NEW YORK -- Dr. Ben Carson has suffered an awful week. Whereas previous pronouncements on evolution, the big bang, slavery, homosexuality and Nazis have provided lighthearted fare for an amused media, his surge in recent national polls has led to a more serious examination by the press. And Carson is buckling...
When holes were found in his “inspirational” backstory, the consequent media attention turned the erstwhile mellow, almost asleep candidate into an animated, ruffled and agitated performer.
The doctor has not helped his cause. When asked questions he doesn’t want to answer, he automatically pivots to an attack on the “mainstream media,” who he accuses of holding him to a higher standard than Democratic candidates, or the current President. It’s a dreadful tactic, and one detractors would argue exposes Carson’s unsuitability for a job that demands an intellect more robust than blaming reporters for doing their job.
On Friday, Carson faced an admittedly combative media in Florida to answer questions over debunked claims he had received a scholarship to West Point, America's prestigious military academy. He dismissed the story, again claiming he was the subject of a media "witch hunt," while noting “I do not remember this level of scrutiny for one President Barack Obama.”
Unfortunately for Carson, the intense examination will not dissipate as long as he's leading in the polls. Whether he can handle it is debatable. Judging by the video below, probably not, though bizarrely his campaign might actually benefit. Playing the victim to a hostile media will probably only enamour him further to far right Republican voters for whom the entire world is already a giant conspiracy.