Friday on MBSNC’s NewsNation, Tamron Hall addressed Ben Carson’s statements on gun control and how he would have dealt with the gunman at Umpqua. Towards Joan she remarked, “Joan, you have this following, of course, the comments in Oregon, saying that, you know, if he were in a situation, he'd say, hey, come on, guys, neglecting the fact that 20 of those killed in Newtown were children. “ While the charge of Carson here is that he would use children to attack a school shooter, it cannot be missed that she merged the incidents at Umpqua, Oregon and at Newtown, Connecticut.
While Walsh did point out that there were teachers amongst the victims, she gave affirmation to the idea that Carson would have children attack the gunman. “This may take a toll, because he sounds crazy. But on the other hand, the base has shown an appetite for cruel and delusional comment.” Following on that indictment, she continued, “But you know, this is a guy that compared Obamacare to slavery. So, he's got this history. He's this mild-mannered seeming guy, soft-spoken, obviously very bright, who’s got this history of very cruel and kind of crazy statements.”
Matt Lewis also criticized Carson, “First of all, what in the heck is he doing opining on Nazi Germany and Hitler? It's crazy for someone running for president to really go there.” Lewis would follow this with a brief admission that dictators disarm citizens to remove resistance, but that didn’t stop Lewis. “By the way, I think I can opine on these things, I'm not running for President. And I think it's fair to say that the notion that had Jews been armed, that that alone would have been able to stop the Holocaust seems dubious at best.“
Earlier on NewsNation, Hall got Lewis’ opinion on the Speaker race, particularly how it might cause problems for the presidential race. Lewis would reply that “Paul Ryan, it's like the Obi Wan Kenobi candidate. Help us, Obi Wan, you're our only hope.” He then invoked the legacy of Watergate and how Republicans were destroyed after it, but then “you end up with Ronald Reagan a few years later. So, it looks horrible, but who knows what the future may hold? You could potentially have a Republican President, a Republican Senate and a Republican House in 2016.“
See the relevant transcript below.
2015-10-09, MSNBC NewsNation
TAMRON HALL: Let me bring in our political panel today, Matt K. Lewis is a senior contributor for The Daily Caller and Columnist for The Week Magazine, Joan Walsh shaking her head, is MSNBC political analyst, national affairs correspondent for The Nation. Matt, I'll start with you. We won't pick up on that woman and her exuberance. We will talk about it, but I do want to get your thoughts on what's happening in the House here. You just heard my interview with the Congressman, he’s willing to support Paul Ryan, but he is greatly concerned about a side of the House Republicans that he believes are disruptive and could potentially cause problems, including impacting the 2016 presidential race.
MATT LEWIS: Yeah, look, I think it's a well-founded concern. You know, Paul Ryan, it's like the Obi Wan Kenobi candidate. Help us, Obi Wan, you're our only hope. Who knows what he's going to decide? It's a thankless job. It involves herding cats. And no good deed goes unpunished. Will he be drafted? It's unclear. But look, I think that things are really chaotic right now, and this is a microcosm of the larger chaos happening. But I do want to caution everybody, sometimes things look really bad and they turn around. In 1976, you know, in the post-Watergate era, the Republican Party looked doomed. And of course, you end up with Ronald Reagan a few years later. So, it looks horrible, but who knows what the future may hold? You could potentially have a Republican President, a Republican Senate and a Republican House in 2016.
HALL: You could, and potentially, your nominee could be Ben Carson, Matt. He's in second place right now in those polls. What do you think of the comments that he's made regarding the Holocaust? These aren't off-the-cuff comments. This is actually an excerpt from a book, a newly released book.
LEWIS: Yeah. First of all, what in the heck is he doing opining on Nazi Germany and Hitler? It's crazy for someone running for president to really go there. Clearly, look, I mean, let's be honest, authoritarian regimes, of course, confiscate guns. That's part of what they do to stem, you know, to make sure there's not a resistance. I think the notion that had people -- and by the way, I think I can opine on these things, I'm not running for President. And I think it's fair to say that the notion that had Jews been armed, that that alone would have been able to stop the Holocaust seems dubious at best.
HALL: At best. And Joan, you have this following, of course, the comments in Oregon, saying that, you know, if he were in a situation, he'd say, hey, come on, guys, neglecting the fact that 20 of those killed in Newtown were children.
JOAN WALSH: Children.
HALL: What were they expected to do to protect themselves?
WALSH: Remember, they're teachers.
HALL: The teachers are supposed to rally there. And while many of the teachers took those children in closets, attempting to save their lives and hide them, Carson in his book wrote, "Through a combination of removing guns and disseminating propaganda, the Nazis were able to carry out their evil intentions with relatively little resistance." The Anti-Defamation League has pointed out, has come out against these comments here. Carson asked about them yesterday, sticking by them. But we cannot negate that he is still number two in the polls.
WALSH: He's number two. This may take a toll, because he sounds crazy. But on the other hand, the base has shown an appetite for cruel and delusional comments. I mean okay, you're not supposed to bring up the Holocaust. We all know that. Don’t ever talk about Nazi Germany, it never ends well. But you know, this is a guy that compared Obamacare to slavery. So, he's got this history. He's this mild-mannered seeming guy, soft-spoken, obviously very bright, who’s got this history of very cruel and kind of crazy statements, but he's still --
HALL: Do you think that's a part of it, because he has this very mild delivery --
WALSH: I do.
HALL: -- Not that same, you know, strong presence of a Donald Trump.
WALSH: Right.
HALL: And that these things that he said that are highly controversial don't get the same pushback?
WALSH: They don't have the edge, I think, because he's not shouting them. He's saying them in a very well-spoken edge. But I think they are getting the attention, Tamron. And I think this thing about guns, too, it's also playing to the fever swamps of the right wing, where people believe that Obama is coming for their guns. And you know, there are all these conspiracy theories about that since he took office. None of them are true. But the paranoia just grows. And you know, Ben Carson -- I'm not saying he doesn't believe this -- he may well believe it but he certainly knows that this is a ticket to at least that portion, that strident portion of the base.
