Well, that was quick. After airing his odd views on homosexuality earlier this week, any aspirations as to whether Ben Carson is a viable presidential candidate for 2016 can be decisively suppressed. In case you missed it, Carson recently opined in an
interview with CNN:
"Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight -- and when they come out, they're gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question,"
My reaction to the interview was, "how is any of this relevant?" If Carson truly has issues with the concept of homosexuality and gay marriage, wouldn't something along the lines of "while I don't agree with gay marriage, being a conservative, I don't agree there should be a law against it, either" be a bit more palatable and in tune, with you know, conservatism?
Carson aired this opinion despite the fact that gay marriage restrictions have fallen in state after state this year (with Alabama steadfastly trying to be on the
wrong side of history, again) along with 379 large corporations (including several sports teams) in support of gay marriage submitting a
friend-of-the-court brief to the Supreme Court for their pending case. It seems like the country is trying to move along on this issue and there might not be anything left to debate come 2016, which might actually be a great boon to Republicans.
How nice would it be to have one presidential electoral season, where gay marriage was not a subject for debate? Such sentiment shouldn't have to be such a lofty proposition for a segment of the country that preaches small government, considering the issue has no affect on the economy, resolving health care, fixing social security, finding common ground on immigration, or any of our issues in the Middle East, be it ISIS or Iran.
Perhaps that is what is so maddening about such a stance as Carson's. One would think that with the rapid progress being made on gay marriage across the country, that the Republican Party would willingly rid themselves of an issue that has served only as an albatross about their neck and focus on other issues, other platforms, they might be more successful at selling.
Sadly, Carson is not the only Republican that doesn't want to move with the country on this issue and several seem intent to dredge the issue back up. Ted Cruz recently proposed a bill to
force same sex marriage in all fifty states and Mike Huckabee compared legalizing gay marriage to
forcing a Jewish baker to serve bacon-wrapped shrimp. Absurd propositions both, as people getting married two doors down, two towns over, or two states away has no bearing and no affect your own personal life, be they gay or straight and it is even more absurd we still have to point this out in 2015.
However, unlike Cruz and Huckabee, Carson actually has something to lose on this topic. Cruz is in the middle of his first term in the senate (and he is merely catering to the Tea Party segment that elected him) and Huckabee seems resigned to peddling his book. Carson is the one that is trying to create momentum for a presidential bid and one would think he would be more tactful so early in the process.
Tact, or the lack of it, is the real indictment on Ben Carson. There are
plenty of characters in Washington D.C., but many of them at least had the tact to hide their odd, ill-informed, or downright stupid views from their electorate until
after they've obtained office. The timing of Carson's views on homosexuality and gay marriage conjures up images of the incredibly
hapless duo of Akin and Murdoch, the two Republican politicians who actually thought it wise to volunteer their views on rape (or was it legitimate rape?) during an election year in what should have been easy campaigns for both.
As absurd and ultimately comical the situations of Akin and Murdoch were, at least they were only running for positions in congress. Carson is eyeing the big stage, the presidency. Shouldn't the Republican Party and its constituents demand better at this point, after two presidential election losses? Simply put, the Republican Party needs to be more selective of its presidential candidates. This is the most powerful and important political office in the world and we should not be entertaining candidates who think it is important to ask whether prison makes one gay or not. Such irrelevant comments by Ben Carson are indicative of a candidate who offers no substance, no foresight, and therefore, no chance of success in 2016.
References:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/ben-carson-prisons-gay-choice/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alabama-supreme-court-not-budging-on-same-sex-marriage/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/05/marriage-equality-amicus_n_6808260.html
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/ted-cruz-gay-marriage-115095.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/does-mike-huckabee-really_b_6591804.html
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/03/vote-the-bums-out-the-eight-worst-congressmen.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_and_pregnancy_controversies_in_United_States_elections,_2012#Todd_Akin:_.22legitimate_rape.22
