Dr. Ben Carson — the brilliant neurosurgeon who made headlines when he stood feet from President Barack Obama and criticized his health and economic policies — says he’s too politically incorrect to run for office, but coyly adds he may anyway.
“It doesn’t particularly appeal to me because I don’t believe in political correctness,’’ Carson, the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, told Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.’’
“There’s no way that I’m going to sit around and say stuff just so the people can vote for me and there’s no way that I would get into the cesspool of corruption. I’m not going to do it.
“The only way I would probably ever end up in public office is if people wrote me in.’’
It’s the second time in a week that Carson, 61, has hinted he may enter politics. Earlier, he told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that while it wasn’t his intention to plunge into politics, “I always say, 'I'll leave that up to God.'"
Carson raised eyebrows at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., when he called for health savings accounts to be created at birth in place of Obamacare, as well as the creation of a flat tax.
In addition, he slammed the nation’s $16.5 trillion debt.
His address became a YouTube sensation and prompted a Wall Street Journal editorial that was headlined "Ben Carson For President."
But Carson told Malzberg he didn’t mean to create a stir with the president so close by.
“When I came on the stage and I started speaking, I sort of go into a zone and it doesn’t really matter who’s there,’’ Carson said.
“I’m discussing the spiritual state of our nation and some of the real problems that need to be dealt with and nothing aimed at anyone in particular except the American people who recognize that we are not doing well.
“I don’t want to say that it’s all Obama’s fault, this is a culture that has been building over time and we need to deal with it in a nonpartisan way or we’re going to all be destroyed. It doesn’t matter what party you’re in.’’
Carson believes the media has abandoned its role as the nation’s watchdog and now will “simply do whatever the bidding of the White House is."
“I’m hoping that at some point the media itself will wake up and recognize that they have a bigger obligation. That obligation is to all the people . . . not to whoever is sitting in the White House.’’
Carson suggested that education is the key to the future of America.
“If you have a populous that is well educated, that understands history, that understands the intricacies of our society, those people are very difficult to mislead,’’ he said.
“Our founders said our system of government is based on a well-informed and educated populous and if we ever become something other than that we will become a different country.’’
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