Thursday, October 15, 2015

First Read: Explaining the Ben Carson Phenomenon

First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

Trying to figure out the Ben Carson phenomenon

On this FEC filing day, we already know Ben Carson will have raised the most money on the GOP side. He's now running neck-and-neck with Donald Trump nationally, per a recent Fox News poll. And it all comes after a week that could have sunk a more traditional candidate (his Holocaust/guns remarks, not appearing to know the difference between the debt limit and the debt/deficit). What's more, Carson rarely holds campaign events, and ABC even reports that he's taking two weeks off to sell his book. Trying to explain the Ben Carson phenomenon is one of the best political stories out there.
 
  • Here's Donald Trump taking a stab at it: "I think he's a nice person," Trump told NBC's Katie Tur. "I don't really know why he's doing well. I mean, I will bring America to a new level…. Ben is-- you know, that's not his thing. But he certainly seems to be resonating."
  • Here's National Journal's Josh Kraushaar: "Ben Carson is following Jimmy Carter's presidential playbook."

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