Despite risks, Carson not backing off Nazi, slavery examples

[webfact]

Despite risks, Carson not backing off Nazi, slavery examples
By STEVE PEOPLES and BILL BARROW

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (AP) — On the eve of his party's third debate, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson promised not to curb his penchant for using extreme examples to prove his points, such as equating abortion with slavery and comparing Islamic State fighters to patriots of the American Revolution.

"I don't buy the PC stuff. I just don't buy it," Carson said in a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press. He said the country can discuss complicated issues as adults, and he suggested people could learn from his example.

"One of my goals is to get us to mature as a society," he said. "We should be mature enough to be able to talk about things without going into a tizzy."

To date, Carson's style has not affected his climb through the GOP's ranks to challenge Donald Trump as a front-runner for the Republican nomination. Indeed, many conservatives embrace the unvarnished approach of the retired neurosurgeon who has never before run for office.

Yet Carson's own advisers worry the rhetorical grenades may complicate his ability to go far in the competitive and still unsettled Republican field.

Beyond his outsider status, Carson's appeal comes largely from his identity as a mild-mannered physician with a measured approach to the rough-and-tumble of politics. Regular references to Nazis and slavery, his advisers suggest, could threaten to obscure his larger message as a man with the temperament to quell the acrimony of Washington.

"It is not a (deliberate) strategy," said Carson's communications director, Doug Watts, pointing specifically to Carson's decision to use the Holocaust as a way to illustrate why the U.S. shouldn't enact tougher gun restrictions.

"The Nazis may not be the most perfect comparison," Watts said. "We've spoken to him several times and said, 'You can find better examples,' and he understands that."

Yet a few minutes later, in the interview with AP, Carson again argued against gun control by referencing the Nazis and repeated his recent comments about abortion and slavery.

"What happened in Nazi Germany can never happen again unless we forget it, unless we won't talk about it," Carson said.

He noted that he first linked abortion and slavery two decades ago, as part of his shift from supporting abortion rights to opposing abortion in virtually all cases.

The only major black candidate in the 2016 field of either party, Carson recounted Tuesday how two of his ancestors, brother and sister, were separated by different slave owners.

"It always makes me tear up a little bit when I think about what people had to go through," he said.

"I was never pro-abortion, but I was pro-choice," he said. "I felt that even though I didn't believe in it, I didn't really have the right to say what anybody else did. And the thing that really changed my mind about that was thinking ... that if the abolitionists said that, said, 'Well, I don't believe in slavery, but everybody else can do whatever they want,' I think maybe we may still have slavery."

Carson also often uses extreme moments from his own life when talking with voters, including stories about his violent upbringing in inner-city Detroit. At a public event Tuesday to accept the endorsement of cage fighter Vitor Belfort, Carson said his temper as a teenager prompted him to try "to stab another teenager" years ago.

"By the grace of God, he had on a large metal buckle ... and the knife blade struck it and broke," Carson said. "It shows you how God, he took a knife that I was trying to kill somebody with, and he gave me a knife to save lives."

Carson's place in preference polls hasn't been affected negatively by his statements that he would not support electing a Muslim as president, his equating the passion of Islamic State militants in the Middle East to that of America's Revolutionary War soldiers, and suggesting that prison terms lead some inmates to choose homosexuality.

Even as he spent subsequent days explaining each remark, his fundraising and polls numbers often improved.

"Dr. Carson isn't bound by having to say what you think you have to say, and that's refreshing," supporter Rick Chaffin, a 60-year-old Air Force retiree, said recently at one of the candidate's book signings in Georgia.

Matt Strawn, a former Iowa Republican Party chairman, pointed to Carson's months of outreach in the first caucus state. "Iowa caucus-goers really feel they know who Ben Carson is as a man," he said, "which may help explain why these kind of headline-grabbing statements aren't really having a negative effect."

