The Making of a Candidate

Overview

Since announcing his bid to be the Republican Party’s nominee for President of the United States, Dr. Ben Carson has been at or near the top of the polls. Despite the success of his campaign thus far, he has actually said very little about his core values, why he’s running for president, in mainstream media interviews. One can only speculate as to why this is the case, but the media coverage that he has received thus far—concentrating on anecdotes that he has mentioned in his books, stories that have occurred over fifty years ago when he was a teenager–has probably played a role in the candidate’s ability to share his core values with a wide audience. In addition, some of his public statements, which some have called controversial, has overshadowed a candid discussion on why he wants to be president.

There is no shortage of information on his key values, however. The numerous books that he has either authored or co-authored provide a window into his beliefs about his country, where it has been, and where it’s going.

A lifelong physician, Dr. Carson has little experience on foreign policy issues, and some would argue that his executive experience—like running a large organization or creating jobs—is rather thin. He cites his experience as head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, a board member of a number of large organizations—including Costco and the Kellogg Company, as well as the president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, [1]. His competitors by contrast have all won statewide office or have run large businesses.

Dr. Carson’s view, by any examination, would be considered conservative, but even so, as recently as April 2, 2014 he was a registered Independent, [2]. He has however voted Republican since 1984 [3].

He is unique among candidates due to his inspirational story of overcoming poverty and racism to become one of the most renowned brain surgeons in the world. That, as well as a very bold Christian faith, has made him one of the most popular presidential candidates, of either party. It’s no surprise then that his personal values are playing a huge role in his campaign thus far. An examination of his books, interviews and speeches reveal several values that are particularly prominent. And these are the issues I will touch on in this paper.

My take on his key issues are the following:

The Role of Government
Freedom and Liberty
Spending and the Debt
Health Care
Political Correctness
Social Values
Foreign policy, Defense and Illegal immigration

The Issues

The Role of Government

The Role Government determined by the U.S. Constitution

Dr. Carson’s views on the role of government arise from one source, the U.S. Constitution. His appreciation of the U.S. Constitution is undeniable. His writings suggest that the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom and liberty to all Americans, and other ideas contained within, has enabled the United States to achieve the ‘pinnacle’ status it enjoys to this day. But he glosses over glaring instances in his country’s history where the values espoused by the document were flagrantly ignored by those elected to govern. For instance he extolls the signers for wanting a nation where people were treated equally regardless of their social status or ethnic origin. But some of these same signers were slaveholders. This begs the question: were slaves, the property of free men, considered human beings? Article I, Section 2 suggests that they were—but not quite. ‘Persons’ who were not Indians subject to taxation, were—at least from the standpoint of representation—considered to be three-fifths of a free person. (See the note at the end of this paper for the actual wording.)

Shouldn’t an embrace of the Constitution be tempered by the manner it in which it has been used and misused in the past?

The Role of the Federal Government

In his book, A More Perfect Union, Dr. Carson discusses the issues with which government should be concerned, as prescribed by his interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Government should be concerned with big issues, like the national debt, ‘a huge national debt, stagnant wages, a demoralized military, a failing public school system, poor access to medical care, and an abysmal business environment, to name a few’[4]. These issues tie in with his view of the founders being concerned with broad concepts rather than minutiae, because they realized that the nation would change and that the little details would have to be changed frequently.

Federal and State Powers

He has very harsh words for the powers of the federal vs. state government. He writes that the founders listed the powers that the federal government would have, being sure to leave the balance of power in the hands of the states and the people. The power of the states has been compromised by their need for federal funds. ‘As a result, today there are numerous social issues, such as the legalization of marijuana, gay marriage, and welfare reform, that could probably be more efficiently handled at the state level but with which the federal government keeps interfering’ [5].

He adds: ‘We are more likely to maintain justice and tranquility if the majority of problems are dealt with locally. People are more likely to peacefully trust local authorities than federal. A local state judge is much more likely to pay attention to the will of the people than a federal judge who does not have to answer to those people. [6].

Dr. Carson does suggest that the federal government should play ‘some role in in public-safety issues and civil matters, but the Constitution makes it clear that in most cases those things should be handled at the state level rather than at the federal level’ [7].

