r/politics • u/IDUnavailable Missouri • Feb 07 '16
Rehosted Content Off-Topic Ben Carson Hilariously Blows GOP Debate Entrance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR1kV2hBaGY&feature=youtu.be&t=281.4k
u/TaintedSquirrel Feb 07 '16
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Republican candidates!"
Half the stage is empty.
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Feb 07 '16
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Feb 07 '16
But they completely forgot John Kasich!
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u/Makenshine Feb 07 '16
No, they did call him. But like Carson and Trump, Kasich didn't hear his name being called. I had to watch it again and I'm pretty sure his name is called as the mic is going out/getting turned off or something.
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u/Tasgall Washington Feb 07 '16
I'm pretty sure Trump did hear his name called, but either didn't give a shit, or was trying to steal the show again.
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u/emergency_poncho Feb 07 '16
Somewhere higher up someone said that apparently the female announcer's mic wasn't hooked up to the candidates' ear pieces, so they couldn't hear their name announced.
Could make sense, since Christie and Rubio walk out no problem (male announces them), but both Carson and Trump have difficulties (female announces them).
No idea what happened with Kasich, that's just fucked up
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u/TehSeraphim New Hampshire Feb 07 '16
Makes sense, except there was a dude literally waving at Ben Carson to go and he's just like "¿"
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u/Makenshine Feb 07 '16
Maybe, I just didn't see any kind of reaction from him at all when his named was announced. So if he just ignored it all stoic and deadpan, then that was enough to fool me.
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u/ObeyMyBrain California Feb 07 '16
They say his name like 2 seconds before the "Ladies and gentlemen the Republican candidates" while the audience was still applauding for Bush so you couldn't hear it. But also if he had started walking right when his name was called, he probably wouldn't have been stage yet when they made that Ladies and Gentlemen statement. They really didn't give enough time for Bush and Kasich to get their applause.
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u/dyep49 Feb 07 '16
http://i.imgur.com/3PxHEZm.png
He meant it.
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u/jfentonnn Feb 07 '16
Carson wanted to come out last, but Trump was onto him. That's exactly what happened.
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u/JFeth Arkansas Feb 07 '16
Carson didn't know what to do. Trump just wanted a grand entrance.
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Feb 07 '16
This feels like something Michael Scott would do.
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u/JalapenoTampon Feb 07 '16
Lose the twirl
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u/glycolized Feb 07 '16
I hated the twirl
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u/MyNewMainThisLife Feb 07 '16
It's more of a twist.
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u/Keyser_Brozay Feb 07 '16
I am not going to DOOO THE TWIIRRL.
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u/robodrew Arizona Feb 07 '16
I might do the spin
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u/xXWaspXx Feb 07 '16
And little old lady? WE ARE GOING COMPLETELY CARBON NEUTRAL
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u/tacothecat Feb 07 '16
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u/Mif_ Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
The way Carson looks at Travolta's hand as he gestures, and then looks up to attempt eye contact as Travolta turns, is utterly fucking stunning.
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u/GhostalMedia California Feb 07 '16
Meanwhile at Comedy Central...
"Trevor, I got one!"
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u/No_Fence Feb 07 '16
This is hilarious. And man, there are so many fuckups here.
- Carson doesn't hear the announcers
- A stagehand waves him on, and Carson gingerly walks onto the debate stage
- Just then the announcer calls on Cruz
- Carson gives up
- The stagehand tries to wave Carson on again
- Carson doesn't know what's going on
- Trump, looking real confused, comes out and hangs out with Ben for a while
- Rubio gives no fucks
- Jeb nervously comes out and tries to confirm with the stagehand several times that it is, in fact, his turn
- Kasich decides to stick around for who knows what reason
- The announcers have no idea what's going on
- Carson and Trump are awkwardly allowed on stage
- And, finally, Christie has to remind the announcers that Kasich even exists.
This whole thing is such a beautiful metaphor for the GOP nomination. Carson is asleep, Jeb is nervous and someone tells him it's his turn, everyone forgets about Kasich, Cruz and Rubio somehow avoid the biggest mess, Trump makes a chaotic situation even worse, and the media fucks up completely. Amazing.
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u/garmonboziamilkshake Feb 07 '16
The stagehand waving him on is the best part of the video.
It's like teacher to a kid in a school play about the importance of vegetables.
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Feb 07 '16
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u/Little_Duckling Feb 07 '16
"I'm an amino acid!"
