Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

Jeb has a fine record as Governor of Florida.

But, he's not going to be able to get out of his brother's shadow. He can't criticize him, and he can't defend him.

Trump exposed this in the debate. The last thing Jeb wants to do is talk about his brother, and Trump forced him to. And, if you want the Republicans to win, this is a good thing, because it would have happened in the general election. For some reason, Jeb didn't expect it in the primaries, and answered poorly.

I think Jeb is smart, qualified, and would make a good president. But, as the nominee, he takes away a major argument against Hillary. And, it would be a repeat of the last two elections.

In 2008, Obama's weak spot was his inexperience, and then McCain goes and nominates someone without a lot of experience as his VP.

in 2012, Obamacare was a weakness, and the GOP nominated the architect of it.

We can't nominate another Bush, and then mock the Dems for nominating another Clinton. And, Hillary's already dealt with all of Bill's policies that have become unpopular over the years. She's disavowed them all -- and so has Bill.

That's not going to happen with Jeb, and George, so he'd be in a box.

Jeb would be a fine President, but he's not a good primary candidate, and would be a worse general election candidate.

 

Thing is, Jeb! had to know from the time George's presidency ended, and probably a few years before, that it was the one thing he had to be prepared for attacks on if he were ever to run himself.

Yet, every time anyone brings George up, Jeb! looks clueless. Someone being that oblivious to his biggest weakness doesn't exactly inspire anyone.

 

100%.

I mean, it's a bit of a delicate thing, but he's repeatedly fumbled whenever George's name/record comes up.

Even if he didn't expect it in a Republican primary, he should have had his response ready, for when it inevitably came in a general.

If he couldn't answer the questions, better that we find out now than in the general election.

I almost feel bad for him. He seems like a perfectly nice and smart guy. But, he's not going to throw his brother under the bus, and seems stumped on how to handle the campaign.

 

I don't agree with a lot of his policies, but he seems to be a pretty smart policy guy. He doesn't do a good job of connecting and explaining it.

But being a smart policy guy is probably a negative anyway.

 

Doesn't seem like he'd be fun to have a beer with, so not presidential material.

 

Yeah, he's had eight years to come up with a coherent defense, and he still always acts like the GWB parallels are utterly unanticipated bombshells to him.

 

And this won't help.
How the Bush administration ignored a significant warning from the CIA months before 9/11

 

Exactly right. Jeb knows his shit, but he is not at all interesting or engaging.

 

That may say less about Jeb and more about the impossibility of the task.

 

You're giving him way too much credit.

 

>>McCain wanted Lieberman. He was talked into Palin when some in his circle played his own "maverick" card against him.

>>Romney's health care plan was a strength he wasn't allowed to use in the general election. If he had...

 

There other way to put this: There's good money to be made in running as the Republican presidential nominee if you can financially swing it. Palin didn't run for anything, and look what a career it made for her. Ditto Huckabee. Even Herman Cain turned a buck.

Carson will make many, many, many millions from this run. Trump will, and he knows that. Fiorina? Absolutely.

I do think Rubio is serious about running. I know Cruz is. Cruz is nuts, but I think he's generally sincere about why he's on the stage.