But who gets to decide what issues are handled where? Were President Dwight Eisenhower and the federal government ‘interfering’ when they sent in U.S. Army troops to protect the first nine African American students to attend the desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957? Were John F. Kennedy and the federal government ‘interfering’ when they sent 100 Alabama National Guardsmen, along with federal officials, to accompany two African American students to attend the University of Alabama in 1963? Was the federal government, with much jockeying from Dr. Martin Luther King, and President Lyndon Johnson, ‘interfering’ when the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the following year, the Voting Rights Act, were passed? ‘Tyranny’ does not exist only at the federal level, very often it exists in the small, tightly knit areas of at the state and local levels, and it’s the federal government that shines a light on these issues.

Many in minority communities look to the U.S. Department of Justice for redress when there is a perception that justice is denied, especially in highly publicized cases. Examples include cases where police officers were acquitted in a California court after the beating of motorist Rodney King, the shooting deaths of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Promoting the General Welfare

Dr. Carson also writes that government should not ‘meddle in the affairs of all the citizens or control every aspect of their lives, as is done in many communist and socialist countries. ‘There are those who think that the government should be responsible for the well-being and basic needs of all of its citizens. There is nothing in the Constitution that imposes such a responsibility on the federal government’. He goes on to argue that this promotes a culture of dependency. Instead ‘promoting the general welfare’ implies creating…opportunities for advancement and enhancing the ability of citizens to care for their families, [8].

Freedom and Liberty

Philosophy on ‘Freedom’

The freedom of the individual is a key theme in Dr. Carson’s writing. Freedom from the tyranny of the federal government, from institutions such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the National Security Agency (NSA), from policies such as the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), and from ‘political correctness’ [9].

Freedom from the tyranny of the federal government

Dr. Carson argues that the Constitution guarantees the freedom of the American people from the tyranny of the federal government. Fundamental to the document, he argues, are its first three words, ‘We the people’. ‘[The founders] decreed that the American government always be controlled by the will of the people, not the people by the will of the government [10].

And how can the people exercise this freedom, how do they guard against over-reach of the federal government? He subscribes to what in effect is a list of citizen’s responsibilities:

Knowing their rights, When the American people are ignorant of what’s in their Constitution it will be easy for them to be taken advantage of
Being vigilant. By being vigilant, the American people will hold elected officials accountable for their actions
Voting. Power resides in informed voting. Informed voting isn’t voting the party line or voting based on what political pundits say or on what friends and family tell you to do, but rather voting based on your values and principles
Speaking up. When people are reluctant or afraid to speak up, they may as well be living under a tyrannical government, [11].

Since voting is a key responsibility in exercising one’s freedom, how does Dr. Carson respond to the efforts by those in his own party to effect changes in voting procedures that adversely affect citizen’s ability to vote? These efforts include photo id and reducing advanced voting, which disproportionately and adversely affect African Americans, and others who lean Democrat? In his book, One Nation, Dr. Carson does address this issue briefly.

‘I have yet to find a nation that does not require some type of official voter identification card or mechanism to ensure that the voter is who they say they are. This is basic common sense, yet some members of our society who have co-opted the media have convinced ordinary Americans that there is some type of discrimination going on when we require the same thing of those voting in our country’[12].

This, frankly, is not the objection. The issue is not ‘voter id’ but ‘photo id’, which the Democrats have argued, is more difficult to obtain if you don’t have a driver’s license or live in large urban areas. And these types of voters are more likely to be Democrats.

Obama’s Executive Orders

Dr. Carson cites President’s executive orders as being harmful to his country. The President’s executive orders are akin to an abuse of his power. He says: ‘When the president can change laws with the stroke of his pen or a phone call and not be challenged by the other branches of government or by the media, we are in dire straits [13].

I think this begs the following question: If Dr. Carson were elected President of the United States, and was forced to govern with a Democratic congress who was in fundamental disagreement with his policies, with his vision for his country, and put practically every measure in place to stymie his agenda, what he do?

Spending and the Debt

The National Debt

At the time of the writing of the book, A More Perfect Union, the U.S. national debt was $18.1 trillion, [14]. He writes that the American people must bear some responsibility for this, because of ‘representative’ government. [15].

