Ben Carson has gone from being compared to a child molester by Donald Trump to serving on the nominee’s vice president search committee during this strange and lengthy election. So far, he’s doing a bang-up job — inadvertently confirming what many hope is an inaccurate short list of VP candidates.
This Washington Post article describes Carson as asking “who else is on the list” after hearing about a media report saying that he would be the most likable veep pick. The list compared Carson to John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, and Chris Christie, a motley crew of Republicans who have, at one time or another, openly criticized the presumptive Republican nominee with some later walking back their words to ride Trump’s coattails.
And yet, Carson seemed to confirm that they were all being considered. “Those are all people on our list,” he said in front of the Washington Post reporter.
So, why is this list implausible? Well, for one thing, Trump buried most of the names with a tweet on Sunday night and Carson backtracked, telling the Post that he is, “going to say yes to everybody, everybody could potentially be considered, doesn’t mean they are on the shortlist.”
The @washingtonpost report on potential VP candidates is wrong. Marco Rubio and most others mentioned are NOT under consideration.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2016
Beyond the denials, though, these names simply don’t seem to match up with what Trump likely wants or needs. After an ugly race between them, Rubio still won’t formally endorse Trump. It’s also noteworthy that the candidate singled him out in the above tweet. And while Carson has found a way to get past Trump’s insults, it’s hard to see Ted Cruz coming back to embrace the candidate who accused his dad of assassinating JFK and went after his wife.
While Christie, like Carson, is already involved with the Trump team now that the New Jersey Governor has been pre-selected to serve as the head of Trump’s still theoretical transition team should he win, questions about balance come up. If Trump is going to be a hard sell, is it really wise to align him with another loud and cantankerous born New Jerseyan? Sarah Palin raises those same questions for different reasons in that many look at her as a cantankerous reality TV star, just like Trump. She also seems to recognize that the pairing might stir the pot a little too much.
Kasich may make the most sense, but the Ohio Governor didn’t show any real appeal outside of his state during his primary run and though he’s comparatively moderate, Trump might be best served by moving closer to the middle in an effort to court independents in a general election. As with all things Trump, though, what’s supposed to happen and what does happen rarely wind up being the same thing.
(via The Washington Post)