Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:13 pm
I have it on good authority that a Muslim must never be president of the United States. None other than kindly old Doc Carson uttered this imperative on “Meet the Press” last Sunday. Quote, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.” I absolutely would not agree with that.” He further said he believed that Islam was “inconsistent with the values and principles of America” and inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution. Carson’s stethoscope may be pinching his brain a bit too hard, given the fact that there is no religious litmus test in the constitution. Article six if you’re interested.
Carson one-upped a recent comment by (two guesses) yes, Donald Trump, who yammered something a few days ago in New Hampshire that went like this: “We have a problem in this country … It’s called Muslims.” He said that President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Trump answered, “We need this question.” He also failed to correct the Obama as Muslim statement.
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Predictably, a Muslim civil rights organization had a quick comeback. Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the “Council on American-Islamic Relations” opined in effect, that there should never be a retired neurosurgeon named Ben Carson in the White House and he should immediately apologize and drop out of the race. I’ve not heard any reaction to Trump from the group but that’s most likely a product of the irrelevance of the Trump candidacy and not something he may have said.
Republican candidate responses to the Carson comments were varied. Quotes ranged from Trump’s xenophobia to Ted Cruz’ surprising defense of the right of anyone of any religion to run for the highest office in the land, compliments of the constitution. Bobby Jindal gave a qualified OK to a Muslim president as long as he/she was sworn in with a hand squarely on a bible as opposed to a Koran.
Lindsey Graham called for a Carson apology, probably figuring the Muslim vote would vault him above his 1% level in many Republican polls. His position is certainly not going to gain him many Republican votes. A CNN/ORC poll found 43% of Republican voters are still convinced Obama is a Muslim. A Public Policy Polling Poll hiked the figure up to 54% of Republican voters. Carson is on very safe ground within the party.
Perhaps Carson prefers balkanization, splitting the regions into religious fiefdoms, each with their own acceptable president. It’s been tried before, though retention of slavery was the core issue. From 1861-1865, 11 Southern states eventually separated themselves from a total of 36 states in America by the end of the Civil War. Georgia was the last state to rejoin the fold some five years after the war ended.
Politically, Carson’s strategy is pretty transparent. Like Trump, he’s starting his inevitable downward slide in the polls. Other than his awesome accomplishment of separating conjoined heads and performing some highly delicate brain surgeries, there is little to recommended Carson to the presidency. He still appears to know next to nothing about running the country. His election appeal is his parallel track with the far right of the Republican Party.
He’s a very recent signee on the Republican bottom line. He no longer practices medicine. He retired in 2013. He officially joined the Republican Party less than a year ago, November 4, 2014. Late arrival notwithstanding, politically he’s exactly where he belongs.
His political views are a combination of extreme and hypocritical. Like I said, he’s exactly where he belongs. He was highly critical of the Planned Parenthood video that referenced an alleged fetal procedure that nobody seems to be able to verify. Dr. Jen Gunter’s blog reveals that Carson, himself, was once involved in research involving two fetuses aborted in the ninth and 17th week of gestation. He’s partaken of the very research he hypocritically renounces when similar research was supposedly connected to Planned Parenthood.
Here are some other Carson beliefs as gleaned from his own words quoted at the “On the Issues” site. He’s a free market guy, though ironically he blames deregulation for the 2008 economic meltdown. And, he’s right. Regulators effected little of what their title suggests, letting greedy and, in many cases, law-breaking financial institutions get away with fiscal explosions of greed. Conservatives are uncomfortable with that stand, but support free markets that in fact wish to be devoid of any government regulatory interference. You can’t have it both ways, doctor.
He once made this statement on the Sean Hannity show on Fox: “Marriage is between a man and a woman. It’s a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality — it doesn’t matter what they are, they don’t get to change the definition.”
He later apologized, but that’s a bell that cannot be un-rung. Needless to say, he opposes ‘gay marriage’ the law of the land.
He claims that school choice increases the competitive nature of education. Not a word about Republican legislators continually cutting funds to public schools, a move that does nothing to increase the “competitive nature of education.”
Don’t expect any meaningful White House action on climate change, pollution or environmental initiatives. He says the climate debate is distracting and irrelevant. That comment can only be interpreted as ignorant, with no knowledge of the subject matter. The multiple crises of Artic Sea Ice, Rain Forest destruction, huge Greenhouse impacts, increasing temperatures and rising sea levels, among thousands of climate concerns, would be ignored by this guy.
He dismisses U.S. poverty rates by comparing them to the billions of impoverished in India and Africa. What a thoughtful solution for America’s poor.
Carson believes in U.S. “exceptionalism” with different values than the rest of the world. In an ironic way that Carson couldn’t possibly understand, he’s absolutely right.
He says all his major decisions are “Made by God.” I wonder if that included committing plagiarism in a college psychology course. In 2013 he decided not to run for any office, but hinted “God may call me.” I wonder if the word came by email or phone.
Props for a distinguished medical career, but I sure don’t want this neurosurgeon operating out of the White House.
Raised rural & small town, then lived in N.Y., Chicago & LA. Widely traveled. Returned from world wandering to pursue media life of anchorman/reporter and major, medium and small market talk radio. Highly active in politics. Once worked as orderly & security in Mens Lock Ward for the Criminally Insane at a state institution. Much more rational population than current Teapublicans. Great concern for country run by and for the extreme wealthy. The inhumane current running through this country has no precedent in modern history.
Follow me on Twitter @demwriter