What are the causes of this debt? He does call out both Democrats and Republicans for ‘reckless’ fiscal policies [16], and specific entitlement programs like Social Security and Welfare [17]. Welfare is a particularly sensitive political subject, a program conservatives frequently attack as a wasteful liberal handout. But what about calling out spending for which conservatives must bear responsibility as well, like the cost of the war in Iraq? The U.S invasion of Iraq, instigated by a Republican government, and initially funded by a Republican congress, cost the American taxpayers close to $815 billion dollars, according to Time magazine [18].This does not account for expenses that continue after combat operations have stopped, like caring for wounded veterans. Shouldn’t any discussion of spending and the debt acknowledge a war that was initiated under spectacularly incorrect information, and which eventually cost the American taxpayer over $800 billion dollar…and more?

And what are the potential social solutions to the debt? From a legislative perspective, Dr. Carson is in favor of the ‘Super Program Amendment’, proposed by the group PreserveOurFuture.org. The Amendment proposes 1) a two-thirds majority vote to pass any new permanent entitlement program, and 2) no additional deficit spending for new entitlements created in the future [19].

He also advocates ‘financial restraint’ [20], which will require ‘sacrifice’ by the American populace [21]. However Dr. Carson does not specify what sacrifices would be required.

What is the probability that such solutions are likely to become reality? If history is a guide, then, not much. There is currently no groundswell of support for reducing the debt. And the debt, at least at this time, does not a vocal political lobby advocating for its reduction.

What about increasing revenues– taxes? This is obviously a no-brainer, a poison pill for Republicans.

Dr. Carson advocates for a ‘flat tax’ with no loopholes which, he argues, ‘may be the only tax that truly treats everyone fairly and thus promotes the general welfare [22]. But does it, really? Even if everyone is forced to pay the same percentage of their income, wouldn’t the poor end up paying a greater proportion of their income in taxes, due to sales taxes and the like?

The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

Dr. Carson refers to Obamacare as a ‘bill of goods’–a bill passed under false pretenses, [23] and ‘slick political maneuvering’ [24]. [T]he underlying and unfixable flaw of Obamacare is that it goes against all of the lessons of human history and puts its trust in a centralized bureaucracy instead of free individuals [25].

It was his speech, of course, at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013 that catapulted him into the political spotlight. One can only imagine the thrill that the critics of the president, and of his signature accomplishment, must have experienced as Dr. Carson, a world-renowned neurosurgeon who just happened to be black—seemed to compared the healthcare legislation to slavery—the ‘worst thing’ since slavery.

Dr. Carson defends his statement in his book, One Nation. ‘[I] said I thought Obamacare was the worst thing in our country since slavery. My point was that we the American people were turning over to the government control of our most precious resources—our health. The implications of such a shift of power…are profound in a society that is supposed to be free and centered around freedom of choice. Once we give the government this kind of power. It is naïve to believe that it will stop in its quest for total control of our lives’ [26].

So the objection to the Affordable Care Act, at least according to the above criticism, is based on the precepts of freedom and liberty, as well as a concern for a ‘slippery slope’ scenario manifesting itself in the federal government inserting itself further into the lives of the American people.

This viewpoint begs several questions. First, was the conservative Heritage Foundation’s initial advocacy of a national healthcare insurance policy [27] also a ploy to take away people’s freedom and liberty? Is there a slippery slope scenario that citizens should be aware of with the healthcare plan in Massachusetts, introduced by the 2012 Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney [28]? Why are conservatives so adamant about shutting down President Obama’s signature legislative victor, yet silent on its conservative predecessors?

Health Savings Accounts

Dr. Carson advocates a health saving account (HSA) for every American. This account would be funded by the individual, an employer, relatives, and/ or governmental sources. In this system individuals ‘would become interested in saving by shopping for the most cost-effective high-quality care plans available’, [29]. This would in turn bring the health care system into the free market economy, fostering greater transparency and ostensibly reducing costs. It would also cut out the middleman (the federal government) enabling increased personal choice and freedom for managing one’s health.