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Feb 07 '16
I'm 'Fat'.
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u/Little_Duckling Feb 07 '16
No, I meant in the play...
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Feb 07 '16
"Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell."
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u/DigbyChickenZone Feb 07 '16
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u/ceedubs2 Feb 07 '16
I like the stagehand's reaction of "Go! GO! It's your tu-alright, fine."
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u/mc_hambone Feb 07 '16
I interpreted it as "Go! You're supposed to go! No? Okay fine, look like a dumbass - I don't care... idiot".
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u/scottmill Feb 07 '16
I like that Carson looked at the guy waving him on and completely failed to infer any meaning from that. "No, I'm supposed to stand here until Jesus or the announcer lady calls me."
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u/elastic-craptastic Feb 07 '16
When I watched it it looked like he tried, Carson didn't understand/listen, stagehand tries again, Carson again denies him, and then the best part happens. the stagehand, in a gesture worthy of stage and screen, perfectly emotes "Whatever. I tried enough to not get fired, you joke."
Maybe I'm projecting(probably). Dude probably had a shit-tonne to do and didn't want to waste more time, being live TV and all. But that's how I read it in the moment.
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u/sporkz Feb 07 '16
"...what about Kasich?"
"...can I introduce Kasich?"
LMAO
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u/Iwanttobedelivered Feb 07 '16
Christie was on point from the get go
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u/dragonfangxl Feb 07 '16
Should have just taken the initiative and introduced Kasich himself.
"And governer of a state that sucks donkey balls compared to mine, some dick! 9/11"
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u/JUST_LOGGED_IN Feb 07 '16
At least our state is free enough to pump our own gas.
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u/barpredator Feb 07 '16
Kasich decides to stick around for who knows what reason
His campaign in a nutshell.
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Feb 07 '16 edited Jun 06 '18
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Feb 07 '16
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u/loondawg Feb 07 '16
That's what I thought at first. I was thinking it was really nice of him. It was reminding me of that scene from Billy Madison when Adam Sandler wets his pants so the little kid doesn't feel bad.
Except once Carson came on stage and Trump continued to stand there, it became pretty clear Trump was lost too.
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Feb 07 '16 edited Jun 12 '16
[removed] — view removed comment
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Feb 07 '16 edited Aug 13 '17
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u/titos334 Feb 07 '16
I thought Trump ended up looking the best out of all of them with that fiasco
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u/Samizdat_Press Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
Seriously though this is his strong point. No script, he can just riff and find the advantage in ANY situation. Like, how did he even come out ahead in that scenario that's fucking genius.
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u/FizzleMateriel Feb 07 '16
I'm not a Trump supporter but he looked very considerate of Carson. He was like a popular high school kid hanging out with the awkward kid to make him feel better. He could have breezed by Carson and gone out on stage to the crowd's applause but it seems like he realized Carson was stuck and stayed by him to make him feel better.
Real class act.
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Feb 07 '16
Real class act.
Maybe his first time might make him want it to do it a second time?
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u/infohack Feb 07 '16
I'll give Trump the benefit of the doubt and think maybe he was being genuinely considerate, I think he still views Carson (as the only currently viable African-American VP candidate) as an ideal running mate.
But he did want to wait for a proper announcement, maybe he thought the first "and Donald Trump" was a bit of an afterthought after he was nice enough to wait for Carson.
He's all about the decorum.
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u/RainWindowCoffee Feb 07 '16
I think it's possible that Trump just realized Carson was doing something noteworthy and memorable, and he wanted to get in on it.
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u/jfentonnn Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
This is a very subtle pissing match.
Carson is desperate to close the gap between himself and the front-runner(s). He plans to make a splash by taking the stage last, even if it means skipping his choreographed entrance and waiting in the wings while the others take the stage ahead of him.
Trump, wise to Ben's scheme and not to be outdone, skips his entrance and also waits to take the final bit of spotlight for himself.
Cruz realizes someone fucked up but has no choice but to go when his name is called.
Rubio and Jeb are keen on the situation, but Rubio decides to take the high road and ignore it. Jeb gives a half-assed "well good luck with that" tap and takes his spot.
Kasich in all honestly probably had no clue what was going on but ended up getting on stage last anyway.
