GOP Presidential Candidate Ben Carson Visits Black Enterprise Today

Last week the tensions festering in Carson’s camp came to a head when his campaign manager, Barry Bennet, and communications director, Doug Watts, abruptly resigned. Carson also lost his deputy campaign manager, as well as a slew of other high-ranking aides. Some have attributed this mass exodus to Carson’s close relationship to media mogul Armstrong Williams, who has made no secret of his distaste for Carson’s key staffers.

[RELATED: [VIDEO] Ben Carson Formally Announces Campaign for 2016 Presidency]

This internal campaign chaos, combined with Carson’s steep decline in the polls would allow one to reasonably assume that the end is near for the Carson campaign. However, as the retired neurosurgeon has proved time and time again in his quest for the White House, it’s never safe to count Carson out.

Today, Black Enterprise’s BE Politics will be providing our readers with an exclusive chance to be virtual participants in our conversation with Dr. Carson. We’ll be live-Tweeting and Periscoping all day, so be sure to follow us at @BlackEnterprise. You might even see your question or comment featured!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Carson or just need a quick refresher, BE Politics has got you covered. Here’s a quick rundown of everything you need to know to get caught up for Carson’s visit today:

Name: Dr. Ben Carson

Party: Republican

Polls: Fourth Place (8.8%)

On the Issues:

1. Taxes–Carson has repeatedly advocated for a flat tax. On Monday morning, Carson unveiled his new flat tax plan, which would implement a 14.9% income tax rate on all citizens, regardless of their income. Only those with an income 150% below the poverty line would be exempt.
2. Healthcare–Carson famously stated that Obamacare is the “worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.” He has proposed his own plan called We the People, which, according to Carson, would prevent additional allocation of government funds to healthcare. Funding for Obamacare would be stripped and instead placed in individual health savings accounts that would allow users direct control  over their healthcare options.
3. Jobs–Carson is adamantly against raising the minimum wage, stating that it will only increase unemployment.
4. Immigration–Carson has advocated for an agricultural guest worker program instead of citizenship for illegal immigrants.  He has also advocated using drones on the Mexican border to eliminate potential hideouts for those seeking to enter the U.S.
5. Criminal Justice Reform–Carson is in favor of police officers wearing body cameras to ensure public safety. He also supports restoring the voting rights of ex-felons and ending mandatory minimum prison sentences. Although some of their interests align, Carson does not support the Black Lives Matter movement and has described them as “sickening” and “bullies.”
6. Social Issues–Carson is anti-gay marriage, anti-gun control, anti-Common Core, anti-climate change reform, anti-marijuana legalization and anti-abortion, even if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.