But We’re Only Thinking About the Grandchildren.

From New York Magazine:

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson has come under fire for purchasing a $31,000 dining set for his office, and misleading the public about his involvement in the decision. But, according to Jonathan Swan, chief of staff John Kelly today defended the purchase to reporters as a wise long-term investment:

Kelly said $31,000 sounds like a lot of money, but to put it in context he asked a reporter how much they think the chair they’re sitting on costs. Kelly said it’s probably worth hundreds of dollars but it will last a long time. He rationalized Carson’s $31,000 outlay by saying the table could last for 80 or 100 years.

Trump’s administration isn’t always big on long-term planning when it comes to things like climate change, where the 100-year picture is not exactly foremost on anybody’s mind. But at least they’re thinking long term about the executive dining needs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Our grandchildren may lose some coastal cities we currently enjoy, but they can rest assured they will never need to fund another dining set for the HUD secretary.

 

“Head Up Your Ass Quote of the Day”

From Ben Carson about Charlottesville:

“We all have to recognize that there are other things that are important here and don’t get caught up in these little squabbles and blow them out of proportion,” Carson said, “and spend all of our time talking about that.”

 

But That Didn’t Stop Him from Running for President, Did It?

From The Hill:

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has told President-elect Donald Trump that he isn’t interested in serving as secretary of Health and Human Services, a Carson ally confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday.

“Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency.”

Poor, Gullible Ben Carson. Bless His Heart.

Trump’s former presidential rival, a key surrogate and possible vice presidential pick, told The Hill on Friday that he believes Trump is becoming more spiritual.

“I know that he has prayed. I have eyewitness,” Carson said in a Facebook Live interview.

Asked whether he had personally seen Trump pray, the retired neurosurgeon, who is a man of deep Christian faith, conceded he had only heard about Trump praying.

“I have not seen him [pray] but I have eyewitnesses who have,” Carson said. “And I think he’s starting to move more in that direction. I think that’s a good thing.

“I think he’s starting to recognize that there’s a greater power. And I tell him, just last week, that I believe God is using him.”

Yeah. God is using him like he did that plague of locusts.

Tweet of the Day

  Jamie Kilstein ‎@jamiekilstein

“Why did you endorse Trump, Mr. Carson?”

“Well, he was the only man to accidentally stand by me when I forgot how hallways worked.”

Maybe It Will Go Something Like This…

From last night’s GOP debate:

Carson’s most memorable moment in the debate, by far, was when he said that, as president, he would choose a Supreme Court nominee by an unusual criterion.

“The fruit salad of their life is what I will look at,” he said.

Well, He Got It in an Email So It Must Be True…

Ben Carson referenced a line he said came from Joseph Stalin, a quote that’s believed to have gained prominence as a conservative social media meme, during his closing statement at Saturday night’s Republican debate.

“Joseph Stalin said if you want to bring America down you have to undermine three things — our spiritual life, our patriotism, and our morality,” Carson said, puzzling some observers, who couldn’t quite place the remark.

And for good reason. The mythbusters at Snopes.com, in a recently updated review, state that the line, which Carson is reported to have used before, have little evidence to back up that it came from Stalin. The CNN Reality Check team rated its attribution to Stalin as “false.”

And he probably believed this one too:  “Sixteen girls impregnated in swimming pool.”

Tweet of the Day

From the Daily Kos:

Ben Carson Thinks Women Are Only Baby Containers

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is dismissing the notion that there is a “war on women,” saying the real war is on “what’s inside of women.”

“They tell you that there’s a war on women,” Carson said at a rally in Little Rock, Ark. on Thursday.

“There is no war on women – there may be a war on what’s inside of women, but there is no war on women in this country,” he continued, referring to abortion.

Well, there you have it, straight from the horse’s patootie.

Women count only as brood mares.  [facepalm]