What if a person is faced with a catastrophic illness and the funds in his or her HSA was insufficient to pay for it? Then other family members could shift funds from their accounts to alleviate the costs for their loved ones. Additionally a part of one’s HSA could be allocated to ‘purchase bridge or catastrophic insurance, which would be relatively inexpensive since it would only be used for those 20 percent of cases too expensive to be covered by the typical HSA.

Special precautions would be taken to oversee the accounts of those who have proven to be fiscally irresponsible. In addition the ‘five percent’ of patients with complex pre-existing or acquired maladies would be taken care of through a different system, similar to Medicare and Medicaid but informed by the many mistakes in those programs from which we can learn’[30].

Health Savings Accounts depend on an extremely significant assumption for its success: that is personal responsibility. Dr. Carson writes that Americans ‘should’ have such an account. I interpret this to mean that it would not be mandatory. With many living paycheck to paycheck and already laden with crushing debt, how can he be sure that his countrymen would be disciplined enough to voluntarily set aside sufficient funds for their healthcare? There is an underlying sense in many countries—including the United States—that healthcare is a right, that if you get sick, you simply go to your local hospital’s emergency room for care, regardless of your ability to pay. A HSA system would require a change in that fundamental mindset, and, frankly, a change in basic values. In a society where many believe that they are ‘entitled’ to the latest fads—electronic gadgets, clothes, toys, regardless of the ability to pay—voluntarily setting aside money for a procedure that they may never use, and for which the society, one way or another, will ultimately finance, is likely to be a very tall order.

The idea of a national healthcare system ultimately boils down to one fundamental question: Is healthcare a right, or not? ‘President Obama has clearly believes that it is. Here’s Dr. Carson’s response to this question.

‘Perhaps the lesson for us is to make sure that the basic needs of the most helpless among us are taken care of. Maybe the real question is not whether health care should be available to everyone in our society, but rather how can we provide universal health care in an efficient and cost-effective way’ [31] This answer I think requires elaboration. What if a consensus can’t be achieved on what constitutes ‘efficient and cost effective’? A democratic system of government, by definition, ensures debate and compromise. But with political parties so deeply entrenched in their separate ideologies, and as dysfunctional and acrimonious as they are, is it realistic to believe that any bipartisan agreement can be achieved on such a divisive issue? Well President Obama at least has tried. It remains to be seen how the next president will persuade the American people to adopt his or her vision for the healthcare of their country—whether it is HSAs, Obamacare or something else.

Save Our Healthcare Project

In a column in the Washington Times newspaper, on March 5, 2014, Dr. Carson revealed that he was chairman of the ‘Save Our Healthcare Project, [32].

The Project’s mission statement reads, in part, ‘to lead a national citizen’s effort to hold Washington accountable, re-center the health care debate around doctors and patients, and begin the process of replacing Obamacare with patient centered reforms that will allow every American access to the best, most affordable care in the world.

Political Correctness

How Political Correctness Is Used

Dr. Carson often returns to the issue of ‘political correctness’ in his writing. ‘[Political Correctness] is in place to ensure conformity to the prescribed expressions and lifestyles dictated by the elites’ [33]. As an example, he cites the political Left’s use of his statement of Obamacare being the worst thing in the United States since slavery. He claims that his words were used to divert attention from his argument about the loss of individual freedom to choose one’s healthcare, into a moral equivalence of slavery, [34].

But looking at this issue for another perspective, could you not also say that the political Right interpreted that statement in the same way, and used it as a personal insult to the president?

Dr. Carson then explicitly describes the methods the ‘politically correct police’ (PCP) have used, and the results they have produced, on public discourse in his country.

‘Self-appointed political correct police…have set up speech guidelines that go far beyond the requirements of kindness, good manners, education, and tact. They forbid the use of the word slavery by conservatives, the mention of Nazism by conservatives, or the mention of homosexuality in anything other than a positive context, to name a few of their rules. Going even further, they continually grow their list of terms they believe are offensive, tripping up innocent people with their increasingly strict speech code. By bludgeoning people who violate these rules, the PCP establish a chilling control over the speech of a nation that was founded on the principles of freedom of speech’ [35].

