Dr. Ben Carson Fires Back at Critics Who Claim Conservatives Are Only Embracing Him So They Can Say They Aren't Racist

Dr. Ben Carson (File)

It wasn't long after pediatric surgeon Dr. Ben Carson became an overnight star among conservatives for his epic speech at the National Prayer Breakfast that the left began attacking him. On Fox News Tuesday, Carson hit back.

Among his critics, far-left commentators like MSNBC's Touré have argued that Carson is just a "token" for the GOP who is only helping conservatives "assuage their guilt" because they are racist.

Carson's popularity among conservatives couldn't have anything to do with the fact that not only is Dr. Carson a brilliant neurosurgeon, but he also has common sense ideas that appeal to a conservative base dying for real leaders, right? Not according to Touré, who says Carson is benefiting from "the GOP's version of affirmative action."

Responding very calmly -- as he is known to do -- on Fox News Tuesday, Carson lectured his critics, saying "if you don't have anything useful to say, you attack people. If you feel that your house of cards has been discovered and is starting to come unraveled, you become very desperate."

Though he would have arguably been justified, Carson did not name-call or use any of the tactics leveled against him. He also never called out Touré by name.

"Intelligent people tend to talk about the facts," he added. "They don't sit around and call each other names. That's what you can find on a third grade playground…to sit around and act like third graders is not productive."

Responding to the argument that some have made, that because he's black he shouldn't maintain a conservative opinion, Carson explained that those people are "prejudiced" and "they feel if you look a certain way, then you have to stay on the plantation."

Dr. Carson lamented the fact that people have labeled him an "Uncle Tom" for his conservative principles. He said he doesn't appreciate the term being applied to him, not because of the racist context of the term but because to describe him as such is historically inaccurate.

"I've heard some people to refer to me as an 'Uncle Tom,'" Carson said. "Obviously, they don't know what an Uncle Tom is because they need to read Harriet Beacher Stowe's novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' And they'll see he was a very subservient, kind of go along get along type of person. Obviously that is not what I'm doing."

He also said the left, and some factions of the right, "try to make life so unpleasant for anybody who disagrees with them that people will keep silent."

"I'm trying to get people to speak up," he added.

Watch the segment via Fox News below:

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(H/T: Matt Wilstein, Mediaite)