# So tell me about Ben Carson... **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 2, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154 "2014-12-02T19:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/41 "2014-12-03T01:18:57Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > But he wasn’t elected because of his accomplishments at either. He was elected because he was supposedly a “good and honest man”, unlike that alleged paragon of evil, Richard Nixon. There ain’t no “alleged” about that. Until you compare Nixon with any Pub POTUS later than Ford, that is. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/42 "2014-12-03T01:23:58Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’m aware of that but Ford wasn’t elected, he merely finished out Nixon’s term and had no political base of his own. Plus he was a republican. And, **oh!,** did that not lead to some merry/sordid hijinx at the 1976 Republican Convention! Check out [_The Invisible Bridge,_](http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Bridge-Fall-Nixon-Reagan/dp/1476782415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417569338&sr=1-1&keywords=invisible+bridge) by Rick Perlstein. (Ford had the lead in delegates, but the Reagan zealots just wouldn’t give up. There were all kinds of floor fights and rules contests. Both sides behaved with what at the time seemed to be most un-Republican immaturity (it has since become the norm for the GOP), but the Reaganites were far worse.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/43 "2014-12-03T01:29:57Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Would be interesting if there was again a non-holder-of-political-office running for President with substantial support. I believe the last one was Ross Perot. “Interesting” only in the Chinese sense. > [@Terr](#): > > As for “creationist” etc. - I don’t really care. President’s views on evolution have no relevance to any of his tasks/duties. Not even you believe that. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/44 "2014-12-03T01:45:16Z")
> [@CJJ](#): > > Ben Carson strikes me as a man of obvious accomplishment who has spent most of his professional life focused on the complex field of pediatric neuro-surgery. I am not qualified to judge his medical career, but I’ll take it at face value he is a leader in this field. > > Then I see him say things like this, in commenting on the riots in the wake of the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case: > > I think he believes this is an original thought, one that hasn’t been beaten into the ground by countless conservative bigots and anti-feminists, and absolutely laughable as a parochial response to the complicated social problems exposed by the incident. > > It’s of course lapped up like crack to the Fox News base–and his race gives them a free pass to excuse their own potentially racist opinions on the subject. To me, it reveals a mind that hasn’t really thought much about these issues–on balance that’s fine, he’s devoted his mental energies to the far more laudable goal of saving children. But president? If so, there are a few loudmouths at the local tavern (and the talk radio circuit–much the same thing these days) who are equally qualified. If his views on single parenthood and feminist political correctness silencing frank discussion of the issue were the only controversial things about him, I’d have no problem. Unfortunately, he sounds like a conservative Tea Party nutter pandering to his fellow conservative Tea Party nutters which does more harm than good. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/45 "2014-12-03T02:05:07Z")
I agree with my mate and his bird - Ben Carson is a right git who talks bollocks. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/46 "2014-12-03T03:05:59Z")
I don’t see experience relevant to the challenges of the position; he makes Obama look less unqualified during his initial campaign. He seems to veer towards the socially conservative side of the party which doesn’t necessarily bode well for the general election. I weight foreign policy over domestic policy proposals in voting for President and so far I’ve really not seen much about Carson that addresses non-domestic issues. Right now he looks like a flash in the pan that disappears when he runs out of money after getting crushed in the early primaries. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Were you around in 1960? It was a huge deal. In an Irish Catholic family in the mid to late 70s I remember JFKs election still being talked about in the same way Obama’s was. Many of the older relatives having that discussion were also old enough to have been part of the period where being Irish was in transition to being considered part of the white majority instead of a minority group. 15 to 20 years after the election it was still seen as being a huge deal by some. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/47 "2014-12-03T03:06:42Z")
I respect the man, and _some_ of his views. (For example, the first paragraph quoted in Post #3 is spot on. Absentee father-ism is greatly contributing to a lack of respect for authority. Carson, raised by a single mother with something like 13 other children, would know from experience what fosters such distrust and disrespect for law enforcement.) Many other views, however, are astonishingly ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/48 "2014-12-03T03:47:38Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Absentee father-ism is greatly contributing to a lack of respect for authority. Cite? Because I think this is total bullshit, a commonly-believed racist myth about black families. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/49 "2014-12-03T03:52:18Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Absentee father-ism is greatly contributing to a lack of respect for authority. Carson, raised by a single mother… Ben Carson does not respect authority, got it. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/50 "2014-12-03T14:43:21Z")
