Dr. Ben Carson's Getting Buzz

Allah thinks it's not realistic that Carson could run for President as his first elective office bid -- I think that's wrong.

The typical pathway to the president is indeed a stint as governor (or, if you're a Democrat, sometimes a Senator, which everyone understands is just not real preparation for the presidency but sometimes we pretend it is).

There's a big exception to this rule, however. People who are vastly accomplished what we might call Heroic Fields (military, and, yes, medicine, I'd argue) do in fact have all the "gravitas" that a governorship or (giggle) Senate posting is supposed to confer already, just due to their day jobs.

And Carson has quite an impressive day job indeed. People have already called him "The General Eisenhower of pediatric neuroscience." *

I wouldn't bet the farm on him but I think he's actually a possible candidate. One thing I worry about is that people that are very accomplished in fields other than politics do not learn the vital political skills of shit-eating, groveling, pandering, and lying for advancement in a bureaucratic situation, and in fact naturally recoil from such things.

And I'm not kidding around when I say those are important skills. People who are greatly accomplished sometimes have a difficult time acting as if they're not greatly accomplished, and sometimes act like They Know More Than You, which the American public hates, because people hate things that are obviously true.

Trump could never, ever learn to temper his Master of the Universe act. Mitt Romney tried his level-best, and always came across as disingenuous in his efforts.

I imagine Carson is a very bright guy, and is Usually Right, and furthermore is Usually Right even in the company of other bright guys. People who are Very Bright and Usually Right sometimes act as if they're Very Bright and Usually Right, and do have some trouble not coming across as someone who knows he's Very Bright and Usually Right.

But all of this is two years off.

The news here -- or, news to me at least -- is that Carson is retiring from surgery this June.

Gee, active guy, very used to being a Top Dog in a Highly Competitive Field.

I wonder what he might do with his free time.

Maybe origami.

* When I say "people have already called him The General Eisenhower of pediatric neurosurgery" I meant me. I'm a people. But you guessed that.

Corrected: Retiring in June, not "next year," as I said.

posted by Ace at 08:34 PM

| Access Comments