Dr. Ben Carson won’t attend Thursday’s GOP debate, and doesn’t see a path to victory, but will remain a candidate, so long as donations are fluid, maybe.
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The lack of Ben Carson mentions during yesterday’s Super Tuesday coverage was as noticeable by the American public as Mr. Chris Christie’s weird facial expression when he stood behind Mr. Donald Trump, who won seven states last night, during his victory speech in Florida. The pediatric neurosurgeon who earlier this week called for the other GOP candidates to meet ahead of the March 3rd debate in Detroit to improve civility on the campaign trail, now won’t attend the gathering televised by Fox News due to his underwhelming performance on Super Tuesday and the fact that he sees no path to the nomination, though he hasn’t thus far suspended his campaign.
“I don’t want anyone to think we’re naïve enough to believe that there’s a pathway to the nomination. It’s not about the pathway to the nomination,” Mr. Armstrong Williams, Dr. Carson’s adviser, told Breitbart News.
Among the reasons given this week as to why Dr. Carson, who was virtually ignored at the last GOP debate which took place in Houston, won’t suspend his campaign, is because he had a phenomenal week of fundraising. In an Op-Ed published Monday, Dr. Carson, whose numbers in the poll tanked after he was exposed as a novice in foreign policy, proclaimed that he will remain a candidate “as long as we have revenue and support.”
There’s been considerable pressure from the GOP towards Dr. Carson and Mr. John Kasich, the Governor of Ohio, to drop out of the race and rally behind a candidate that can defeat Mr. Trump, who yesterday won Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia.
Dr. Carson, who is expected to speak on Friday about his political future – remarks which some pundits say will include him finally suspending his campaign – said his grassroots movement “will continue,” though his aide contends he will no longer actively seek votes. In a statement released today, Dr. Carson said his campaign decisions are not constrained by finances, rather by what is in the best interest of the American people.
Taking in all of Dr. Carson’s statements this week in totality – including those made by members of his campaign – it could appear as if he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth.
On one side, there’s a financially viable, though not very visible, campaign which promises to stick around and do the bidding of “We the People” despite the poll numbers. On the other side, there’s the narrative that there’s no chance of Dr. Carson winning the GOP’s nomination and his withdraw from an impending debate that’ll be viewed by millions.
Though Dr. Carson hasn’t been great at campaigning or winning states, he seems to have perfected the art of double-speak, a major tool in the arsenal of any politician.
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Remember Robert Redford in The Candidate? His character was recruited to remain in a failing campaign to keep the “important” issues in front of the electorate despite not having a chance at winning.
So he goes along with it.
To his dismay, he wins.
Carson may not pull that out of a hat, but if he thinks he needs to keep issues in front of the electorate, more power to him.