Carson--Ever The Gentleman

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CARSON QUITS AND THEN DOES SOMETHING NO ONE EVER EXPECTED

Dr. Ben Carson is no longer a contender for the top office in the land.

At one time the retired neurosurgeon was actually in first place in some polls. In the past few weeks his numbers faded rapidly, this despite the fact he out earned all the other candidates.

After struggling for the last few weeks, and after being largely ignored on the debate stage Carson decided to throw in the towel.

This is to be expected considering Trump’s dominance, however, it’s what he decided to do after quitting the race that’s really earned him the admiration of millions.

Yahoo writes:

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. – The socially conservative doctor whose inspirational biography and deeply held faith galvanized the red blood of America this past fall officially announced that he is leaving the campaign trail Friday.

With characteristic earnestness, Dr. Ben Carson assured the crowd at the American Conservative Union’s 2016 Political Action Conference (CPAC) that he would keep fighting on behalf of “We the People” – albeit not as a contender for commander-in-chief.

“I’m hopeful that some people, now that I am leaving the campaign trail…” Carson said before pausing. The crowd was audibly upset before rising to its feet with thunderous applause for the job he’s done so far.

Carson continued, “Even though I might be leaving the campaign trail, you know there’s a lot of people who love me even if they won’t vote for me, I’m still going to be heavily involved to save our nation.”

Carson’s formal announcement at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center that he was turning the page on this chapter in his political career did not come as a surprise.

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Screengrab of Ben Carson speaks at the American Conservative Union’s 43rd Annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Md., on March 3, 2016. (Photo: ABC News video)

After disappointing Super Tuesday results, the doctor-turned-politician released a statement saying he would not participate in Thursday night’s GOP debate in his hometown of Detroit and said he he no longer saw a political “path forward.”

And earlier Friday, Carson announced that he had taken the post of national chairman for My Faith Votes, an organization focused on mobilizing Christian voters.

“Nothing is more important to me than my personal faith, and it is my faith that motivated me to be involved in the political process to begin with,” Carson said in a video statement posted to the group’s website Friday.

“I believe Christians in this country can easily determine the next president of the United States and all other national and local leaders, should they simply show up at the polls,” he said

A scene from the American Conservative Union’s 43rd Annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland on March 3, 2016. (Photo: Pete Marovich/Corbis)

Early on in the race, Carson’s mild manners and quiet disposition distinguished him from the overcrowded GOP stage. The Republican primaries have been defined (or marred, depending on your perspective) by bombastic personalities, radical ideas and grade school-level insults. He’d have his share of head-shaking quotes, but that came later.

Frustrated with establishment politics, this fall, the Republican electorate increasingly embraced political outsiders such as Carson, real estate magnate Donald Trump and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.

With this surge came increased scrutiny of Carson’s storybook biography. The media questioned his oft-told tales about winning a scholarship to West Point and trying to stab a childhood friend. Had he exaggerated or been taken out of context? Either way, political prominence shined a bright light on his story arc’s hitherto unseen plot holes.

It also became clear that Carson held some controversial beliefs: among these, that Egyptians built the pyramids to store grain, Satan encourages the lie of evolution, homosexuality is a choice (or a side effect of going to prison) and Obamacare is the worst thing to happen in the U.S. since slavery.

In this Feb. 6, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson meets with attendees during a visit to a campaign office in Manchester, N.H. (Photo: Matt Rourke/AP)

When asked in an interview Thursday with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric whether looking back, he would not have said those things. “I would have said them differently,” Carson said.

Concern over his biography or beliefs slowly dissipated as he slid down the polls and struggled to capture an iota of attention from the more magnetic characters bloviating from their debate podiums.

Trump, a bona fide showman and ratings titan, knew better than anyone else in the race how to drum up free publicity. He spent far less than former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, an establish favorite, but a cavalcade of reporters followed his every utterance. The political newcomers, Fiorina and Carson, were less adept at media manipulation and their stars waned as the contest dragged on.

Carson has harshly criticized the primaries’ focus on clashing personalities at the expense of their proposals and ideals. As parting advice, he encourages voters to examine each candidate’s values to see whose best align with their own.

According to Carson, the Republican infighting only serves to fracture the party and all but guarantees a Democratic victory in the general election. Now he wants all conservatives to put aside their differences and support the GOP’s eventual nominee – putting his faith once again in “we the people” to make the right decision.

Carson has still not officially endorsed a GOP candidate, but told Couric Thursday that he would “support whoever the people have chosen.

“And somehow we must abandon the thinking that there are a bunch of politically elite people who know what’s best,” he said.

Carson’s commitment to reframing the political process so Christians can better serve the nation and the community is quite encouraging.

Christians have become black sheep in their country as of late, so it’s wonderful to see someone with this kind of political clout doing as much as he is to help balance things out.

Many says Carson was the only one with decent values among the main candidates.

What do you say to that?