Saturday, March 8, 2014

In Which Zandar Answers Your Burning Questions

National Journal's Alex Seitz-Wald asks:

Is Ben Carson the Republican Who Can Defeat Hillary Clinton?

Before you laugh, consider this: The group that put Carson on the hotel keys has outraised Clinton's draft committee, Ready for Hillary; has been on the ground in Iowa; and is working from the playbook written by Howard Dean and Barack Obama.

It's all the work of the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, which is trying to get the conservative neurosurgeon to run for president. It's part fan club, part savvy campaign.

The case for Carson is all about math and race. Carson is African-American and his supporters think that will be his path to victory. He's "a respected figure among black Americans," the video explains, and if he can win just 17 percent of the black vote, it is "mathematically impossible" for a Democrat to win the White House.

17% of the black vote is turns out to be about 2% of the voting public, but if the black vote really is that important, why do Republicans keep doing such a miserable job of attracting black voters?




Of course, Republicans could accomplish the same thing (reducing the African-American vote by 17%) with restrictive voting laws in swing states like Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia.

Which explains the empty room at the minority outreach panel.

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