When I first heard Dr. Ben Carson speak at the National Prayer Breakfast, I was enamored. Like much of the conservative base, his remarks fell on like-minded ears and resonated with those of who err on the side of personal liberty and fiscal responsibility. I began to watch for when Carson would be on the news and followed him on social media. I was gifted his book A More Perfect Union. I thought he was a good voice to have in the political debate. Undoubtedly he was a brilliant man – his path to success in the medical world is fascinating. Suffice it to say, I liked Dr. Ben Carson.
Then, Dr. Ben Carson decided he wanted to be President Carson. He began his race for the White House as one of the many Republican presidential candidates. I was intrigued. He was not who my initial gut told me I might end up supporting, but I looked forward to seeing his transition into full-time politics, and how he would fare among the experienced political elite.
Carson has run a fairly good campaign so far. His numbers have kept him in the top five consistently. Due to his fame in the Republican Party and book success prior to the primaries, he began with solid name recognition – not quite as good as Trump, but not every presidential candidate gets to have his own television show. I am sure campaign strategist somewhere are thinking that the fact that he is African-American will help the party that many on the left side label as intolerant. And the voting base responds well to his Christian values and take America back the rhetoric.
Now, I have a confession to make. I rarely pick ‘my’ candidate at the beginning of the primary. This is for several reasons. One, most of the candidates haven’t created sound platforms that I can actually compare. Two, and perhaps the most important reason, I am incredibly pragmatic. If you can’t do well in a debate and on the campaign trail, you likely won’t get my vote, even if I agree with you the most. Why? Because if you can’t do well in debates, speeches, news shows, campaigns, etc now, then I have no confidence that you can beat Hillary Clinton (assuming she will be the Democratic nominee). And winning the White House, not the primary, is the ultimate prize.
And Ben Carson can’t win.
For some reason, the voting Republicans who watch the debate do not seem to mind his slow and monotone speech. But up against a well-seasoned debater like Clinton, one on one? He will look weak and non-responsive. Watch any of the primary debates where he is asked about foreign policy and listen to his answers – they are telling. His website (written by campaign staffers mind you) may have a foreign policy that is well thought out, but in the primetime of the debate when it is just him, he sounds ignorant of global strategy and the issues surrounding the world. That will not do well against former Secretary of State Clinton. His comments about West Point showed naivety about what sort of things candidates should and should not say. He has won over some Republicans, despite his flaws, but Hillary Clinton will capitalize on the flaws and Carson will lose. Basically, you have to eat, breathe, and sleep politics. A blunder like these when you are the only Republican running and there aren’t 10 other guys making mistakes could cost a candidate several points in the polls. Winning a national campaign is so much more than just being a likable guy who can talk politics, you have to be likable while still being sharp and running a tight ship campaign. Ben Carson has not been doing that.
Which is why, despite the fact that I genuinely like the man, I cannot and will not support him for the Republican nomination.
