Dittos, Rush' which Rush says means We love you Rush, please don't ever leave.
In that spirit I'd like to say Dittos Ben! Please don't ever leave until you have secured the Republican party Presidential nomination for 2016!
This would make Ben-Elvis with Williams as Colonel Parker.
http://www.dailynewsbin.com/news/exposed-unstable-ben-carson-is-a-mere-puppet-of-his-business-manager-armstrong-williams/22955/
And this is the guy leading the Republican party primary right now.
I will grant you this. The more Ben talks the further out there we seem to get. Maybe he sounds like he's from Mars. Fittingly then he suggested that aliens built the pyramids.
"Ben Carson is doubling down on his theory that the Egyptian pyramids were not built as funerary monuments but in fact were built by the biblical Joseph, when serving as Pharoah's Prime Minister, to store grain. "It's still my belief, yes," Carson told CBS News today in Naples, Florida."
"But after this story went live on the site today a number of you wrote in to say that we'd buried the lede. And when I looked again at the story I discovered you were definitely right."
"In the course of his explanation, Carson said "And when you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they’d have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, ‘well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how-’ you know, it doesn’t require an alien being when God is with you.” (emphasis added)."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/carson-doubles-down-plus-space-aliens
In all fairness just to be accurate, he's not quite saying aliens did it-but rather those who don't know God as he does thinks they do.
Look, mock Ben Carson all you want, Tom Brown. LOL But when the religious conservatives hear this they count that as proof Ben's a true prophet.
Rush Limbaugh listeners always say 'Dittos, Rush' which Rush says means We love you Rush, please don't ever leave.
In that spirit I'd like to say Dittos Ben! Please don't ever leave until you have secured the Republican party Presidential nomination for 2016!
Here's how I see it mike. Let's say you could push a button and make the GOP electorate 30% crazier/stupider and this guarantees that Ben wins the nomination over Rubio, and this would increase the odds of Hillary winning from 53% to 55%.
ReplyDelete(You have to remember that low-information swing voters will initially be shocked at that new craziness (if they're paying attention), but will soon come to accept that 15% crazier is the new normal).
Now lets assume the odds of nuclear war is 20% if Ben Carson is elected, 1% if Marco Rubio is elected, and 0% if Hillary is elected.
Do you push the button?
BTW, I saw a CNN piece (I think it was CNN) saying that they looked into Carson's wild stories of homicidal rage.. and they couldn't find anybody to back those up. What they found were surprised people who said they never saw Ben act anything like that. They couldn't find any records of him being suspended for these outbursts either. They called Armstrong Williams asking for documented evidence of Ben's crazy days, and the accused them of a "Witch hunt" and hung up on them.
ReplyDeleteNow tell this story to the average Carson supporter and they're likely to fly into a rage about the media and agree this is a witch hunt, don't you think?
What a bizarre spectacle!...
"Shut up liberal media! You're telling lies about Ben!!!!... He was a homicidal maniac! How dare you slander him by saying he wasn't!"
Lol... I hate conspiracy theories, but maybe Trump is right: maybe Monsanto's GMOs have done something to people's brains this year!
Of course the implication is that if Ben was lying about being a homicidal maniac, then it sullies him in the eyes of the "true believers" ... and makes him look like a mere mortal. I guess lies are too pedestrian... to "establishment." Attempted murder is so much more glamorous.
Well, I would dispute some of your numbers. I think HRC's chance of winning goes up considerably more than 2% with Ben Carson.
ReplyDeleteI also suspect that whatever GOP were elected we'd have some more boots on the ground in a big way. They'd probably try to invade Iran.
Here's an argument I've made but I don't know if you get me or think I'm only kidding.
A Rubio Presidency would be predictably bad. Very bad. It's the end of Obama's legacy the end of a woman's right to choose, the end of voting rights for minorities-this is not hyperbole when you get that the balance of the SJC hangs on this election.
So this is predictable with a mainstream Republican.
