Dr. Ben Carson, former pediatric neurosurgeon and author of “One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future” argued that he could appeal to centrist voters because “they seem to understand exactly what I’m talking about” on Monday’s “Kelly File” on the Fox News Channel.
Carson responded to criticism about a comment where he said that a gay couple suing a bakery to force them to make a wedding cake was “really not all that smart because they might poison in your cake.” After Kelly reported “now some are claiming you’re suggesting gays who complain about what they view as discrimination risk getting poisoned,” he responded “that would be a very immature interpretation of what is a common thing, never make your waiter or your chef angry because you don’t know what they’re going to put in your food. People who look for something like that to make an issue out of really don’t have much of an issue. So, I guess that’s rather comforting.”
When asked how he could appeal to center-right and center-left voters, Carson stated “I see a lot of those center-right and center-left people every day. I saw a bunch of them tonight, I’ll see a bunch of them tomorrow, and they seem to understand exactly what i’m talking about. And that’s why I keep talking, because we have got to wake our country up, and we’ve got to stop being afraid of those people who sit around and call you names and criticize, and let that stifle you and keep you from telling the truth.”
Carson did not say how his message differed from other candidates, because “I don’t actually go around trying to compare myself with others and trying to determine whether there’s a substantial difference. I do make it clear that I’m not a politician and that I never intend to become a politician. Even if I’m elected to office, I’m not going to be a politician because they tend to do things that are politically expedient, and I’m not trying to do things that are [politically] correct.”
Carson concluded by declaring that if he does not receive the nomination, “U would like it [the GOP’s nominee] to be somebody who puts the Constitution on the top shelf, who doesn’t pick and choose the laws that they want to enforce, somebody who understands the economy and understands how to get it moving, someone who understands the real meaning of compassion, and how we actually invest in our fellow human beings, and provide them with a ladder to actually achieve, and not just to stay in a dependent position, and someone who knows how to lead on the world stage. Because, you know, that vacuum is extraordinarily dangerous to us in the long run.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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