The ‘Why’ of Political Correctness

Dr. Carson argues that the ways in which the political Left utilize political correctness is in agreement with the rules set out in the book, Rules for Radicals, by community organizer, Saul Alinsky.

‘In his famous book, Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky, an activist and organizer of the Far Left, makes it clear that leftists trying to effect change are to have no conversation with their opponents, because open discussion could lend credence to their opponents’ arguments and humanize them in the sight of the public. He argued that activists must demonize their opponents and get the larger society to recognize their activists as the ones who will deliver society from the demons’ [36]. Unfortunately, Dr. Carson does not cite a specific reference in Mr. Alinsky’s work to validate this assertion.

Nonetheless Dr. Carson further argues that Alinsky’s tenets have co-opted the mainstream media, in the sense that opinions held by a small minority of individuals has garnered so much power that people who are ‘rational, reasonable, and full of common sense’, will feel that their opinions are out of sync and shut up, [37].

Liberal Bias in the Mainstream Media

‘Many…liberals dwell in the mainstream media seem reluctant to engage in serious conversation. Instead, they attempt to ask leading questions of their opponents and then distort the answer\s in an attempt to diminish their “enemy” in the eyes of the public. If they are successful, they never have to actually address the real issue for which they have no real answers’[38].

In my view this assertion is entirely valid. Observing his media coverage since he announcing his candidacy, there have been several occasions where his statements have been interpreted to carry overtures that are presented as dangerous, naïve, bigoted, and in some cases, simply ridiculous. These statements which when further explored have proven to be less explosive than originally implied. As an example, Dr. Carson was widely reported as saying that he would not support a Muslim running for the presidency of the United Sates. He later explained that he would not support a Muslim whose faith was ‘inconsistent with the values and principles of America’. Moreover this view extended to persons of any religion whose beliefs were not in sync with the U.S. Constitution [39].

While Dr. Carson may have just-cause to push back at the media, perhaps he should be more nuanced in his statements—not to assuage the media, but to benefit his campaign. The more time and energy he uses to explain, clarify, or even ‘double down’ on previous statements, the less time he has to present his core values, the reason he is running for the presidency. He does not have the bombast and the media megaphone that his competitor, Donald Trump has to strike back at his opponents effectively, frequently, with strength and clarity. Consequently Dr. Carson will probably, eventually begin to feel the weight of his statements, and—unfortunately, in the political climate in which he finds himself–the ‘liberal biases’ of the reporting, whether perceived or real, will eventually matter less and less, and begin to resonate with some of his supporters, particularly those whose support for him is at best tenuous.

Social Values

Dr. Carson’s personal social values are at the center of his support. But what exactly are those values? He explores such issues as Judeo-Christian values, abortion, gay marriage and evolution. He also explores self-reliance, government dependency and the work of the Civil Rights Movement.

Judeo-Christian Values

Dr. Carson attributes the ascendancy of the United States to what he calls a ‘pinnacle’ country to its Judeo-Christian values? Dr. Carson writes:

‘[L]et us remember the godly principles of loving our fellow man, caring about our neighborhoods, developing our God-given talents to the utmost so that we become valuable to the people around us, and maintaining high principles that govern our lives. Our Jude-Christian values led this nation to the pinnacle of the world in record time. If we enhance them, they will keep us there’, [40].

He writes that the encroachment of a secular progressive mindset into the national consciousness is eroding the very values that enabled the United States to achieve its preeminent position in the world.

Here again I believe Dr. Carson makes a point worthy of debate. Many on the Left have argued for a more ‘progressive’ nation, implying a removal of religious symbols from public spaces—the removal of the Ten Commandments from courthouses, the removal of nativity scenes from public spaces, for instance. The same Progressives however often cite American values as superior to those of many other countries. We’ve all heard of the high moral character—‘what it means to be an American’—from progressives as well as conservatives. The question for Progressives is this: what has driven America’s values, its’ high moral standards’? What enabled you to evolve to this level of morality? Conservatives argue, like Dr. Carson, that it is indeed its Judeo-Christian heritage. Well, Mr. or Ms. Progressive, what in your view has made the United States the country that it is today?

