November 3, 2015

"Ben Carson Vaults to Lead in Latest Journal/NBC Poll."

"The result marks the first time since June that the Journal/NBC News poll has found a Republican other than Mr. Trump to be leading the GOP field. Some 29% of GOP primary voters rank Mr. Carson as their top choice, while 23% favor Mr. Trump. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz rank third and fourth as the top pick of 11% and 10% of Republican primary voters, respectively. Some 8% prefer former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. No other Republican garners more than 3% support."

The WSJ reports. Since the poll was both before and after last week's debate, we can't really tell what the effect of the debate was. But what surprises me — looking at the charts at the link — is that Marco Rubio declined a percentage point. And Bush stayed in the same place.

127 comments:

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

But what surprises me — looking at the charts at the link — is that Marco Rubio declined a percentage point. And Bush stayed in the same place.

Most people don't watch the debates, especially one on an obscure business network. Only the true believers tuned into that one.

clint said...

"But what surprises me — looking at the charts at the link — is that Marco Rubio declined a percentage point. "

Plus or minus 4.9%.

The fact that their numbers aren't fluctuating *more* suggests significant amounts of data massaging.

MadisonMan said...

I would say the polls are meaningless. For reference, see the Brit and Canadian election results.

Pollsters have not come into the 20-teens. They're stuck in 1999.

Scott said...

Polls aren't votes. And frankly, I have no clue as to how Ben Carson is finding all this support. Is it the Evangelicals?

This poll was interesting too:

"Republicans trust Trump on economy, nuclear weapons: Reuters/Ipsos poll"

Yeah, the "do you trust him with nuclear weapons" question is always good to ask a bunch of crazies. Do you think they will ever poll to find out if Americans trust Hillary with the economy and nuclear weapons?

chickelit said...

Most people don't watch the debates, especially one on an obscure business network. Only the true believers tuned into that one.

I agree. My whole family had been watching these debates until the last one. We didn't get the channel. I was forced to listen to it on the radio.

Bay Area Guy said...

I see the appeal of Dr. Carson as a man - I don't see the appeal as a candidate. Too inexperienced.

Yes, I will vote for him, if he wins the nomination. He would no doubt be better than Hillary. But, I'm curious if anyone on this blog actively and affirmatively is supporting Carson as their first choice in the primary.

chickelit said...

I applaud the appearance of shifting front runners in the Republican primary. It gives an almost mythological character to the American electorate -- that of a hydra. It's harder for the MSM to kill the Republican beast. It forces them to play whack-a-mole. Meanwhile, Hillary looks like a too-early leader, having told Sanders to STFU because of sexism.

Michael K said...

I like Carson and believe he is getting support as a symbol of an honest man who is such a rare finding in politics. His cool manner is part of his charm. Over at HuffPo, the racism is palpable. How could this black man be intelligent ?

"I think his campaign is more rooted in bringing back the 50's, and he could be right wing's house boy for four years. They would love that after 8 years of Obama having his way with them."

The other theme is his religious statements.

"medicine is a trade. Very complex trade, where one needs an extreme ego to go into the finer confines of pediatric neurosurgery. I have great respect for his skill and ego. How he got through developmental anatomy is beyond me. I cannot help but feel that his failures were god's will, not his failure. Scary"

I don't disagree with that one.

Scott said...

Calling Carson the "right wing's house boy" is sickeningly racist. It's stunning that progressives give themselves a pass on this shit.

Laslo Spatula said...

I just can't see Carson dealing one-on-one with Putin.

I am Laslo.

Brando said...

"I applaud the appearance of shifting front runners in the Republican primary. It gives an almost mythological character to the American electorate -- that of a hydra. It's harder for the MSM to kill the Republican beast. It forces them to play whack-a-mole. Meanwhile, Hillary looks like a too-early leader, having told Sanders to STFU because of sexism."

That's true--the GOP has a full year (though really more than that, as it was clear Hillary was the Dem front runner since 2012) to pick her apart. The best the Dems can hope to do is try and tarnish the GOP candidates collectively as a pack of crazies, and then focus their fire on whoever emerges from the pack. It would have been easier for them if they could start wrecking someone at least a year out.

Brando said...

Carson isn't my first choice, though he's an accomplished surgeon and has a compelling life story, his inexperience in politics makes me wonder how he'd fare if he suddenly found himself president. That, and his demeanor comes across like he's about to fall asleep and while we don't need an excitable spazz, there is such a thing as too sedate.

Saying I'd vote for him over Hillary Clinton doesn't say much, though, because I believe Hillary would be the sort of president who would nuke the Rocky Mountains because some prank caller convinced her it was the only way to stop the Soviet Doomsday Device from going off.

Carol said...

I just can't see Carson dealing one-on-one with Putin.

I think he'll get rolled.

