‘The Change We Need’: Potential Republican 2016 Contender Ben Carson To Speak on Campus

Dr. Ben Carson, M.D., a pediatric neurosurgeon and potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, will speak on campus on April 21 at 6:00 pm in Call Auditorium, 116 Kennedy Hall, in an event hosted by the Cornell Republicans.

The title of Carson’s speech is “The Change We Need,” according to a Cornell Republicans press release. The event is free and open to the public. Following Carson’s address there will be a question and answer segment.

Carson, who directed pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center for 29 years, sprung onto the national political scene with his harsh criticism of Obamacare at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.

Since, he has become somewhat of a conservative thought leader throughout the country, being featured frequently on Fox News and other media outlets. His latest of eight books, “One Nation: What We Can All Do To Save America’s Future” has sold 355,000 copies since its release in May 2014, reports the Daily Caller. That is more than the recent books of any other 2016 contender, including Hillary Clinton.

Carson stands out among the crowded 2016 field as a political outsider, having never held political office or occupation other than physician (and speaker and author). He is a staunch social conservative too in regards to gay marriage and abortion, which appeals to the conservative base but many not bode well for him if he does want to seriously contend in 2016. Carson, however, offers a unique perspective on issues like race relations, being that he rejects identity politics, welfare statism, and admonished the rioters and looters in Ferguson last summer.

In 1987, Carson completed the first and only separation of craniopagus (Siamese) twins at the back of the head. His prolific career in medicine has garnered him international renown and accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2008, awarded by then-President George Bush.

The Cornell Review urges all Cornellians and locals–regardless of personal political opinions– to come listen to Dr. Carson speak in order to learn more about this highly accomplished man and potential presidential candidate.