For a while, GOP presidential nominee Dr. Ben Carson, noted for a number of unconventional theories worthy of the soon-to-be-revived “X Files,” has speculated that the Egyptian pyramids were built by biblical Joseph (the first State Farm CEO?) as granaries as insurance against lean years.
The media have rightly greeted this theory with some derision. I, instead, have an open mind or at least a sense of humor. Over dinner, I told the children of friends of mine the real secret behind the pyramids. They were built, not by space aliens, but for pharaohs with sweet teeth who wanted to store a ready supply of M&Ms for the next life as well as this one.
The wretched coverage of this year’s presidential candidate crop by liberal as well as conservative media should be no laughing matter. How Donald Trump plays all media like a fiddle in manipulating GOP primary voters into his fold is well known, while it is generally acknowledged that the ludicrously biased questioning of all the GOP presidential candidates on the recent CNBC debate benefitted nobody but Republicans.
More of the same can be said of recent media exposes of Dr. Carson, whom I for one would not vote for to do brain surgery on our nuclear arsenal. First, there was a story in Salon playing up eight malpractice suits against him, though he probably has been sued well under the average for neurosurgeons doing his specialty. Now, CNN regales us with a multipart story raising doubts about Carson’s oft-told tale of his transition from troubled youth to medical star because of the influence of his mother and Jesus.
CNN’s evidence: interviews with 10 people said to have known Carson since childhood, only one of whom remembered hearing the story that Carson had stabbed or tried or stab someone when he was a teenager. Carson suggests he was a closet case for anger management until his life miraculously changed. Are we to believe nine people who may never have known what was going on in his adolescent mind or secretive family life or one who more-or-less confirms his stories?
CNN’s verdict: don’t trust Carson because he hasn’t proven he was a dangerous kid by naming names of his victims (other than his deceased mother), and hasn’t produced school records showing a pattern on unruly behavior. Isn’t the burden on CNN to somehow uncover his school records to support their very weak case that Carson is lying? How much more bad journalism—creating sympathy for candidates who otherwise might not be getting much—can our democracy afford?
