Ben Carson has frequently been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016. Indeed, the neurosurgeon came within a whisker of winning the Republican Leadership Conference straw poll, finishing percentage points behind Ted Cruz–thus positioning himself as possibly the second most famous right-wing doctor in the nation behind Rand Paul. But in a sane world, Carson’s presidential hopes should have run aground when he suggested that Obamacare has done more damage to this country than the September 11 attacks.
Last week, Carson sat down with Evan Gahr of The Daily Beast at SiriusXM’s studios in Manhattan. Carson was due to hype his new book, “One Nation: What We Can All Do To Save America’s Future,” on fellow black conservative pundit Armstrong Williams’ show. Gahr noted Carson’s frequent talking point that the health care law was the worst thing to happen in this country since slavery, and asked him, “Why do you think it was worse than 9-11?” Carson promptly stepped in it by replying, “Because 9-11 was an isolated incident.” The following exchange ensued:
Gahr: “Who do you think caused families more pain?Obamacare or Osama bin Laden??
Carson: ?Let me explain.?
Williams: ?Let him answer the question!?
Carson: ?Things that are isolated issues as opposed to things that fundamentally change the United States of America and shift power from the people to the government. That is a huge shift.?
Gahr: ?Right. But what do you think caused specific families more pain?Obamacare or Osama??
Carson: ?You have to take a long term.?
Gahr: ?You’re not answering the question.?
Carson: ?Will you listen? You have to take a long-term look at the ascent of something that fundamentally changes the power structure of America. You have to be someone who reads. Who is well-read. I want you to go back tonight. I want you to pull out what Saul Alinsky says about health care under the control of the government.?
At that point, Williams, who is reportedly serving as Carson’s business manager, abruptly ended the interview.
Needless to say, that comparison caused a bit of a stir–enough that Carson issued a statement denying that he ever made such a comparison. He then let Williams do most of the talking. On Carson’s behalf, Williams called The Daily Caller on Thursday to denounce Gahr’s story as a hit piece. Williams claimed that Carson was actually mocking Gahr, but never agreed with the premise of the question. Williams also said that both he and Carson were stunned when they read it. Williams and Gahr had a rather testy email exchange for most of the day about the article. Williams claimed Gahr “manipulated this story” and demanded that Gahr “reexamine the facts.” Gahr replied with the quotes from Carson and asked, “Just what did I manipulate here?”
Gahr’s piece contains an audio clip of the interview–another apparent answer to Williams. I listened to it, and Carson’s tone doesn’t sound the least bit mocking. Sounds like Carson and Williams are trying to unring the bell–and it isn’t working.
This was actually the second time in a month that a prominent black conservative has gotten a severe case of diarrhea of the mouth. If you’ll remember, Allen West caused a stir by suggesting Tammy Duckworth’s decision to take one of the Democratic seats on the #Benghazi subcommittee was reason to question her patriotism. West has long since ceased to have any credibility outside the tea party. After this episode, Carson deserves the same treatment. After all, the only difference between Cruz and Carson is skin color.
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Darrell Lucus is a radical-lefty Jesus-lover who has been blogging for change for a decade. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook.
edited by tw
