Big Ben

Dr. Ben Carson (R-Mayo Clinic) appeared on Meet the Press this past Sunday.  I tend not to write much about the doctor, since he's not really and truly an actual, serious candidate for president without any actual qualifications for the job, but rather pushing for a lucrative post-campaign speaking tour, book deal and gig of "Fox News" as a pundit, and because he's not getting the GOP nomination, and has shown little awareness about the details and specifics of what's important for a President of the United States.  But when he is a guest on such a huge national platform as Meet the Press and says something so outrageously harmful and divisive, it's not appropriate to let it pass.

On the show, host Chuck Todd asked the doctor if it should matter to voters what a president's faith is.  Which brought about the following exchange.


BEN CARSON: Well, I guess it depends on what that faith is. If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem.

CHUCK TODD: So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the Constitution?

BEN CARSON: No, I don’t, I do not.


Now, I know that a lot of people have pointed out that it would help a whole lot if Dr. Carson actually understood at least the core basics of the Constitution as taught in junior high before going off half-cocked about what's "consistent" with it.  After all, it doesn't even remotely "depend on what the faith is" because Article VI, paragraph 3 of the U.S. Constitution states very specifically “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”  

Not a single world there about if that religion is consistent with...well, anything.  Or if it passes Dr. Ben Carson's Traditional Values Litmus Test.

But that's pretty obvious, and something that probably wouldn't even pass getting selected as a contestant on the show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?  I'm not saying that Dr. Ben Carson is stupid, because he isn't.  He's a very bright man and accomplished in medicine.  And hate-filled divisiveness.  It's just that they don't ask questions about the Constitution on the Medical Boards test.  

(Side Note:  Muslim Americans are, in fact, Americans.)

Instead, the question which came to my mind was something else entirely.  Because if Ben Carson, neurosurgeon extraordinaire and failed-Constitutional Authority really wants to focus on consistency with the values of America, then by necessity we must go back to the very beginning, to the Founding Fathers themselves and what's consistent today with their views and the principles of America back when these framers wrote the Constitution.   And with that being the case, as it must be when looking for consistency, I think the only appropriate follow-up question to ask Dr. Carson is -- do you believe the freedom of a black man running for president or pursuing any job across the entire United States is "consistent with the values and principles of America" and "consistent with the Constitution" as it was written?  

Or is electing three-fifths of a president close enough when it comes to consistency, traditional values and the principles America was founded on?

To be clear, this has next to nothing about Dr. Ben Carson's qualifications for being President of the United States.  Because he's not getting the GOP nomination.  It's about wondering when in the world responsible voices in the Republican Party leadership are going to start being mortified and stand up in their own house and shout, "ENOUGH!!", and put an end to anyone, most-especially purported leaders, stirring up visceral racial hatred.