Doctors from all 50 states come to support reform.
White House Photo, Lawrence Jackson, 10/5/09
Love the lab coats.
Adds just the right touch of staging, don’t it?
I actually first heard about this from a 6 year old I was driving to work, yesterday afternoon, after picking him up from his school along with his sister (I teach gymnastics, and they both take classes). He asked me why the president was with doctors (he must have seen this on tv at school, or something). I had no idea what he was referring to, but said it probably had to do with healthcare reform (as opposed to President Obama being in need of medical attention).
President Obama recruited a group of doctors today to help make a final push of health care through Congress.
“The reason these doctors are here is because they have seen firsthand what’s broken about our health care system,” Obama said, referring to his guests from all 50 states who converged on the White House Rose Garden.
All the doctors wore white lab coats. (“You look very spiffy in your coats,” the president told the crowd.)
The coats were supplied by Doctors for America, a group that backs what it calls “meaningful health care reform.” Other organizations who attended event included the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, and the American College of Physicians.
“Any elected official who has said they have not heard from a doctor in their state who supports health care reform was proven wrong today,” said Dr. Mandy Krauthamer, executive director of Doctors for America.
Of course, Republicans have doctors who oppose Obama’s health care ideas. House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said, “members of the medical community — who deal with red tape day in and day out — rightly recognize that the Democrats’ government takeover would weaken the doctor-patient relationship that is so critical to making the right health care decisions.”
During his eight-minute speech, Obama referred to the various proposals pending in the House and Senate, both directly and indirectly.
Standing directly behind the president were physicians from Arkansas, Maine, Florida and Nebraska. All of those are states with key senators in the health care political battle: Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine, moderate Democrats Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Obama noted that Congress has spent the better part of a year debating health care, and now is the time to start making some final decisions.
“At this point,” Obama said., “we’ve heard all the arguments on both sides of the aisle. We have listened to every charge and every counter-charge, from the crazy claims about death panels to misleading warnings about a government takeover of our health care system.”
Obama urged the doctors to speak out on behalf of a new health care system.
“You are the people who know this system best,” he said.
So what percentage of doctors actually support Obamacare?
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.
Well, here is a snippet from the New England Journal of Medicine who actually did a survey.
Here is the source : http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1790
This certainly gives new meaning to the term, “playing doctor”. Bend over and say “ahhh”, the President wants to help you again.
Just a peak ahead to the future of Obamacare: Can’t find a doctor? Call the White House, they have been called in for a photo-op today.
On the Obama show, great post, my take attached
We can only hope there is an end to this childishness in the very near future. Enough of this grown man (Obama) doing so much pretending and living out his own psychosis.
There you go again with the veiled threats. What are you calling for in the “very near future”?
@Blast:
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=25588
Sermo.com is the physician’s blog referenced in above:
http://www.sermo.com/blog/
Caught in spam, P&T
Citing a mail in survey where the recipients were PAID to respond? Give me a break.
I can play that game all day long.
@ Missy, did you read the New England Journal of Medicine study? Although I take what they say on face value, they did delineate their methodology. As to the author of the article you reference… he quotes 87% of Sermo.com were against the House Bill (presumably with a public option)… ok, let me see… an online blog poll (Sermo.com) vs. the New England Journal of Medicine… which one are we to believe? Are we supposed to equally weight both polls and call it a draw?
I’ve always suspected that men in white coats would come for leading Democrats like Obama, but I expected them to take a more proactive approach!
Get the gardeners.Don’t forget the lab coats.
This box has the cameras from Iraq.Put it back in the van.
When I saw all the white coats at the WH, I was sure there was one of those “I love Me Jackets” waiting for Obama. Damn! Too bad they forgot to bring it.
Madalyn
Hahaha…and for another take on the men in the white coats around Obama: http://deweyfromdetroit.com
Check out the incredibly profound Monday post on dewey’s blog stemming from Time Mag’s cover story about Detroit…amazing comparison of Pre and Post WWII Detroit, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Very good conservative blog.
Apparently most of these doctors are big time contributors to the Democratic party; What a SURPRISE!!
