Ben Carson presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
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 Ben Carson |
Retired Pediatric Neurosurgeon |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
Judiciary
- During an interview on WRNN radio on February 16, 2016, Ben Carson discussed the politics surrounding the process for nominating a Supreme Court justice to replace former Justice Antonin Scalia. Referring to the ninth Republican primary debate, Carson said, "Do you think the same six people on stage would say the same thing if there were a Republican president in the White House right now, for them to wait until the next president is selected? No, they wouldn't. But then again, recognize that the two picks that the president has selected are ideologues, so there's really no reason to believe that his next pick wouldn't be an ideologue also. … I think we need to relook at the whole Supreme Court issue because it has become something completely different than was intended.”[2]
- Carson said during the Republican presidential debate on February 13, 2016, that the continued lifetime appointment of Supreme Court justices "needs to be looked at pretty carefully at some point." He added that no nominee should be put forward by President Obama.[3]
- Earlier on February 13, 2016, Carson said of Antonin Scalia in a statement, "Time and again, he ruled based on where the black letter of the law led him, not according to the politics of the moment. For that reason, he has angered Americans on both the left and the right, but he has never wavered in his dedication to the Constitution." Carson also commented on the political ramifications of Scalia's death, saying, "It is imperative that the Senate not allow President Obama to diminish his legacy by trying to nominate an individual who would carry on his wishes to subvert the will of the People. Given the dire condition our democracy currently finds itself under Obama's ideological agenda, I call on the Senate to stop any attempts to fill this crucial seat until We The People elect a strong Constitutionalist this November."[4]
- Ben Carson said on December 2, 2015, that he would consider potential judicial nominees’ position on abortion when making an appointment. “As far as abortion is concerned, I would very much look at appointing judges who have a record of honoring life,” he said during a town hall in South Carolina.[5]
- During a July 2014 speech at the Western Conservative Summit, Carson said, "If we get another progressive president in place and they get a chance to appoint three more Supreme Court Justices that's the end of the United States as we know it."[6]
Government accountability
- In a May 2014 op-ed in The National Review Ben Carson wrote, "We also should be concerned about the attempt by some to ignore or downgrade the significance of the Internal Revenue Service scandal. The fact that something this contrary to the concept of freedom can happen in a country based on constitutional values and be characterized as a ‘phony scandal’ by people who supposedly have the best interests of this country at heart again points to the danger of placing partisan politics above truth and honesty."[7]
- In an op-ed which appeared in The Washington Times on April 8, 2014, Ben Carson wrote, "Putting the Internal Revenue Service in charge of enforcement of components of Obamacare establishes a situation where the most feared government agency is empowered to wreak havoc on the lives of citizens who express dissent."[8]
- In a February 2014 op-ed, Ben Carson wrote, "It is obvious that our God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are jeopardized in today’s environment of overt deceit by high officials and blatant disregard of our Constitution. When those in power pick and choose the laws they wish to enforce and grant waivers and exemptions to their favored groups, it is clear we are moving away from the principles of fairness and equality that once characterized our nation. 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."[9]
- During a February 2014 interview with Newsmax, Carson explained that he, his family and his friends had been targeted by the Internal Revenue Service since his 2013 speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. He said, "We live in a Gestapo age, people don’t realize it. But what I say is the Congress has to, at some point, step up to the plate. The reason we have divided government is if one branch of the government gets out of control, starts thinking they’re too big for their britches, you need to be able to have control."[10]
