2016 Presidential Campaign

[swake]

I'm not overly thrilled with any of the "leading" options from either side so far.

I do have to ask, is "Gentle Ben" a loon or liar in your books?  Thus far, I've not seen anything which confirms him as a liar.  As far as some of his fundamentalist views, I wouldn't go so far as "loon".  My issue with Carson is the same problem I had with Obama: he has very limited leadership experience.  The crazy part is, I can't figure out the cult of personality surrounding this guy with the conservatives.  He's not as charismatic as Obama came off in '08.  Let's face it, everyone overlooked any limited leadership experience for a guy who was: "so well spoken, such a great orator".

I have to give Cruz credit for sticking to his guns and following through with campaign promises while pissing off the Republican establishment.  I admire him for that.  There is simply something really creepy about the guy I just can't stand.  It's like he's got a trunk load of bound and gagged cheerleaders.  Just cannot explain what is not right about that guy.

Hillary is no Bill when it comes to campaigning.  I honestly see no way she can win the general election as she is just too polarizing.  She does not exude excitement and she's got the "No more Bush or Clintons!" thing working against her.

Bernie?  Even less charisma.

The Good Doctor Carson is batsh!t crazy. He's not a little off, he's the band leader of the loon parade.  And he's not that bright. Something at some point went very, very wrong with him. His weird and ever changing story about stabbing a kid at 14, his comparing everything to Nazis. He constantly seems to lose interest and focus on what he is talking about, sometimes midsentence.  He's not all there. I've been wondering if he had a stroke at some point.

Cruz is very sharp but without a moral center. He will say or do anything to get himself ahead. His own peers don't trust him. He could be Nixon 2.0 if he were to win.

Hillary is no Bill, but with what she is going to be running against she almost has to win, especially with the demographic shifts that have already happened. To me, the only person that can beat her is Rubio. He's smart, young, good looking and has the most charisma of anyone running. And he's Hispanic. The establishment is lining up behind him now but the question is, will the loon and radical wings of the Republican party allow him to get nominated. With Carson/Trump now polling combined at over 50% I'm not thinking they will but we will see.

I don't think Bernie was ever a real candidate. He's an issue candidate trying to pull the Democratic party to the left. He has zero shot to win and I don't think he really cares about winning.

[cynical]

Cruz is very sharp but without a moral center. He will say or do anything to get himself ahead. His own peers don't trust him. He could be Nixon 2.0 if he were to win.

Except without the redeeming qualities Nixon had.

[AquaMan]

This may explain some of Gentle Ben's weirdness. http://news.yahoo.com/ben-carson-says-many-americans-140928690.html

I wondered why he was a former surgeon till a friend told me he was kicked out of the profession. Something about a sponge left in someone's brain. His stances on abortion, medicare/Medicaid and the ACA are enough to tickle the looneys' fancy and eliminate him from moderate support.

[Conan71]

This may explain some of Gentle Ben's weirdness. http://news.yahoo.com/ben-carson-says-many-americans-140928690.html

I wondered why he was a former surgeon till a friend told me he was kicked out of the profession. Something about a sponge left in someone's brain. His stances on abortion, medicare/Medicaid and the ACA are enough to tickle the looneys' fancy and eliminate him from moderate support.

Your friend's assertion appears to be untrue, at least according to this Guardian article which seems to take an even take on his malpractice history.  Malpractice claims seem to be fairly common for any neurosurgeon, considering what part of the body they are working on.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/04/ben-carson-malpractice-claims-doctor-for-president

Coburn said weird smile too, but was a pretty pragmatic legislator.

I think Carson is very cerebral but lacks the filter between his brain and mouth most politicians possess. 

Again, his lack of leadership experience is a serious problem.  His soft-spoken demeanor doesn't inspire confidence as a good negotiator.

I'm curious what would happen in a Bush vs. Clinton election.  Both have leadership experience and very close ties to the White House already.  But, there's so much sentiment against anyone else from either family sitting in the White House again, it might result in record low turnout for a presidential election.  Either that or the first independent president in history.

[AquaMan]

My friend probably was referring to this link http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/8295908. He likely didn't see it as the satire intended.

His remarks, like calling those who might disagree as "stupid Americans", are growing faster than Trump can keep up with.

[swake]

Your friend's assertion appears to be untrue, at least according to this Guardian article which seems to take an even take on his malpractice history.  Malpractice claims seem to be fairly common for any neurosurgeon, considering what part of the body they are working on.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/04/ben-carson-malpractice-claims-doctor-for-president

Coburn said weird smile too, but was a pretty pragmatic legislator.

I think Carson is very cerebral but lacks the filter between his brain and mouth most politicians possess. 

Again, his lack of leadership experience is a serious problem.  His soft-spoken demeanor doesn't inspire confidence as a good negotiator.

