Is Ben Carson is electable

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Ben Carson doesn't hate certain religious groups.  None of his quotes showcase hatred.

Saying Muslims are rabid dogs and that Muslims contradict American values.... sounds a lot like hatred to me.

[Young Conservative]

Ben Carson is one of the less attacked politicians on these forums. It's only natural that when you bring up a certain topic, people will express their disagreements if they have any.

That makes sense thank you for that!

[Holmes]

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Only because Republicans lately have a bias against reality.

Still, it's always nice to be introduced to a quintessential low-information voter who somehow manages to overcome the intellectual hurdles involved with operating a profile on an internet forum. It's a bit like going to the zoo!

Eh, go easy on him.

[Young Conservative]

Ben Carson doesn't hate certain religious groups.  None of his quotes showcase hatred.

Saying Muslims are rabid dogs and that Muslims contradict American values.... sounds a lot like hatred to me.

he never said muslims were rabid dogs or the second part. ENFORCING Sharia in America on the other hand, does contradict American values

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Ben Carson doesn't hate certain religious groups.  None of his quotes showcase hatred.

Saying Muslims are rabid dogs and that Muslims contradict American values.... sounds a lot like hatred to me.

he never said muslims were rabid dogs or the second part. ENFORCING Sharia in America on the other hand, does contradict American values

Muslims live sharia every day... It's not a "law" that Islamophobes claim it is. It's practiced like Halakha is for the Jews.

Right wing religious types on the other hand always try to enforce their religious values onto others..

See anti-abortion and anti-marriage...

[Young Conservative]

its fine if they practice it, the problem is when it is enforced on Nonmuslims. That was my comment. There is nothing wrong with exerting your own religious liberty, as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's. Do you not agree?

[Broken System]

Carson used to seem likable and I thought he would have the strongest chance in the general election against Clinton. I can't say the same now. There are aspects like his obsessive book sales, his grain pyramids, and his ways of dealing with media scrutiny that have made him look way less appealing.

1. the grain thing was a quote from decades ago that they drudged up.
2. obsessive book sales? what?
3. the media always attacks republicans the most he just decided to call them out!

1. In elections, it is very common for the past to be excused because it is believed that the most recently stated opinions are the ones that the candidate believes in. This is a concept that many Trump supporters have accepted. In most situations, the past can be forgiven. The Republican party is one often touted as anti-science for their political beliefs. For Republican voters, it is discouraging to hear such an unscientific claim be made, as it allows the stereotype to grow. Carson could've easily changed his mind on such a claim, but he chose not to. A man with such illogical tendencies and stubbornness is  not one who many people want for president.

2. Although it is just a theory, some people theorize that Carson's entire candidacy is just to increase book sales. Even if this is not the case, he, more than any candidate, has focused a ton of effort into improving his brand name.

3. Yes, and it's great that he called them out. The problem was that he took it too far. If you watched some of his interviews, he showed visible distress. It even reached the point where he refused to answer what seemed to be fair questions in his "protest" of the media.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

its fine if they practice it, the problem is when it is enforced on Nonmuslims. That was my comment. There is nothing wrong with exerting your own religious liberty, as long as it doesn't infringe on someone else's. Do you not agree?

Tell that to conservative Christians who want to enforce their religion onto the LGBT community and on women's choice

[Young Conservative]

This part of the forum isn't for policy debate, but please keep in mind that not all of us believe that abortion for convenience is a woman's right and that only in certain cases should it be permitted....

[Young Conservative]

and remember that these are valid opinions because everyone has their own reasoning which is likely valid in its own right

[BlueSwan]

There's a certain like ability factor a candidate must have. It's undefinable. You either have it or you don't. Unfortunately, I fear that Ted Cruz does not, as much as I may like him! Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes perfect sense. He has this asshole-ish aura that is hard to ignore. And it is well known that he is mostly despised by his senate colleagues.

[SteveRogers]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

[Young Conservative]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

That theory isn't relevant to the presidency and I personally don't consider myself an expert on Egyptian history so i refrain from commenting. Carson wrote that so long ago it is hardly relevant today

[Young Conservative]

There's a certain like ability factor a candidate must have. It's undefinable. You either have it or you don't. Unfortunately, I fear that Ted Cruz does not, as much as I may like him! Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes perfect sense. He has this ______ aura that is hard to ignore. And it is well known that he is mostly despised by his senate colleagues.