- In an op-ed which appeared in The Washington Times on January 28, 2014, Carson wrote, "The following Jeffersonian quotation is an excellent definition of good government: 'A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.' In other words, protect people, but get out of the way."[11]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Ben Carson said on September 28, 2015, that NASCAR fans, who frequently fly the Confederate flag, should be allowed to do so “if it’s private property and that’s what they want to do.” He compared the Confederate flag to swastikas, describing them as a “symbol of hate for some people, too,” but noting “they still exist in museums and places like that.”[12]
- On September 20, 2015, Carson stated he did not believe Islam was “consistent with the Constitution.” He said, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” He noted, however, that Congress was a “different story” and he would consider voting for a Muslim legislator.[13]
- On September 22, 2015, Carson clarified his comments against a Muslim taking office as president. “I said I would support anyone regardless of their background if in fact they embrace American values and our Constitution and are willing to place that above their beliefs," Carson clarified. On Monday night he also posted on Facebook, “I could never support a candidate for president of the United States that was Muslim and had not renounced the central (tenet) of Islam: Sharia Law… I know that there are many peaceful Muslims who do not adhere to these beliefs. But until these tenets are fully renounced ... I cannot advocate any Muslim candidate for President." Carson maintained that his position was consistent throughout his comments on the issue.[14][15]
- On September 25, 2015, Carson said he never claimed it was illegal for a Muslim to be president. “Not advocating they run for president in no way precludes them from running. … Anybody from any faith, from any belief system, who comes to America, becomes an American citizen, embraces our American values and principles and is willing to subjugate their beliefs for our Constitution is somebody I have no problem with,” Carson said. He added that he hoped the media would “mature.”[16]
- Speaking of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs, Carson said in September 2015, “When she took the job, the Supreme Court hadn't made this ruling. If they had, she might not have taken this job. So, I think they have a responsibility to accommodate her.”[17]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
- During a March 30 interview with Breitbart, Ben Carson commented on Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to allow Americans to practice their religious ways, while simultaneously ensuring that no one’s beliefs infringe upon those of others. We should also serve as champions of freedom of religion throughout the world. As Americans, we have an obligation to denounce these acts of persecution. For when we stand up to such intolerance, we are defending the root of our freedom, both at home and abroad."[18]
- In a July 2014 article in The Washington Times, Carson expressed his support for the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision. He wrote, "It’s fortunate the Supreme Court of the United States saw fit last week to rule that corporations could not be coerced into covering religiously objectionable forms of birth control for their employees. This was a critical ruling because it indicates that the majority of the court still thinks that religious beliefs and personal choice have a valid place in American society."[19]
- In a February 2014 op-ed, Carson argued that, "The separation clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is being inappropriately applied to a host of situations that involve religion. ...By reinterpreting the law to mean separation of God and state, as opposed to the original intent of keeping the church from having undue influence over state affairs and keeping government from ruling the church, the secular progressives have succeeded de facto in redefining part of the Constitution."[20]
- In a February 2014 op-ed, Carson explained that he benefited from affirmative action and argued that affirmative action should be revised to consider a person’s circumstances, rather than race. He wrote, "The real question is this: Who should receive extra consideration from a nation that has a tradition of cheering for the underdog? My answer to that question may surprise many, but I believe underdog status is not determined any longer by race. Rather, it is the circumstances of one’s life that should be considered. ...I call this 'compassionate action.' Such a strategy demonstrates sensitivity and compassion, as well as recognition of substantial achievement in the face of difficult obstacles."[21]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- When asked what he thought of President Obama’s plan to leave a seat empty for the victims of gun violence during his final State of the Union address, Ben Carson said on January 11, 2016, “I wonder if the American people are concerned about that kind of symbolism, or are they concerned about the safety of their family members when they sit around the table at nighttime to eat dinner?" He continued to say that the U.S. was too concerned with “fancy symbolisms” rather than the “the number of infiltrations particularly at our Southern border” by terrorist cells.[22]
