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The Best And Worst Moments From GQ’s Ben Carson Profile

The Best And Worst Moments From GQ’s Ben Carson Profile

By Ben Brody, Bloomberg News (TNS)

WASHINGTON — Is he ready for prime time?

In its April issue, GQ magazine features a profile on prospective presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, the retired head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins and the first African-American to run a division there. Though Carson has never held elected office, his unapologetic conservatism and up-from-poverty story have excited much of the base, and GQ’s piece, which shadows Carson on a trip to Israel, watching the State of the Union, and reflecting on his media reputation as he gears up for a likely presidential run, captures both the positive and negative aspects of his potential candidacy.

Some of the most buzz-generating moments:

  • Carson didn’t know what the Knesset does

“What is the role of the Knesset?” Carson asked his Israeli guide of the country’s one-chamber legislature. The occasion was a Christmastime trip in 2014, his first to the nation that almost all presidential hopefuls visit. The guide explained its working and Israel’s political parties. “It sounds complex,” Carson said. “Why don’t they just adopt the system we have?”

  • He doubled down on Nazi comparisons, at a Holocaust museum

Last year, Carson drew criticism for suggesting that liberals could turn American into Nazi Germany, and stating that the U.S. was “very much like Nazi Germany” because people were afraid to say what they believed, according to CNN. Sitting at the cafeteria of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, during the Israel trip, Carson was asked if the visit prompted him to reconsider the comparison. “Not at all,” he said. “It makes it even stronger.”

  • He doesn’t think being treasury secretary involves much policy

The secretary of state Carson most admires is Condoleezza Rice, while, as for defense secretaries, he likes Robert Gates. When asked to name his favorite secretary of the treasury, he paused.

“Andrea Mitchell’s husband,” he eventually offered. I reminded him that Mitchell’s husband, also known as Alan Greenspan, had actually been chairman of the Federal Reserve. “I don’t know that there’s anybody that really stands out to me as an outstanding treasury secretary. I mean, that’s a pretty hard place to be outstanding,” he finally said. “Secretaries of the treasury, for the most part, are not big policy people.”

  • He became Republican (again) so he could run

In his youth, he was a “radical” Democrat but became a Republican during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. He then left the party and became a conservative-minded independent during the Bill Clinton impeachment because he felt that congressional Republicans who had had their own dalliances were being hypocritical. He only re-registered with the party in 2014. “If I weren’t thinking about running for office, I would remain an independent,” he said.

  • His fundraising apparatus is ambitious and successful

The Draft Carson Super PAC has raised more than $13 million last year. Carson also brought in $6 million for the American Legacy PAC, which tapped him to fundraise for its Obamacare repeal program. Because Carson has worked with a long list of causes, his likely campaign manager, Terry Giles, predicts his mailing list could have more than 2 million names on it. “If I can get $100 from 1.5 million people,” Giles said, “I’ll have $150 million for the first four primaries, and we’ll be extremely competitive.” (Jeb Bush, who is considered the Republican fundraising front-runner, hopes to raise $100 million.)

  • He referred to President Barack Obama as a “psychopath”

Carson watched 2015’s State of the Union address at the Washington home of an adviser, who said the president looked “elegant” in his white shirt and sky blue tie. “Like most psychopaths,” Carson responded. “That’s why they’re successful. That’s the way they look. They all look great.” When the adviser, Armstrong Williams, said the president had to “convince people to believe him” the same way Carson would, the doctor said the difference was that Obama was lying. “He’s trying to sell what he thinks is not true!” Carson said. “He’s sitting there saying, ‘These Americans are so stupid I can tell them anything.'” Williams warned Carson off that kind of rhetoric in his post-speech appearances.

  • He doesn’t understand the reaction to some of his comments on homosexuality and Obamacare

Speaking about same-sex marriage in 2013, he also said gays and other groups like “people who believe in bestiality” couldn’t change the definition of the institution, according to ABC News. Later that year, Carson said he thought the Affordable Care Act was “the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery,” according to The Washington Post. “And it is in a way, it is slavery in a way because it is making all of us subservient to the government, and it was never about health care. It was about control.” In the profile, he waved off the strong condemnations these and other comments sparked. “We’ve reached a point where if you say the word ‘slavery’ or you say the word ‘bestiality,’ it’s like you’ve sprayed a fly with Raid — people start spinning, and they just can’t function anymore,” he said.

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Gay Group Wins Formal Recognition From State Republican Party

Gay Group Wins Formal Recognition From State Republican Party

By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

In a historic move, the California Republican Party on Sunday officially recognized a gay GOP group.

