A self-described Washington outsider visited Arkansas on Thursday and told more than 2,000 people that politicians are overrated.
He wasn't "the Donald." He was the doctor.
Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon turned Republican presidential contender, told the crowd at the state Capitol that personal responsibility lifted him out of poverty and could improve the country as a whole.
"I grew up as one of those very poor people, and I'll tell you a secret -- poor people also have pride. Poor people also have dignity," he said. "What they would prefer is that we fix the economy and create a ladder so that they can climb up through their own hard work and become part of the fabric of the strength of America."
His single political event in the state attracted more people than events held by campaign rivals former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas' U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and even billionaire businessman Donald Trump. Trump was at a Hot Springs dinner in July that drew more than 1,000 people.
Carson was raised by a single mother in Detroit, and he grew up to become the first doctor to separate twins conjoined at the head.
He said education allowed him to succeed, and hard work allowed his mother to survive.
"She would leave at 5 in the morning and get back after midnight, working job after job after job, scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets," he said. "She did not like the idea of welfare because she noticed that no one she ever saw go on it came off it, and she didn't want to be dependent on other people."
He said that experience taught him that big government increases the disparity between rich and poor.
That's part of why, he said, he favors implementing a flat tax. He likened it to an Old Testament requirement that Israelites give 10 percent of their livestock and crops to the Lord.
"The Bible talks about the tithe, and that was created by God," he said. "It seems like he's a pretty fair guy. He didn't say 'if your crops fail, you don't owe me any tithe.' He didn't say 'if you have a bumper crop, you owe me triple tithe.'"
Carson said those who talk about a "war on women" or widespread animosity between white police officers and black residents seek to "stir up trouble."
"They are always trying to drive wedges between us," he said. "They tell you that there's a war on women. There is no war on women. There's maybe a war on what's inside of women."
A handful of people in front of him waved anti-abortion signs.
Supporters said conservative social and economic principles separate Carson from other Republicans in the presidential primary field.
"I'd trust him with my billfold," said John Eaton, who drove from Marshall in Searcy County to attend the rally. "A lot of those guys you wouldn't trust with any money, but I really believe the man has integrity."
Carson is getting double-digit support in many surveys, according to Real Clear Politics, which tracks all of the presidential polls.
Those at the rally said they weren't surprised by his rise in the polls.
"He has class -- and you can't buy class -- he's brilliant, he's compassionate and when he gets through speaking, you know what he said," said Linda Sontchi, who drove from Ozark in Franklin County to see Carson. "It's not like it's all rhetoric."
"He's not as flashy as Trump. It's like the tortoise and the hare. He's going to finish the race first."
Carson praised aliens for their big dreams and hard work. His remarks were in stark contrast to Trump's, who has characterized some aliens as "rapists" and "murderers."
"Go to Ellis Island and take a look at that museum," Carson said. "On the wall, you'll see pictures of people who came here from every part of the world, in many cases with all their earthly belongings in their two hands. People who worked, not five days a week, but six days or seven days a week, not eight hours a day, but 10, 12 hours a day."
They're part of what makes the United States exceptional, he said.
"Of all the nations in the world, this one, the United States of America, is the only one big enough and great enough to allow all of those people from all of those backgrounds to remember their dreams," he said. "We are all culturally relevant to each other."
Doyle Webb, chairman of the state Republican Party, welcomed Carson to the state right before Carson addressed the crowd.
He listed for the crowd some of the neurosurgeon's accomplishments, noting that Carson had won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"We are pleased today to have the good doctor in Arkansas," Webb said. "He is seeking your support in his race for the Republican nomination for the presidency, and he's got a prescription for what ails America."
Metro on 08/28/2015