As Ian notes below, Ben Carson has now reached the status of Schrödinger’s cat, simultaneously in and not in the presidential race.
A cynical mind could conclude that a confusing, contradictory statement is an appropriate closing chapter to Carson’s campaign. But in a political season that has featured a good half-dozen of the seven deadly sins, Ben Carson came across as fundamentally decent, eager to share the lessons of a life that any American should aspire to achieve.
Yes, his campaign dragged on for far too long, and he stumbled forward in denial of basic electoral realities and his own weaknesses as a candidates, Yes, he generated so few votes for so much eagerly donated grassroots money. Ben Carson didn’t enter this race a policy expert, but his heart always seemed to be in the right place. He wasn’t up to speed on the details, but he almost always seemed to see the big picture right — and perhaps more importantly, he could say he had lived by the right values. Every high schooler in America ought to hear about Carson’s life story and his ability to overcome adversity. Some presidential front-runners come out of the blue and you wonder what a fickle primary electorate sees in that figure; in Carson, the appeal was clear.
As a candidate, he wasn’t enough, but hopefully post-campaign life will restore any lost goodwill to the good doctor.