The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board said Sunday night that the recent questions raised over the authenticity of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s past, as he tells it, are unlikely to undo his campaign.
But his lack of knowledge on policy might.
“Assuming there are no bombshells in Mr. Carson’s past, his best strategy to counter doubts about his candidacy is to show more mastery of policy issues than he has so far,” the Journal said. “Mr. Carson’s talk about Medicare has in particular been politically careless.”
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2575923
Carson indicated in October that he supports replacing Medicare with individual health savings accounts. After critics accused him of wanting to eliminate Medicare, Carson attempted to explain that his plan would only offer an alternative to the entitlement and would not be a full replacement.
“Mr. Carson says voters want someone who isn’t a professional politician, and the polls show that GOP voters are entertaining the idea,” the Journal said. “But as the primaries arrive, voters will be looking for political and policy competence as much as personal character. They want someone who can beat [Democratic presidential candidate] Hillary Clinton and who they can imagine in the Oval Office. Passing that test is Mr. Carson’s biggest challenge as he seeks the nomination.”
News outlets have been unable to independently corroborate several parts of Carson’s back story with people from his past.
Last week, after Politico said Carson’s campaign admitted that something in his book wasn’t correct, Carson and his conservative allies fought back by saying the story was incorrect, prompting Politico to reshape the story.
Carson is tied with Donald Trump as the GOP front-runner in national polls and some early state primary ones.