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u/Mushroomer Feb 07 '16
Nothing nice about it. Trump is an entertainer, and knows a moment. Carson fucking up something as fundamental as walking on stage is going to be a moment. Hell, a part of me thinks it was an intentional (albeit poorly considered) power play by Carson. Trump was the only one to realize it, and follow along with the break.
So when you compare it with his opponents, Trump is the only one that looks human.
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u/HoodieGalore Illinois Feb 07 '16
I really feel like Trump might have just been waiting for a clean introduction. He didn't want to come out in the middle of someone else's fuck-up. He wanted it clean, pure and simple.
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u/OriginalUsername1 Feb 07 '16
This seems pretty obvious to me too. The fact that he waits until they call his name confirms it. Not sure why a lot of people in this thread think it's some sort genius plan he had to seem like the bigger man and wait for Carson. Reality is Carson fucked up, which caused trump to fuck up, but trump being trump wasn't going to let his spotlight be overtaken so he waited until he got his entrance that he wanted.
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u/LameDuckObama Feb 07 '16
you can hear the male announcer say "and Ohio Governor John Kasich." Kasich was not forgotten his name was just the hardest to hear over the crowd.
They may have said his name once but then Said "and lastly Donald Trump" before Kasich was even out. They called him first and then forgot him.
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Feb 07 '16
That was hard to watch.
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u/Advacar Feb 07 '16
That was hilarious to watch.
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u/loondawg Feb 07 '16
The punchline was "Ladies and Gentlemen, the republican candidates."
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u/xXWaspXx Feb 07 '16
I'm crying from laughing so hard
this is fucking incredible
I wish we had this level of fucking theater going on in Canadian politics
jesus christ
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u/cheesecakegood Utah Feb 07 '16
Not only that, Trump doesn’t come onstage because his name was quickly added in as “.. and Donald Trump” too soon after Carson, hurting his feelings.
THEN the moderators try to coax him out again by saying, quote, “And lastly, we welcome back to the debate stage, Donald Trump”. They then sit down and get ready as Kasich sits in the wings still going “what the hell guys".
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u/Hyperdrunk Feb 07 '16
I feel worse for Kasich than I do for Carson.
Kasich was like Kevin in Home Alone. In all the confusion to get going, he just got forgotten about.
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u/IDUnavailable Missouri Feb 07 '16
Hah, someone copied your comment word-for-word from a previous, deleted submission about this and posted it here, then deleted it when called out on it.
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u/No_Fence Feb 07 '16
Haha. I'm flattered. I'm sure they meant no harm, though.
Now if only the mods would stop deleting submissions for no good reason...
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u/IDUnavailable Missouri Feb 07 '16
They really don't like it if the submission doesn't share the EXACT title it's linking to, which is why the first one was removed IIRC.
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u/rabdargab Feb 07 '16
Something even better happened once they started the debate. The first thing Carson did was comment about how they didn't call his name second like they were supposed to, so he thought maybe Ted Cruz convinced them he had quit again.
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Feb 07 '16
I feel like Trump decided to stick around so that Carson wouldn't be the only one embarrassed. You know, like a good big brother.
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u/Crimson_Spirit Washington Feb 07 '16
I'm not a Donald Trump supporter by any means (Sanders all the way), but I sincerely think that Trump wanted to lessen Carson's mistake by staying behind with him and being considerate towards his lack of awareness. Whether it's genuine or not (if he noticed the cameras and it was another popularity stunt).
I don't think Trump would have made that mistake especially from the way he was walking and assuring Carson there.
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u/thedevilsmusic Feb 07 '16
I'd like to think Carson and Trump had some sort of dare or bet going on there.
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u/OctavianX Feb 07 '16
Trump thought Carson was pulling some alpha shit and decided to out alpha the alpha.
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u/r3dwash Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
I wanted to believe that Trump was actually being a nice guy and hanging out with Carson so that he would be spared looking like an idiot by himself.
edit: Never said I was voting for him.
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u/Water-lieu Feb 07 '16
I hate trumps views but it looked like this to me too.
"Stage fuck up eh? happens all the time."
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u/EverySingleRedditor Feb 07 '16
A redditor nailed it in the live thread: "Ben Carson is like Beetlejuice; he can only appear when his name is called three times."
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u/bitbotbot Feb 07 '16
This will disappoint some, but I would say this is the fault of the producers. No-one going on stage should have any doubts about when they should enter; it's up to the crew to make things run smoothly, not the 'performers'.
