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Why Trump should name Ben Carson his running mate

by



The week has not been good for the GOP. In Tuesday’s midterms, the party lost badly to the Democrats, even in red Ohio and Kentucky, primarily on abortion.

And Wednesday night’s NBC debate, the best-moderated debate so far, showed how woefully inadequate the second GOP line-up is. Only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley showed some promise. Vivek Ramaswamy was running to be Trump’s VP.

With polls from every media outlet consistently showing that former President Donald Trump is the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination next year, the obvious parlor game has become: Who would Trump pick as his running mate?

An excellent choice would be former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson. We understand that no candidate would dream of announcing this far ahead – after all, the first-in-the-nation Iowa causes and the New Hampshire Primary in the snows and bitter chills of January – are two months away. But this election cycle is different from all others in recent memory.

At 57.9%, Trump outpolls all of his competitors combined. It is an extraordinary situation, not just because it is a snapshot of this week. The former president has been leading this way since August 2022. At CPAC 2022, which we covered gavel to gavel, Trump came in at 69%. Unless Trump is physically impaired or becomes a convicted felon, he will be the standard bearer of the GOP for the third consecutive presidential election. It is an astonishing grip on the party.

Last weekend, major mainstream media outlets, including NYT/Sienna and CBS News, released polls for an expected Trump-Biden rematch. Nearly all showed Trump beating Biden in the battleground states except Wisconsin, which was close. In the NYT/Sienna poll, Trump’s lead in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania was much higher than Biden’s victory margin in those states in 2020. It was a surreal moment for the media, providing split-screen coverage about the gory details of Trump’s legal troubles and perceived unpopularity but grudgingly conceding that he could well become the nation’s 47th President.

In the most recent I&I/TIPP national poll, Biden and Trump are in a dead heat. Trump is supported by 45% of women, while Biden has 35% support among them. Among minorities, Biden enjoys strong support at 61%, while Trump has 23% support.

The poll also showed that Kamala Harris leads among Democratic contenders as a potential replacement for Biden.

For Trump to ensure victory, he needs a rock-solid partner by his side, one who is able in his own right, believes in the MAGA agenda, and is eminently loyal. Ben Carson ticks off all these boxes.

Ben Carson is a reliable MAGA voice. In Iowa last week to endorse Trump for the nomination, Carson said: “I want to offer my most confident and full endorsement of Donald J. Trump. He believes in our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms. So we can fix our country and we can make America great again. And President Donald J. Trump is the person to do that.”

Addressing the Biden administration’s and other Leftist actors’ lawfare against Trump, Carson tweeted later: “Donald Trump lost millions, if not billions of dollars. And he’s been attacked constantly and demonized, and yet, he’s still there. They haven’t gotten rid of him. They’re trying to do everything in their power to get rid of [him]. Because he’s the biggest threat to the administrative state and to the swamp.”

As a V.P. candidate, Carson, who is Black, is no comparison in academic and professional standing to Kamala Harris, the presumptive V.P. nominee for the Democrats.

With a B.A. degree from Yale and an M.D. from the University of Michigan, Carson pursued neurosurgery as his specialization. He became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in 1984 at age 33—the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the United States, writing over 100 neurosurgical publications. In 1987, he led a team of surgeons in the first known separation of conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. In 2008, Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Twenty-eight years after that record surgery accomplishment, even the Washington Post, not necessarily the best media outlet to write puff pieces about conservatives, published a story lavishing praise on Carson.

Carson was among the few cabinet officials who served throughout Trump’s first term. Never seeking the spotlight as HUD secretary, he was wise not to play doctor during the worst pandemic in a century, although he was eminently qualified. He never made public comments undercutting Trump, displaying a restraint that speaks volumes about his character. He knew his official limits and chose not to cross them, a welcome departure from the likes of Chris Christie, who can’t stop rushing towards a T.V. camera at every chance.

According to the NYT/Sienna poll, Trump is already attracting 22% of the Black vote, an incredible level unseen in modern history. Ben Carson on the ticket will cement and increase that lead. At 72, Carson is relatively young and maintains excellent fitness. With the Oval Office just a heartbeat away, Carson would be a calm, assured, soothing voice to debate and contrast Kamala Harris.

Trump should pick Ben Carson to be his running mate. It’s a no-brainer of a decision (no pun intended).

Rajkamal Rao is a columnist and a member of the tippinsights editorial board. He is an American entrepreneur and wrote the WorldView column for the Hindu BusinessLine, India’s second-largest financial newspaper, on the economy, politics, immigration, foreign affairs, and sports.

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TIPP Takes

Geopolitics And Geoeconomics

1. Israel To Begin Daily Four-Hour Military Pauses In Gaza, U.S. Says – BBC

The U.S. says that Israel will begin to implement four-hour military pauses in areas of northern Gaza each day to allow civilians to flee. There is no specific time given for it yet.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

President Joe Biden says it’s a “step in the right direction,” adding that he will continue to advocate for aid to the territory. Earlier, the Israeli military said “there are tactical, local pauses for humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians” and made clear “there is no ceasefire.”


2. Israel’s Use Of High-Impact Bombs On Gaza Must Be Investigated: UN Rights Chief – Reuters

Volker Turk told reporters in Amman that Israel must also take immediate measures to protect Palestinians in the West Bank as they find themselves targeted by more violence since the conflict with Hamas erupted last month.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

3. Israel Strikes Syria After Drone Hits Southern Eilat City: Israeli Military – Reuters

Israel’s military said an organization in Syria launched a drone that hit a school in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Thursday and that it struck the group in response.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
Damage at the Tze’elim Elementary School in Eilat following a drone explosion, Nov. 9, 2023. Credit: Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit.