Carson is the not-Trump. A lot of people are really put off by Trump's ego, predictably. His loudmouth shit cracks me up, but a lot of people get intimidated. Like he's the guy they hate at work. But I'm usually bored with the people everyone else thinks is Nice.

Trump is a good antidote for ennui, but that may not be a good thing.

tim maguire said...

Another interesting detail at Real Clear Politics--in head to head match ups, Fiorina beats Clinton, Rubio does not.

Scott said...

I don't think Carson would get rolled in an encounter with Putin. In fact, I think Putin would become highly frustrated trying to deal with Carson's polite intransigence.

Sebastian said...

Supporting Carson is evangelicals' way of telling us they matter. They are the real "base."

Of course, Carson isn't ready for prime time.

The challenge is to persuade the base that the "of course" is hard truth, not "establishment" condescension.

Rick said...

Kevin Williamson neatly sums up my thoughts on Ben.

Ben Carson ... continues to be excellent and modest and in no way prepared to be president.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/426321/rubio-cruz-gop-debate-kevin-d-williamson

madAsHell said...

I don't understand the Carson phenomenon either. I can't believe the polling. You have Trump sucking the air out of the tent, Rubio and Cruz trying to breathe the rarefied atmosphere, and Carson holding his breath.

Wasn't Carson washed out of the last election cycle because he couldn't keep his pants zipped up?...and now that has un-happened?

Larry J said...

Blogger Scott said...
Polls aren't votes. And frankly, I have no clue as to how Ben Carson is finding all this support. Is it the Evangelicals?


I hear a lot of conservative Christians who really like Dr. Carson.

Brando said...

Carson isn't my first choice, though he's an accomplished surgeon and has a compelling life story, his inexperience in politics makes me wonder how he'd fare if he suddenly found himself president. That, and his demeanor comes across like he's about to fall asleep and while we don't need an excitable spazz, there is such a thing as too sedate.


One characteristic of a surgeon is the ability to keep your cool and think under extreme pressure. The surgeon who loses his cool loses his patient. A good surgeon also surrounds himself (or herself) with the best team possible, not a bunch of lawyers who look like America (Clinton) or a bunch of second-rate political hacks (Obama).

Dr. Carson's (and Trump's and Carly's) inexperience at politics is a big part of his appeal. We keep electing people with a lot of political experience and they keep screwing things up royally. The cliché goes that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and again while expecting a different outcome. Maybe it's time to try someone different than yet another Ivy League career politician type. By far, the best president of my lifetime graduated from tiny Eureka College.

MayBee said...

Imagine having a president who gets rolled by Putin. Hmm.....

chickelit said...

Wasn't Carson washed out of the last election cycle because he couldn't keep his pants zipped up?...and now that has un-happened?

Do tell. Or was that personal experience?

MayBee said...

I think, and I'm just spitballing here, if you get rolled by Putin you just declare Putin's display of strength is actually a sign of desperate weakness.
After all, part of rolling is spinning.

MayBee said...

madAsHell- that was another black man.

Rick said...

madAsHell said...
Wasn't Carson washed out of the last election cycle because he couldn't keep his pants zipped up?.


That was Herman Cain. I hope this was an intentional jab at tokenism.

Brando said...

"We keep electing people with a lot of political experience and they keep screwing things up royally. The cliché goes that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and again while expecting a different outcome."

I get that's their appeal, though it is also possible that going with less experience can make things worse--after all, "less experience" was part of Obama's appeal in 2008 (he spun it as "new ideas"). It's also one of the reasons for being wary of Rubio--he's got more experience than Obama, but not a whole lot.

On the other hand, as Rubio pointed out in the first debate, if "experience" is what matters most then we should be electing Hillary Clinton. She has plenty of experience which somehow did not give her any judgment or sense.

chickelit said...

"Ben Carson Vaults to Lead in Latest Journal/NBC Poll."

I'm picturing a gymnast, but the metaphor is mixed. The use of "poll" along with "vault" in the same sentence puts together "pole vault" in my mind but that has nothing to do with covering horizontal distance as in "vaults to lead."

grimson said...

We would like to believe that both Carson and Trump will fade, but you cannot count on that; after all, remember that Jesse Ventura was elected Governor of Minnesota, and Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.

David said...

"The most revealing thing is that in thinking about an abstraction, [Justice Kennedy] gets a visual image and his thinking about an abstraction is, it seems, influenced by the way that abstraction-made-concrete looks in his mind."

On seeing your headline in this post, I immediately had an image of business suited Ben Carson flying over the bar, having just released his pole.

Missing from image: the landing.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I sense some moderatism going on here at the Althouse blog. The other day, when I, as a moderate, voiced some mild doubts about Carson everyone jumped down my throat. Now, when non-moderates express even greater skepticism about Carson their thoughts are received as pearls of wisdom direct from the heavens above. I am very disappointed and frankly a little hurt.

Brando said...

