Ben Carson States, Wrongly, That Founding Fathers ‘Had No Elected Office Experience’

[alicewonders]

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/11/05/ben-carson-states-wrongly-that-founding-fathers-had-no-elected-office/

4:12 pm ET
Nov 5, 2015

Ben Carson States, Wrongly, That Founding Fathers ‘Had No Elected Office Experience’
By  MARK MAREMONT

Ben Carson tried to compare his own lack of political experience to that of the Founding Fathers. The trouble is, he got his history wrong.

In a Facebook post late Wednesday, Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon seeking the GOP presidential nomination, asked if the American people really want officials with political experience. He added, “Every signer of the Declaration of Independence had no elected office experience.”

The original post on Facebook.



“That’s just patently false,” said Benjamin L. Carp, an associate professor of history at Brooklyn College and author of books on the American Revolution.

Mr. Carp said Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and many other signers had been elected members of their colonial assemblies, prior to signing the Declaration. Mr. Carp said he hadn’t done a tally, but believes that a majority of the signers had held elective office.

That was echoed by Gordon S. Wood, an emeritus professor of history at Brown University and a leading scholar of the American Revolution, who said Mr. Carson’s claim was “wrong.” He said most of the signers had not been governors, since those were appointed by the British Crown, but pointed out that Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island had been an elected governor.

A spokesman for the Carson campaign, after being contacted about the error, said Mr. Carson had changed his post to say that the signers had no “federal” elected office experience.

Mr. Carp, the Brooklyn College professor, said Mr. Carson is correct that there has been a long tradition in American politics of claiming that amateurism is a virtue in its own right. But, he said, signing the Declaration of Independence took genuine political skill and experience, because it required convincing their fellow colonists to go down a dangerous road.

“To claim those people were amateurs is simply a falsehood,” he said.

Mr. Carp added that changing the Facebook post to say the signers had no “federal” elected experience was “ridiculous,” because there was no federal government prior to that time.

[ABX]

Can you imagine if the media vetted every statement by dems like this?

[alicewonders]

Ben Carson had to walk back another statement.  He seems to have a problem of speaking on things he has to walk back later.  Nice guy, but I don't think that is enough to qualify him for the presidency.  I will repeat that I hope he is not the nominee, too many troubling things. 

[ABX]

Ben Carson had to walk back another statement.  He seems to have a problem of speaking on things he has to walk back later.  Nice guy, but I don't think that is enough to qualify him for the presidency.  I will repeat that I hope he is not the nominee, too many troubling things.

All the others have statements they should have to walk back if the same standards were applied. Bernie Sanders would have to walk back the distance to the moon and back with his alone.

[alicewonders]

Can you imagine if the media vetted every statement by dems like this?

But they don't.  Too bad, but this is the playing field we have to play on.  There's too much history of our side not fighting back and we've let them get too strong.  We have let them infest every institution we have in this country and that has led us to where we are now. 

Ben Carson should have known better than to make the statement, “Every signer of the Declaration of Independence had no elected office experience.”

He's very well educated, did he not know this was a patently false statement?  He later changed it when people caught it.  Not the first time he has done this.  Complain that they don't vet the Democrats - well, WE'VE got to do that to them because you'd better believe they are going to do it to us!   

[flowers]

Ben Carson had to walk back another statement.  He seems to have a problem of speaking on things he has to walk back later.  Nice guy, but I don't think that is enough to qualify him for the presidency.  I will repeat that I hope he is not the nominee, too many troubling things.

Way to many troubling things. Pyramid statement.  He is for TPP. His statement about the gentle giant shooting, said he wouldn't have shot him. His involvement with Mannatech. His top aide wants taxpayers to fund Farrakhan.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Can you imagine if the media vetted every statement by dems like this? 

Every four years we fall victim to this manipulation by the media; and every four years we debate endless about the injustice done to a candidate who should not even be on the ballot.  By the time the final battle arrives we're exhausted and fractured.