The military did not say what organization in Syria had launched the drone toward Eilat, but it said in a statement it holds Syria’s government fully responsible “for any terror activity emanating from its territory.”


4. Putin Pays Surprise Visit To Military HQ Overseeing Ukraine Operations – AFP

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a surprise overnight visit to the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don overseeing the Ukraine offensive.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

It is his second visit to Rostov-on-Don in under a month.


5. Ukraine Sees NATO Air Technology As Key To A Breakthrough On The Ground – Al Jazeera

Russia and Ukraine traded missile strikes in the 89th week of the war, using air power to overcome the perception that their forces on the ground had reached a stalemate.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

Ukraine hopes for a qualitative leap by spring when it expects to receive F-16 fighter jets from Western arsenals, converting to the fifth-generation F-35. These, it hopes, supplied with U.S. air-to-air missiles, will finally give it mastery of its airspace and an edge in the Black Sea.


6. Box Office Bombs: Russia Spends Millions On War Propaganda Films That Flop – Al Jazeera

The Kremlin is trying to win audiences over at the movies. Since 2014, a dozen films on the annexation of Crimea and pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine’s Donbas region have been shot in Russia.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
Screenshot from Svidetel Trailer

Svidetel (Witness) was the first feature film about the ongoing war and was released in Russia in August in 1,131 movie theatres. But with a budget of about $2m, it was one of the biggest box office bombs.


7. Blinken In India For Talks On China, Israel – AFP

Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks in New Delhi seeking to bolster India as a regional counterweight to China and win backing for its position on Israel’s war with Hamas.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
Lloyd Austin, Tony Blinken, Rajnath Singh, Jaishankar

Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin joined foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and defense minister Rajnath Singh for annual “two-plus-two” talks, which India said would focus on “defense and security cooperation.”


8. U.S., China Finance Chiefs Open Talks With Eye On Curbing Tensions – AFP

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen opened talks with Chinese counterpart He Lifeng ahead of a key Asia-Pacific leaders’ summit, seeking to limit tensions despite looming national security concerns.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit – set to begin this weekend – is due to be the backdrop for a long-anticipated meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, expected to take place on November 15, sources said.


9. Australia Trumps China In Indo-Pacific By Offering Tuvalu Citizens Climate Refuge – AFP

Citizens of the climate-threatened Pacific nation Tuvalu will get “special rights” to live and work in Australia under a landmark treaty unveiled by the two countries.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

The treaty would also commit Australia to defend Tuvalu in the case of foreign invasion or natural disaster. Due to rising sea levels, Tuvalu is among the world’s most vulnerable nations.

The pact will likely be seen as a significant strategic win for Australia, competing with China to cement its influence in the Pacific region.


10. Tiktok Faces Renewed Calls For Ban Amid Pro-Hamas, Anti-Israel Claims – Al Jazeera

TikTok is again under the spotlight in the United States amid claims that the popular video app is pushing young people to support Palestinians and Hamas.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

In recent weeks, powerful politicians, including senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio and House Representative Mike Gallagher, have reiterated calls for a ban on TikTok, citing the app’s alleged bias towards anti-Israel and anti-Jewish content.


11. Spain’s Sanchez Set To Stay PM After Amnesty Deal With Catalan Separatists – Al Jazeera

Spain’s acting PM Pedro Sanchez is on the brink of securing another term in office after reaching a controversial agreement with the Catalan separatist Junts party by offering amnesty to those who participated in a failed bid for regional independence six years back.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
Pedro Sanchez

It has been condemned by Sanchez’s conservative opponents, who have organized large protests and accused him of putting the rule of law in Spain on the line for his political gain.


12. Gang Behind Cyberattack On World’s Biggest Bank Has Hacked 1,000 Victims – Bloomberg

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.’s U.S. unit had been hit by a cyberattack, rendering it unable to clear swathes of U.S. Treasury trades after entities responsible for settling the transactions swiftly disconnected from the stricken systems.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

The suspected perpetrator is Lockbit, a prolific criminal gang with ties to Russia that has also been linked to hits on Boeing Co., ION Trading UK, and the UK’s Royal Mail.


13. Blinken: U.S. Concerned Over ‘Growing And Dangerous’ Russia-North Korea Connection – UPI

Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Moscow has begun providing technical assistance to Pyongyang for its military programs.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

Blinken met with his counterpart, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, in Seoul and said the two discussed North Korea’s provocations and missile launches, as well as its “growing and dangerous” relationship with Russia.


14. Brazil Records Five-Year Low In Amazon Deforestation – D.W.

In the 12 months through July, 3,475.31 square miles of Amazon jungle was destroyed, according to Brazilian space research agency INPE.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

This is the smallest area cleared since 2018 and represents a 22.3% decrease from 2022.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. However, challenges posed by illegal mining, drug traffickers, and land grabs remain.


15. EU Agree On Law To Restore Nature – D.W.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states agreed on a landmark biodiversity bill requiring countries in the block to restore 20% of EU land and sea habitats by 2030.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate
EU states are requried to take measures by 2030 to restore 30% of habitats in ecosystems that are in a bad condition, then 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050

The EU Nature Restoration Law also sets a deadline of 2050 to restore all damaged ecosystems. The law still has to be formally approved by the EU member states and the European Parliament, a move that is usually just a formality.


16. Study Sounds Alarm On Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ Used In EU Pesticides – RFI

A joint report by Générations Futures and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe revealed the presence of so-called PFAS substances in some pesticides.

Why Trump Should Name Ben Carson His Running Mate

The report pointed to the agricultural use of PFAS substances, which can remain in the environment for generations. These are the per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals most commonly used to make non-stick cookware and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.


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Republished with permission from TIPP Insights

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