Carson: “We have much work to do in strengthening every aspect of our nation and ensuring that both our physical infrastructure and our spiritual infrastructure is solid.”
Dr. Ben Carson, likely to become Donald Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, says he believes he can help make America’s “inner cities” great again, by “ensuring that both our physical infrastructure and our spiritual infrastructure is solid.”
Carson, who has worked closely with the Trump team ever since endorsing his former presidential rival back in March. Back then he strongly implied Trump had promisied him a position in his administration, only to walk that back once the media reminded him that’s actually illegal.
In recent days Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has said he has no desire to work in Trump’s administration, with some reports stating he said he was ill-equipped to run a federal agency. Carson then denied those reports.
But late Wednesday morning on Facebook, Carson took a much different tone.
Touting his love for “traditional America” and lauding those who “do not wish to fundamentally change it,” Carson told supporters to look for an announcement “about my role in helping to make America great again.”
“Now the hard work begins of restoring the values that made us great,” Carson said, in language dissimilar to his usual remarks. “We must bring back the compassion and the unity that empowers us and banish the divisiveness that weakens us.”
“After serious discussions with the Trump transition team, I feel that I can make a significant contribution particularly to making our inner cities great for everyone. We have much work to do in strengthening every aspect of our nation and ensuring that both our physical infrastructure and our spiritual infrastructure is solid.”
Carson for days has been rumored to be Trump’s choice to run HUD, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, despite being wholly unqualified for the role.
Of immediate concern is Carson’s mention of wanting to strengthen “our spiritual infrastructure,” which in no way, shape, or form is the job of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
But there’s far more to worry about.
For starters, Carson’s virulently anti-LGBT positions and remarks disqualify him for any role in the federal government.Â
Carson also has zero experience in housing policy or economics.Â
And he literally has zero experience in running a $32 billion federal agency that employs 8500 people and is responsible for setting and enforcing policy across a wide swath of issues, including nondiscrimination against minorities. Notably, spirituality is not included in the job description.
Carson, does, disturbingly, have a record of making remarks in favor of policies that support discrimination – and not just against LGBT people.
“In 2015, he signed an op-ed in the Washington Times critical of the Obama administration’s efforts to desegregate neighborhoods,” ThinkProgress Justice Editor Ian Millhiser reports, linking to a Washington Times op-ed Carson that bears Carson’s byline. “In that op-ed, Carson also criticized a Supreme Court decision which left intact a key provision of the federal law banning housing discrimination.”
Millhiser concludes that “Trump’s leading candidate to lead HUD, a man who may currently be considering a offer to take over that department, would prefer to gut the law preventing housing discrimination — a decision that would come at great cost to people of color, but would be a tremendous financial boon to banks.”
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