- Carson took to Twitter on January 5, 2016, to criticize President Obama’s executive actions on gun control. He wrote, “The President's actions have everything to do with advancing his political agenda & little to do with actually protecting American citizens.”[23]
- On December 8, 2015, at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, Carson discussed gun control, saying, “The concept of gun free zones is stupid.”[24]
- ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Carson on November 22, 2015, whether individuals named on the terror watch list should be barred from purchasing guns. He responded, “There are a lot of people on that watch list and they have no idea of why they're on that list, they have been trying to get their names off of it and no one will give them information. I am a big supporter of the Second Amendment and I don't want to deprive people unnecessarily of that. There needs to be better due process."[25]
- Carson suggested on October 8, 2015, that the Holocaust may not have happened if European citizens had been armed. “I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed. I’m telling you there is a reason these dictatorial people take guns first,” he said.[26]
- In response to growing criticism of his comments following a mass shooting at an Oregon community college, Carson recounted on October 7, 2015, his experience of being held at gunpoint at a restaurant in Baltimore. He said, “Guy comes in, put the gun in my ribs, and I just said, 'I believe that you want the guy behind the counter. I redirected him. … The resolution was, [the gunman] said, 'Oh, sorry,' and then he went to the appropriate person behind the register who gave him the money, and he left the store running before the police got there.”[27]
- Carson wrote in A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties, a book he co-wrote with his wife, Candy Carson, and published in October 2015, "Only law-abiding citizens are affected by legislation imposing gun control. The criminals don’t care what the law says, which is why they are criminals. Confiscating the guns of American citizens would violate the Constitution as well as rendering the citizenry vulnerable to criminals and tyrants.”[28]
- In a July 2015 interview with The Blaze, Carson explained his 2013 position that the right to own a semi-automatic weapon should depend on where a person lives. Carson said, “What I was trying to get across is that the place where dangerous weapons are most likely to fall into the hands of crazies are crowded places. They are not likely to happen in some remote place. But in no way do I think we should restrict the rights, particularly the rights of law abiding citizens to have guns.”[29]
- During a March 2013 interview with Glenn Beck, Carson expressed his support for the Second Amendment, but he argued that "semi-automatic weapons" should not be allowed in populated areas, only in rural, sparsely populated areas. He said, "There’s a reason for the Second Amendment; people do have the right to have weapons. ... I think if you live in the midst of a lot of people, and I’m afraid that that semi-automatic weapon is going to fall into the hands of a crazy person, I would rather you not have it."[30]
- In his discussion of the dispute between Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the Bureau of Land Management, Carson defended the Second Amendment. He wrote, "Another important lesson from this incident is the value of a well-armed citizenry. The Second Amendment was crafted by wise citizens who recognized how quickly an enemy invasion could occur or how our own government could be deceived into thinking it had the right to dominate the people. Such domination is considerably more difficult when people have arms and can put up significant resistance. This is the reason that brutal dictators like Fidel Castro, Josef Stalin, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler and Idi Amin tried to disarm the populace before imposing governmental control. Such domination could occur in America in the not-too-distant future if we are not vigilant."[31]
- Carson also argued that a policy for limiting access to weapons by criminals and mentally incompetent individuals should be explored and that the government does not have the right to know if a law-abiding citizen owns a weapon.[31]
