Dr. Ben Carson, the soft-spoken conservative neurosurgeon who has been surging in the presidential preference polls, is holding a campaign rally this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
According to the OC Register, 2,000 people are expected:
While frontrunner Donald Trump has virtually monopolized the spotlight in the GOP race, Carson has managed a climb in the polls thanks to a consistent campaign message, a lack of controversy and an absence of attention from Trump, who has tossed darts at some of his other competitors.
Carson has been attracting about 2,500 people to rallies, according to campaign aide Michael Nason. The arena can hold 7,500 people. It will be Carson’s fourth visit to Orange County and the county’s first public rally of the election season.
Doors open for the event at 1:30 p.m., with the program scheduled to last from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Although my top choice is Sen. Marco Rubio, I have great admiration for Dr. Carson and what he does to advance the conservative movement. Perhaps my favorite comment from any of the candidates at the first GOP presidential debate was his response to Megyn Kelly’s question on race relations:
Ben Carson: Well, I think the bully pulpit is a wonderful place to start healing that divide. You know, we have the purveyors of hatred who take every single incident between people of two races and try to make a race war out of it, and drive wedges into people. And this does not need to be done.
What we need to think about instead–you know, I was asked by an NPR reporter once, why don’t I talk about race that often. I said it’s because I’m a neurosurgeon. And she thought that was a strange response. And I said, you see, when I take someone to the operating room, I’m actually operating on the thing that makes them who they are. The skin doesn’t make them who they are. The hair doesn’t make them who they are. And it’s time for us to move beyond that.
Because our strength as a nation comes in our unity. We are the United States of America, not the divided states. And those who want to divide us are trying to divide us, and we shouldn’t let them do it.
This is a welcome message that bears repeating over and over, and I hope Carson does so today in Anaheim, where the political Left (with the astonishing aide of some Republicans) is obsessed with race and ethnicity, and is actively purveying the divisive racial politics Carson warns against. Indeed, thanks to the successful efforts of a coalition of leftist organizations and Mayor Tom Tait, the city is currently in the process of drawing council district boundaries intended to produce pre-determined racial outcomes in certain districts – turning the ideal of color-blind government on its head.
Wow!
Dr. Ben Carson makes a great comment about race relations and just when I was thinking that I finally read something that I can agree with you on….Another completely baseless attack on Mayor Tait.
The overwhelming majority of Anaheim voters (most of whom are white) voted for district elections.
What in the world does that have to do with Dr. Carson’s message? Nothing!
I sat and listened to over 20 residents of west Anaheim speak at the last council meeting about how they feel ignored by this city council. All but one of the speakers was white. It is clear that many residents in the city believe better representation will occur when at least one member of the city council lives in their neighborhood.
You may believe that the residents of Anaheim Hills are incapable of voting for an African American or the residents of east Anaheim are incapable of voting for a Caucasian, but most of the rest of don’t think that way. District elections don’t “turn the ideal of color-blind government on its head.” District elections simply allow voters to elect a person (or any race) who lives in their neighborhood to represent them.
“…Another completely baseless attack on Mayor Tait.”
Disagreeing with someone is very different from “attacking” them. Criticizing a person and organization’s support of a political campaign isn’t an “attack” on them. When someone disagrees with you, do you accuses them of attacking you? That approach certainly encourages debate and discussion, doesn’t it?
“The overwhelming majority of Anaheim voters (most of whom are white) voted for district elections.”
Yes, they did. That tends to happen when one side of an initiative – the Yes on Measure D side — is running virtually unopposed, outspending what opposition there was 30-to-1, and promising that a “yes” vote will somehow, someway result in better street repairs and other goodies.
“I sat and listened to over 20 residents of west Anaheim speak at the last council meeting about how they feel ignored by this city council. All but one of the speakers was white.”
I watched the same thing. Unlike you, I wasn’t paying attention to the skin color of the speakers or the council.
“It is clear that many residents in the city believe better representation will occur when at least one member of the city council lives in their neighborhood.”
Sure, I understand the appeal of the “district bring city government closer to the people” argument. Superficially, it makes sense. But it is still disingenuous. The reality is those residents who live near Maxwell and Twila Reid parks will only have one councilmember who is politically accountable to them. The rest of the council will be able to shine those residents on without losing a single vote. Trading four representatives on the council for just one – not the best way to achieve “better representation.”
“You may believe that the residents of Anaheim Hills are incapable of voting for an African American or the residents of east Anaheim are incapable of voting for a Caucasian, but most of the rest of don’t think that way.”
I don’t think that and didn’t say that – but thank you for your gratuitous and blatant suggestion that I am racist, Mr. Gorrell. You’re a real credit to your teachers union and civil discourse.
The people who DO believe that are the ringleaders of the effort to convert Anaheim to a by-district elections basis. Jose Moreno’s lawsuit against the city was premised on the belief you are condemning. The current drawing of council districts is also premised on that belief. If you object to that, don’t direct your criticism at me. Direct it at Jose Moreno and the leftist cohort that fought for by-district elections.
“District elections simply allow voters to elect a person (or any race) who lives in their neighborhood to represent them.”
They can do that under the at-large system. What by-district elections will do is restrict voters choices and their representation on the city council. But that battle has been fought and lost, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funding from unions and political radicals from the San Francisco Bay Area.
I totally get it that you and many other people that I respect do not believe district election system will result in improved government. My point was that our voters spoke and local representation, not race was the reason.
You are the one that took an awesome message from Dr. Carson and spun it into an attack on those you disagree with….
“The political left is obsessed with race and ethnicity and is actively purveying the divisive racial politics that Carson warns against.”
You brought race into this.
I (as a private citizen using my own name) challenged your assertion and backed up my claim with facts.
I have never disclosed who I work for because when I post here, I am doing it on my personal computer, at home and expressing my views. This is not a conspiracy.
You made a personal race based attack against Mayor Tait. I’m sorry if you don’t think my comments reflected good civil discourse, but I don’t think yours did either.