The Log Cabin Republicans, a 38-year-old organization that had unsuccessfully sought a charter from the state party several times in the past, received the formal imprimatur on a 861-293 vote at the party’s biannual convention in Sacramento.

It is among the first gay groups officially sanctioned by a state Republican Party.

Brandon Gesecki, a delegate from Carmel who supported the effort, said the vote showed how much the party in California has changed in recent years.

“It would have been the complete opposite 15 years ago,” said Gesecki, who also turned in a proxy vote from former Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado supporting the recognition. “The fringe does not control the party anymore. We truly are a big tent once again.”

Charles Moran, chairman of the Log Cabin California chapter, was visibly emotional after Sunday’s vote.

“I’m personally overwhelmed,” he said, noting that he got his start in politics as a staffer at the state party in 1999. “This is the culmination of a 15-year journey for me.”

The move comes as attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage have shifted across the United States. A February CNN poll found 42 percent of Republicans favored same-sex marriage, a sharp increase from previous polls.

Log Cabin was founded in California 38 years ago and was the first gay GOP group in the country. It and other groups have sparred with Republican officials and conservative leaders over the years, and received varying levels of acceptance.

The national Log Cabin group was once again turned down as a sponsor for last week’s Conservative Political Action Committee gathering in Maryland, but its executive director was invited to speak on a panel. In Texas last year, two gay Republican groups were barred from having a booth at a state party convention.

Tolerance in California has been greater. Last year, GOP gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari marched in a San Diego gay-pride parade, the first statewide Republican candidate to do so. Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, who is considering a run for U.S. Senate, supports same-sex marriage. The Log Cabin Luau, at which attendees don rainbow-colored leis and sip Mai Tais, is among the best-attended parties at state GOP conventions.

Moran and his supporters had cited the work that his members did in several competitive election contests last year to argue that the group deserves a party charter.

“We’ve earned our street cred,” Moran said Saturday.

The group worked for two years to make sure its application aligned with party bylaws.

“A lot of us knew we were Republican before we knew we were gay, so this is home for us,” he said.

With the recognition, “the left will not be able to say to us anymore, ‘The Republican Party doesn’t want you.’ ”

The group’s effort received support from longtime GOP leaders, including national committee member Shawn Steel, former state party chairman Bob Naylor and Assemblyman Scott Wilk.

“The Log Cabin Republicans have given their time, money and resources to this party time and time again, and we have given them nothing in return,” said Nathan Miller, chairman of the California Young Republican Federation, a group of young professionals that is chartered by the state party. “This vote is not about orientation, it’s about participation.”

Opposition came from social conservatives, who said the move violated the party’s values.

Andrew Levy, a delegate from Sacramento, said the decision to grant the recognition was an affront to his Jewish faith.

“People supported the Republican Party because they’re strong on family values,” Levy said, adding that the embrace of the gay group undermined his trust in the GOP.

John Briscoe, president of the socially conservative California Republican Assembly, pointed to Log Cabin’s support of same-sex marriage.

“I have a hard time understanding how we’re going to charter an organization that’s in opposition to our platform,” he said during the debate.

The party’s official platform says homosexuality is unacceptable.

“We believe public policy and education should not be exploited to present or teach homosexuality as an acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle. We oppose same-sex partner benefits, child custody, and adoption,” the platform says.

Some opponents said Log Cabin’s proposal was sneaked onto the convention agenda without notice, and that the group violates the party’s by-laws, which forbid the recognition of organizations focused on “lifestyle preferences.”

“The only thing I ask is this body stand on the rules we’ve supported for two decades that say there is a process to change the rules and the bylaws,” Assemblywoman Shannon Grove repeatedly pleaded during the hearing.

State party chairman Jim Brulte replied that he had followed the rules — by forwarding the group’s application to the volunteer organizations committee, which on Saturday voted to unanimously send the proposal to the floor for a vote.

The Sunday morning debate and vote count took nearly an hour. Five people were allowed to testify in support and five in opposition. Though the debate was largely civil, there were a few testy outbursts, mostly on points of order, prompting Brulte to admonish at one point: “Everyone, take a deep breath.”

Photo: John Carrel via Flickr

Collins Takes Court As First Openly Gay NBA Player

Collins Takes Court As First Openly Gay NBA Player

Los Angeles (AFP) – Jason Collins took another trailblazing step as the first openly gay man in a major US pro sports league when he took the court for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

Hours after the Nets inked Collins to a 10-day contract, he came in as a substitute in the second quarter of the Nets’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers, receiving the kind of warm welcome from the Staples Center crowd more usually reserved for their own players.

It was the 13-year NBA veteran’s first appearance in the league since he went public in April about his homosexuality, a revelation that came after his contract with the Washington Wizards had expired.