I'm curious what would happen in a Bush vs. Clinton election.  Both have leadership experience and very close ties to the White House already.  But, there's so much sentiment against anyone else from either family sitting in the White House again, it might result in record low turnout for a presidential election.  Either that or the first independent president in history.

Bush is toast.

President Webb!

[Conan71]

Bush is toast.

President Webb!

He might be pretty popular with GOP voters since he's got a crappy record on climate change initiatives and he's a defender of the Confederate battle flag.  The only thing missing is a photo of he and the Late Sen. Byrd dining with white pointy hoods on.

/I personally agree with his reasoning on climate issues and emissions.

40 years ago, Webb would have been a great fit in the Republican party before they went all fundamentalist.

[swake]

I'm not overly thrilled with any of the "leading" options from either side so far.

I do have to ask, is "Gentle Ben" a loon or liar in your books? 

Ok, so he's a loon and now an admitted liar, and accused of lying about a lot more:
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/6/9681558/ben-carson-west-point

[Conan71]

Ok, so he's a loon and now an admitted liar, and accused of lying about a lot more:
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/6/9681558/ben-carson-west-point

Politicians stretching the truth in their autobiographies seems to be about the norm. 

I'm trying to figure out what sort of narcissism would make a neurosurgeon write his biography at the ripe old age of 38?  This is much like Obama and his first memoir in 1995 before he had done anything to really distinguish himself on the national stage.

[swake]

Politicians stretching the truth in their autobiographies seems to be about the norm. 

I'm trying to figure out what sort of narcissism would make a neurosurgeon write his biography at the ripe old age of 38?  This is much like Obama and his first memoir in 1995 before he had done anything to really distinguish himself on the national stage.

His particular campaign is based around his perceived intelligence and honesty. He didn't stretch the truth, this is an entirely false narrative.

In his biography a central story to his life was that during a Veteran's day parade in 1969 he claimed to have met General Westmoreland, just back from commanding in Vietnam, who was impressed with the then 17 year old Carson and who took Carson to dinner and urged him to attend West Point. Carson was then later offered a "full ride" to West Point that he turned down.

None of that happened. There's no such thing as a full ride to West Point, Carson never applied to the school at all and General Westmoreland was not at that parade at all. According to the generals records he spent Veteran's Day 1969 in Washington DC so there was no meeting Carson and no dinner.

It's not an exaggeration or stretching of the truth, it's a complete fabrication.

[Hoss]

His particular campaign is based around his perceived intelligence and honesty. He didn't stretch the truth, this is an entirely false narrative.

In his biography a central story to his life was that during a Veteran's day parade in 1969 he claimed to have met General Westmoreland, just back from commanding in Vietnam, who was impressed with the then 17 year old Carson and who took Carson to dinner and urged him to attend West Point. Carson was then later offered a "full ride" to West Point that he turned down.

None of that happened. There's no such thing as a full ride to West Point, Carson never applied to the school at all and General Westmoreland was not at that parade at all. According to the generals records he spent Veteran's Day 1969 in Washington DC so there was no meeting Carson and no dinner.

It's not an exaggeration or stretching of the truth, it's a complete fabrication.

And who says he's not a regular politician?! 

[Conan71]

His particular campaign is based around his perceived intelligence and honesty. He didn't stretch the truth, this is an entirely false narrative.

In his biography a central story to his life was that during a Veteran's day parade in 1969 he claimed to have met General Westmoreland, just back from commanding in Vietnam, who was impressed with the then 17 year old Carson and who took Carson to dinner and urged him to attend West Point. Carson was then later offered a "full ride" to West Point that he turned down.

None of that happened. There's no such thing as a full ride to West Point, Carson never applied to the school at all and General Westmoreland was not at that parade at all. According to the generals records he spent Veteran's Day 1969 in Washington DC so there was no meeting Carson and no dinner.

It's not an exaggeration or stretching of the truth, it's a complete fabrication.

Actually, the quote in the book says "Memorial Day" according to the original link you posted rather than "Veteran's Day".

I could care less whether he took a few liberties in his book.  It's not like we've never elected presidential candidates with questionable integrity who have padded their resumes and memoirs with exaggerations and outright lies. 

I'm not interested in voting for the guy, but I find it plenty amusing that CNN is really picking apart his autobiography, yet they showed little interest in vetting Obama in a similar way. 

[swake]

Actually, the quote in the book says "Memorial Day" according to the original link you posted rather than "Veteran's Day".

I could care less whether he took a few liberties in his book.  It's not like we've never elected presidential candidates with questionable integrity who have padded their resumes and memoirs with exaggerations and outright lies. 

I'm not interested in voting for the guy, but I find it plenty amusing that CNN is really picking apart his autobiography, yet they showed little interest in vetting Obama in a similar way. 

People expect politicians to be full of crap, it's sad but true. If I told you that Hillary or Trump or Cruz had lied no one would bat an eye. But Carson's entire reason for being a candidate is that he is NOT a politician and he's good and honest man.

[Hoss]

[Conan71]