Abortion

Progressives and conservatives, in general, see the abortion issue from two entirely different perspectives, perspectives which share virtually no common ground. In its 1973 ruling on Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme court decided that the First, Fourth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States guaranteed an individual’s ‘zone of privacy’ against ‘state laws’ The Court then argued that the “zone of privacy” was “broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” This decision involved myriad physical, psychological, and economic stresses a pregnant woman must face [41]. Even so, this ‘right to privacy’ is not absolute, for in its ruling the Court did declare that while the states were ‘forbidden from outlawing or regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy’, they could enact ‘abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus…in the third trimester’[42].

Those on the pro-choice side of the argument accept this interpretation of the U.S Constitution. Those on the pro-life side, who tend to be primarily conservative, hold to a Biblical belief that life begins at conception, and therefore the termination of a pregnancy at any time, is akin to taking an innocent human life. Dr. Carson also shares this belief. He writes ‘no ruling that allows the killing of children can be ln line with the Constitution’s stated purpose of secur[ing] the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity [43].

Gay Marriage

Dr. Carson, like many people of faith, object to homosexuality on Biblical grounds, citing passages that explicitly condemn this behavior [44]. He does, however, support the application of civil rights equally to all Americans, but is not in favor of ‘changing the ‘definition’ of marriage [45].

Evolution

According to Dr. Carson, a belief in the theory of evolution requires as much faith as a belief in Creation. ‘The claim of some in the scientific community that belief in the theory of evolution is the foundation of all science is pure and unadulterated fantasy. Belief in evolution is just as much associated with religion as belief in creation. They both require faith, either in God or in man’[46].

Civil Rights

Dr. Carson has made several pointed references to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is clearly a fan of the late civil rights leader; however his comments on how Dr. King would respond to the social and civil rights issues facing the United States today may very well raise some eyebrows. In a newspaper column on January 16, 2014, reproduced in What I Believe, Dr. Carson writes that Dr. King would be thrilled to see the election of a two-term African American President, the first black Attorney General, and a rise in the number of black doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, and other professionals. However Dr. King would also be ‘horrified’ to see the rise in black on black violence, high dropout rates in inner-city high schools, the ’73 percent of black babies born out of wedlock’, and the adoption of a victim mentality that ‘makes people feel that they are entitled to being cared for by others rather than working tirelessly to create wealth and opportunities for their progeny’ [47]. Elsewhere Dr. Carson writes that the ‘last thing’ Dr. King would want to see is ‘the culture of dependency that has developed among the very people he fought so hard to free’ [48]. Later he encourages his readers to ‘revere’ Dr. King and his famous dream where one day one would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin [49].

It’s hard to see how any rational person can argue with individuals being self-reliant and less dependent on others for their well-being. Also ‘black on black’ crime is nothing less than a scourge on the community. In addition Progressives should be engaged in a conversation on the impact of out-of-wedlock births on the community. According to a report by the University of Michigan, poverty rates are highest among single women, particularly African-American or Hispanic [50]. However this is just part of the story. One cannot deny—or dismiss—the effect of institutionalized racism and injustice many in minority communities have faced for centuries. Conservatives love to quote the ‘judging someone by the content of their character and not the color of their skin’ line in Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’ as a justification for denying what they see as minority demands for special entitlements. They conveniently ignore, in that same speech, Dr. King holding his country accountable for injustice. They conveniently ignore the following passage:

‘In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note, to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds”.

‘But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice’. – Dr. Martin Luther King ‘I Have A Dream’, 1963 [51].

From his writings Dr. Carson is a fierce believer in self-reliance—and his own story is a testament to his argument. While I agree that self-reliance is absolutely essential for success, I also believe that it alone cannot overcome social injustice. None other than the great evangelist, Billy Graham–who knew Dr. King personally—has stated:

I’ve often said that in my view racism is the biggest social problem we face in the world today, and I believe it still is. Not only do we have continuing problems with racism in our own country, but racism is a worldwide problem that leads to countless wars and conflicts. It also is at the root of much of the world’s injustice and poverty, — Billy Graham, BillyGraham.org, February, 20, 2006 [52].

