Posted on 03/22/2013 9:17:21 AM PDT by Kaslin
I’m embarrassed that I forgot he was from Detroit when I was gaming out his paths to elected office. He works in Maryland, but Maryland’s a very blue state for a conservative-leaning novice pol who’d presumably run as a Republican. Virginia’s a bit more purple, but the only seat that’s open anytime soon is Mark Warner’s and Warner doesn’t seem especially vulnerable. He could always proceed directly to running for president, but how often does someone start their political career as commander-in-chief? Even O spent some time in federal and state legislatures before taking the plunge.
But wait. What about Michigan? Nolan Finley wonders:
Dr. Ben Carson is a Black History month staple. Each February, schoolchildren hear the story of the impoverished African-American boy from Detroit, a struggling student whose mother made him read two books a week until he bloomed into a scholar…
The state GOP hasn’t won a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since 1994. With the retirement of Democratic incumbent Sen. Carl Levin, Republicans believe they have a shot at the seat in 2016.
Carson, if he could be lured back to his native state, would bring national attention to the race, as well as national dollars. There are few things conservatives love more than a black Republican. And one of Carson’s stature would draw money out of moldy GOP wallets everywhere.
Carson would help a party addicted to white suburban candidates intrigue young and urban voters, black and white, who grew up looking at his picture hanging on their classroom walls.
Not only that, but Avik Roy’s right that he’d be ideally positioned to speak out against ObamaCare as the program creaks into action next year. (Whether that’ll play locally is an open question. Under pressure, the state’s Republican governor just announced last month that he’d accept ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion for Michigan.) Just one thing: Could Carson win a competitive GOP primary in the state? Hard to believe the field would clear for him if he jumped in given how prominent some of the potential candidates are — Mike Rogers, Dave Camp, Justin Amash, maybe the lieutenant governor, Brian Calley. Rogers and Camp have more than 30 years in Congress between them and Amash will have grassroots support from Ron Paul fans and some tea partiers. They won’t all run, but one or maybe two of them will. They’ll have no choice: If you’re a Republican with Senate ambitions in Michigan, your chance at winning an open seat won’t come around often — and the next time it does, it might happen in a presidential election year when Democratic turnout is up.
Don’t forget either that Carson’s not a doctrinaire conservative in all things. For instance, he’s more open to gun control than strict gun-rights advocates are. Other deviations may emerge in the course of a contested primary. But then again, why would that stop him? Given his sudden star power in conservative media, his candidacy is likely to become a grassroots cause celebre the way Ted Cruz’s campaign against David Dewhurst was. The national party may very well prefer him as an opportunity to showcase the GOP’s racial diversity. If you’re one of his primary opponents, how exactly would you attack him? The usual knock on a novice candidate is that he’s too inexperienced to be effective in Congress, but that’s a hard sell when you’re talking about a renowned neurosurgeon. If he can master brain surgery, he can master the filibuster. And plus, if Amash ends up being his rival in the primary, you might well see Karl Rove’s group and other establishment outlets line up behind Carson in the name of blocking a more libertarian candidate who some analysts think is unelectable in a state as blue as Michigan. Stay tuned.
He said that urban dwellers should not be allowed to have “assault weapons”.
Don’t doubt it for a moment, but in a new milieu...Congress...he’d be out of his element and thus vulnerable. Do not for one instant think that since he could not be targeted due to blackness, he would instead be targeted in a more subtle way. He would made to feel like absolute jerkballs unfit to launder his used surgical gowns were outearning him 20:1. He would be offered all manner of “money traps” for the purpose of later discrediting him. Think about it. Is he smart enough to resist? Of course he is. Is he smart enough to refuse the 17th one offered him?
You’re into IBD. Business. How many times have you heard of stories where someone who was great in one business decides to go into another business because, well, they were so successful here, so they’d be great over there? How about Sam Zell, who got out of his multi-billion dollar real estate empire at the absolute top, literally to the hour, then decided to buy the Chicago Tribune? (IDK if it was the Trib or another Chicago paper) Just in time for the newspaper biz to go into the toilet. He knew nothing about newspapers, but maybe always fancied owning one, I don’t know the exact details. My point is, it is a common story, a well known paradigm. It happened to me and it is a principle I will never forget. I was blazingly successful in one business and decided to get into another one which was totally foreign to me. Probably out of boredom. Matters not. The principle is valid.
aka “stick to your knitting”.
Actually, they are more than questionable. They are outright unconstitutional.
Asked by Beck for his thoughts on the Second Amendment, Carson gave the popular pro-gun argument: Theres a reason for the Second Amendment; people do have the right to have weapons.
But when asked whether people should be allowed to own semi-automatic weapons, the doctor replied: It depends on where you live.
I think if you live in the midst of a lot of people, and Im afraid that that semi-automatic weapon is going to fall into the hands of a crazy person, I would rather you not have it, Carson elaborated.
However, if you live out in the country somewhere by yourself and want to own a semi-automatic weapon, he added, Ive no problem with that.
First off he is a demonrat, and he is far from being a conservative. He is to the left of Gov Chrispy Cream NJ or Mutt Romney.
I am just curious if you think he's a democrat because he is black and was born in Detroit? I bet his mother is a republican and has always been. She never accepted Welfare and food stamps, but instead worked 2-3 jobs every day, just so she could provide for her 2 sons
He is probably more conservative the you are
But he has nothing against having assault weapons if you live in the country. Actually I can see his reasoning and if you think about it, then you should too
We have folks here in Grand Rapids who are working on getting the Dr to come out and speak at a Reagan day or Lincoln day dinner. Problem is his fees are quite large while he is still a DR. Once he is out his fees will reduce. Personally, I am wary of him. One good speech does not make a man. The smarter the man, the quirkier his traits.
He is supposedly retiring this year. He is very smart
Miller-Carson!
“Proving your credentials of citizenship and accomplishment outside of a political career should be the first conservative requirement.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Absolutely and there should be a constitutional amendment that no member of the house or senate and no president or vice president can be an attorney or even a law school graduate. In my worst moods I want to make that requirement extend to judges at all levels also. Far too many attorneys and judges appear to have ZERO respect for the constitution or for common sense morality. We now have a supreme court which shows very minimal inclination to consult the document before rendering absurd decisions.
He said he was a dem, I took him at his word.
I can’t vote for him in a primary. Moving back here after decades out of state is too much like carpetbagging.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.