Dr. Ben Carson: Running For President ‘Is Up to God’ [Video]
Dr. Benjamin Carson, who made headlines with his recent National Prayer Breakfast speech that went viral (if that’s an appropriate term for a physician), has not completely ruled out a career in politics even though it is not his intention at the moment.
The speech by Dr. Ben Carson, who is a pediatric brain surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, has received about two million hits on YouTube so far and made him an overnight sensation to some degree. His remarks included criticism of Obamacare with President Obama sitting a few feet away.
In the wide-ranging presentation that was inspirational and patriotic, Carson – who came from a background of extreme poverty — touched on the need to accept personal responsibility, education, faith, runaway Washington spending, implementing a flat tax and avoiding class warfare, and his proposal for a health savings account from birth as an alternative to the Obamacare bureaucracy.
In a an appearance on ABC News This Week, Ben Carson indicated that he didn’t set out to engage in politicized rhetoric at the National Prayer Breakfast:
“I don’t think [the speech] was particularly political … to be able to express an opinion about something that is problematic …You know, I’m a physician. I like to diagnose things. And, I’ve diagnosed some pretty, pretty significant issues that I think a lot of people resonate with. I’ve been particularly overwhelmed by the response … “
Dr. Carson explained that coming up with real solutions to our country’s socioeconomic problems means avoiding always declaring some politician or some political party the winner:
“What we really need is tone-down our rhetoric and be able to discuss things in a reasonable or rational way and come to conclusions rather than one side or the other winning.”
In terms of his support of the flat tax, Carson said that he prefers to call it a proportional tax, and that it comes from the biblical formula of tithing. “Everybody contributes,” he said.
When asked for his opinion of President Obama, Carson seemed more interested in expressing his concerns about political correctness that short-circuits real and open debate on issues:
“Obama is a very talented politician … there are a number of policies that I don’t believe lead to the growth of our nation and don’t lead to the elevation of our nation. I don’t want to sit here and say all his policies are bad. What I would like to see more often in this nation is an open and intelligent conversation, not people just casting aspersions at each other.”
The ABC interviewer asked Carson, who is retiring from active surgery this summer, about a Wall StreetJournal editorial promoting Ben Carson for president and whether he has any plans to run for political office. Carson responded as follows:
“It’s not my intention to do that, but as I always say in every part of my life, I’ll leave that up to God.”
Post National Prayer Breakfast speech, Carson’s book America the Beautiful has shot up to the number one position on Amazon.
Do you think that Dr. Benjamin Carson has a career in politics ahead of him?
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