- Carson explained that as a member of ROTC who became the "city’s ROTC executive officer and was offered a scholarship to West Point," he "gained great appreciation for firearms, as well as an understanding of how they can be used for great good or great harm."[32]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In July 2014, Ben Carson argued that health savings accounts uphold "privacy and freedom" because they allow individuals to make decisions with their healthcare providers without the "involvement of anyone else."[19]
Executive powers
- While campaigning in western Iowa in June 2015, Ben Carson suggested the president should only be allowed to serve one six-year term rather than the potential two four-year terms. Carson said, "Why should you have a president who's running for re-election the minute he gets elected? It makes no sense."[33]
- Carson argued that President Barack Obama has failed to respect the legislative branch in a July 3, 2014, op-ed in The Washington Times. He wrote, "In order for a divided government to work, each branch must respect the other two branches. There always have been and always will be squabbles between the branches, but the big problem now is that the executive branch has decided to ignore anyone with whom it disagrees, including Congress. Nowhere was this blatant disregard of Congress more clearly manifested than in President Obama’s inappropriate 'recess' appointments of three people to the National Labor Relations Board. He redefined the word 'recess' in order to appoint individuals who might have a difficult time obtaining congressional approval."[34]
Crime and justice
- During a discussion of Sandra Bland, a black woman who died in police custody, Ben Carson said on December 27, 2015, “I think we also have a tendency to inject race into everything anytime that there are people of different races involved in a conflict." He added, “Having said that, there's no question we need to be looking at some of the things going on in the justice department to make it more sensitive to people."[35]
- After meeting with religious leaders in Chicago on December 10, 2015, Carson declined to say if Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel should be forced to resign. He said, “I think that's a decision for the people here in Chicago. He is their mayor. I do not vote in Chicago, and therefore I'm not going to weigh in on that." He condemned, however, the Chicago Police Department for the shooting death of Laquan McDonald, saying, "I felt it was an abominable act. I think we have a very inappropriate action by a police officer, and it's despicable and it disturbs me that it was hidden for such a long period of time.”[36]
- Appearing at a forum on criminal justice and race on November 21, 2015, in Columbia, S.C., Carson said he did not believe there were a substantial number of incidents of racial bias by law enforcement. “I'm not aware of a lot of cases where a police officer just comes up to somebody like you and says, 'Hey, I don't like you. I'm going to shoot you. I'm still waiting for the evidence,” he said.[37]
- In a speech at the University of New Hampshire on September 30, 2015, Carson recounted stories from his youth where he taunted police officers. “That was back in the day before they would shoot you. I'm just kidding, you know they wouldn't do that,” he said before expressing his respect for police officers.[38]
- In July 2015, Carson suggested over-incarceration could be the product of overly comfortable prison facilities. Carson explained, “I think that we need to sometimes ask ourselves, 'Are we creating an environment that is conducive to comfort where a person would want to stay, versus an environment where we maybe provide them an opportunity for rehabilitation but is not a place that they would find particularly comfortable?'"[39]
Black Lives Matter movement
- In early August 2015, Ben Carson described the rhetoric around the Black Lives Matter movement as "political correctness going amuck." Carson said that although police should be investigated where there is inappropriate conduct, to differentiate between "all lives" and "black lives" was "silly."[40][41]
- Carson then wrote an op-ed in USA Today on August 24, 2015, arguing the Black Lives Matter movement was wrong to focus its attention on Bernie Sanders. "My mother knew what the problems were and she shielded me and my brother from them. I can tell you she wasn't worried about Socialist senators from tiny rural states. 'BlackLivesmatter' could learn from her to focus on the real sources of our hopelessness," Carson wrote. He recommended that activists instead confront systemic issues in the public education system, the celebration of violence and demeaning of women in the entertainment industry, and the illegal drug trade.[42]
| “ | We should have a talk with the Democratic Party. Let's tell them, we don’t want to be clothed, fed and housed. We want honor and dignity.
