Posted on 02/05/2016 9:38:41 PM PST by Red Steel
INDEPENDENCE - This was something new for Naomi Probert: Stand in front of a crowd of 500 people and tell them why she feels someone should be elected president of the United States.
The married mother of adopted Haitian children ages 5 and 6 found one candidate spoke to her heart: Dr. Ben Carson.
She and her family met Carson, personally, a day earlier in Manchester. The experience only reinforced her support for him.
So much so, she was willing to speak on his behalf at her Republican precinct caucus Monday night at Independence High School. In fact, her kids helped hand out literature for him. Supporting Carson was, for the Proberts, a family affair.
"I'd never done anything like this before," she said. "I felt really passionate about Dr. Carson. We were inspired by Dr. Carson's story. I volunteered to talk for him. And you get all revved up to speak to 500 people."
Then, the unthinkable happened.
A lady who had just checked her smart phone said the campaign of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz "just informed us that there's a CNN story that he (Carson) is out of the race and he's endorsed (Sen. Ted) Cruz," Probert related. She had already risen to speak.
"There was a gasp in the audience," Probert related. "I was just devastated. I got emotional. I said, 'My husband and I live here in Independence with our two Haitian children. We were inspired by Dr. Carson's story...'"
That was as far as she got. Overcome by emotion, she sat down.
She and her husband, Stephen, got on their smartphones to find the story in question. They didn't. "We said, 'This isn't true. We were duped.’" The report said Carson was going home “for a fresh suit of clothes" the day after the caucuses instead of heading straight to New Hampshire - not that he was dropping out of the race. But it triggered speculation.
"It was a complete fabrication. He didn't endorse anyone," Probert said. She and her husband knew if Carson was withdrawing, he would say so directly to his supporters. She asked to finish her remarks.
"They allowed me to do that," Probert said. "I don't know if the damage had been done," - if the initial, incorrect announcement had swayed anyone.
"My speculation was that it was a media-driven thing, but I wasn't sure," Probert said.
Cruz, a day after the caucuses, apologized for what ultimately was attributed to a misinterpretation of Carson's statements to CNN about taking a break after Iowa. A subsequent CNN report and local Republican officials noted U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Cruz state campaign chair, had retweeted the incorrect information.
"I would say, being he (Carson) isn't a career politician, he probably doesn't calculate all of his statements" and how they might be used against him, Probert said.
"Dr. Carson accepted the apology" by Cruz. "In that sense, it's kind of been taken care of," Probert said. But Carson also called for accountability in several interviews. A Carson campaign email Thursday bearing a subject line "Dirty tricks?" said that, while some CNN commentators shared blame for "openly speculating" Carson was calling it quits, "it is unacceptable that Cruz's campaign would dishonestly twist and distort the CNN report to manipulate Carson supporters into switching their caucus vote at the last minute."
Donald Trump's continued criticism of Cruz over the matter "can only hurt Carson and Cruz," Probert suggested. "Trump's trying to take advantage of this and it's going to hurt them both. That's not good.
"I don't hold anything against anyone local," Probert said. "I really do feel like it's beyond a local thing. I think a lot of people in America are just really tired of politics as usual. That’s why Dr. Carson, being an outsider, that he's been so successful."
Probert is still committed to Carson as long as he's a candidate. She is a 1995 graduate of Cedar Falls High School.
"I'm a victim so send me some money so I can afford to stay in the race to prove that all 'black candidate lives matter!'"
Carson was almost tied for first with Trump in October when Trump said Carson was a psyho like a child molester.
How come that isn’t considered dirty politics? But passing on a CNN headline is? lol
Reasonable people should be able to agree that at this point it’s clear that the Cruz campaign spreading the story that Carson was dropping out had no meaningful impact on the delegates awarded. It also seems unlikely that the false claim, easily disproven by the check of a smartphone, had any impact at all in terms of votes.
That being said, Cruz sending his surrogates out to spread a lie about a fine, honest conservative like Dr. Carson is a rotten thing to do. It shows that the conservative movement is not what Cruz is truly interested in, but winning at all costs.
