Ben Carson Not Ready for Prime Time - part 2

I wrote on some of Dr. Ben Carson's failings back in early February. I felt the need to do so because I had said in August of 2015 that I was one of Carson's supporters.

Today Dr. Carson endorsed Donald Trump. The content of Carson's endorsement was itself another proof of why Carson is not ready for high political leadership.

Here's some of what Carson said*:

"There are two different Donald Trumps. There's the one you see on the stage and there's the one who's very cerebral, sits there and considers things very carefully. You can have a very good conversation with him. And that's the Donald Trump that you're going to start seeing more and more of right now."

One hears from other supporters** the feeling that personal interaction with Donald Trump makes people believe in him. This is the basis for the two Trumps observation. Carson clearly thinks the public Trump is not someone he would support. That's why Carson makes the contrast. The public Donald Trump isn't cerebral and doesn't consider things carefully. But, it is the public Trump that we are considering. His role is to be supremely public. What a President does in his private life does not matter. It is his public life, his public policy, his public decisions and pronouncements that matter. One is at a loss in how to rationally respond to someone who calls for political support for a candidate who is two different people.

Second, it is amazing to hear Ben Carson imply that the politics of personal destruction has to be accepted.

"And some people said but well you know he said terrible things about you how can you support him. Well, first of all, we buried the hatchet. That was political stuff. And you know that happens in American politics. The politics of personal destruction. All that is not something that I particularly believe in or anything that I get involved in. But, I do recognize that it is a part of the process."

The politics of personal destruction is a horrendous cancer on our republic and political process. In not standing against it, Carson is undercutting his main theme of bringing decency to the political process and fighting the sort of politics that divides and foments strife.

"You know we have to start working together. We cannot allow the agents of division to continue to separate us. As a nation our strength is our unity. And we just have to sort of ignore those people who are always trying to stir up strife. And I’m appealing to some degree to the media as well.  You know you’re part of America too and should be interested in strengthening our nation not in creating divisions, not in creating conflicts all the time."

By endorsing Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson has undercut much of what he has stood for in this campaign. People who are not authentic and the politics of personal destruction, division and strife.

Sad.
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*Carson: I want the voice of the people to be heard.

I’ve come to know Donald Trump over the last few years. He’s actually a very intelligent man who cares deeply about America. There are two different Donald Trumps. There’s the one you see on the stage and there’s the one who’s very cerebral,  sits there and considers things very carefully. You can have a very good conversation with him. And that’s the Donald Trump that you’re going to start seeing more and more of right now.

And some people said but well you know he said terrible things about you how can you support him. Well, first of all, we buried the hatchet. That was political stuff. And you know that happens in American politics. The politics of personal destruction. All that is not something that I particularly believe in or anything that I get involved in. But, I do recognize that it is a part of the process.  We move on because it’s not about me. It’s not about Mr. Trump. It’s about America. And this is what we have to be thinking about.

I have found that in talking with him that you know there’s a lot more alignment philosophically and spiritually than I ever thought that there was. He will speak to that but you know that actually surprised me more than anything. Because I do recognize how a person’s image can be greatly distorted having been the victim of that. I probably understand it better than anybody. And I think as the American people who we are focusing on as they begin to see the real individual there and those who are helping that individual I think we’re going to be comforted as a nation.

You know we have to start working together. We cannot allow the agents of division to continue to separate us. As a nation our strength is our unity. And we just have to sort of ignore those people who are always trying to stir up strife. And I’m appealing to some degree to the media as well.  You know you’re part of America too and should be interested in strengthening our nation not in creating divisions, not in creating conflicts all the time. If we start having that American attitude that American spirit that made us great that took us to the pinnacle in no time at all, believe me, everybody will benefit from that.

We’re also talking about how can we make America a place that’s successful for everybody. You know we have 330 million people. We’re going to be competing with China with 1.4 billion, India 1.1 billion. We have to develop all of our people. You know the people who are the downtrodden in our society. We’re not doing those people any favor by patting them on the head and saying “There, there, you poor little thing. I’m going to take care of all your needs.”

What we need to be doing instead is concentrating on mechanisms to allow those people to climb out of a state of dependency and become part of the strength and fabric of this nation. That’s what America is about. It’s not about dependency. And it certainly isn’t about socialism.

You know socialism is seen as the panacea by some who don’t really understand it. I think a lot of young people think socialism is just being concerned about other people. That’s not what it is. You know it’s cradle to grave government. And you let them take care of you, but you give them all of your money. You give them control of your life. They all end up looking the same way. A small group of elites at the top controlling everything. A rampantly diminishing middle class and a vastly expanded dependent class. That is not what made America great.

Donald Trump talks a lot about making America great, but it’s not just talk. He means it. I’m going to helping him, others are going to be helping him.

You know one of the things that I’ve discovered in this country is we have some incredibly smart people. None of us knows everything. But when we begin to use those smart people effectively to accomplish the goals of America. You’re going to see us once again begin to ascend to the pinnacle to a much higher pinnacle than we’ve ever achieved before. And that’s where America should be.

Thank you so much.

**Pastor Robert Jeffress: "And I have met — I have met with Mr. Trump on several occasions, and I can tell you from personal experience, if Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, we who are evangelical Christians are going to have a true friend in the White House. God bless Donald Trump!" Jeffress declared at the rally." (emphasis added)