Donald Trump goes after Ben Carson on ‘energy’

Also, there are no referees.

The candidates are set to take center stage on Wednesday for the second round of debates.

“My whole life people have told me you can’t do this, no one’s ever done this before, this is impossible”, he said. His support, built less on campaign stops than social networks and virtual organizing, has been vexing to some in the GOP establishment, though less so than Trump’s rise.

Those who wrote off Mr Donald Trump as a “buffoon” failed to see that he has shrewdly read the Republican zeitgeist, and that he knows precisely where to stick the knife into competitors.

Trump favors tax increases on the rich, once supported abortion rights, gave money to Hillary Rodham Clinton and said kind things about government-run health care in other countries.

He is, in some ways, the anti-Trump – a gentle candidate who lets his record as a renowned brain surgeon speak for itself.

Asked if the billionaire real estate developer and entertainer was humble enough to be president, Carson said, “That will be a decision that the voters will make“.

Carson, appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, argued that Trump’s barbs don’t bother him “because I recognize that I have plenty of energy”. And I don’t in any way deny my faith in God.

“Well, I think he had really no choice”.

When word came that Trump may not make it out to the tailgate party before kickoff, much of the crowd dissipated, but some stayed. “All of a sudden, he became a man of great faith”. This time four years ago, he was leading the polls in the race for the 2012 GOP nomination. Bernie Sanders has a higher percentage of small contributions, defined as $200 or less per election cycle, than Carson. Very Trump.

Carson also brushed off Trump’s criticism of his energy levels.

The neurosurgeon said he was “gratified” to see the numbers and that it showed people are paying attention to what he’s saying rather than the way he is portrayed. Because no matter what they say, Trump will, well, trump them: Bush is boring.

Point is, it’s impossible for traditional politicians to one-up Trump unless they want to go into territory, rhetorically speaking, that only Trump can occupy.

“You don’t have to be loud to be energetic”, Carson said.

In contrast to other campaigns, no one has been playing Trump during Carson’s debate preparation sessions, which are somewhat unusual.

“Her overall vote share is tracking with national averages and that’s in a state with a pretty significant progressive block compared to the nation as a whole”, said Drew Lieberman, vice president of Democratic polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, part of the bipartisan team with Republican polling firm American Viewpoint that conducted the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll. But how do you beat someone who is constantly changing the rules of the game?