We fall for it every time.   

[mystery-ak]

Every four years we fall victim to this manipulation by the media; and every four years we debate endless about the injustice done to a candidate who should not even be on the ballot.  By the time the final battle arrives we're exhausted and fractured.

We fall for it every time.   

....and that's the truth!

[alicewonders]

Every four years we fall victim to this manipulation by the media; and every four years we debate endless about the injustice done to a candidate who should not even be on the ballot.  By the time the final battle arrives we're exhausted and fractured.

We fall for it every time.   

And meanwhile, Hillary is made into a "hero" that weathered an all-day inquisition by partisan Republican haters. 

This is the reality we have to try to achieve victory in and we can only do that if we punch back hard and quick on their attacks - and if we can manage to get a message and a vision out to an apathetic public.  It's a hell of a challenge.

[truth_seeker]

Every four years we fall victim to this manipulation by the media; and every four years we debate endless about the injustice done to a candidate who should not even be on the ballot.  By the time the final battle arrives we're exhausted and fractured.

We fall for it every time.   

So conservatives are victims?   I say they are volunteers. 

Carson has a "compelling story" in his books, and the conservatives fall for it. Much like the Duggars.

The picture of the good doctor with Jesus Christ, pushed it over the top for me, combined with all of the stretched truths in his bio.

[NavyCanDo]

Oh, good grief. Yes Dr. Carson is factually incorrect – but his premise is not.  His premise being political experience was not a criteria for being a representative to the Continental Congress, or those serving during the framing of the Constitution.  We all know the professions many of these men had. At least I hope we here on the BR know our history well enough to know many of them were farmers, merchants, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc.
 
If that cheap Facebook Carson hit piece is really worth forwarding to the masses , then I really feel sorry for our side.   

[alicewonders]

Oh, good grief. Yes Dr. Carson is factually incorrect – but his premise is not.  His premise being political experience was not a criteria for being a representative to the Continental Congress, or those serving during the framing of the Constitution.  We all know the professions many of these men had. At least I hope we here on the BR know our history well enough to know many of them were farmers, merchants, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc.
 
If that cheap Facebook Carson hit piece is really worth forwarding to the masses , then I really feel sorry for our side.

Kind of like, "fake, but accurate".

Right?

[MBB1984]

Ben Carson is the least qualified of any of the GOP candidates.  He has never been elected to public office and he has scant executive experience.  If he were white, he would not be polling above 1%.

[DCPatriot]

But I'll betcha he knows how many States there are........   

[libertybele]

By that statement Carson is just trying to justify his lack of experience and unfortunately it has backfired.  I still would love to know who his voting base is.  I'm beginning to think that his poll numbers have been grossly inflated.

[alicewonders]

By that statement Carson is just trying to justify his lack of experience and unfortunately it has backfired.  I still would love to know who his voting base is.  I'm beginning to think that his poll numbers have been grossly inflated.

Me too.  I suspect a significant number of his base are of the white guilt crowd.

[aligncare]

Ben Carson is the least qualified of any of the GOP candidates.  He has never been elected to public office and he has scant executive experience.  If he were white, he would not be polling above 1%.

Now, now, let's be fair. Carson did have to hire a nurse and receptionist. Economic experience, right there. 

[jmyrlefuller]

Mr. Carp added that changing the Facebook post to say the signers had no “federal” elected experience was “ridiculous,” because there was no federal government prior to that time.

THAT WAS HIS WHOLE POINT.

Very few of the people involved in the creation of the U.S. government had direct experience in national office, because the British Parliament and Crown held full power, and only a handful of diplomats, such as Ben Franklin, had any experience at that level. The colonial assemblies had very little power, certainly nothing compared even to those of the U.S. states of today—they were roughly equivalent of county legislators. In other words, they had very little power or experience, especially in the matters of creating a new nation.

[GourmetDan]

THAT WAS HIS WHOLE POINT.

Yep... people have become so stupid that it's exhausting...