Ben Carson. That’s all you really have to say to convey the idea of a man who has mastered the art of putting his foot in his mouth.
Since announcing his intentions to run for President, the Republican candidate has been caught time and again trying to clarify his statements. From his religious test for Muslims being president to his well documented ideas about abortions and contraception, to his drones on the border statement, Carson is constantly trying to explain what he meant to say.
His most recent flare-up happened last week when he implied that the victims of the mass shooting in Oregon stood by waiting to be killed. If he was there, Carson said, he would kindly ask everyone to attack the shooter.
Carson went on Fox and was asked if he has a problem saying things that are more easily accepted.
The convo went something like this;
“It sounds — I understand what you are trying to say underneath — but the problem is the way it sometimes comes across,” Fox host MacCallum said. “It is something you run into time and time again with the comment on Muslims being President and, you know, some other things. So how do you deal with that part of the equation? Because you have to keep cleaning up these comments?”
“I don’t deal with it to be honest with you,” adding, “we’re living” in a divisive culture.
“But does it bother you that you spend time — you’re doing it again here right now — sort of saying here is what I meant to say,” MacCallum continued. “As a candidate, do you need to get better at saying what you mean?”
Carson replied;
“I don’t think so, actually. I think people know exactly what I am saying, and they know exactly what the media is trying to do. And I think they are smarter than that and they’re not going to be manipulated.”
“So, I’m not gonna change and become a — you know — a vanilla (sic) envelope that they can accept,” Carson continued. “They’re never going to accept me because I don’t believe in political correctness. I can twist myself in pretzels trying to fit into their box or be who I am. And we need people to stand up and talk what’s logical right now.”
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