‘Elitism’

Dr. Carson has strong words for those he calls the ‘elites’—people in position of authority at universities and colleges, and in the mainstream media. While he states that political elitism exists in both parties, Republican and Democrat, he saves his strongest criticism for liberals. Liberal policies that have been ‘flowing’ for years have done little to improve the lives of those who depend so much on them. On the contrary, black communities have seen a ‘deteriorating family structure, increases in violent crime, growing poverty and growing dependence. He then charges that these elites are engaged in what amounts to a subconscious form of racism in believing that those in the black communities are incapable of helping themselves [53].

His writings suggest that he sees liberal elites as a major cause of the continuing problems in the black community. Moreover the elites require these communities to remain dependent in order to secure their votes. So what is the remedy for escaping this culture of low expectations propagated by elite liberals? Young black women need to develop a greater sense of self-respect and self-worth to reduce the number of out-of-wedlock births. Both young men and women need to be educated on basic economics and wealth creation. They also require an academic education (He advocates increasing charter schools.). Additionally those in the black communities need to patronize each other’s businesses [54].

Foreign Policy, Illegal Immigration and Defense

Foreign Policy

Until now Dr. Carson has been less vocal on foreign policy than he has been on social issues. On defense, he has characterized President’s Obama’s leadership as weak and indecisive. In the wake of Russian ‘aggression’ in the Ukraine, Dr. Carson criticizes the President for imposing ‘toothless’ sanctions on Russian businessmen close to Putin which has done little to make Russia change course, [55]. Dr. Carson asks, ‘Is this what Ronald Reagan would have done?’ His foreign policy rhetoric appears to be taken right out of the Republican playbook, with little original ideas thrown in.

Defense

His views on defense also seem to be standard Republican fare—project strength that befits the world’s one remaining superpower, particularly towards Russia and China. But what would such a show of strength do to eliminate the terror posed by one of the greatest threats to peace today, the Islamic State? He would use every resource available to ‘eradicate the threat of ISIS including banking facilities, sanctions…and boots on the ground’ [56].

Dr. Carson has made foreign policy missteps as well. In the Fox Business political debate on November 10^th, 2015, Dr. Carson was asked whether he supported the president’s decision to…put 50 Special Ops forces in Syria and leave 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Dr. Carson replied: We also must recognize that it’s a very complex place. You know, the Chinese are there, as well as the Russians, and you have all kinds of factions there [57].

There have not been any reliable reports that the Chinese have troops in Syria, and this misstatement has been used to illustrate the Doctor’s supposed lack of foreign policy credentials.

What is also concerning is that Dr. Carson seems to advocate turning a blind eye when U.S. soldiers may be guilty of committing actions abroad that, shall we say, do not comport with what one usually associates with American values. He writes:

‘[O]ur soldiers’ job is made doubly complex when…government officials threaten to prosecute them if, in the opinion of some, they violate certain rules of ethical warfare. In the unrealistic world of the ivory tower elites, war is like a game that has rules to which you must adhere regardless of what the other side is doing [58].

Illegal Immigration

On the question of illegal immigration he advocates, first, secure borders. He also believes in a national guest worker program. ‘Non-citizens would have to apply for a guest-worker permit and have a guaranteed job awaiting them…People who are currently in the country illegally would have to return to their home country and then apply for a guest worker permit [59].

Wrap Up

The Global Impact of the American Election

Why should a non-American, who does not have the power to have their voice heard in the U.S. election, care about who is elected the next president of the United States? After all this is an issue internal to the United States; let the American people handle it. Well it certainly is an internal issue but the choice the American people make on who leads their country has extremely significant consequences for the rest of the world.

According to National Geographic, the war in Iraq caused the deaths of about half a million Iraqis, [60] none of whom had any influence on the election of an American president whose invasion of their country ultimately led to their deaths. No other country on the planet has that influence.

A Black Conservative

The ascendancy of Dr. Carson and the other candidates is instructive on where the American people are in terms of their values, foreign and domestic. Dr. Carson’s candidacy itself is of particular interest because it presents a different lens on the racial issues his country still faces. No other African-American conservative to date has been as successful a candidate as he has been. And the reception that he has received is eye-opening. Frankly, conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, have openly welcome the retired neurosurgeon, whereas Progressives, and some in the mainstream media, have been particularly hostile, holding him to a standard of accountability that has been applied to no other candidate.

