Pro-life doctor Ben Carson on Monday launched his campaign today for the Republican nomination for president at a rally with hundreds of people chanting “Run Ben run. Run Ben run.”
“I’m Ben Carson and I’m candidate for president of the United States,” he said to loud applause.
“If this great nation is to survive the challenges of the modern world, we need to heal, we need to be inspired, and we need to revive the exceptional spirit that built America,” he added. “Working with you and all of our fellow citizens, I want to lead that revival. I am not a politician, nor am I politically correct. But I believe my values, my life experience, and my willingness to speak the truth and seek solutions prepares me well to lead our nation toward more prosperity, security, and freedom for every American.”
The retired neurosurgeon held the rally in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan one day after telling a local television station he is officially throwing hit hat int he ring.
“I am willing to be a part of the equation and therefore, I’m announcing my candidacy for President of the United States of America,” Carson told WKRC-TV.
Sadly, Carson’s announcement comes on the heels of sad personal news for the pro-life physician. Carson had to cancel a scheduled appearance in West Des Moines, Iowa later today so he could travel to Dallas, Texas to say goodbye to his ailing mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Carson kept an empty seat at the front of the stage reserved for his mother, who obviously couldn’t attend the rally.
Earlier this year, Carson took on the so-called war on women and said it as ridiculous that pro-life people are tagged with the inaccurate and derisive label of opposing women’s rights just because they support protecting unborn babies from abortion. At that event, the Conservative Political Action Conference, Carson came in fourth in the straw poll, getting the support of 11% of attendees.
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“I refuse to give into the PC police,” he said.
“If you’re pro-life, you’re ‘anti-woman.’ If you’re pro-traditional family, you’re a ‘homophobe.’ If you’re white, and you oppose a progressive black person, you’re ‘racist.’ If you’re black and you oppose a progressive agenda, you’re ‘crazy.’ And if you’re black and you’re pro-life and you’re pro-traditional family, they don’t even know what to call you. You end up on some kind of watch list for extremists!” he said.
“We shouldn’t submit to the PC Police, and to people who are trying to control us by intimidation and by IRS audits and by messing with your job,” the retired neurosurgeon said Thursday. “The only reason they can do that is because we sit silently by. That’s what they want us to do.”
Carson and pro-life businesswoman Carly Fiorina both announced today and the two join senators Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz as having officially declared their candidacies. Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal are some of the other Republicans expected to join the race. They are pro-life and pro-life former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is expected to announce his bid on Tuesday.
In 2013, Carson shared what he believes about the supposed “war on women” at the Voters Value Summit. He said, “You know, there are those of us in this society who have told women that there’s a war on them because that cute little baby inside of them, they may want to get rid of it and there are people that are keeping you from doing that,” Carson continued. “And women say, ‘No, no, they’re not doing that to me! No!’ And they get all riled up.”
“There is no war on them, the war is on their babies, Babies that cannot defend themselves. Over the past few decades, we have destroyed 55 million of them. And we have the nerve to call other societies of the past heathen. What we need to do is re-educate the women to understand that they are the defenders of these babies.”
