Taking Ben Carson Seriously

[Valin]

The Weekly Standard:

The 2016 campaign’s most interesting long shot

FRED BARNES

Jan 26, 2015, Vol. 20, No. 19

 

As Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, and untold others ramp up their campaigns for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, they’re going to be in for a surprise. A candidate neither they nor the political class regard as a serious contender is ahead of them in organizing a well-financed and unique campaign operation. It includes a “director of campaign culture” to motivate the staff and make sure the campaign reflects the vision and character of the candidate.

 

That candidate is Ben Carson, the African-American conservative and retired brain surgeon. His White House bid is not a lark. It only seems that way. Carson was more active in 2014 than any other potential Republican candidate. Now he is set to create a presidential exploratory committee and announce his candidacy sometime before May 1.

 

Candidates like Carson from the outskirts of electoral politics, who’ve never before run for office, are routinely dismissed as dreamers. They’re bucking history. They’re bound to wash out after the first caucus and primary, if not earlier. And in choosing Terry Giles, a Houston businessman with no political experience, as his campaign chairman, Carson only added to skepticism about his candidacy.

 

But Carson, 63, is no Herman Cain, the Georgia businessman who ran for the GOP nomination in 2012. Cain flew solo, without a campaign organization. His candidacy went nowhere. Carson is different. He has substantial name identification. He can raise money. His poverty-to-prominence story is compelling. He has a grassroots following. He is fluent on national issues.

 

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