Watts, the Carson aide, said that for all the staff concerns, the candidate's preparations for the Wednesday debate have not included instructions on avoiding references to slavery or Nazis.

"He'll find his equilibrium," Watts said. "That I'm sure."

The candidate, meanwhile, said he has no qualms about taking the stage as a front-runner alongside Trump: "I relish it."
___

Barrow reported from Atlanta.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-10-28

[Usernames]

Ben Carson is the Republican establishment's current candidate. The plan is to use him to go after Trump and then slip Jeb Bush into the nomination at the convention.

[SheungWan]

Ben Carson is the Republican establishment's current candidate. The plan is to use him to go after Trump and then slip Jeb Bush into the nomination at the convention.

Today must be make up a conspiracy day.

[ggt]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

[Seastallion]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

Not much point in integrity if your beliefs are those of an idiot.

If Carson and Trump are the front runners for the GOP, God help America and the world.

It seems the Dems will be a shoe-in, but democracies need an effective Opposition. The Reps do not provide that at the moment.

[ggt]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

Not much point in integrity if your beliefs are those of an idiot.

If Carson and Trump are the front runners for the GOP, God help America and the world.

It seems the Dems will be a shoe-in, but democracies need an effective Opposition. The Reps do not provide that at the moment.

God may be...in fact...helping the US to turn the corner and move back toward a more moral and sane society...

The only people who use a word like "idiot" to describe an accomplished Doctor's beliefs...are...

[Jonmarleesco]

'Carson's ... equating the passion of Islamic State militants in the Middle East to that of America's Revolutionary War soldiers ...' Was he referring to the passion of the confederate states' soldiers; the slave states? That notwithstanding, the civil war fighters, to the best of my knowledge, showed their faces, faced other armed soldiers on the battlefield, and got close up and personal with the fighting. Doesn't sound much like the brave warriors of the IS.

[Jingthing]

I don't admire him as a politician.

If I'm looking for a surgeon, I'd consider.

I think he is massively CREEPY.

The soft spoken thing is his SCHTICK.

So far, it has fooled many people, but it will never fool enough people to see him elected president.

Good thing that.

Yes, he makes Trump look good. He is THAT BAD.

Politically, as far as his political policy visions, he isn't even HALF BAKED.

Not only not ready for prime time.

More like not ready for cable public access at 3 in the morning!

Don't be fooled by the early polls. American voters are indeed often very stupid, but there IS a limit.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

He is so bad it isn't even funny:

http://bernardgoldberg.com/another-dopey-remark-from-dr-ben-carson/

Another Dopey Remark from Dr. Ben Carson

I am never surprised when stupid people say stupid things but am always fascinated when smart people say stupid things. I have Dr. Ben Carson in mind.

...

Apologizing for dumb remarks is always a good thing. Not saying them … and not thinking them in the first place … is better.

Unlike the suicide wing of the Republican Party, the ideological purists who proudly announce they’ll sit home on Election Day if Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Lindsey Graham or anyone else who disagrees with them about almost anything wins the nomination – I will only sit home only if one particular GOP candidate winds up as the party’s standard-bearer.

Take a guess which one.

The suggestion that we're supposed to "respect" this joke of a candidate because he is a good surgeon doesn't wash. He doesn't deserve it.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Jingthing

[Publicus]

The more mass media exposure the political crackpot lunatic rightwingnut extremist Ben Carson gets the more the Republican party goes deeper into its electoral hole

abyss.

While Donald Trump is my favorite Republican, Dr. Ben Carson is my favorite Martian. Here's just one quote from Dr. Carson's deliberations from within the midst of the dark matter of deep space....