@Blast:
The NEJM site that you sourced is still posting that we have 47 million uninsureds, even Obama doesn’t go that route anymore, suddenly 17 million people must have gone out and purchased insurance or they dropped the illegals. One would think an organization such as this would make an effort to use correct imformation.
Another point I will make is that only 18% of physicians belong to the AMA(makes you wonder?), the NEJM used the AMA database to conduct the poll. Note the cozy relationship shared by the AMA…remember, only 18% of all physicians, Obama and NEJM, these are references posted at the bottom of the source you provided:
And as the first source I posted mentions, nothing is known of the 4,000 plus that turned in their survey. Are they government doctors that would benefit? their political affiliation? how do they view the Robert Woods Foundation that conducted the poll? Can’t tell me can you?
If they weren’t intending to use this politically, the information would be posted for all to see just as all other legitimate polling groups do.
So, I will continue to trust my doctor blog and view NEJM as the same type of organization as Lancet…………politically biased to the left.
@Blast:
Paranoia
–noun
Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
Hope you get well in the very near future.
You obviously did not read the materials closely, the AMA database they used was of ALL US PHYSICIANS REGARDLESS OF AMA AFFILIATION.
And, the doctor blog used what methodology outside of your blind trust? It is like looking at an online poll at MSNBC or FOX… useless.
Gee…I’m disappointed…seems almost every other picture I’ve seen of this event has
“Dr. Squirrel” in it.
@Blast:
SO, WHAT !!!! AMA AFFILIATION DOES NOT EVEN MATTER! The point I am making is why only 18% choose to belong to the AMA? The AMA supports HR 3100 and they aided in conducting the poll. I apologize that my paragraphs in 15 were not put together well, too many distractions today, he’s napping now.
WHAT MATTERS IS THEY DELIBERATELY DID NOT INCLUDE POLITICAL AFFILIATION. STANDARD IN POLLING BECAUSE IT CAN AND DOES INFLUENCE RESULTS.
This poll should have also included whether these doctors were EMPLOYED BY THE GOVERNMENT. We already know the two involved in the poll were registered democrats that contributed to Obama and AMA supports HR 3100, this thing has stink all over it.
@ Missy, lets be clear… the sample the NEJM used was not exclusively AMA members. Your 18% figure about them is an obfuscation of the facts and not salient, since it has no impact on the survey (since it was broad based). You have not given me any facts to support why you recognize the Sermo.com web based survey. Can you answer the same questions you pose about the NEJM study when it comes to the Sermo study? Do you know of the so called 87% how many are employed by the government? What was the methodology used in their survey that compels you to accept it at a higher value than the NEJM?
@ Missy.
The boy you are attempting to make think, is completely unable to do so. He is one of those who WANT the government to take over his life, so that he will be alleviated of all adult responsibility. He will disagree with the color of the sky, even if as comes down to one of 500 different shades of what you and I know as blue.
There is no way you can get through to a person who is unwilling to think for himself, let alone take care of himself. He is a liar and a fraud, willing to lie even to himself.
Move on, and continue bringing the rest of us your insightful POV.
@Blast
MMS Issues Strong Support for President Obama’s Commitment to Pass Health Care Reform
Doesn’t Mass. have Romneycare
No bias here….
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ADULT LIFE….I believe absolutely nothing, zilch, nada, zero from a sitting President.
I have lost total confidence in this poseur from his demonstrated penchant for “stretching the truth.”
(including the current FLOTUS–who basically told the IOC she sat on her father’s lap at age twenty even though her father had to walk on crutches to compensate from his MS condition)
If today’s WH event had been sincere – the message would have come across – without props (coats.) I wonder how/if many of the crowd were paid performers to fill chairs for the event? Similar to the rented lab coats.
I am surprised the stagers did not make the “doctors” put stethoscopes around their necks.
@Patvann, Your personal attacks are just a reflection on what little you have to offer.