Facing a bevy of media before the game, Collins said his immediate concern was proving he still belonged in the league.

“Right now, I’m focused on trying to learn the plays, trying to learn the coverages, the game plan, my assignment,” he said. “I don’t have time to really think about history right now.”

The Nets ended an 11-game losing streak to the Lakers with a 108-102 wire-to-wire victory.

Collins was scoreless in 10 minutes, 37 seconds on the floor, missing the only shot he attempted.

He had two rebounds and five fouls, and Nets coach Jason Kidd said he was generally satisfied with the performance from a player brought in to bolster the team’s defense.

Nets general manager Billy King said the move to sign Collins was a “basketball decision” to add a defensive presence inside.

“We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract,” King said.

The Nets can sign Collins to two straight 10-day deals before deciding if they want to keep him for the rest of the season.

Even though King said the Nets had no intention of making a social statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver commented on the deal.

“Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team,” Silver said. “Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment.”

As part of a sports world still perceived as hostile to homosexuality, Collins drew praise for his courage in coming out as gay by President Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton and many players in the NBA.

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a US pro league when he took the field for a Major League Soccer match in May, three months after revealing he was gay.

But Collins is the first in any of the four leagues that dominate the U.S. sports landscape — Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, a U.S. college star in American football who announced this month he is gay, is likely to be selected in the NFL Draft later this year.

His first chance to play in the NFL would not come until an August exhibition game at the earliest, and his decision to come out immediately sparked debate on whether a gay player could really be accepted in an NFL locker room.

Collins said he agreed with Sam’s stance that he wants to be judged for his abilities on the field of play, and not by his sexuality.

“I hope, similar to what Michael said, I hope it’s about him being a football player and me being a basketball player,” Collins said.

As for advice he would offer to other gay athletes, Collins said it would be the same he offered to any athlete: “Never have any fear to be your true, authentic self.”

AFP Photo/Joe Klamar

Uganda Anti-Gay Law Called ‘Abhorrent,’ ‘Deeply Offensive’

Uganda Anti-Gay Law Called ‘Abhorrent,’ ‘Deeply Offensive’

By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times

JOHANNESBURG — Human rights groups and Western leaders condemned harsh anti-gay legislation signed into law Monday by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, calling it draconian, offensive and an affront to basic rights.

But Ugandan officials and parliamentarians, including David Bahati, who introduced the law in parliament, celebrated the move.

Bahati posted a thank you message to Museveni on his Facebook page: “If you are involved in the gay and lesbianism lifestyle you are liable to life imprisonment. Thanks to President Yoweri Museveni for protecting our families in Uganda.”

Museveni ignored intense Western pressure and appeals from President Barack Obama and South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop, in signing the bill into law Monday.

The White House issued a statement saying that Museveni had taken Uganda “a step backward” by signing the law, and U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry called it “a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights.”

Without specifying any action that the United States might take, Kerry said the U.S. was “beginning an internal review of our relationship with the government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values.”

The White House statement said, in part: “We will continue to urge the Ugandan government to repeal this abhorrent law and to advocate for the protection of the universal human rights of LGBT persons in Uganda and around the world.”

Britain also condemned the law.

Uganda is an important U.S. ally in counterterrorism in East Africa, with Ugandan troops playing an important role in the African Union force that has driven back the al-Qaida-linked militia, Al-Shabab, in Somalia.

But the Ugandan leader, who has been in power for nearly 28 years, has been accused by Human Rights Watch, among others, of an increasing crackdown on rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

When Bahati originally introduced the anti-gay law in 2009, it provided the death penalty for homosexuality. Several years later that clause was dropped, but under the new law consenting gay and lesbian adults face life in prison.

According to the law, people convicted of “aggravated homosexuality” — a crime that includes repeated acts of gay sex between consenting adults _ would face life in jail. The definition also includes gay sex involving a child or a disabled person.

The law also makes it a criminal offense not to report people suspected of being gay and may force gay and lesbian people to flee the country to avoid persecution.

Museveni summoned journalists to his official residence at Entebbe to witness the signing ceremony, at which he described homosexuality as “disgusting” and criticized what he called the West’s “social imperialism” in pressuring Uganda not to repress gay and lesbian people. He accused Western groups of arrogance and trying recruit Ugandan youth into homosexuality.

“I am not able to understand the logic of the Western culture. However, we Africans always keep our opinions to ourselves and never seek to impose our point of view on the others. If only they could let us alone,” he told journalists.

“Outsiders cannot dictate to us. This is our country. I advise friends from the West not to make this an issue, because if they make it an issue, the more they will lose. If the West does not want to work with us because of homosexuals, then we have enough space to ourselves here.”

AFP Photo/Chip Somodevilla