It’s hard to imagine NBC’s Chuck Todd calling out a liberal candidate in this way. On Sunday's Meet the Press, Todd questioned how Dr. Ben Carson's Christian faith could "co-exist" with his trust in science.
TODD: You're a famed neurosurgeon, the best -- some say -- the best pediatric neurosurgeon living in the world today. You're a man of deep faith. Explain how science and religion, in your mind, co-exist.
However, Carson took the question in stride, even turning the tables on Todd. Carson implied that certain liberal issues deemed as “scientific,” like global warming, “maybe... aren’t scientific” but actually “just propaganda.”
CARSON: I personally believe that a person's religious beliefs are the things that make them who they are, gives them a direction in their life. But I do not believe that religious beliefs should dictate one's public policies and stances. I find a very good measure of correlation between my religious beliefs and my scientific beliefs. People say, 'How can you be a scientist, how can you be a surgeon, if you don't believe in certain things?' Maybe those things aren't scientific. [laughs] Maybe it's just propaganda.
You know, I think what we should -- I'm always willing to sit down and discuss things. And people who say, 'Well, you have to believe this, you have to believe that,' I'm willing to discuss with them why they believe what they believe, and why I believe what I believe, but that can't be done in a soundbyte type-of interview. It needs to be done in a forum where you can sit down and deeply explain why you believe what you believe.
Dr. Carson has been open about his Christian faith, even calling out Pres. Obama during the 2013 Prayer Breakfast. His unbelief in global warming and evolution, along with being a black conservative, have made him an easy target for the left and the media.
New York Magazine’s Frank Rich recently called Carson “ a front man for the GOP’s movement to strike at the heart of democracy [1], the right to vote.” Salon has said that conservatives should be “embarrassed by Carson’s popularity [2]” and one liberal blogger even said if Carson ran for president, he would “play the role of 'Black Avenger for White Self-Pity [3].”
[HT: Truth Revolt, IJReview]
— Kristine Marsh is Staff Writer for MRC Culture at the Media Research Center. Follow Kristine Marsh on Twitter. [4]