Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:14 pm
The proof that ignorance has overtaken the Republican Party can be found in a recent interview where Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson appeared to have no clue about the debt limit.
Transcript of Carson struggling with trying to answer a debt limit question on American Public Radio’s “Marketplace:”
Ryssdal: All right, so let’s talk about debt then and the budget. As you know, Treasury Secretary Lew has come out in the last couple of days and said, “We’re gonna run out of money, we’re gonna run out of borrowing authority, on the fifth of November.” Should the Congress then and the president not raise the debt limit? Should we default on our debt?
Carson: Let me put it this way: if I were the president, I would not sign an increased budget. Absolutely would not do it. They would have to find a place to cut.
Ryssdal: To be clear, it’s increasing the debt limit, not the budget, but I want to make sure I understand you. You’d let the United States default rather than raise the debt limit.
Carson: No, I would provide the kind of leadership that says, “Get on the stick guys, and stop messing around, and cut where you need to cut, because we’re not raising any spending limits, period.”
Ryssdal: I’m gonna try one more time, sir. This is debt that’s already obligated. Would you not favor increasing the debt limit to pay the debts already incurred?
Carson: What I’m saying is what we have to do is restructure the way that we create debt. I mean if we continue along this, where does it stop? It never stops. You’re always gonna ask the same question every year. And we’re just gonna keep going down that pathway. That’s one of the things I think that the people are tired of.
Ryssdal: I’m really trying not to be circular here, Dr. Carson, but if you’re not gonna raise the debt limit and you’re not gonna give specifics on what you’re gonna cut, then how are we going to know what you are going to do as president of the United States?
Carson: OK, let me try to explain it in a different way. If, in fact, we have a number of different areas that are contributing to the increasing expenditures and the continued expenditures that are putting us further and further into the hole. You’re familiar I’m sure with the concept of the fiscal gap.
A candidate who knew what they were talking about would have answered yes or no to this simple question. Since Ben Carson seemed to have no idea what the debt limit is, his answer turned into a stumbling expedition for an explanation.
Between Donald Trump’s lack of knowledge on everything and Carson’s lack of understanding of the issues, it is clear to see that stupid has risen to the top of the Republican Party.
A person can make a lot of money in business or be a successful brain surgeon and not be prepared to be president. Ben Carson is Donald Trump without the offensiveness and bluster.
Carson isn’t fit to be president, and to trust this man with the direction of the country would be a collective act of self-destructive irresponsibility.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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