Some Super PACs will try to deny or hide their affiliation with distasteful individuals or groups. Not Dr. Ben Carson’s Super PAC though! They are happily showcasing their connection to a group that spouts hateful rhetoric. This SuperPAC has raised and contributed over five million dollars to Carson’s campaign funds and also openly sponsored an anti-LGBT conference.
It is a well known fact that candidates need a steady stream of funds to run an effective presidential campaign. Because of this, turning to PACs has become a common practice.Carson is not the only one to use PACs to raise the funds he needs. Other than Bernie Sanders, every other person running for President currently has a Super PAC. But Carson is the only presidential candidate whose Super PAC has teamed up with a group that compared the LGBTQ movement to Boko Haram.
No one is likely surprised that a Republican candidate has anti-LGBTQ views. The vast majority of the Republican candidates are open about their dislike and disapproval of the supposed “gay lifestyle” (whatever that means). What IS surprising is that a PAC named “Ben Carson The 2016 Committee” (which clearly names the candidate and showcases their support) would willingly and knowingly sponsor a conference for an organization that has been classified as a hate group since 2014.
Not only has this group been deemed a hate group for their offensive and violent rhetoric, but at the conference that Carson’s Super PAC co-sponsored, the speakers included individuals who have espoused the following beliefs:
- That the LGBTQ movement is causing “the end of times”
- That “the gays” caused the Holocaust
- That “gay people” caused the Rwandan genocide
- That LGBTQ people are solely responsible for the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa
Even worse, the leaders of this organization helped Russia draft their draconian anti-LGBTQ laws.
It’s not enough to say this group has distasteful views. This organization is out and proud about their hatred of anyone who identifies as LGBTQ. And Carson’s Presidential PAC is sourcing funds and co-sponsoring a conference from this group and those that share their beliefs.
I completely understand that Presidential candidates have to find ways to bankroll their campaigns, but do we really want the leader of the free world to have had a campaign paid for by a hate group?
Featured image a combination of an image via WikiCommons and an image via Flickr, both available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.