The bigoted "house negro" comments are clearly leftists projecting their own feelings on what they assume conservatives must be thinking. Conservatives are so obviously racist, they surely see Carson as their "house boy"--how else could they think? They're racist right wingers, after all!

Obviously Carson's race is a part of his appeal--I admit I see it as a plus, particularly as a black man who came from his background should have a first hand understanding of issues facing the black underclass and should be well positioned to speak to it in a way white presidents couldn't. But there's obviously a lot more to him, between his medical career and perspective on health policy matters and his appeal to the Christian Right. And his "outsider" status is appealing in a year when everyone is sick of business as usual (though can anyone remember a year when everyone wasn't sick of business as usual? It just seems more pronounced this year).

damikesc said...

Meanwhile, Hillary looks like a too-early leader, having told Sanders to STFU because of sexism.

Yeah, it was nice to see Bernie's niceness in not discussing her email scandal was so happily reciprocated by her.

His cool manner is part of his charm

He is what they claimed Obama was. Cool. A thinker.

Black.

Calling Carson the "right wing's house boy" is sickeningly racist. It's stunning that progressives give themselves a pass on this shit.

They're on the "right side of history", so the "darkies" can just get over it.

And being the first choice isn't always the best option. Lincoln wasn't the first choice for many. But he was an acceptable second or third choice when the party couldn't come together around one of the "favorites".

Brando said...

"Yeah, it was nice to see Bernie's niceness in not discussing her email scandal was so happily reciprocated by her."

It was his own fault if he expected anything better from that group. You can't blame the scorpion for stinging you, that's what it does. Blame the frog who gave the scorpion the ride across the river.

MayBee said...

Lefties must be relieved to see the people they'd accused of being racist for the last 7 years really aren't racist at all.

A great day in America, no? Reason to celebrate!

Rick said...

AReasonableMan said...
I sense some moderatism going on here at the Althouse blog. The other day, when I, as a moderate


Why would anyone care about the opinions of someone only here to be a jerk, especially a winger who insists on pretending he's a moderate?

Brando said...

"Lefties must be relieved to see the people they'd accused of being racist for the last 7 years really aren't racist at all."

Ha! Why let facts change your point of view when you can change the facts to fit your pre-existing opinion? Clearly conservatives only supported Clarence Thomas, J.C. Watts, Mia Love, Tim Scott, Herman Cain, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, and now Ben Carson because they were simple house negroes who toe the line and provide a shield to charges of racism. They're not authentic blacks like Rachel Dolezal or Shaun King or Elizabeth Warren.

dreams said...

"Ben Carson ... continues to be excellent and modest and in no way prepared to be president."

Ben Carson, a fast learner who seems to have good judgement and temperament and obviously is an able man given his history as a brain surgeon. It occurs to me that there could be a lot of able and accomplished men who have proven themselves in careers other than politics and being good judges of character could select able and competent men to fill their administration. I don't think anyone can make a convincing argument that Obama was a more accomplished person than Ben Carson.

Lauderdale Vet said...

> They're not authentic blacks like Rachel Dolezal or Shaun King or Elizabeth Warren.

Good one.

I was rooting for Walker. Now I'm leaning towards Fiorina. Perhaps I should root for Hillary next, that she might decline.

traditionalguy said...

Carson takes no positions that are not stubbornly Theocracy based. He has zero chance in an American General election. The Evangelicals are again the rotten apple in the GOP barrel like they have been for 30 years.

eric said...

As long as Trump, Carson and Cruz continue to collectively receive over 50 and 60 percent of the vote, I'm a very happy camper.

Rick said...

Lauderdale Vet said...
Now I'm leaning towards Fiorina.


Williamson also suggested Fiorina and Romney be given the job of reviewing various dysfunctional agencies [VA, IRS] and improving them. I thought this was the best argument for a Romney Presidency last cycle [which to my recollection he never even advanced as a campaign issue] so there's a way to take advantage of her experience. She'd be fine as the VP candidate also.

I like the idea of people having a background outside of politics. But I think they should use that background in a public way before becoming president. So Romney's business -> Governor -> President path makes more sense to me than Fiorina's business -> President.

garage mahal said...

Like Ben Carson or not, he has forced to ask the difficult questions, like: could the Holocaust have been prevented if Jews bum-rushed the Nazis all at once?

garage mahal said...

Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something RASCIST?

Michael K said...

"I just can't see Carson dealing one-on-one with Putin.

I think he'll get rolled. "

That's what real Secretaries of State are for. The "Summit" was an invention of Kennedy and he got rolled so badly that we almost went up in smoke.

Michael K said...

"That was Herman Cain. I hope this was an intentional jab at tokenism."

And those women disappeared once he was safely out of it. An interesting phenomenon is the left's obsession with black men's sex lives. Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain are two examples but there are others.

Larry J said...

Brando said...
"We keep electing people with a lot of political experience and they keep screwing things up royally. The cliché goes that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and again while expecting a different outcome."

