Ben Carson 2016? The Retired Surgeon in His Own Words
Candidate says being gay is "absolutely" a choice.
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Run, Ben, Run? - Earlier this week, Dr. Ben Carson announced that he had created a presidential exploratory committee, becoming the first Republican candidate to enter the 2016 race. With his recent remarks about gay marriage and LGBT relations, take a look at where Carson stands on several issues. – Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)(Photo: The National Press Club via YouTube.com)
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Prison Proves That Being Gay Is "Absolutely" a Choice - "Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they're gay," Carson said in a CNN interview. "So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question." (Photo: Richard Ellis/Getty Images)
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No Labels - In June 2014 at a National Press Club event, he was asked how he would define himself politically, Carson responded, "I consider myself logical. As far as I’m concerned, common sense should be in both parties. That’s why it’s called 'common sense.' …Every one of us should want to get to the bottom of [Benghazi], but we have one group saying, 'Oh, we’ve asked all the questions; it’s okay, forget about it.' Because I want to know the answers to that, to what happened to the IRS's use of government, which effects everybody, I don’t think that necessarily makes me a conservative. I think that makes me an American who understands America and what freedom really is." (Photo: William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images)
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Declaration of Independence - I am and have been for many years a registered independent. I have experienced both parties. I have been a Democrat — quite a flaming, liberal democrat. And I have been a Republican — quite a conservative Republican. In fact, I don’t even really like the party system. I would be in favor of a new law that says [candidates'] party affiliation cannot be on the ballot. Therefore, you would actually have to know who the person was and what you were voting for. That would make a big difference. (Photo: Matthew Medlen/Demotix/Corbis)
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Not Towing the Party Line - We have to remember — and this is so essential if our nation is to survive as the pinnacle nation of the world, that we are Americans first. Not that we are Democrats. Not that we are Republicans. Not that we are independent. This is destroying us. A wise man, by the name of Jesus Christ, once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” It never has stood; it never will stand. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
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Reading Between the Tea Leaves - What is a tea party favorite, exactly? "Well, I hope it means being a favorite of ordinary Americans who feel they have a say about what goes on in their country. And the reason they have been demonized by so many is because there has formed an elite group who feels that they are the ones that get the say, and that this is a country that is for, of and by the government," Carson said. "We love to label people, but they’re just ordinary Americans who want to have a say." (Photo: Lauren Petracca/MLIVE.COM /Landov)
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Carson 2016? - I have taken no steps toward such a thing. And I gotta tell ya, I do not wish that job upon any body, including myself. Have you noticed how people age when they get into that thing? After a long and arduous career of neurosurgery, I was looking forward to learning how to play the organ and playing golf, and learning new languages — I bought all these Rosetta Stones. But it appears to me that perhaps God has a different plan for me. You know I don’t know what those plans are. Right now it’s to continue to go around trying to wake our nation up and help the people to realize our strength is in our unity and we need to stop fighting each other and we need to pool our collective resources. (Photo: REUTERS /JONATHAN ERNST /LANDOV)
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Mending Obamacare - There are a number of ways that I would fix [Obamacare]. But the linchpin is a health savings account because you have control of that yourself. I have a number of different ways that they can be funded. Bear in mind that we already spend twice as much per capita on health care in this nation as the next-closest nation in the world. So it’s not a matter of putting resources on it; it’s a matter of using them the right way. Give everyone a health savings account the day they are born and they keep it until the day they die. (Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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The Second Amendment and Gun Control - I think there are some weapons that probably are not appropriate like, you know, tanks, and you know I’m not sure people should have a rocket launcher in their bedroom. But you know conventional weapons I don’t have any problem with. The Second Amendment is an essential part of our constitution. Because it would give the populace the ability to assist the military in case of a foreign invasion, but more importantly, it’s there because if we ever have a rogue government that wants to dominate the people, the people will have the ability to defend themselves. We must always protect that. (Photo: Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)