Now I've said all along and I meant it that if you gave me the Prisoner's Dilemma of Trump vs. say Rubio-I'm presuming he's the one for the long haul rather than Jeb now-I mean if for some strange Twilight Zone reason the general election choice before me is Trump vs. Rubio, I'd take Trump.
Why-because he's unpredictable and maybe he won't be so bad. I know what Rubio will do. Trump seems like a guy who would go rouge. I think he'd pretty much ignore the GOP and go it alone.
And on some issues-the Iran deal, Social Security, a woman's right to choose he actually sounds kind of sane.
Now Ben is a little different because I grant you he really sounds loony.
Still I'd take him over Rubio. Because we don't know what he will do whereas I know what real Republicans will do.
Someone unpredictable could be better than someone predictably odious.
Look, I can't blame the GOP base for supporting Trump and Ben. These establishment guys really are just stiffs.
This morning don't know if you saw my other post, but even Bush Sr. now came out and criticized Cheney and Rumsfeld.
But Jeb is carrying Cheney and Rumsfeld in this primary. No matter he's so 'low energy!'
Trump and Rubio strike me as guys who are aware enough of reality that they know that clouds of radiation wafting over the Earth is a bad thing. Ben doesn't strike me as a guy that would be aware of that. I'd take Rubio over Trump simply for the immigration issue. If Trump actually tried to tear families apart by starting a witch hunt to round up 11 million people and deport them... that sounds very Nazi like to me. Ethnic cleansing. I can imagine people wanting to become "informers" on their neighbors. It's hard to imagine a worse domestic policy ... just in terms of the shear ugliness of behavior it could elicit amongst the populace. I could never vote for that.
DeleteRubio is a hawk, and will make war more likely (as you suggest). Trump is unknown... but one thing we do know about him is that he has a giant ego. How do you think someone with a giant ego will respond if we suffer another terror attack? I think they won't necessarily react in a thoughtful manner. I think they will react in a way to save face and puff up their giant wounded ego. It'll all be about them, not the good of the nation.
I agree Rubio will bring some bad policies (guaranteed) and is more likely to start a war (all else being equal), but I have no confidence Trump will be any better. What motivates Trump? Having his giant ego stroked. I think he'd be capable of far more damage than Rubio. He wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed to do more damage (like you say, he's an unknown). It's like this:
Perhaps Rubio is 80% sure to do 25% damage.
Perhaps Trump is 50% sure to 100% damage and 50% sure to do 10% good.
Trump has the charisma required to do real damage to governing institutions by breaking taboos. What if the supreme court tells him that he can't do something, and he says, "Oh, yeah? Fuck you" and he rolls a tank up to the front door of the court? And the mobs cheer it on?
I don't want to roll that die. But I'd take Trump over Carson any day.
Trump and Rubio strike me as people who are aware that prayers and magic are bullshit. Carson strikes me as someone who thinks praying has magic powers that can protect us from radiation.
I tried the "unknown" once in voting for W. All I knew was that he was a moron, and I voted for him anyway.
What did I learn? Never vote for someone who seems like they are truly stupid. Take people at their word.
Ben isn't stupid: he's worse. He's more ignorant than Bush about the world. Hard to accomplish. Worse still he seems like he's unaware that praying and magic powers are bullshit... at a deep fundamental level. I think he believes in magic and his own magical powers as a follower of Jesus. And I think underneath his gentle demeanor, he's every bit the ego maniac as Trump, maybe even worse. Dunning Kruger on steroids.
I take people at their word. Trump is a hardcore unapologetic birther. That also shows a disconnect from reality. Not as disconnected as Ben, but not good either.
DeleteI could see a President Trump having all signs of Obama scrubbed from the white house and official histories... because (he might argue) he was never a legitimate president. He might even introduce a bill to congress retroactively stripping Obama of the presidency. That's easy to imagine. It's harder to imagine that with any other candidate... other than Ben perhaps.