I get that's their appeal, though it is also possible that going with less experience can make things worse--after all, "less experience" was part of Obama's appeal in 2008 (he spun it as "new ideas"). It's also one of the reasons for being wary of Rubio--he's got more experience than Obama, but not a whole lot.


Unlike Obama, Dr. Carson actually seems to know and respect the Constitution if his book is any guide. That alone is a significant change for the better. He doesn't see the Constitution as a collection of "negative rights". I'd even wager that his wife has been proud of America for some time, unlike she who will not be named.

Michael K said...

" when I, as a moderate, "


HAHAHAHA

damikesc said...

Yes, garage, cowering in fear is the best way to handle a crisis.

Anonymous said...

"I just can't see Carson dealing one-on-one with Putin."

Carson will bring a hammer.

eric said...

Blogger Michael K said...
" when I, as a moderate, "


HAHAHAHA


That's what I do anytime someone claims themselves as moderate. Even our hostess.

Achilles said...

garage mahal said...
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something RASCIST?"

No. As usual you took something and intelligent person said and twisted into something stupid. You are like a penny smasher that drops thin little copper/nickel ovals with the word STUPID on them.

Achilles said...

Right now the polls are not particularly accurate. They are also being churned out by a press/DC machine that can be heard mumbling "please not Trump please not Trump."

Trump is taking on the political class and showing the country who is in charge: the people. The rest of the primary participants haven't figured out that they can actually stare down the media before a debate. The media is a part of the political class and doesn't give a shit about the rest of the country. The political class includes the RNC.

Trump doubles ratings of whatever events he is in on TV and has to move to larger venues where he speaks.

MayBee said...

Blogger garage mahal said...
Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something RASCIST?


It depends whose rules you are living by. Obama supporters' or just normal peoples'?

mikee said...

The appeal of Carson is that he is a man with principles. That is his appeal, as a rarity among the spineless RINO candidates.

Principles won't beat the unprincipled, power-mad Hillary, though. She is our next president, God help the world.

MayBee said...

My favorite thing in the world is Obama trolling Republicans by saying if they can't handle CNBC, they can't handle Putin.

He should know what it takes to not be able to handle Putin.

Brando said...

"My favorite thing in the world is Obama trolling Republicans by saying if they can't handle CNBC, they can't handle Putin.

He should know what it takes to not be able to handle Putin."

I'd be interested in hearing how he'd answer the question "can you give some examples of how you've handled Putin?"

I get that "handling" Putin isn't an easy task, as we're not about to go to war with him for any of his provocations, but geez--we haven't exactly been able to get him to do anything or stop him from doing anything since 1999, so this cheap gloating is pretty sad.

Obama should go back to being irrelevant. His last Secretary of State made a mockery of national security protocols and likely violated the law. His legacy is not exactly glowing.

Larry J said...

MayBee said...
My favorite thing in the world is Obama trolling Republicans by saying if they can't handle CNBC, they can't handle Putin.


This from a man who doesn't go on Fox News because they might actually ask him a real question.

Brando said...

"This from a man who doesn't go on Fox News because they might actually ask him a real question."

The thing about Obama is he's basically a troll. It's all about provoking the opposition and hoping to get them to get so mad they overreact. Consigning him to his irrelevancy is the best strategy.

After all, this is a man whose hopes for an America more loved in a more secure, peaceful world have gone to dust, and his signature domestic achievement is a sad embarrassment. His party's frontrunner--a former member of his cabinet!--is running away from his legacy. He's fading.

Drago said...

garage mahal: "Like Ben Carson or not, he has forced to ask the difficult questions, like: could the Holocaust have been prevented if Jews bum-rushed the Nazis all at once?"

and...

garage mahal: "Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something RASCIST?"

LOL

Drinking this early in the day and on company time is ill-advised.

MayBee said...

The thing about Obama is he's basically a troll.

True.

Obama is a troll. He trolls opponents with his speech. I think even Garage has acknowledged this.
And Putin is a troll. He trolls Obama with his military.

damikesc said...

I'd be interested in hearing how he'd answer the question "can you give some examples of how you've handled Putin?"

Would "poorly" count as an answer? :)

His last Secretary of State made a mockery of national security protocols and likely violated the law. His legacy is not exactly glowing.

His current one might be the least intelligent person to serve in any capacity of government at any point in our history. And Obama had Hagel in his cabinet at one point.

This from a man who doesn't go on Fox News because they might actually ask him a real question.

He got righteously pissy when a Daily Caller dared to ask him a question in one of his numerous press appearance where no questions are allowed.

I wonder why the GOP is expected to treat them with respect when the object of their adoration shits all over them. Nobody respects cuckolds.

The thing about Obama is he's basically a troll. It's all about provoking the opposition and hoping to get them to get so mad they overreact. Consigning him to his irrelevancy is the best strategy.

Only problem is that he is actively planning to ignore a court ruling on his immigration policy if it doesn't go his way. And the Dems won't support an impeachment.

