God's right hand man

God's right hand man

by digby

This column by Doyle McManus in today's LA Times about Ben Carson lays out all the reasons why Ben Carson is completely unqualified to be president, based on the many ridiculous things he's said.

But it concludes with something that actually shows why his followers believe he is more qualified than anyone else in the nation:
In his books, he often mentions incidents in which God intervened in his life. When he neglected to study at Yale, God showed him the answers on a chemistry exam. When he fell asleep while driving home one night, God spared his life. When he used new surgical techniques on children's brains, God saved some of his patients. And when he was on a safari in Africa, God answered his prayer for plenty of photogenic wildlife.

Now that he's running for president, Carson sounds as if he's counting on divine intervention to pull him through again. There can be no doubt about the sincerity of Carson's Christian faith or his belief in the power of prayer. But voters — even the most devout — deserve more earthly evidence that he's up to the job.

The other day I wrote about the fact that GOP primary voters don't just mistrust government anymore, they have lost faith in their party and the system of government set forth in the constitution. They desire a president who will "get the job done" without succumbing to all that folderol of congress, the courts, elections etcetera. In other words they no longer believe in democracy.

The Trump people want a strongman. The Carson people want a religious figure. Everyone acknowledges that his inspirations life story is the basis upon which his entire campaign is based, and he says that explicitly. From his ill-tempered youth to his career as a neurosurgeon depending on God to guide his hand during brain surgery that life story is a story of divine intervention.

He doesn't need to know anything. His followers believe he is the vessel through which God himself will be the president.


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