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While Hillary Clinton searches for the office space locations that would most enhance her image should she run for the presidency, Ben Carson says I'm thinking about running---"don't underestimate me."
The single biggest complaint against Carson so far has been that he has no policy experience. He says, "I've been beefing up."
Ben Carson, a retired African-American pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, says, "I've always been interested in those things, so I already have a good base of knowledge about policy, but I'm studying up on the issues and talking to people and getting their takes as well. You can never know too much."
To his critics who think he lacks in policy expertise, he says, "Don't underestimate me."
The Hill, not a right leaning publication, says, "The possibility that Carson could catch fire in Iowa's
caucuses has got to be taken seriously."
*****Whether or not Ben Carson actually runs for the presidency, his profile, I believe, reflects what conservatives and biblical Christians are looking for. There are others who may run who also reflect this profile.
NOTE: I am not endorsing any candidate. I am not speaking against any candidate. No candidates have formally announced their candidacy at the time of this writing. I am defining my view of the profile of Christian, conservative leadership.
*****
Our Founding Fathers focused on character in choosing leaders. The words of Founder Noah Webster have never been more relevant: "In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide---look to his character."
Let's take a look at today's political environment through the lens of Webster's council.
While Carson is a relative newcomer to the national scene, his popularity has sky rocketed since his comments at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013. He was very critical of Obamacare. The President was in attendance.
He has written 6 books, his latest has outsold Hillary Clinton's most recent autobiography.
He says Republicans should begin reaching out to the 47% that candidate Mitt Romney wrote off in the 2012 election by making a conscious effort to show people it's much better to be independent rather than dependent and provide a pathway for that independence.
He says, "Take the 47% and run with it" because "it's our job to make sure those people have a chance to move up the ladder."
Carson knows a lot about moving up the ladder.
He grew up in poverty in Detroit, the son of a struggling mother.
As a young man he had a violent temper, injuring schoolmates in fights and once trying to stab a friend with a knife that fortunately broke on the friends belt buckle.
Carson also knows about restoration and redemption.
The neurosurgeon says his Christian faith turned him around personally. He is now a Christian.
He says, "Don't ostracize people of faith and say they can't be smart. What are we, a bunch of hypocrites? Our money says 'In God We Trust'; the Declaration of Independence says we're endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights. Are we going to be unwilling to live out our principled lives because we're intimidated and afraid that someone will call us a name?"
Carson has also undergone a political transformation.
He says, "I was a rabid Democrat when I went off to Yale."
"Like most people growing up in my environment, you hear stuff, and you're told that Republicans are mean, nasty racists that hate you. You hear all your life, and you start to believe it, that Democrats are the ones looking out for your well being and will take care of you...but then I started listening to Ronald Reagan, and it made so much sense. I thought this guy doesn't sound hateful or racist."
Carson is laid back, but very direct.
His life took another turn when he was asked to speak at the Prayer Breakfast 2 years ago in Washington DC.
He is not an angry person at all, however, he is direct. He defines "Straight Talk."
He told the audience, which included the President and Mrs Obama, that America needed a spiritual revival, then explained what was wrong with Obamacare from a neurosurgeon's point of view, described the moral decay in our country, concluding with some words about fiscal restraint on the part of our leaders.
America reacted. While it was not a good day for the Obamas or Joe Biden who was with them at the breakfast, it launched the doctor in the minds of many.
He says, "I was surprised by the reaction, I had no idea it would have such an impact and resonate so strongly."
Carson told The Hill he is considering a run for president because he feels obligated to use the platform he has been given.
That probably means he's praying about it.
The Dr. says one of the problems we have in our country is that so many have not been turning out to vote. He noted that there were 93 million people who didn't vote in 2012.
He also notes that 30 million evangelicals didn't vote because "they don't see a difference between Republicans and Democrats."
Carson is a problem for both the far left press and politicians, and unfortunately for some in the Republican Party. The problem for both is that he actually stands for something and is willing to talk about it out loud---in public.
He has said publicly that Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery and argued that while Americans are busy giving their rights away, fighters for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are "at least willing to die for what they believe."
Political consultants are advising him not to talk about controversial issues like redefining marriage and abortion. He's talking.
The so-called prevailing political wisdom that dominates both political parties is saying Ben Carson's comments will turn off as many voters as they attract.
He says, "I absolutely refuse to have my speech tailored by the media or anyone else."
Carson says, "There are a lot of people who say what they think people want to hear, say what it is political consultants tell them they're supposed to say."
He says even if you manage to fool the people and they elect you, "I don't see any point in that."
Ben Carson is pretty committed to simply being the person he really is.
He says if he runs for office and the support is not there, "They're telling me to get lost, and I will."
John Witherspoon, another Founder of this great nation told us, "The people in general ought to have regard to the moral character of those whom they invest with authority either in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches. Those who wish well the State ought to choose to places of trust men of inward principle, justified by exemplary conversation."
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.