Does Ben Carson's Campaign Have a Future?
POTUS-hopeful Ben Carson is scrambling to make changes to his campaign in hopes to stand out as a viable candidate as the election season picks up in January. Earlier in his campaign he was at the top of the polls, but his popularity has since waned.
Carson spoke on making changes to his campaign staff and also reacted to criticism that he is too calm or soft-spoken to lead as president in a recent interview with the Washington Post. He believes that the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, changed the way many people viewed him.
"Somehow the narrative has been projected that if you’re soft-spoken and mild-mannered, there is no way you can deal with terrorism, with national security, that you’re not a strong person," said Carson. "That’s the narrative that is out there. Is that true? I’m not sure it is."
On multiple occasions Carson has been under fire for his comments on different policies and issues such as comparing abortion to slavery and using the Holocaust to explain his point of view on gun control polices. He says the backlash has been teachable moments for him.
"You continue to learn that everything you say is going to be dissected and used in a negative way, if possible. I’m learning. I wish I didn’t have to learn that," said Carson.
He added that his "confidantes" want him to be more "bombastic" and "to attack other people" going forward, but that's not what he's about. Carson also said that although society is "race-sensitive," he doesn't believe it has been "a factor at all" in how he's treated as an African-American candidate.
Carson plans to remain in the race until the Iowa caucuses. When asked if he was having second thoughts, he replied, "No."
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(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