Which leaves some FAR less pleasant ways to remove a tyrant from office.

After all, this is a man whose hopes for an America more loved in a more secure, peaceful world have gone to dust, and his signature domestic achievement is a sad embarrassment. His party's frontrunner--a former member of his cabinet!--is running away from his legacy. He's fading.

I'm praying for a Republican President to just declassify EVERYTHING he has done and make it ALL public.

Michael said...

Garage

Do you think it was wrong of the Nazis to confiscate the guns of Jews?

rcocean said...

Wow, the Republican voters just get dumber and dumber.

Scott said...

POSTED: Don't feed the trolls.

clint said...

"Achilles said...

Trump doubles ratings of whatever events he is in on TV and has to move to larger venues where he speaks."

Sure. But if that's the standard, we should be recruiting Taylor Swift.

I realize there's a minor constitutional problem, but the Roberts Court can be counted on to creatively interpret the age requirement.

Brando said...

"Would "poorly" count as an answer? :)"

I'm guessing he might try to take credit for things that could not have possibly been his doing, e.g. if Putin pulls out of Syria Obama would point and say "see, look what I made him do!" Sort of like people who gave Obama credit for Assad agreeing to stop using chemichal weapons after crossing the "red line" and calling Obama's bluff (that time, Putin pulled Obama's feet from the fire).

"His current one might be the least intelligent person to serve in any capacity of government at any point in our history."

Kerry's performance in 2004 should have disqualified him from any executive office, but I guess the Dems had a weak bench. Or, they hoped putting someone competent in after Hillary would have highlighted her weaknesses.

"Only problem is that he is actively planning to ignore a court ruling on his immigration policy if it doesn't go his way. And the Dems won't support an impeachment."

If his abuse of power is blatant enough they can impeach him anyway, and try to win the PR war over it. More likely, he'll do some piecemeal executive action that falls in a legal gray area, daring the GOP to go nuclear over it. Not a bad strategy, politically.

At this point the best bet for the GOP is to try and gain the White House while holding Congress, and start to undo a lot of this. It's going to be a tough year though.

damikesc said...

If his abuse of power is blatant enough they can impeach him anyway, and try to win the PR war over it. More likely, he'll do some piecemeal executive action that falls in a legal gray area, daring the GOP to go nuclear over it. Not a bad strategy, politically.

I'll also go ahead and say that if any Republican President did what Obama has done, you'd never hear the end of the "unprecedented abuse of power!" screams. Just as they claim no President had as much vicious comments about him as Obama, ignoring the multiple pieces of assassination fiction involving Bush.

Brando said...

"I'll also go ahead and say that if any Republican President did what Obama has done, you'd never hear the end of the "unprecedented abuse of power!" screams."

The difference is many Republicans have a line that they won't cross--they were unwilling to cross it for Nixon, and to some extent for Bush (though Bush never actually abused his power). The Dems circle the wagons and consider the GOP far more evil than anything one of their own presidents can do. It's hard to fathom just what Obama would have to do for elected Democrats (as opposed to random citizens) to actually vote to impeach, particularly if that meant having to vote the same way as the evil GOP.

Just a year left until the next election. And if Hillary takes over, I suspect we'll be seeing Obama as a paragon of restraint and lawfulness. The Clintons have no limit.

Grackle said...

Oh my God! Oh my God! Rubio, the alternative immigration amnesty establishment darling loses traction. First Walker, then Bush, now Rubio! What WILL the establishment do? How to secure Chamber of Commerce priorities over run of the mill Republican voters. Stay tuned......

False Grackle

garage mahal said...

Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

I Callahan said...

Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

That's not what anyone said, and you know it, clown.

Drago said...

I Callahan: "That's not what anyone said, and you know it, clown."

Actually, no he doesn't know it.

ARM does, as does Cookie.

But garage? Not really. That's a bit "advanced" for our not ready for primetime academician.

Michael K said...

At this point the best bet for the GOP is to try and gain the White House while holding Congress, and start to undo a lot of this.

One reason the GOP base is so angry is that we did this in 2000. Aside from the minor problem of 9/11, there was nothing done about entitlements and the debt. Bush didn't do too badly with the deficit until 2008 and the financial meltdown but that could have been prevented or mitigated with Congressional action. Hastert and DeLay were too busy making nice with K Street.

When the Democrats took over in 2007, the governor was off the engine of disaster and the rest is history.

Michael K said...

"Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

This is a pretty standard response by the left and common at HuffPo. It's called (in Latin, garage so you won't know) "reductio ad absurdum."

Drago said...

And if you think garages obviously bitter and racist comments where he calls a noted black neuro-surgeon lazy and dumb aren't enough, he also went off on Alphi Phi Alphi calling their fraternity "useless".

Not to their faces of course.

No. Not to their faces.

Brando said...

