A Case for and a Case against each GOP Presidential Candidate: Ben Carson

     Ben Carson's outsider approach to the Presidency started off well. His rise in the polls created a feeling of optimism and possibility for his campaign. After the Paris attacks, however, his lack of experience in foreign policy and strong leadership skills became a glaring issue, and he fell drastically in the polls. As he barely hangs on now, drifting between fourth and fifth in popularity, his chance at the Presidency is all but gone. Here are his pros and cons.    

     Case For: Many people believe Ben Carson's greatest attribute is his honesty and integrity. He has gained a reputation for being an honest and morally upright man who has spent his life helping and saving others. He also has a common sense, gentle approach on many issues and doesn't complicate them like other politicians. His early rise in the polls showed how many people related to him. Unlike the other outsider, Donald Trump, Carson took the high road many times during debates and tried to keep his campaign clean.
     Case Against: Ben Carson's lack of experience in the political field has served as a disadvantage for his campaign. His understanding on current issues is far below that of his fellow candidates. Two of Carson's advisers even said that he is in over his head in foreign policy. When pressed, he could not name one of our allies helping in the fight against ISIS. He also claimed that China was involved in Syria; a claim that has no evidence.
     Most of the other GOP candidates all have a deep understanding of how the political system works, while Carson most likely had very little knowledge on the subject before he began running. He also does not have the preferred dynamic persona of Commander in Chief. Many fear he would give America a weak and naive form of foreign policy.
     Ben Carson's assertion of humble integrity was challenged when his claim of a full-ride West Point scholarship was proven to be a lie. He also exaggerated accounts of surgeries that were less-than successful in his autobiography. Followers and prospective followers need to consider that if one's greatest attributes are his honesty and integrity, and then he is proven to have been deceitful, his reputation and campaign are at stake and rightly so.
     Summary: Ben Carson's rise and fall in the polls have echoed my thoughts about him. He started off strong, but global and national issues revealed his lack of experience in multiple fields. Ben Carson is not the right choice for President. Many of the American people have come to this conclusion; it's about time he did as well.

A Case for and a Case against each GOP Presidential Candidate: Marco Rubio

     When I watched the first GOP debate, I was impressed with Marco Rubio. By far, he looked the most "Presidential" of all the candidates. He had quick, thoughtful answers and was the most "debate ready" of all the candidates. I was also intrigued by the recent endorsements of South Carolina's leading politicians: Governor Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott; both of whom are very popular in my state.       

     Case For: For the most part, Marco Rubio is a very conservative candidate. He has a strong stance against abortion, stating: "I believe a human being, an unborn child, has a right to live irrespective of the circumstances by which they were conceived." He also said that every executive order President Obama has made in regard to limiting gun rights will be gone on his first day in office, thus demonstrating his strong support for our Second Amendment rights. He has also been deemed the most "electable" candidate. Rubio has a better record of consistency than that of Donald Trump, who has changed his positions many times. He is not as far right as fellow Senator Ted Cruz, which turns off the more liberal Republicans. His campaign claims that he is the candidate who can win in November.
     Case Against: Perhaps the greatest complaint the more conservative Republicans have with Marco Rubio is his "liquid" stance on immigration. When he ran for Senate in 2010, he had stated that he strongly opposed amnesty and the legalization of illegal immigrants. He said, "I will never support -never have and never will- any effort to grant blanket, legalization, amnesty to folks who have entered or stayed in this country illegally." In 2013, however, Rubio co-authored the "Gang of Eight" bill that would have created a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. He denies his reversal of opinion insisting that the bill did not grant "blanket" amnesty because it included fines. He has challenged this criticism with the other GOP candidates during the debates notably calling Ted Cruz a liar when Cruz spoke about his record. This possible rationalization is not something that should be overlooked. It's impossible to know which Rubio we would get should he become President: one against amnesty or one for it.
     Summary:  Marco Rubio's immigration record aside, he is one of the most conservative candidates running for president. His views on abortion and the Second Amendment should be commended. For these reasons he is my second choice. Whether or not he can win in November is yet to be seen.

A Case for and a Case against each GOP Presidential Candidate: Ted Cruz

     When Texas Senator Ted Cruz started his campaign, he immediately caught my attention. Politicians who genuinely care about authentic Constitutional interpretation are hard to come by. So when it became evident that the Constitution was the driving force behind his political stance, I was intrigued. As I learned more about Ted Cruz, I also discovered he had a strong faith in God and was a staunch supporter of freedom of religion. These two are rare in most politicians today. As I write this, he is now leading in multiple polls. So here are his pros and cons.    