I lost any interest in Trump early on when he would condemn Politico one day as being a lying rag if they ran a story about him, and then the next day use a story against Carson or Cruz, from Politico, that was even MORE ridiculous, to beat over another conservative candidate’s head. He clearly wasn’t interested in the conservative movement, just his candidacy. Especially in contrast to Cruz, who never betrayed other conservatives using idiotic left-wing nonsense.
But Cruz lying about Carson had the same effect on my enthusiasm for Cruz. I naively thought we had an heir to Reagan in Cruz, but when he p*ssed on Reagan’s 11th commandment, I knew I had been duped.
You can criticize another conservative, campaign against him, heck you can do damn near anything. But once you lie and tarnish another conservative, it shows your core.
So now I’m stuck back on the fence, with heart still with Dr. Carson, but aware of the fact that his break in campaigning to promote his book backfired and he lost himself the race.
Finally, to all the Cruz and Trump supporters, I envy you to some extent. That you can so easily look past the things that others like me find so repulsive about these candidates. I don’t know how you can, and I’m sure life would be easier if I could.
The non story about nothing that will not die. OMG, someone was disappointed, how can we ever make it up to her?
We can’t. Never will she be whole again. Never shall she be a proper mother to those Haitian children. And we, all of us, must be held accountable and suffer guilt pangs for the rest of our.pathetic lives.
I know, I am going to plant a tree in her name. It shall be a non genetically modified, native species.
The entrance polls were right on the money for Carson, but dead wrong for Cruz, Trump, and Rubio. Why was that? Maybe exit polls would have been more accurate since so many low-information Iowans wait until the actual caucus to make up their minds.
But at least you admit that the Cruz campaign lied. Most Cruz supporters won't admit that.
>> Cruz sending his surrogates out to spread a lie... is a rotten thing to do.
Indeed, it would be rotten — if it were true.
Now please show me the proof that Ted Cruz did that.
I told my Dad the other day this is all hype. The media saw Trump call Cruz nasty, other politicos have jumped in with both feet (ie..Dole, King(NY)and others),and so the narrative is on. Any candidate with conservative credentials is going to be called the meanest, nastiest person ever by the media. A hint of a report on Carson was being passed by the media and was picked up by Cruz. His campaign ran with it. To me, the Carson campaign should have been talking about victory to any media person, instead of any sign of pulling out or letting up.
“What is the next phony attack on “_____” which will be manufactured?”.......
That question can be asked about ANY candidate, Cruz has no monopoly on those tactics.
Bottom line, IMHO.
So CNN runs with a story they “forgot” to source...one that is EASY to check...after Carson went home to go get some clothes for a few days. Why did they run with a story without checking it? Whenever it is negative news about Democrats they have to have 15 independent sources and permission from the DNC before they run it.
DK
Cnn has gotten so much more out of this than they could have hoped for.
You all were squawking that it was no big deal because no one complained. Now we have somebody who indeed is upset and you’re all dumping on her like you did on Palin.
You guys stink.
“The non story about nothing that will not die. “
Maybe that should tell you it’s not a non story?
If this was something Trump or Bush did, I can guarantee you that all of the people screaming that this is nothing, would be posting about it non-stop and demanding that either be kicked out of the race.
CNN claims the story came from the Carson campaign.
CNN never said that Carson was dropping out of the race, only that his actions suggested that.
The Cruz people are the ones who should have confirmed the report which, as you say, would have been easy.
Why didn’t they?
Is it that they trusted an MSM news outlet, that has a reputation in the conservative community for biased reporting?
Or was it that they wanted the speculation about Carson to be true, and that clouded their judgement?
+1
So what? Yesterday, all of you people were laughing that there was no one. You’d laugh if it was 20 or 100 or 1000. Because you guys want Cruz by hook or crook. I guess it’ll be the latter.
What lady is "that lady?"
The lady referenced in the story posted.
Did you read the story?
The Cruz club are, in a word, desperate, to legitimize Ted’s only “win.”
I’m moving on.
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