"One reason the GOP base is so angry is that we did this in 2000. Aside from the minor problem of 9/11, there was nothing done about entitlements and the debt. Bush didn't do too badly with the deficit until 2008 and the financial meltdown but that could have been prevented or mitigated with Congressional action. Hastert and DeLay were too busy making nice with K Street."

Don't think for a minute that I believe GOP control of government would be smiles and sunshine--after the '00s I have no illusions about the GOP making any significant fixes to the tax code (they might cut rates a bit, but it'll remain a mess) or discretionary spending (they proved that when in charge they will overspend on defense and domestic spending). Ditto civil liberties and foreign adventures. There is a chance--a slim chance--they might address at least some small fixes for entitlements, but I'm keeping expectations low.

However, it still will be preferable to what a second Clinton administration has to offer. And bad as the 2000-2008 GOP was, I think a Gore presidency would have been a mess. Not that I can prove alternate history, but even a dysfunctional gridlocked GOP government is likely to be less damaging than a criminal enterprise like the Clintons are announcing.

Drago said...

Remember, according to garage, no black fraternities serve no purpose.

I wonder if in garages strange rural uneducated back-woods white guy world black neuro-surgeons serve no purpose either?

Reading garages comments it's no wonder Titus fled that state so readily.

Drago said...

should be: "..black fraternities serve no purpose."

Brando said...

"Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

I don't have Carson's exact quote, but if he did in fact say "Hitler would not have come to power if the Jews of Germany owned guns" then I'd admit that was a pretty simplistic and dumb thing to say.

But it is true that an armed, educated population that is used to individual rights has a much better chance of resisting tyranny than an uneducated, unarmed population that has no history of individual rights. Do you dispute that?

garage mahal said...

In the list of date demands, Ben Carson reportedly wants the "Phone a Friend" and "Street Shout Out" option available to him.

Drago said...

Brando: "Do you dispute that?"

LOL

You're arguing with a middle schooler!

Drago said...

It's amusing watching garage cutting and pasting comments from other sites as if he thought of them!

We'll just call that the garage-cut-and-paste "Phone a Friend" and "Street Shout Out" option!

garage mahal said...

Bring on those sick burns Drago! We got the "LOL" and "middle school" body slams. What else ya got big boy?

Drago said...

garage mahal: "Bring on those sick burns Drago! We got the "LOL" and "middle school" body slams. What else ya got big boy?"

All anyone ever needs with you is your very own comments.

Of course, if you were capable of understanding that, you wouldn't be you.

Drago said...

I can't wait to see what garage cuts and pastes next!

Could make it a sort of lottery contest or fantasy game.

Simply review a few of the lefty fever swamps and look for whatever the latest "cool kid" takedowns of the R's happen to be there and count the minutes before garage pops up here with "his insights".

You know garage, as you have learned, once you leave middle school it's not easy to simply look over someone else's shoulder and copy their work for credit.

But I suppose you'll keep trying.

Drago said...

It's too bad garage never had a Ben Carson in his class to make garages cheating truly pay off.

Garage might have actually done something productive or useful with his life and then he wouldn't feel that strange and angry compulsion to call a brilliant and successful black surgeon dumb and lazy.

damikesc said...

Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

People have no right to attempt to defend themselves?

Clearly Hitler was worried...given that he confiscated their guns.

eric said...

At this point the best bet for the GOP is to try and gain the White House while holding Congress, and start to undo a lot of this.

There is always an excuse. Right now the excuse is, we can't do anything because we don't hold the presidency.

But, once we do have both, rest assured, the new excuse will be ready and waiting. My guess is, the new excuse will be the same as the old excuse. Which is to say either

1) The Democrats keep stopping us with that nasty filibuster!

Or

2) We have an election coming up (there is always am election coming up) and we can't take such a vote right now because we have too many Republicans in blue states that need to be re-elected.

As I said. There is always an excuse.

Drago said...

One can picture garage nervously sweating before his keyboard knowing that he should be able to come up with something original. Something insightful which he could lob out there into the blog-o-sphere to show the drago's and others of the world that he, garage, is smart enough and good enough to do "smart kid stuff".

But then, nothing comes.

Nothing at all.

Ever.

Drago said...

Yet, for garage, there is still hope.

Here is a link for an IT training course in Madison: http://madisoncollege.edu/programs-classes#it

But remember garage, Ben Carson could probably just show up and test out of this course.

Unlike some others we could mention.

Larry J said...

Hitler wouldn't have stood a chance if the Jews just had rifles. That's a brilliant observation. Thanks, "Doctor"

Another person who apparently has never heard of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising or the Sobibor Extermination Camp Uprising self-identifies.

Michael K said...

And bad as the 2000-2008 GOP was, I think a Gore presidency would have been a mess.

I was actually OK with a Gore presidency because we still had a GOP Congress. I think Gore went crazy after the election. When he was VP, he sounded pretty sensible the few occasions I could hear something he said. The environmental thing, is of course lunatic but I didn't think he was off the charts on that until later.