Top 10 Quotes That Prove Neurosurgeon Ben Carson Doesn’t Have The Brain To Be President

On Obama’s ap­pear­ance: When a col­league said the pres­id­ent “looks clean. Shirt’s white. The tie. He looks el­eg­ant,” Car­son re­spon­ded: “Like most psy­cho­paths. That’s why they’re suc­cess­ful. That’s the way they look. They all look great.” He later said: “But he knows he’s telling a lie! He’s try­ing to sell what he thinks is not true! He’s sit­ting there say­ing, ‘These Amer­ic­ans are so stu­pid I can tell them any­thing.’”

http://www.nationaljournal.com/twentysixteen/2015/05/04/9-Ben-Carsons-Most-Controversial-Quotes

This year's Republican party campaign for prez makes the 2012 Republican party campaign brawl look like the Meatballs movie run by Bill Murray.

This campaign is strange enough politically to be considered George McGovern's revenge from 1972, the fulfillment of Walter Mondale's 1984 efforts, turn Mike Dukakis as the Cheshire Cat of 1988 and grant Al Gore his coveted wish that the Republican party and the Bush family became the road kill of the political information superhighway.

[Jingthing]

Yes, it is unusually entertaining this cycle, but let's hope it doesn't all end in tears.

[Publicus]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

Not much point in integrity if your beliefs are those of an idiot.

If Carson and Trump are the front runners for the GOP, God help America and the world.

It seems the Dems will be a shoe-in, but democracies need an effective Opposition. The Reps do not provide that at the moment.

God may be...in fact...helping the US to turn the corner and move back toward a more moral and sane society...

The only people who use a word like "idiot" to describe an accomplished Doctor's beliefs...are...

It's been said God works in strange ways. Here is a prime example of how Dr. Ben Carson sees the strange work of his God.

On vet­er­ans dy­ing wait­ing for med­ic­al care from the De­part­ment of Vet­er­ans Af­fairs: “I think what’s hap­pen­ing with the vet­er­ans is a gift from God to show us what hap­pens when you take lay­ers and lay­ers of bur­eau­cracy and place them between the pa­tients and the health care pro­vider. And if we can’t get it right, with the re­l­at­ively small num­ber of vet­er­ans, how in the world are you go­ing to do it with the en­tire pop­u­la­tion?”

http://www.nationaljournal.com/twentysixteen/2015/05/04/9-Ben-Carsons-Most-Controversial-Quotes

People who see God's gifts in such evils as the Nazis, slavery, veterans dying and the whole nine yards of their crackpot political views need to be exposed to the general public and electorate as the nutcases they are.

According to the brainwaves of Dr. Carson one might also suppose God makes criminals to send them to prison to learn and adopt homosexuality, which can indeed be implied from the mad doctor's own statements. The logical extension of this socio-cultural diagnosis is simply confounding yet the good doctor remains comfortable with it and with himself.

Perhaps Dr. Carson should get some of his own postulations put to him.

[ggt]

'Carson's ... equating the passion of Islamic State militants in the Middle East to that of America's Revolutionary War soldiers ...' Was he referring to the passion of the confederate states' soldiers; the slave states? That notwithstanding, the civil war fighters, to the best of my knowledge, showed their faces, faced other armed soldiers on the battlefield, and got close up and personal with the fighting. Doesn't sound much like the brave warriors of the IS.

I think...IMHO...Carson is referring to the American Revolution where passion of American terrorists (from a British point of view) attacked the foreign power that was trying to rule their country...somewhat like ISIS...albeit their methodology leads one to regurgitate...

The Civil War was an internal affair and was about 100 years after the Brits were defeated by American Revolutionists and the US had became an independent sovereign nation...

[Publicus]

Brits of contemporary times who like to label the Continental Army commanded by General George Washington as a gang of terrorists are indeed shameless revisionists. Dr. Carson knows just about as much about the topic as do the sorehead Brits who make the assinine [sic] claim.

Dr. Carson and some certain others from across The Pond need to know the Continental Army and ISIS have absolutely nothing shared or in common. To suggest otherwise is a crackpot lunacy of the first order.