DeleteI would never go for W. But I also would never go for his brother or Rubio. What you still seem to do is apply gradations to the GOP candidates some are more fit than others.
DeleteI don't rank them this way. They are all terrible. But Trump or Carson are entertaining and if either were the candidate they will lose in a landslide.
I don't expect any rational policy discussions. And even the reasonable guys like Jeb, Kasich, and Rubios employ total fantasy math in their calculations on their tax plans and talk about ripping up Obama's Iran Dela on Day One. Only Trump knew this is absurd to say
Yes Trump and Carson are entertaining. So is Charles Manson. But I could live without that kind of entertainment. I'd vastly prefer all candidates being maximally boring tradition followers. I'd like to see all politics reduced to the same excitement level of selecting the best motor oil for your car.
DeleteYes, I agree they are all liars with regards to many things including fantasy math. But some of them are too dull and boring and conventional to boldly and publicly break important national precedents and taboos: such as tossing constitutional amendments in the trash (like no 3rd term). Now I wouldn't put it past any of them to ignore the law... but I'd at least expect them to try and hide it if they did. Except Trump perhaps... I could see him publicly flouting the law... taking his Army across the Rubicon so to speak. But that's not at all a good thing. I don't give him props for honesty in that case. Being ashamed of and attempting to hide from public scrutiny flagrant law violations (even if you do them) is a good thing. That shame is a flicker of hope that the social construct we call constitutional democracy can still perhaps hang together a bit longer. Trump strikes me as guy who has enough charisma to get away with publicly tearing it all apart if it feeds his ego somehow.
The irony is that the conspiracy theorists on the right (pretty much the entirety of the right that is), think Obama is such a person that could poop all over the constitution. Except in their fever swamp minds, I think the evidence is pretty clear that's not the case. Although 54% of Trump supporters still think Obama is a Muslim.
I'm doubting that whoever Hillary runs against, that it's going to be a landslide. I'd give it a 50% chance that we'll have some kind of economic downturn (perhaps minor) in the next year... and if that happens, Hillary is toast.
DeleteThe evidence seems to me so far to indicate that the electorate is angry, with heads full of mostly fantasy conspiracy theories, and they are highly motivated. For some reason know-nothing novice candidates are very appealing to them. Say "Jesus" to them and they melt like putty, hearts dripping with misplaced hope and yearning. Either that or angrily shout "immigrant!" and they snatch up their pitchforks demanding blood.
Hillary is going to have to motivate the sane and sober to make it to the polls in enough number to overcome GOP voter suppression efforts (which I'm sure will be in full swing). So far, the evidence indicates to me that's going to be a tall order.
I think if its Carson or Trump-or for that matter Cruz, it's a landslide.
DeleteThe electorate is always angry. You know that right? I mean show me a time when most people don't think the country is going in the wrong direction?
Seriously I can't think of any time in 15 years.
But it's more the GOP base is angry than anything. They truly think the End Times are here-which is the appeal of Ben.
I don't think the chances of a slowdown are as great as 50% and the economists aren't saying that.
The GOP can't win without more than the 28% Latino vote they got with Romney.
And today Rubio has now promised to reverse Obama's Dream act.
I don't see how they get as much as 28% this time.
So we have your pessimistic case and my more optimistic one. It will be interesting to see who's right.
But as a general proposition I think that there's a place in the world for both optimists and pessimists. Both fulfill a function.
DeleteNow birtherism is a hard thing to make a litmus test about in the GOP. Romney made some birther references too.
ReplyDeleteBesides you're losing sight of the fact that I think Trump and Carson can't win.
But I would also push back on Rubio and immigration. What would his immigration policy look like? I don't think it would be at all good.
No Repubican will be good on immigration. So there's no reason to vote for Rubio based on immigration as his policies would be awful.
Nothing would be done other than 'border security' which means anything from more guards to a wall.
The GOP immigration position is no immigration reform till the border is secure-and the caveat is the border is never secure.
So I'm not looking at this field as who would be fit to govern-none of them are.