     Case For:  One of Ted Cruz's finest qualities is his strong support of the Constitution and his willingness to defend it; saying: "My touchstone for every question is the Constitution." This trait is hard to find in our Congress today. It has been a long time since we had a president who shares such a passion for the supreme law of the land. This stands in stark contrast to other politicians who are far more focused on what is popular, in accumulating votes, and who lack a solid foundation to their beliefs. When the Constitution, as the Founders intended, is a politician's primary measuring rod, things will change and eventually anchor for the better. Cruz definitely has a better grasp on the original intent of the Constitution than the other candidates.
     Cruz's belief in God and the Bible is also a powerful trait as it gives him a moral standard higher than any man can create. Though no man is perfect and all make mistakes, his faith gives him a trustworthy direction to follow. He is also not afraid of saying the truth, even when it faces much backlash; as was evident in several debates. When he illuminated Marco Rubio's immigration record, he was called a liar. The same occurred when he revealed Donald Trump's support for Planned Parenthood. It turned out that both of these accusations were true.
     Cruz also battled Obamacare to the extent that many Republican senators began to dislike his fervor. Lindsey Graham said earlier this week that he disliked Cruz for his lack of respect for the "traditions" of the Senate. If you have to turn your back on the "traditions" of the Senate in order to fulfill your Constitutional duties, then there is a problem with those traditions. He also battled the Marco Rubio-led Gang of Eight bill that would have given amnesty to thousands of illegal immigrants. This bill had gained the endorsement of President Obama.
     Case against:  One of Ted Cruz's supposed drawbacks is his apparent lack of support from Congress. As a Senator, one would assume that his colleagues would offer support to his campaign. Donald Trump claims Cruz is a "nasty guy" who hasn't gotten one endorsement. This "drawback" can't be true since Cruz has received endorsements from 20 house Republicans. The Republican members of Congress who despise him are mostly members of the establishment who are upset with him for his loyalty to the Constitution and his unwillingness to play Washington's games.
     Cruz's detractors have questioned his integrity. They doubt his faithfulness to his promises and the sincerity of his Christian beliefs. This of course is something that could be said about every Presidential candidate. Many also point to the supposed sabotage of Ben Carson's campaign. This is a very exaggerated claim. When Carson's campaign released news that he would be returning home to Florida, Cruz's campaign relayed the information to make it more widespread. They did not, however, relay the information sent out by Carson's campaign that he would be continuing on. Cruz has since apologized for the misunderstanding. Carson accepted his apology.
     Summary:  Of all the candidates, Cruz has been the most consistent and has held the strongest to Constitutional principles. HIs loyalty to the Constitution makes him a good candidate for President. His moral standard led by his belief in God and the Bible are traits that we could use in the leader of this nation. It is my opinion that he is the best option for the American people.

A Case for and a Case against each GOP Presidential Candidate: Donald Trump

     As the political circus comes to my state of South Carolina, I have decided to look at a case for and a case against each GOP Presidential candidate starting with the frontrunner. When Donald Trump first announced his participation, I for one thought he would never gain any traction. I was wrong. He quickly jumped out with a lead in several national polls. Even then I thought that the polls had to be mistaken. I was wrong. When the actual votes came in Iowa, I wasn't surprised when Trump finished second and could've been third; but when New Hampshire gave him a landslide, I was somewhat surprised. It wasn't until then that I actually began to take him seriously as a possible Republican Nominee. But he, like every candidate, has his pros and cons.

     Case For: Everyone knows what a successful businessman Donald Trump is, and quite honestly we could use someone who knows how the economy works to be in charge of a country with over 18 trillion dollars in debt. He also has the remarkable trait of not caring what people think of what he says. This seemed to help him gain popularity early on in his run. His comments about illegal immigration and his proposed ban on Muslims gave the impression that he wouldn't be controlled by political correctness and the politics in Washington. While offensive to some, others found his bluntness refreshing.
     Case Against: Although he claims never to have gone bankrupt, his businesses have filed for bankruptcy four times (which is the same thing). So though his business sense may be savvy, it's not foolproof, and rather than taking responsibility for his failure, he justified himself by besmirching the lenders and suggesting that they deserved it, saying in a debate: "These lenders aren't babies. These are total killers. These are not nice sweet little people." I wonder if China (one of America's largest lenders) would qualify as one of these "killers". So while he has the ability to improve our economy; he also has the ability to destroy it.
     As for caring little about what people think, that too could hurt us when it comes to working with Congress and also when working with other countries. With the endorsement of Vladimir Putin and some in the United Kingdom petitioning for Trump's national ban, one can only wonder what an America led by Trump would look like. Donald Trump clearly lacks understanding of the Constitution. He has all of these plans; Muslim ban, building a wall, and sending illegals back, but not once has he mentioned working with Congress. So logically one can only imagine he plans on using executive orders. One of the biggest problems Conservatives have with President Obama is his disregard for the original intent of the Constitution and his executive orders that defy it, his scorn for Congress, and his seemingly unlimited power. In this instance, there is no difference between our current President and Donald Trump. If one believes Obama to be a devil, that individual may be trading one for another. Trump's Muslim registry idea resembles Nazi Germany's with the Jews.
     A major concern of conservative Christians is Trump's apparent lack of a Biblical moral standard in spite of claiming to be a practicing Christian. Even those who are not Christian find his extramarital affairs, ownership of casinos, ruthless business practices, foul language, and lack of respect for individuals' feelings evidence of a defective moral compass.
     Summary: I give Donald Trump a lot of credit for his boldness and his disregard for political correctness, but in my opinion the risk vs. reward in his case is far too great for a country hanging in a delicate balance. I agree with his stance on immigration and I like what he could bring to the economy, but if he is willing to bend some of our Constitutional rights, it is only a matter of time before we lose others, either through him or through the precedent he will set for future leaders of our nation.