@ICanCopyAndPasteToo, I have no idea of how biased the The Massachusetts Medical Society is… If you read what I wrote… I said I take their poll at face value. I do not accept online polls from an organization who I don’t know, and that I cannot access details about their methodology (such as Sermo.com) – At least when you read NEJM’s poll, they reveal the scientific method they used to produce the report.
@Missy – I am still waiting on a reply to these questions.
Can you answer the same questions you pose about the NEJM study when it comes to the Sermo study? Do you know of the so called 87% how many are employed by the government? What was the methodology used in their survey that compels you to accept it at a higher value than the NEJM?
If the doctors had gotten unruly, the press would have used the pictures to claim that Obama was attacked by a mob of KKK (minus the hoods & burning cross).
I understand they’re going to donate the extra doctor coats to the homeless, as part of the Obamcare push to get more doctors on the street.
Blast: I do not accept online polls from an organization who I don’t know, and that I cannot access details about their methodology.
But you don’t know the methodology of the poll from New England Journal of Medicine because you cannot answer how many are democrats or how many are republican or how those two sides were weighted. You do not have that methodology handy some where do you? Because no one here can seem to find it and you conveniently neglect to notice when anyone brings it up. Surprisingly, not all doctors are democrats who voted for YoMama and blindly support anything the democrats do.
Is that sputtering BlASSt STILL going on about that flawed poll which was bought and paid for? Even the respondents were PAID!
Good grief… Everyone with half a brain, not even one tied behind their back, knows that the vast majority of doctors are strongly opposed to Obama Care. All I need to do is poll members of my own family who are physicians.
Democrats have BLOCKED every bipartisan solution to what they claim is a crisis in health care. Can they be surprised that doctors don’t embrace their “reforms” which fail to seriously address the real issues?
The NEJM methodology is posted online and political party affiliation was not in their poll. If you want to know the methodology all you needed to do is look at the link I provided previously. —> since you asked, here is a link directly to the appendix from the article. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/data/NEJMp0908239/DC1/1
MikeA. You obviously don’t read comments. I take the NEJM article at face value, just like any real poll. I do weigh it much greater than some unscientific poll being taken online. I bet if the NEJM poll came out against public option you would be posting it 24/7. So get a life. It is just a poll.
Then it is a bad poll with an improper methodology. They elected NOT to weigh the politics of the people answering political questions. I need to know that they weighted the poll along political lines and asked an equal number of republicans and democrats. Or at least weighted the poll according to hte weights in the last election. The fact that they DID NOT do this just proves they do not understand what polling is. Just because a roomful of democrats all agree doesn’t mean a thing. Of course they all agree with each other. Duh! All the doctors at YoMama’s event were campaign contributors.
You are hilarious! You really don’t understand statistics or polling at all! Of course the government run media relies on your ignorance and you certainly have drunk the kool aid.
Actual Steve, you are if you weighted a poll based upon political beliefs you would change the outcome. IT WAS A RANDOM SAMPLE. What part of a random sample don’t you understand? The idea is it should mirror the larger group…
Actually you just showed your total lack of understanding. This is not CSPAN where the Republicans and Democrats each have separate phone lines to call in on… it is a RANDOM SAMPLE! There is no doubt that polls have biases, inaccuracies and a raft of problems. I even said I take this poll at face value, but you totally diminish it based upon lack of understanding the basics of scientific polling.
Ha Ha Ha. Hilarious. Thanks for the laugh.
Yeah sure Steve.. people who laugh by themselves are the first clue they are nuts. Then you open your mouth and say a poll should be weighed by partisan interests… what a laugh. You probably think the Fox.com polls are totally accurate. Go call CSPAN on the Republican phone line and complain.
And right back to the ad hominem attacks. No defense so call names. Good work when you can get it.
If you so distrust all polls then why do you quote them to make a point?
@Patvann:
Thank you kindly, been away for awhile today, came back, read a few posts and have decided you have given me sage advice. Thanks again!
Did they run out of coats?
What about the doctors from the other 7 states?
Strange, maybe they had to perform emergency abortions on the White House Lawn!
Maybe Proctologists and ob gyn men are always suited up to give emergency medical assistance while in uniform. Proctology may be an expanding field with Obama i the White House.