At first glance, Ben Carson is an intriguing candidate for president. He’s the embodiment of the American dream, growing up poor in Detroit, earning a scholarship to Yale and becoming a world renowned surgeon. Carson’s surgical accomplishments are nothing short of amazing, but his comments are nothing short of appalling.

Ben Carson said that he could not support a candidate for President who was Muslim. When asked why, he cited Sharia Law as a reason. Carson was quoted saying ““I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” I don’t even know where to begin with such blatant bigotry. The United States is not a theocracy. What religion a politician, or anyone in the country for that matter, chooses to believe in is absolutely irrelevant. The White House can be led by a competent Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist or any other religious belief. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that person’s competence, intelligence, policy, etc. What religion they are could not matter less. America is supposed to be a country of equal opportunity and acceptance, yet a Republican front runner has come out with such a serious prejudice and the party doesn’t seem to care. A man with this kind of disregard and disrespect for other cultures simply cannot lead this country.

A few months ago Carson was asked about his thoughts on Obamacare. He actually said Obamacare is the “worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.” The Emancipation Proclamation was ratified in 1866 and since then, the United States has dealt with World War I, World War II, the war in Vietnam,  and the 9/11 attacks, just to name a few issues this country has dealt with since slavery was abolished. I understand that hyperbole is often an effective strategy for political figures as it makes what they’re saying resonate with the public. However, this wasn’t simply a case of a politician going too far with a hyperbole. When asked about why he thought Obamacare was worse than 9/11, Carson doubled down and defended his remarks, saying “Because 9/11 is an isolated incident.” Making a mistake with the initial comment is understandable. Everyone has said something outlandish in the heat of the moment, but later, logical people admit to their error and we all move on. Carson on the other hand stood by the nonsense of national health care being worse than the deaths of millions of Americans fighting in wars and the thousands of civilians who died in the 9/11 attacks. I don’t know whether it’s a general lack of historical knowledge or if Carson actually believes something so ridiculous, but either way, such incompetence has no place in the White House.

Carson’s uninformed comments don’t stop there. He’s called Obama a psychopath. He’s compared Obama’s supporters with Nazi sympathizers. The man’s comments are beyond ridiculous, yet the public doesn’t call him out on it. The fact that Carson is still relevant at this point in the process is an indictment on the rest of the Republican Party. If this kind of stupidity is perfectly acceptable to such an important and powerful political party, where is this country headed?