We don't want a plan to give us public housing in nice neighborhoods. We want an end to excuses for schools that leave us without the means to buy our own houses where we choose to live. We want the skills needed to compete, not a consolation prize of Section 8, Food Stamps and a lifetime of government paperwork. Finally, we need to go over to the Republican Party. We need to tell them they have ignored us for too long. They need to invite us in and listen to us. We need to communicate and find a different way. There are many things to be angry about when you are consumed by hopelessness. Bernie Sanders isn’t one of them.[43] |
” |
| —Ben Carson[42] | ||
- Carson visited Ferguson, Missouri in September 2015. Speaking with the press after a tour of the city, Carson reiterated he would prefer the movement not use the word "black." He said, "I obviously prefer that we focus on everybody. At the same time, I recognize that they're trying to say that they feel that they've been treated unfairly — in many cases they have — I'm not going to take that away from them."[44]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Ben + Carson + Government
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ USA Today, "Report: Ben Carson to run for president," May 3, 2015
- ↑ CBS News, "Ben Carson: A GOP president would get his or her SCOTUS nominee," February 16, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedWaPo - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNBC - ↑ The Washington Times, "Ben Carson: I’d look at appointing judges who have record of ‘honoring life’," December 2, 2015
- ↑ CNS News, “Dr. Ben Carson On the Future of Supreme Court," July 21, 2014
- ↑ National Review, "Unfit for Office," accessed March 2, 2015
- ↑ Washington Times, "CARSON: Keeping conservatives focused on the big picture," accessed March 2, 2015
- ↑ Washington Times, “CARSON: The enduring spirit of the Tea Parties," February 4, 2014
- ↑ Newsmax, “Dr. Ben Carson Blasts 'Gestapo' IRS Tactics," February 10, 2014
- ↑ Washington Times, “CARSON: Obama is wrong that raising minimum wage will fix income inequality," January 28, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Ben Carson: NASCAR Fans Should Keep Flying The Confederate Flag On Private Property," September 28, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Ben Carson: U.S. shouldn't elect a Muslim president," September 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Ben Carson shifts position on Muslims in politics," September 22, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Ben Carson Defends Comments on Muslims," September 22, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "In wake of Muslim remarks, Ben Carson calls on media to 'mature'," September 26, 2015
- ↑ CBS 12 News, "Ben Carson: I Will Be President, 'If That's God's Will'," September 7, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Exclusive: Dr. Ben Carson: 'Absolutely Vital' Americans Stand Up For Indiana's Religious Freedom Law," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Washington Times, "CARSON: Health savings accounts far better than Obamacare," accessed March 2, 2015
- ↑ Washington Times, “CARSON: Secular progressives can’t keep God out of public life," February 11, 2014
- ↑ Washington Times, “CARSON: Beyond affirmative action to colorblindness," February 18, 2014
- ↑ Business Insider, "Ben Carson warns about a lot of Syrians, Somalians 'infiltrating' the US when asked about Obama's latest gun-violence gesture," January 11, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Republican 2016 candidates bash Obama's gun plan," January 5, 2016
- ↑ CBS 46.com, "Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina talk guns, taxes, Trump in Atlanta," December 8, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Ben Carson Thinks Giving Up Certain Torture Techniques Would Be Too PC," November 22, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "Ben Carson Suggests Holocaust Would Have Been Less Likely if Jews Were Armed," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Baltimore Sun, "Ben Carson says he was once held at gunpoint at a Baltimore Popeye's," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Ben Carson: Gun Control Will Make Citizens ‘Vulnerable To Criminals And Tyrants,'" October 5, 2015
- ↑ The Blaze, "Ben Carson Is Talking About Guns Again, and He’s Clarifying a Very Important Point for Second Amendment Advocates," July 21, 2015
- ↑ Mediaite, “‘Conservative Hero’ Ben Carson To Beck: You Have No Right To Semi-Automatic Weapons In Large Cities," March 3, 2013
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Washington Times, “CARSON: When government looks more like foe than friend," April 22, 2014
- ↑ Washington Times, “CARSON: Why did the founders give us the Second Amendment?" December 10, 2014
- ↑ Radio Iowa, "Carson: change constitution, limit POTUS to one, six-year term," June 25, 2015
- ↑ Washington Times, "CARSON: The wisdom of divided government," accessed March 3, 2015
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Ben Carson: Don't 'inject race' into Sandra Bland death," December 27, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Ben Carson calls Laquan McDonald police shooting 'despicable'," December 11, 2015
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Ben Carson tells black leaders he's seen no racial bias by US police," November 21, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Ben Carson Jokes About Taunting Cops 'Back in the Day'," September 30, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Ben Carson defends Donald Trump," July 21, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Ben Carson: ‘Of course all lives matter,’" August 3, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Ben Carson Doesn't Understand Black Lives Matter," August 2, 2015
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCarsonEd - ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ FOX San Antonio, "Ben Carson: Nation should de-emphasize race," September 12, 2015