For me, being a creationist is disqualifying. It’s a sign of a closed mind, impervious to facts and logic- precisely the wrong mindset of someone seeking to be president. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/51 "2014-12-03T16:49:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It’s hugely relevant to who he appoints to key posts, and what legislation he’d be willing to sign, just like for any president. Religious ideologues are moralistic science deniers who are willing to defund global warming initiatives, repeal emissions standards, ban abortions, and deny gay marriage. And then there is that whole Republican notion of 2+2 economics theory. Cripes. Seconded. Carson seems like a smart and articulate guy in some ways, but an amazingly backwards conservative idealogue in others. A neurosurgeon who doesn’t accept the theory of evolution? Yeesh. That’s just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/52 "2014-12-04T04:19:40Z")
Aaaaaaand then there’s this, as Carson compares the U.S. to Nazi Germany: [http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/carson-stands-by-nazi-germany-comparsion/index.html?hpt=hp\_t2](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/carson-stands-by-nazi-germany-comparsion/index.html?hpt=hp_t2) _Auf Wiedersehen_, White House. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/53 "2014-12-04T04:22:08Z")
According the CNN polls, Carson is the conservative front runner now, behind Mitt Romney who apparently isn’t running. Good bye, Carson. This early in the game, you’re an amusing side show. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/54 "2014-12-04T13:33:31Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Aaaaaaand then there’s this, as Carson compares the U.S. to Nazi Germany: [http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/carson-stands-by-nazi-germany-comparsion/index.html?hpt=hp\_t2](http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/carson-stands-by-nazi-germany-comparsion/index.html?hpt=hp_t2) > > _Auf Wiedersehen_, White House. … he Godwinized himself? W00t. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/55 "2014-12-04T18:19:28Z")
Next month, Houston’s Second Baptist Church is sponsoring the[If My People Conference.](http://www.second.org/ifmypeople.aspx) > [@](#): > > If My People … Restoring the Soul of America, is a three-day conference that will take place on the Woodway Campus of Second Baptist Church January 23-25, 2015, and will serve to remind us of the eternal principles upon which America and God’s kingdom are built. Powerful speakers will share testimonies and challenge us in practical ways to engage the world in which we live and make an eternal impact for Jesus Christ. Dr Ben Carson leads a lineup whose names would make buzzards gag. Looks like pastor Ed Young might be doing an anointing… (Young has counted Tom DeLay among his flock. He–& his son, also named Ed Young–are also best buddies with Dan Patrick–Texas’s next Lite Gov & one of the most grotesque Texas Republicans. (Lots of competition there!) Of course, Young is also a Young Earth Creationist.) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/56 "2014-12-04T18:45:26Z")
Carson has two huge disadvantages: 1. Liberals don’t like him. 2. People who dislike black people wouldn’t like him. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/57 "2014-12-04T19:23:29Z")
Posted elsewhere: > [@Is there any reason to believe 2016 won't be a landslide victory for the Democrats?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-reason-to-believe-2016-wont-be-a-landslide-victory-for-the-democrats/699737/379): > > Ben Carson is a hypocrite. Here’s a list **Shayna** posted: > > 1. Dr. Carson was raised by a single mother. > 2. Dr. Carson was raised in public housing. > 3. Dr. Carson was fed with food stamps. > 4. Dr. Carson was supported with welfare. > 5. Dr. Carson was kept healthy with medicaid. > 6. Dr. Carson was educated in public schools. > 7. Dr. Carson got free eyeglasses from a state agency. > 8. Dr. Carson benefited from affirmative action to enter college. > 9. Dr. Carson used federal loans and Pell grants as an undergrad. > 10. Dr. Carson benefited from affirmative action to enter medical school. > 11. Dr. Carson’s medical school was paid for with grant from USPHS. > [Ben Carson So Glad His Welfare Mom Wasn’t Dependent On Government](http://wonkette.com/550031/ben-carson-so-glad-his-welfare-mom-wasnt-dependent-on-government) ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/58 "2014-12-04T23:04:33Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Cite? Because I think this is total bullshit, a commonly-believed racist myth about black families. You think what you want to think, then. I can show correlated statistics between individuals raised by single mothers and rates of criminality, and you will accept it? No, you will call the conclusions drawn to be racist in nature. Ben Carson grew up in such an environment, so his insight is more valuable than yours or mine or whatever statistics we can dredge up. Is Ben Carson racist? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/59 "2014-12-04T23:12:21Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Carson has two huge disadvantages: > > 1. Liberals don’t like him. > 2. People who dislike black people wouldn’t like him. So he’ll have to run as an Independent? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154/60 "2014-12-05T03:19:56Z")
Wouldn’t that be something? He’d be following in the proud footsteps of Presidents John Anderson, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-tell-me-about-ben-carson/706154.md?page=4)