I can't comment on his senate colleagues opinions of him, but  i Can say that I still like the senator, but prefer him in his current position or as  replacement for Senator McConnell
but thank you for understanding my abstract thoughts

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

That theory isn't relevant to the presidency and I personally don't consider myself an expert on Egyptian history so i refrain from commenting. Carson wrote that so long ago it is hardly relevant today

It is relevant because he bases history and fact on religious text.. Which makes him unfit for the Presidency but that is one thing out of a giant list of things he doesn't know about.

[BlueSwan]

and remember that these are valid opinions because everyone has their own reasoning which is likely valid in its own right

This is interesting but flawed. An opinion isn't necessarily "valid" just because someone holds it. That view would be the ultimate moral relativism, which never holds up to scrutiny, unless you would agree that the view that blowing up kindergarten kids for fun is good, is a valid opinion.

[BlueSwan]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

That theory isn't relevant to the presidency and I personally don't consider myself an expert on Egyptian history so i refrain from commenting. Carson wrote that so long ago it is hardly relevant today

It is relevant because he bases history and fact on religious text.. Which makes him unfit for the Presidency but that is one thing out of a giant list of things he doesn't know about.

I hate to point it out, but you have someone who is "unfit to be president" as your #5 pick for the job in your signature...

[Broken System]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

That theory isn't relevant to the presidency and I personally don't consider myself an expert on Egyptian history so i refrain from commenting. Carson wrote that so long ago it is hardly relevant today

It is relevant because he bases history and fact on religious text.. Which makes him unfit for the Presidency but that is one thing out of a giant list of things he doesn't know about.

I hate to point it out, but you have someone who is "unfit to be president" as your #5 pick for the job in your signature...

It's probably a lesser of all evils situation and he hates almost everyone running.

[Young Conservative]

it should also be important to note that the Bible doesn't say grain is stored in pyramids lol

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

Number 5 really means nothing, I'm only really considering the top 3 that is it, I just cut it off at 5 because I slightly like him better than Jeb, Trump or anyone else but still despise him and I'd vote for Clinton over him.

[Young Conservative]

i have no idea why you would dislike him so greatly but oh well

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

i have no idea why you would dislike him so greatly but oh well

Because he more or less is a religious nut and has no experience what so ever to be President, Trump and Fiorina can at least claim business experience to manage the economy (even if one of them brought HP down with them *cough* Fiorina *cough*) while Carson only has neurosurgery which won't help him at all.

He has no real policy positions and has shown himself to be very uneducated and uninformed when it comes to world events and how macroeconomics works.

[Maxwell]

I'm glad the Carson supporter on this forum seems like a pretty nice person. Good for you!

I detest Carson but that's not here nor there.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

I'm glad the Carson supporter on this forum seems like a pretty nice person. Good for you!

I detest Carson but that's not here nor there.

He is better than some of the Sandernistas on here so that's saying something.

[SteveRogers]

So how do you feel about the pyramids? More to the point, what would President Carson do when his "pet theory" on any given issue goes against what all of his expert advisors tell him?

That theory isn't relevant to the presidency and I personally don't consider myself an expert on Egyptian history so i refrain from commenting. Carson wrote that so long ago it is hardly relevant today

Carson said he stands by those statements to this day, and you don't need to be an expert on Egyptian history to know that the pyramids are almost entirely solid stone with no place to put any grain.

But pyramids aside, the point was that Carson supporters keep talking about how it's okay that he has no policy knowledge whatsoever because he's a good Christian with a good moral compass, and to be a good president he just needs to surround himself with competent economic and foreign policy advisors, etc. Except here we see an example of how his mind works, and it's scary because he doesn't believe in listening to experts, or the scientific method, or basic logic. And no, the bible didn't tell him that the pyramids are full of grain. That wasn't a necessary consequence of his religious beliefs. But his particular approach to biblical literalism requires that every new piece of information that enters his brain must be bent around his interpretation of the bible. So he reverse-engineers his own pet theories that fill in the gaps between statements in the bible and facts in our present world with absurd fantasies even if that means distorting facts or refusing to acknowledge any evidence to the contrary, and he absolutely cannot be dissuaded. That doesn't concern you?