GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson is standing by his opinion that House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation “will be a good thing.”
Carson joined Breitbart News Sunday on SiriusXM Patriot.
“He’s been in Congress a long period of time and has worked hard, so let’s not come down too hard on him,” Carson said to Breitbart News’ Matthew Boyle. “But I think the time has come when it’s time for new leadership.”
Carson suggested he wants to see a more aggressive leader who will push conservative policies.
“We need leadership that’s willing to put the stake in the ground and be just as fierce about their agenda as the president is about his. That’s why we have separation of power and co-equal powers. And if they don’t do that, they’ve distorted the system,” Carson said.
Carson told a group of reporters at the Values Voter Summit on Friday that House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to stepping down “will be a good thing.”
“There will be people who have the opportunity to present their vision of the country. There are a lot of the people who are a little disappointed there has been too much of an effort to compromise.”
Carson, who is in second place nationally among fellow GOP presidential candidates, commented on Boehner, who finally achieved his goal of having Pope Francis speak to a joint session of Congress, noting, it “was quite emotional.”
“I think John Boehner has worked very hard on behalf of his constituency and has done every thing that he could and I know one of his goals was to get the Pope to speak before the joint session of Congress and it was quite emotional as that was going on yesterday, and I think he’s picked a very good time to step down,” Carson told the reporters.
Carson was asked if he thought Boehner stood up for conservative principles. “I think he stood up for many conservative principles, but I’m sure that there are those that feel that perhaps we should stand as vigorously against the policies of the president as the president stands for them,” Carson answered.
Following the announcement of Boehner’s resignation, one veteran Republican official called for the Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to follow Boehner’s lead, and also resign.
“Mitch is a good and honorable guy, but the base is leaving our party,” Chariman of the Louisiana GOP Roger Villere told the Washington Times.
“I’ve worked for 12 years as chairman to build this party, and I just don’t want to see it all go down the drain because the [leaders] aren’t willing to fight for what we believe… Our base is demanding we do something or they’re going to leave us,” stated Villare, who is also affiliated with the Republican National Committee.
Boyle asked Carson if he agreed with Villere that McConnell should go, but Carson said that is ultimately up to the Senate.
“I think that is a decision that the Republicans in the Senate need to make,” Carson explained. “They know what the internal politics are and whether they’re able to get the leadership we need and if in fact they indicate that they need some core aggressive leadership, I think it would be a very gentlemanly thing for him to step down.”