November 08, 2015 07:44 AM UTC

Trump Moves In For The Kill on Carson--Too Soon?

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

As The Hill reports, Republican presidential co-frontrunner Donald Trump is cranking up the rhetoric against Ben Carson, the only other candidate even close to him in opinion polls after gains made in recent weeks:

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump says primary rival Ben Carson’s violent childhood indicates that he has a “pathological disease” that has still not been treated.

“When you suffer from pathological disease, you’re not really getting better unless you start taking pills and things,” Trump said on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” on Friday.

“Do you think that’s the right temperament to be president? I don’t think so,” he added.

Naturally, Trump has exactly zero problems with the media turning their scrutiny to Carson–whose bizarre statements about such far-flung topics as the origins of the Egyptian pyramids, allusions to a violent childhood that friends and neighbors can’t themselves remember, and most recently an admission that a major point in Carson’s biography was fabricated have richly earned him the less-then-fawning attention he is presently receiving.

Trump added that the media investigation into Carson’s past is worthwhile and not just a witch hunt.

“I don’t think it’s small ball if you have somebody that admits that he suffers from pathological disease,” Trump said.

Despite the fact that Carson hasn’t fared well under this latest round of factual scrutiny from mainstream media, we do wonder if Trump suddenly turning his trademark brand of nasty on Carson might provoke a sympathy backlash that helps Carson and hurts Trump. The fact is, every Republican with a functioning cerebral cortex wants an alternative to Trump, and Carson has the pseudo-nonpolitical outsidery-ness the “Tea Party” base is demanding. The latest polls of early states show a ten-point gap between Trump, Carson, and the rest of the GOP pack, which has so far failed to thrive.

Far be it from us to offer advice to The Donald, but there may be an argument for not going, you know, “full Trump” on Carson–at least not just yet. And it wouldn’t surprise us if, despite a rough couple of weeks, Carson receives more than the usual benefit of the doubt from the Republican pundit class while he gets his bio straight.

Because for all his warts, Republicans might actually need this guy.