The passion Dr. Carson references is a radically different passion, one is of freedom and life, while the other is of death and destruction. To suggest all human passion is equal or of an equivalent value is a serious and severe personal flaw. Laughing or crying are for instance human emotions of different origins, means, purposes, ends. One cannot viably say a grieving parent expresses the same, like or similar emotion as does a laughing parent.

One cannot conceivably say American revolutionaries and ISIS shared an equal or common passion about anything. Certainly no one in his right mind.

The bottom line for some certain Brits btw is that they need to document that the Crown or its government ever took the official position the Continental Army were terrorists. To the contrary, the government of Great Britain wrongheadedly considered the Continental Army as a bunch of rebellious or treasonous farmers who would be quashed in a short order.

[sirineou]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

How about logic? is he swayed by logic?

by the way since Trump called him a very low energy person, he started telling the story of when he was young and a bad-ass

he said when he was young he used to attack people bats and stones and hammers and one time he tried to stub with a knife some one in the abdomen . he actually said,"in the abdomen" not in the gut, not in the belly, but in the abdomen.

he is a real badass who has learned to control his instincts, but watch out......

I guess he figured if these people are buying Trumps crap, why not try some of my own.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nzvLkSdNh8[media]

[Boon Mee]

At least Carson has firm beliefs and is not swayed by some public opinion poll like certain candidates on the left, eh?

[sirineou]

At least Carson has firm beliefs and is not swayed by some public opinion poll like certain candidates on the left, eh?

Firm beliefs . where else do we hear of people with firm beliefs?

[Boon Mee]

At least Carson has firm beliefs and is not swayed by some public opinion poll like certain candidates on the left, eh?

Firm beliefs . where else do we hear of people with firm beliefs?

Don't really believe this poster was referring to anyone other than Carson's fellow candidates...

[sirineou]

At least Carson has firm beliefs and is not swayed by some public opinion poll like certain candidates on the left, eh?

Firm beliefs . where else do we hear of people with firm beliefs?

Don't really believe this poster was referring to anyone other than Carson's fellow candidates...

firstly , this poster was not referring to Carson's fellow candidates but to candidates in the Democratic primary. Unless of course there are candidates for the republican primary that are on the "left" or I misunderstood.

Second, if you consider "firm beliefs" to be a virtue, then that virtue should apply to all that posses it and not to a limited few that confirms your bias ,

[Boon Mee]

Don't believe Carson would bomb the Twin Towers, Pentagon etc with his firm beliefs.

In terms of virtue, Carson's beliefs simply do not include mass terror.

[Richard W]

Brits of contemporary times who like to label the Continental Army commanded by General George Washington as a gang of terrorists are indeed shameless revisionists.

No, we're just using the current legal definition from the Terrorism Act 2000. I do it because I think the law is wrong.

[sirineou]

Don't believe Carson would bomb the Twin Towers, Pentagon etc with his firm beliefs.

In terms of virtue, Carson's beliefs simply do not include mass terror.

and on what is your belief based on?

that is the problem with beliefs, especially firm beliefs. Firm beliefs resist contradicting facts.

GW Bush was a man of firm belief

there were and are people in some parts of the world who were and are massively terrorised by this firm beliefs.

Terrorism does not only apply to events happening in the west.

my point being that inflexibility leads people down a narrow path , a path with limited choices.one might say narow mindness .

Having said that let me also partly agree with you, The opposite side of the spectrum is not desirable also. I have no love lost for Hillary , she is a chameleon

events and situations change and a once right position can become wrong

I think I respect a man or woman more when such person can adjust their position to correspond with the facts and not be locked in dogma.

[Publicus]

Brits of contemporary times who like to label the Continental Army commanded by General George Washington as a gang of terrorists are indeed shameless revisionists.

No, we're just using the current legal definition from the Terrorism Act 2000. I do it because I think the law is wrong.

