1,293 Days – And Worth The Wait

August 15, 2013 was just another hot, humid summer day in the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C.  But in McLean, Virginia an event took place that would have far reaching consequences.  On that day John Philip Sousa, IV along with Bruce Eberle and his company formed the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee (NDBCPC).

Dr. Carson was a world-renown neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and as such was a well-known – and revered – figure in the medical community. He would have remained unknown in political circles except for another day with far reaching consequences earlier in 2013 – February 12. That was the day Carson was the keynote speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast.  With President Obama sitting two seats away from him Dr. Carson delivered an eloquent and devastating evisceration of Obamacare.

In the calm, measured, reasoned tones which would become his trademark on the campaign trail, Carson exposed Obamacare’s myriad weaknesses and spotlighted the damage it would do to the American people. President Obama sat stone-faced through Dr. Carson’s detailed destruction of the President’s socialized medicine dream.  

The American public’s reaction was the exact opposite of the President’s – they stood up, applauded, whistled, stomped their feet and made Ben Carson an instant political celebrity. Sousa and Eberle sensed this, and on that fateful August day decided to test the waters to see if there was any grassroots support to draft Carson for President.

The response was overwhelming and unprecedented in American political history.

NDBCPC became a political powerhouse, eventually enlisting over 150,000 supporters nationwide, including more than 35,000 grass roots volunteers.  Where ever “non-candidate” Dr. Carson went in 2013, 2014, or 2015 – book tours or speaking engagements around the country - he was met with loud, enthusiastic crowds of NDBCPC supporters delivering our message: “Run Ben Run!”

Carson heard the voice of the people loud and clear. 

When he officially announced for President on May 4, 2015 NDBCC became the first organization in American history to successfully “draft” a candidate for President. Because of federal election laws, NDBCC needed to change its name after Carson’s official announcement – and became “The 2016 Committee”.  2016 continued the mission of supporting Carson’s campaign, which even saw him leading in some national surveys in late 2015 and early 2016. 

Eventually, like all the other Republican candidates, Carson was bowled over by the Trump juggernaut, at which time he graciously and enthusiastically announced his whole-hearted support for the Trump campaign. He was a tireless surrogate speaker for Trump, making dozens of appearances and speeches for the GOP nominee.

Carson was aided mightily in his pro-Trump efforts by the 2016 Committee’s activities.  2016 spent over $1.2 million dollars on ads on African American radio stations, urging listeners to support Trump. Its ads were targeted in the swing states of Florida, North Carolina Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. 

Exit polls and subsequent vote analysis indicate that President Trump vastly improved on Mitt Romney’s showing among African American voters in our target states. They also show that the increase in Trump votes in our target areas supplied far more new votes than the President’s statewide victory margins in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Which brings us to March 2, 2017. 1,293 days after the NDBCC committee was founded, Dr. Benjamin Solomon Carson was sworn in as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of the United States. Join us in taking a moment to smile.

Would we have rather seen him sworn in on January 20?  Of course. 

That said, we could not be more pleased with President Trump.  He is doing an outstanding job in the face of reprehensible, frankly un-American opposition tactics from the Democrats.  Ben Carson will be an extraordinarily effective right-hand-man for the President in the task of leading, healing and reinvigorating the country.  Ben Carson will be an integral part of making America great again.

A special message to the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans who stood with us – and Dr. Carson – on the amazing 1,293 day journey. THANK YOU!

Your efforts helped put two remarkable men in positions to lead America at a time of both great peril and great promise.  We would never have had the courage to take the first step in 2013 if all of us didn’t firmly believe that America is a country of destiny and that it occupies a special place in the plans of the Lord. Ben Carson is part and parcel of that destiny.

We are humbled by our part in the ongoing saga, and grateful beyond words for your support. None of this would have happened without you.

But there is much hard work still to do.

The far-left is in full war mode. Stars and Stripes Forever PAC will fight them tooth and nail, and is now focused on giving President Trump more strong voices in the U.S. Senate in next year’s election.   Sixty Republican Senators after the 2018 elections is a realistic goal. Stars & Stripes Forever PAC plans to help make that a reality. 

We cannot succeed, President Trump cannot succeed, America cannot succeed without your continued support. We hope you will stand with us.