Ben Carson’s Secret Weapon: He’s Getting Better With Age

Ben Carson’s Secret Weapon: He’s Getting Better With Age

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks during the Freedom Summit in Greenville, South Carolina May 9, 2015. (REUTERS/Chris Keane)

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks during the Freedom Summit in Greenville, South Carolina May 9, 2015. (Photo credit: Chris Keane / Reuters)

By Matt K. Lewis
The Daily Caller
September 2, 2015

Excerpts

Ben Carson is the rarest of political candidates: He actually learns from his mistakes. …

If politicians are known to have egos, then you might expect a world-class surgeon (a profession that lends itself to developing a god complex!) to have a huge one. But a willingness to learn is a sign of humility, and Dr. Carson is showing signs that he is introspective and self-critical. …

The good news for Carson is that he has continued to perform well in the polls, even as he has tempered his rhetoric to match his personality. …

Like Trump (and Fiorina), Carson ironically benefits from having zero elected experience. And like Trump, he holds to some unorthodox ideas for a conservative. But Carson is also a highly respected neurosurgeon, an African-American Republican with a tremendous personal story, and a man who is utterly compelling and impossible to dislike. …

If and when Donald Trump stumbles or recedes, don’t be surprised if Dr. Ben Carson gets his moment (or maybe more?) in the spotlight. And when that moment comes, we will see if he really has learned his lesson, and is prepared to seize the day.

Could he become president? Everything I know about history and politics suggests he won’t. But then again, the rules are in flux. If a poor boy from Detroit can grow up to become so famous that the make a TV movie about him, it’s hard to count that man out.

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