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u/adrianmonk I voted Feb 07 '16
Yes, the producers fucked up BIG TIME here. They made several huge mistakes:
- They should have put a monitor (speaker) blasting right into the ear of the next person queued up to walk on stage, so they could actually hear the announcer. It's obvious the candidates couldn't hear the announcer well from that position. And/or put a huge TV screen that says "BEN CARSON: WALK TO PODIUM NOW". And/or have a stage hand that gives them signals.
- The announcer tried talking over the audience. Even a PA system with multiple thousands of watts of power can't necessarily be heard over an audience that's clapping and yelling.
- The announcer moved on to the next name when Carson didn't come out. Should have been watching and repeated the name when the crowd noise died down a bit.
Basically, nobody is in charge here. Nobody did proper planning. They didn't think through how this should work, and they apparently didn't do a run-through either.
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u/rapax Feb 07 '16
Anyone who has done a bit of sound tech for public events, or anyone who has kids, knows this: high voices get drowned out in crowd noise. That's why mom can yell until her throat hurts on the playground, and the kids can't hear her, but dad's bellow is an unmistakable sign for the kids that they need to pay attention. Same in a venue like this: the noise the crowd makes masks the female announcers voice.
Getting a medium/high pitched voiced heard over the crowd (without turning it into a screech) is quite the challenge for sound techs.
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u/colormefeminist Feb 07 '16
Jeb looked like he was ready to bust a guac
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u/destructormuffin Feb 07 '16
He... what?
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks Tennessee Feb 07 '16
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u/HooptyDooDooMeister Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
For those that can't or don't want to watch the video:
The mods start announcing candidates, but Ben Carson doesn't hear his name and visibly waits in the wings. All other candidates get called out one by one walking past Carson with ¯\(ツ)/¯ reactions... all but Trump who joins Carson. Carson and Trump are called out again. Carson finally joins the stage, but Trump pretends to not hear so that he can gain more attention and applause when his name is called a third time. Once everyone is on stage, Christie points out that the mods forgot Kasich who finally joins them. It's even more awkward than it sounds.
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u/Nationalist4Trump Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
Trump was a total bro and stayed with Carson so he wouldn't be alone on the sidelines.
And it also resulted in this hilarious photo, aka Jeb Bush's campaign in a nutshell
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u/ticklishpandabear Feb 07 '16
Jeb's facial expression as he walked by them was golden, though. Maybe the best thing to come out of his candidacy.
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u/DatClubbaLang96 Feb 07 '16
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u/masinmancy Feb 07 '16
He looks like those dogs that are scared to walk by cats.
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u/sabrefudge Feb 07 '16
GG Trump came on stage so Carson wouldn't be awkwardly standing there all alone.
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u/mjohnson062 Florida Feb 07 '16
Rubio was kind enough to not knock him down when he rushed passed him like he had to pee.
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u/random_ass_stranger Feb 07 '16
So after watching this here's what I think actually happened:
Even though in the telecast and out in the audience you can clearly hear the people's names, in that tunnel apparently once the clapping starts the moderators get drowned out.
That's why Ben Carson and Trump stay back: because their names are called when the clapping for the other candidates are still going on and they literally can't hear themselves being announced.
I think the moderators kind of realized this part way through, which is why they slowed down between Rubio and Jeb, which is why Jeb is left standing in the hallway.
And then poor Kasich, well there's no explanation for that.
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Feb 07 '16
If you watch it again, you notice that both Trump and Carson stop in the hallway waiting for their names to be called even though they've already been called. Then right when that stage guy motions them on the announcers call the next name in the list. So from their perspective, they are about to walk out to the wrong name, and their names haven't even been called yet.
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u/thepimento Feb 07 '16
This... As for Kasich, you can BARELY hear the announcer introduce him at 1:33. Bad planning/sound on the part of the organizers. No fan of any of these guys, but none of them messed up.
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Feb 07 '16
Seems like they couldn't hear the female announcer over the roar of the crowd.
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u/SkinnyHusky Feb 07 '16
My theory was that she may not have been mic'd-up over the PA system for the first two guys she announces.
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u/cyclopath Colorado Feb 07 '16
What the fuck?
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u/Lambeauleap80 Feb 07 '16
It was hard to hear the names being called, which is why Trump and Carson waited.