I was not a Bush supporter although I think he did pretty well with Iraq. He did not have control of the economic side, which was his rational for office, being an MBA and all.

Rick said...

I think Gore went crazy after the election. When he was VP, he sounded pretty sensible

Or he was always crazy but he was more motivated to appear reasonable as long as he had a chance of becoming president.

Carol said...

I think he'll get rolled. "

That's what real Secretaries of State are for. The "Summit" was an invention of Kennedy and he got rolled so badly that we almost went up in smoke.


I think former senators as presidents are problematic too, especially when their senate careers were as indifferent as Kennedy's or Obama's.

Damn where are the good governors.

Bay Area Guy said...

jeez, simple fact: if the Jews in the Germany had a few more guns circa 1941, they woulda taken out a few more Nazis.

Is this so controversial?

Brando said...

"But, once we do have both, rest assured, the new excuse will be ready and waiting. My guess is, the new excuse will be the same as the old excuse."

I'm sure it will be. For the GOP to hold a majority, they're going to need the support of the sort of people they're afraid would abandon them if they got too aggressive. But I'd rather be frustrated with gridlock and weak tea conservatism than see the criminal gang running rampant. She's already promising to abuse her executive powers.

"I was actually OK with a Gore presidency because we still had a GOP Congress. I think Gore went crazy after the election. When he was VP, he sounded pretty sensible the few occasions I could hear something he said. The environmental thing, is of course lunatic but I didn't think he was off the charts on that until later."

I don't know--he might have just been hiding the crazy while he still had voters to face. But it's impossible to prove how that (or a Dole presidency) would have gone.

"jeez, simple fact: if the Jews in the Germany had a few more guns circa 1941, they woulda taken out a few more Nazis."

Even with just a few guns and homemade bombs, they fought hard in the Warsaw ghettos. They may have lost, but better to make it harder than just rounding everyone into cattle cars.

garage mahal said...

There we go. There's that rapier wit we're so blessed to have around. I knew you had it in you Drago!

wildswan said...

The American fundamentalists of the Twenties and Thirties who did not accept the theory of evolution also blocked the teaching of eugenics which was strongly supported by that era's "progressives." Hunter's Civic Biolofy, the subject of the Scopes Trial taught that:

At the present time there exist upon the earth five races or varieties of man, each very different from the other ... the highest type of all, the caucasians, represented by the civilized white inhabitants of Europe and America.

"Hundreds of families such as those described above exist today, spreading disease, immorality, and crime to all parts of this country.... If such people were lower animals, we would probably kill them off to prevent them from spreading. ... we do have the remedy of .... in various ways preventing intermarriage and the possibilities of perpetuating such a low and degenerate race. Remedies of this sort have been tried successfully in Europe and are now meeting with some success in this country."

So there it is. The "progressives" supported a racist eugenics and ridiculed fundamentalists for their opposition to "science". But who had the insight? Before history showed where eugenics leads, who had the insight?

Similarly Ben Carson has a moral vision the country needs. Meanwhile "progressives" support Hillary who is a known liar, known to be selling influence even to enemies of this country and known to intend to erase the Constitution with more executive actions. They think that's a smart thing to do.

And, PS, at this moment I support Rubio and/or Fiorina. But Carson has tremendous appeal.

wildswan said...

Hunter's Civic Biology

hombre said...

Hateful, racist Repubs.

hombre said...

Carson's support is attributable to the perception that he is an "outsider," intelligent, decent, civil, honest and moral. Other than the first two qualities he is the anti-Trump. So far, that works for me, although he isn't my first choice.

That is not to say I necessarily think of Trump, the quintessential crony capitalist, as an outsider.

Michael said...

Garage

Why would you put quotes around the word Doctor in reference to Carson? Are you a Degree Denier? Would you yourself be able to uncouple co-joined twins with the skills you mastered in shop?

Michael K said...

"Or he was always crazy but he was more motivated to appear reasonable as long as he had a chance of becoming president."

That is certainly a reasonable theory. After 2000 and his meltdown, I figured he would be still trying to deliver an arrest warrant for bin Laden by 2008.

We'll never know.

Carson is iffy to me about evolution but his honesty and morality are a novelty in politics. I imagine he is bemused by his success, as well.

hombre said...

ARM: "Most people don't watch the debates, especially one on an obscure business network. Only the true believers tuned into that one."

Yeah. 14 million "true believers." The biggest audience in CNBC history - outdrawing game 2 of the World Series.


11/3/15, 7:58 AM

Michael K said...

"Garage

Why would you put quotes around the word Doctor in reference to Carson? "

Leftist racism. They are certain that blacks cannot function without progressives to show them how.

hombre said...

Trad guy: "The Evangelicals are again the rotten apple in the GOP barrel like they have been for 30 years."

Spoken like a christianish Presbyterian.