This treatment of black conservatives by Progressives is nothing new. A current member of the U.S. Supreme Court made a blistering attack on liberals during his nomination hearing, where he compared the treatment of blacks who ‘deign to think for themselves’ to a ‘high-tech’ lynching [61].

This hostility is a mirror image of the disdain, and the absolute lack of respect some on the Right have exhibited towards President Obama—one of whom shouted ‘You lie!’ during Obama’s first State of the Union speech, others casting dispersions about his country of birth, and in effect forcing him to show his birth certificate, like a criminal suspect being forced to show identification.

Whatever the outcome of the 2016 election, the campaign thus far has been illuminating, not only how America determines its future, but how it is still struggling with its complicated past.

Note

Specifically, the Constitution says:

‘Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons’. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

This was later changed in the Fourteenth Amendment where the right of citizenship was given to anyone born or naturalized in the United States, http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html#14

Next month, a new video for the song ‘I Believe’

References

[1] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, (Creators Publishing, 2015) p102

[2] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p54

[3] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p176

[4] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, (Sentinel, 2015) pp 43-44

[5] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p45

[6] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p54

[7] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p47

[8] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p73

[9] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, (Sentinel, 2015) p206

[10] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p29

[11] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, pp 30-35.

[12] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p4

[13] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p31

[14] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p85

[15] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p56

[16] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p86

[17] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p130

[18] Time.com, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://time.com/3651697/afghanistan-war-cost/

[19] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p131

[20] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p56

[21] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, pp 86-87

[22] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p72

[23] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p12

[24] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p14

[25] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p42

[26] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, pp12-13

[27] TheAtlantic.com, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/the-fall-of-the-heritage-foundation-and-the-death-of-republican-ideas/279955/

[28] Forbes.com, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/02/07/the-tortuous-conservative-history-of-the-individual-mandate/

[29] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p144

[30] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p97

[31]Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, America the Beautiful, (Zondervan, 2012) p144

[32] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p41

[33] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p47

[34] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, pp12-13

[35] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p12

[36] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p15

[37] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p 23

[38] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p83

[39] CNN.com, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/27/politics/ben-carson-muslim-president-sharia-law/

[40] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p33

[41] pbs.org, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html

[42] pbs.org, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html

[43] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p92

[44] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p194.

[45] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, pp 53-54

[46] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p198

[47] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p19

[48] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p42

[49] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p207

[50] Umich.edu, accessed, November 29, 2015 http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/

[51] Archives.gov, accessed November 29, 2015 https://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

[52]. BillyGraham.org, accessed November 29, 2015 http://billygraham.org/answer/what-do-you-think-is-the-greatest-social-problem-in-the-world-today/

[53] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, p30

[54] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, pp 31-33

[55] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p104

[56] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p164

[57] Time.com, accessed November 29, 2015 http://time.com/4107636/transcript-read-the-full-text-of-the-fourth-republican-debate-in-milwaukee/

[58] Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, p59

[59] Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, p135

[60] Nationalgeographic.com, accessed November 29, 2015 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131015-iraq-war-deaths-survey-2013/

[61] Youtube.com, accessed, November 29, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egTyaIAaqz8

Bibliography

Ben Carson, M.D., What I Believe, (Creators Publishing, 2015)

Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, A More Perfect Union, (Sentinel, 2015)

Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, One Nation, (Sentinel, 2015)

Ben Carson, M.D., Candy Carson, America the Beautiful, (Zondervan, 2012)

Links

http://time.com/3651697/afghanistan-war-cost/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/the-fall-of-the-heritage-foundation-and-the-death-of-republican-ideas/279955/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/02/07/the-tortuous-conservative-history-of-the-individual-mandate/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/27/politics/ben-carson-muslim-president-sharia-law/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_roe.html

http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/

https://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

http://billygraham.org/answer/what-do-you-think-is-the-greatest-social-problem-in-the-world-today/

http://time.com/4107636/transcript-read-the-full-text-of-the-fourth-republican-debate-in-milwaukee/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131015-iraq-war-deaths-survey-2013/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egTyaIAaqz8