I don't think Rubio would be good on immigration. However, I don't think his policy would veer into racist witch-hunt gestapo insanity like I do with Trump (if we take Trump at his word). Rubio would essentially be status quo or perhaps somewhat worse. Trump promises racist gestapo ugliness. He literally promises it! About a quarter of the people I interact with on a daily basis are of questionable legal status. I don't ask. I don't ever want to be forced to be a Trump-gestapo informer simply because I work on government contracts. My tenant dates a man of questionable legal status... he and his young son are in my house on a regular basis. Is this young boy an "anchor baby?" I have tenants in two other houses who are of questionable legal status. I take Trump at his word, and I would personally see the human impact of his promises.
DeleteThe one really great thing about a Trump nomination is that the Hispanic community will clearly see who their existential arch enemies are (the GOP). Hopefully that will be burned into their psyches for the next 60 years (at least). It's sad it's come to this though.
And still I think Carson is scarier to me in general. So if Trump's the guy to take him down, I'm all for Trump winning the nomination.
Right now you are touching on one reason for Trump I've argued on from the start.
DeleteAt the end of the day the GOP has to do better than the 28% of the Latino vote they got in 2012 full stop.
Trump I think guarantees they get less. He may have already damaged the brand on both what he's said and what he's forced other candidates to say.
I understand our difference here Tom. You are a natural swing voter who wants to reasonable parties to swing between and I'm a dyed in the wool partisan Democrat who offers no apologies.
ReplyDeleteI believe the only answer is the Dems have to win. There's no hope that even if we lose there will be someone decent running things-there won't be!
Mike, I have the winning formula for Carson: a way in which he can consolidate support and have an easy waltz from here on out to the Republican nomination: since he seems to have a problem saying anything truth related about reality, he should stop trying: when asked a question by a debate moderator or an interviewer, he needs to just look long and hard into the cameras, and say one heart-felt word: very slowly and deliberately:
ReplyDelete"Jesus!"
followed by a "knowing" grin.
That can be his answer everything. I think the GOP electorate would go wild with enthusiasm! Why do you need thoughts and words and policy when you have Jesus?
He could have this whole nomination wrapped up in 2 months if he just sticks to the script.
And given the state of the electorate, I think he could give Hillary a run for her money with that "argument."
DeleteI watched Chris Matthews tonight... he spend a lot of time on Carson and his bafflement with Carson's popularity. I share that view! I can't identify at all with people who support him. To me, they don't sound different than the Taliban or Raelians or "Sea Org" members of Scientology, or any other completely brainwashed cultists.
ReplyDeleteI'm done tolerating faith. IMO it must be eliminated. It has no redeeming qualities. Hope? Hope is OK. Hope isn't arrogant. Hope makes no claims of certainty. The 9/11 hijackers would hardly have been motivated if they'd merely had hope they'd go to paradise if they crashed planes into buildings. Trust is OK too. Trust is based on evidence and experience and it's not all encompassing. I trust my brother in many ways because I know him very well, but I don't trust him to pack my parachute because I know he's never done that. I trust the sun will rise in the East tomorrow. But faith is arrogant and harmful and all encompassing and evidence free. It should be ridiculed as childish, infantile even.
I'll say this-Ben sure hit a nadir today. Now having the media say you didn't stab someone or almost stab your mother is a witch hunt!
ReplyDeleteBy the way Tom, I have a Twitter account called Trump for President following me. This is probably because I:
ReplyDelete1. Have Retweeted many of Trump's tweets approvingly-you know when he makes furn of Jeb or Rubio
2. I have posted a lot of anti Jeb and Rubio stuff.
Today this person wanted me to sign a petition to ask for some pundit to get fired for calling Trump a Nazi. LOL
I didn't do that-as some of my rather facile followers might misinterpret this as I somehow agree with the appalling things Trump has said about Mexicans, etc.
But I did RT it and reply-'sounds like Rubio was behind this lie!' LOL