Carson: Annual debt battles a "stupid" way to govern
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Sunday he would not want the U.S. to default on its debt but that annual battles over raising the debt ceiling is "a stupid way to run a government."
"If I were in charge right now I would not cause us to default on that, but what I would say is this is the last time that's happening. And we would tie the raising of that debt limit to some very significant actions so that we are not here again next year," Carson said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "This is something that happens year after year after year. We always get right up to the deadline Now it's do or die, and you're forced to do it. And that's a stupid way to run a government."
Carson gave a muddled answer when he was asked about raising the debt ceiling last week, discussing the future federal budget instead of money the U.S. has already spent.
The neurosurgeon also defended a passage in new book, "A More Perfect Union," where he wrote that it was a "combination of removing guns and disseminating propaganda" that allowed the Nazi party to take power in Germany. He late said in a CNN interview that, "the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed."
Carson said that he does not believe there is a current threat that American citizens' guns might be confiscated, but he said, "Something can happen...The fact of the matter is if you go to those countries, well before it happened, and you ask the people if that's going to happen in their country, they would say 'Oh, no, no, no. It wouldn't happen here.'"
He said that the analogy to Nazi Germany is "not hyperbole at all."
"Whether it's on our doorstep or whether it's 50 years away, it's still a concern and it's something that we must guard against," he said.
"The extermination of an entire race, which was the Nazi goal - that's a pretty big thing to compare our current situation to. I guess that's what has people a little confused," moderator John Dickerson said.
"You do not want to get there," Carson responded.
One reason Carson argues that Americans need to be able to arm themselves is because, "if we have a time when we have the wrong people in office, and they want to dominate the people, the people will be able to defend themselves."
During the panel discussion, Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus responded, "I would like to say that the solution in America, when we have the wrong people in office, is called elections. We have a democracy."
Asked about the looming vacancy for the post of speaker of the House, Carson said he liked Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, who is being urged to run by many members.
"I think he would do a fine job. I hope that all people who are being considered will have an opportunity to put forth their philosophy on leadership and that the members can make an intelligent decision," he said.