The UK Terrorism Act of 2000 has as much to do with the American Revolutionary War of Independence as does the discovery this year of liquid water on Mars. Its mention does instead suggest the thread on Dr. Carson's malfunctioning electromagnetic hyperbolic brainwaves have attracted some who face similar risks.

One's pov in respect of the year 2000 Act over there is irrelevant and immaterial, not to mention that the fallacy of presentism is implied. Carson interestingly works in reverse, i.e., he attempts to apply the past to the present, as when he cranks out his nonsensical garble that Obamacare is slavery.

One should perhaps point out Dr. Carson has not called Gen Washington or his army terrorists but that is probably only because Barack Obama was not there. Indeed, who knows what may come next from this lone ranger and his horse-drawn parallel America.

[Publicus]

Don't believe Carson would bomb the Twin Towers, Pentagon etc with his firm beliefs.

In terms of virtue, Carson's beliefs simply do not include mass terror.

Wait till 150 million voters find out about Dr. Carson's brain and what goes on in there not to mention the beliefs that come out of it.

Talk about mass terror

[Pinot]

At least Carson has firm beliefs and is not swayed by some public opinion poll like certain candidates on the left, eh?

Crazy, tin foil hat, insane firm beliefs, yes you gotta hand it to him for that.

Can anyone seriously be considering Carson as President of the United States, eh?

The lunatic fringe is now the base.

[sirineou]

You may not care for Dr. Carson's stance on certain issues...but it is hard not to admire his resolve in standing his ground and not being swayed by polls, politics, and news critics...he appears to be a man of integrity...a very rare commodity in US politics...

How about logic? is he swayed by logic?

by the way since Trump called him a very low energy person, he started telling the story of when he was young and a bad-ass

he said when he was young he used to attack people bats and stones and hammers and one time he tried to stub with a knife some one in the abdomen . he actually said,"in the abdomen" not in the gut, not in the belly, but in the abdomen.

he is a real badass who has learned to control his instincts, but watch out......

I guess he figured if these people are buying Trumps crap, why not try some of my own.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nzvLkSdNh8[media]

So tonight CNN run an investigation on Carson's claims of violent past . They could find no one to collaborate his claims

All his neighbors and people that knew him said they were surprised by his claims, they never witnessed or heard of any such stories, the Carson they knew was a"Bookish, quiet, reserved young man "

When Dr Carson recounts his claims of a violent past, he almost always says "as you have heard from others, I used to have a violent past" , the truth is that no one that knew him back then has ever made such claims.

When asked if he could provide the name of anyone who could collaborate hid claims , He said he had changed the names of those involved to protect them from the press.

My opinion is that Dr Carson is out to re-invent him self and develop a narrative of redemption through religion that appeals to evangelicals, and a persona more conducive to presidential, and other aspirations .

[Jingthing]

Just another symptom of his religiously based insanity. Imaginary past. Said it before, saying it again. The more you learn about Carson, the CREEPIER he gets.

What's next? A revelation that his special hobby is collecting sofa-sized kitschy oil paintings of CLOWNS?

Edited November 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[sirineou]

Just another symptom of his religiously based insanity. Imaginary past. Said it before, saying it again. The more you learn about Carson, the CREEPIER he gets.

What's next? A revelation that his special hobby is collecting sofa-sized kitschy oil paintings of CLOWNS?

I am afraid I have to agree, It is scary that presidential politics have become such that only people such as him and many of the others running for president will allow themselves to me involved in such endeavour.

The US is a great country, with a lot of talent. Out of the millions of people , is this the best we can come up with?

The system is broken and need to be repaired

I am looking forward to a third party candidate to save the day, or hopping that americans can overcome their prejudice and political indoctrination and support Bernie Sanders

[TuskegeeBen]

Ben Carson is the Republican establishment's current candidate. The plan is to use him to go after Trump and then slip Jeb Bush into the nomination at the convention.

apparently, Ben Carson could use some brain surgery, himself.

[up-country_sinclair]

He lied about being offered admission to West Point.

He's done.