Yes, Ben Carson Already Clenched The GOP ‘Nomination’ For POTUS, Per NY Times
Dr. Ben Carson has already won the GOP nomination for President of the United States, this according to an editorial piece published by the New York Times recently.
Pump your brakes for a moment. First of all, there are 98 and 266 days remaining until the respective starts of the Iowa caucuses and Republican National Convention (Cleveland, Ohio). And while results of a new Quinnipiac poll out of the Hawkeye State show Ben Carson toppling Donald Trump, 29 percent to 20 percent, Trump remains the presumptive nominee for the GOP.
That said, a post from The Wrap attempts to attack the Times over its credibility, based on its history of issuing corrections, the Carson story being just the latest such example of faulting reporting. It points to an editorial on October 16 that referred to the former former neurosurgeon as a “nominee.”
The writer drew parallels between Carson and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s re-election campaigns. Both drew public consternation with their anti-Muslim rhetoric. That was the article’s focus, and, arguably, the writer did a good job at raising a number of issues, albeit in a piece that was rife with controversy. However, the Times journalist incorrectly declared Ben Carson the Republican nominee, not a candidate — among a dozen or so vying for the presidency.
On Friday, the Times issued a correction about piece. Additionally, four other unrelated entries were made to clarify reporting.
“An Op-Ed article on Friday incorrectly described Ben Carson’s status in the Republican contest for president. He is a candidate, not the nominee.”
Earlier this month, Wrap pointed out other media missteps by the Times. Some errors were simply spelling and semantics, while others were flagged over wrong information and fact-checking.
Meanwhile, front-runner candidates Trump and Carson are exchanging blows since polls suggest one of the two may gain the trust of delegates at the RNC next year. On Sunday during a rally in Miami, Trump attacked Carson over his level of enthusiasm and ability to inspire prospective voters, according to CNN. His attack mantra against the renowned brain surgeon: “low energy.”
“Ben Carson is super low energy, right? He’s super low. Super low energy. We need tremendous energy. We need tremendous energy.”
Donald Trump’s remained true to his template of personal attacks on opponents. He assailed Carly Fiorina on several issues, and Jeb Bush over the lack of octane in his campaign. The former Celebrity Apprentice TV personality hit at Carson again in Iowa when he quipped about Carson’s Seventh-Day Adventist religious affiliation. As is his wont, Trump was not apologetic about his statements.
“I know nothing about it really. I’m a Presbyterian and I had mentioned that, and I did say I don’t know about it. And in fact those are my exact words. I didn’t say anything bad about it. I just don’t know about it. I would certainly give an apology if I said something bad about it. But I didn’t. All I said was I don’t know about it.”
Ben Carson returned fire and tried to deflect the commentary about his perceived “low energy.”
“As I’ve said many times, there have been many times where I’ve operated 12, 15, 20 hours, and that requires a lot of energy. Doesn’t require a lot of jumping up and down and screaming, but it does require a lot of concentration.”
It’s unclear if his perceived strategy had an impact, but both candidates vying for their party nomination are polling in single-digits at the time of this writing. Arguably, if 100 people are polled about the significance of the rendering of Dr. Carson’s status in the race for president, some may voice negative opinions, others may downplay his importance, and others may have no opinion.
The only thing nominee, ahem, candidate Ben Carson should be concerned about is the Harper Effect. Like the former Prime Minister, well, enough said.
[Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images]