If I didn't get that denomination quite right, among the christianish it doesn't really matter. BTW, Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist, but we non-christianish all look alike, right?

hombre said...

Just to clarify, if necessary, Seventh Day Adventists are not Evangelicals.

Drago said...

And you have demonstrated that you do not have it in you garage. Which helps explain your rather astonishing level of animosity toward an accomplished black guy.

Smilin' Jack said...

No other Republican garners more than 3% support.

They'd better find somebody else over the next few years if they don't want Hillary to be a two-term president.

garage mahal said...

Carson also has a interesting story to tell on on how tree bark supplements helped him beat prostate cancer. I wonder why he doesn't share that anymore?

Drago said...

We will add horticulture to the now endless list of subjects inadequately covered in WI middle schools.

Hows the course registration going garage?

You can get some advisor assistance if you are stumped.

garage mahal said...

Hey, talk to Carson about the magical benefits of tree bark, not me.

Drago said...

Its more interesting asking you why you felt the need to launch another lie about carson.

Or is it you are simply to stupid to realize you are lying?

machine said...

Hey, all he needs to do now is pretend to go hunting...yup.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

hombre said...
Yeah. 14 million "true believers."


4.5% of the adult population, while not nothing, doesn't really extend much beyond political junkies.

Drago said...

Poor garage. Once again he only read a lefty headline and ran with it. When called on it and forced to actually read a bit more garage realizes he has been suckered again!

Drago said...

ARM: "4.5% of the adult population, while not nothing, doesn't really extend much beyond political junkies."

That's true, but the msm does its "thing" afterwards and amplifies and extends the message the msm wants to transmit in a much broader way over a longer period of time afterwards.

It's there that the "narrative" is set. It's even more powerful when you consider that so relatively "few" watched the actual event itself so there it is difficult to counter false impressions.

Drago said...

Garage must be feverishly looking for confirmation of his latest, rather pathetic, obvious lie about Carson.

I wonder how it makes garage feel to know that even other rabid lefty sources are hesitant to push it too far?

Here's The Atlantic:

snip: "Carson stopped short of making substantive medical claims about Mannatech’s products. “You know, I can’t say that that’s the reason I feel so healthy,” he said. “But I can say it made me feel different and that’s why I continue to use it more than ten years later.”

Wait. How could Carson have "...stopped short of making substantive medical claims.." when garage claims precisely the opposite?

Oh, right.

Basic english eludes our precious garage.

Carson, the guy garage claims is lazy and dumb and a science quack isn't even here and he is still running circles around garage!

Drago said...

machine: "Hey, all he needs to do now is pretend to go hunting...yup."

Maybe he should pretend to have dodged sniper fire!!

Yup.

Again machine, keep it to 3 words or less, just to be on the safe side.

Drago said...

Thanks for another wonderful afternoon and evening of hilarity garage.

You truly never disappoint!

BTW, I understand that Info Systems class is still letting folks register.

Look into it.

Look into something.

chickelit said...

Garage wrote: Hey, talk to Carson about the magical benefits of tree bark, not me.

Actually, tree bark extracts are a multi billion dollar industry ($1.27 Billion for Bayer alone last year). But of course trees no longer make the salicylic acid we consume as the acetylated prodrug. Also, a few years ago, there were some interesting anti-cancer drug derived from tree bark IIRC.

You're barking up the wrong tree, garage.

chickelit said...

Drago said (about garage)...
Its more interesting asking you why you felt the need to launch another lie about carson.

Or is it you are simply to stupid to realize you are lying?


Come on drago, garage has a had a hard-on for Hillary since before Obama. You and I have looked seriously at dozens of candidates since then but garage is simple and true to first political love.

Michael K said...

"Hey, talk to Carson about the magical benefits of tree bark, not me."

Actually, tree bark was important to California Native Americans (Indians to me) as they existed, at least until Father Serra came along, on acorns. Acorns are probably the most constipating food on earth. However, tree bark, called "Cascara Sagrada", or "Sacred Bark" is an effective laxative. Hence, the importance of tree bark to Indians. The poor dopes parading around protesting his sainthood should learn more about bark.

amielalune said...

So now it's the conservatives' turn to prove they aren't racist by supporting an untested black man who would never even be a candidate if he weren't black.

The US doesn't have much more time for this nonsense.

Rusty said...

"Hey, talk to Carson about the magical benefits of tree bark, not me."

The inner bark of the willow, when boiled, produces a natural pain killer. Asperin.

Nichevo said...

OMFG. Taxol! Dr K, I'm surprised at you.

Nichevo said...

Quinine?

Nichevo said...

Since garage has wisely left the building, and since some of you may not know what taxol is - it is literally an anti-cancer treatment. My mother took it for breast cancer, which thank heaven has been cured. Made from the bark of the Pacific yew.

But Ben Carson is stupid and garage is smart! Yeah, like Fredo was smart! Not dumb like everybody says.

He's smrat!