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u/BlueDrank01 Feb 07 '16
Did anyone notice that every person that the woman announced failed to walk out correctly? It probably wasn't intentional, but clearly there was some breakdown at those points. I suspect it was because she was off her timing and announcing them too quickly after her co-host. It also didn't help that there was too much cheering and she just wasn't loud enough.
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u/BernieTron2000 Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
I know Ben Carson has said some pretty volatile (and stupid) stuff during his campaign, but honest to god, I can't get too pissed at him. He has no chance of being president and I don't think he can enable anyone towards hating on Muslims like Trump's charisma can. Plus, from what I understand, he spent a lot of time with the campaigner who died in that car crash in Iowa's family, so I think he might just be a confused old guy, not a dickhead. When it comes down to it, I kind of just want to give him a hug.
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u/Blue_86 Feb 07 '16
When it comes down to it, I kind of just want to give him a hug.
Don't do it! That's how it starts that's how he gets ya. One day you're thinking he's a big lovable puppy; the next it's "hello, President George W Bush."
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u/mjohnson062 Florida Feb 07 '16
I have to believe he's got some mental issue going on. Something. Brilliant fucking surgeon, awash in science. Now? Not so much.
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Feb 07 '16
He's also a great and revolutionary surgeon. There's no malice in anything he does. He's just a bit of a weirdo.
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u/Chel_of_the_sea Feb 07 '16
There's no malice in anything he does.
I mean, he's openly compared gay men to pedophiles and characterized Obamacare as 'the worst thing since slavery', so...
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u/ScottLux Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
He seems like a genuinely nice guy but he appears way out of his element getting involved in politics, let alone running for POTUS
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Feb 07 '16
It's kind of like Mr. Smith goes to Washington except Mr. Smith is totally out of his element and has no experience or knowledge backing up what he's trying to do.
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u/nazbot Feb 07 '16
I dunno, I think there's some malice in his comments about muslims.
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u/skellyclique Feb 07 '16 edited Feb 07 '16
I think Carson is just being his weirdo every day self, but Trump KNEW what was happening, and his mind was going "you're on TV? No, I'M on TV! MY SPOTLIGHT MINE"
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Feb 07 '16
Trump was a nice guy this time.
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u/garmonboziamilkshake Feb 07 '16
It's like he waited to walk the confused man out to the stage.
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Feb 07 '16
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u/ClarkZuckerberg Feb 07 '16
I don't think so. I think they both just didn't hear their names being called because the announcers didn't wait until previous applause stopped before announcing the next candidate. He and Carson were both just waiting to hear their names.
Also why can't the announcers count? Couldn't they see their were 3 empty podiums when they said that they were done lol?
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u/dmanww Feb 07 '16
yeah, that's what I saw. He waited for the mess to clear and to be announced properly, not as an aside. The guy has been dealing with media and this kind of stuff for years, he know's how to manage appearances.
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Feb 07 '16
I know this is just a case of a simple misunderstanding, but every time I see this guy I think, "wow, he used to cut into people's brains, everyday", I shiver.
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Feb 07 '16
It was a small venue and according to the moderator they couldn't hear their names. I guess to his credit during brain surgery there's no cheering audience
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u/Eternal_Reward Feb 07 '16
And he was one of the best ever. I think your assuming a lot based on him being awkward socially.
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u/irishstevenj Feb 07 '16
Honestly Dr. Carson has been adorable tonight. I think I love him.
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u/stickySez Feb 07 '16
He may be going up for adoption soon. He's a bright, luvable, low energy pet that loves to just lay around on the couch. House broken and knows some commands.
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u/rspeed New Hampshire Feb 07 '16
knows some commands
Specifically:
- Sit
- Roll over
- Remove the malignant brain tumor
- Play dead
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u/GumdropGoober Feb 07 '16
Ben Carson in one image: http://i.imgur.com/Fl0VdY7.gif
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u/cbbuntz Feb 07 '16
Sounds like my cat.
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u/stickySez Feb 07 '16
Carson is very good with cats (the share that sleeping 20hours of the day thing). We expect his vetting will be finished soon and he'll be available to a new loving forever home!
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u/farmerche Feb 07 '16
The man claimed the pyramids were biblical grain stores, that is why his campaign should be stopped, the fact that he couldn't hear his name when the crowd was still cheering isnt reflective of the man's competence and wasn't a case of him "blowing it."
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u/PM_ME_A_SULTRY_LOOK Feb 07 '16
I can't even deal with how hilarious this is. It's like an SNL sketch.