Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General

[WeDidIt]

Obama Wants Journalist for Surgeon General

By Howard Kurtz
President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

Gupta has told administration officials that he wants the job, and the final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer.

When reached for comment today, Gupta did not deny the account but declined to comment.

The offer followed a two-hour Chicago meeting in November with Obama, who said that Gupta could be the highest-profile surgeon general in history and would have an expanded role in providing health policy advice, the sources said. Gupta later spoke with Tom Daschle, Obama's White House health czar and nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, and other advisers to the president-elect.

<snip>

Washington Post Article

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Holy shit - is this for real?

No fucking way should Mr Sponsored-By-Merck get ANYWHERE NEAR the SG's office!:thumbsdown:

[WeDidIt]

5. It's the Washington Post saying it

So take that for what it's worth.

[Dennis Donovan]

7. Worse, Howie Kurtz...

;)

[WeDidIt]

16. Yeah, and Howie is a colleague of Sanjay

so he probably has a bit of inside info.

[Dennis Donovan]

27. Plus, they see each other every Tuesday night at the Union Hall...

...Shills' Local 103.:D

[yardwork]

30. I'm going to assume that this is a publicity stunt until I see confirmation.

[Dennis Donovan]

35. I don't know if Howie Kurtz would go this far out on a limb for a publicity stunt...

He's reporting that Gupta is poised to accept it.

This sucks! In the top 3 things WRONG with the US Health Care system is BIG Pharma! Sanjay has been sponsored by Big Pharma for YEARS. I just don't like this at all!!:thumbsdown:

[yardwork]

37. This would be the worst appointment made by Obama so far. the absolute worst.

This would be embarrassing.

[Dennis Donovan]

39. Yes, embarassing.

That's a good way to put it.

[B o d i]

49. Talking about it right now on CNN as well, nt

[bunnies]

2. Will that get him off tv?

If so, I'm all for it.

[brentspeak]

3. The same idiot who was caught lying about Michael Moore's "Sicko"?

Dr. Mainstream Media Big Medicine Status Quo Shill?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

6. Fortunately, that would fall under Daschle jurisdiction - not Gupta's.

If that's any comfort.

[yardwork]

34. Not a whole lot. I keep trying to forget that Daschle is now responsible for fixing HHS.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

43. I know your feelings on Daschle.

I am hopeful and confident that your mistrust of him will be proven wrong. I don't think he'll fully accomplish the goal of universal health care - but I don't think anyone could at this moment in history. I do have faith that he will put us on the right track towards it, however.

For our nation's sake, let's hope I'm right on this one. :-)

[dflprincess]

45. Daschle might achieve "universal healthcare"

but I'm sure he'll support some "reform" that forces us to purchase coverage from the crooks that are already robbing us blind rather than anything "radical" like single payer.

And while this is Daschle's area, the last thing anyone would want is a Surgeon General who actually has any credibility who might go rogue and announce that a single payer, universal system is vital for the health of America. With Gupta there's no risk of that happening.

This really is just another corporate appointment.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. Yes, the same idiot.

:grr:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Much as I think he's a hack, he's probably a good choice.

Probably a good idea to have someone that has a built-in audience, someone that people might actually listen to instead of ignore (heck, I can't even name our current SG). I don't like Gupta at all... but I also can't think of anyone else what he does except maybe the even more loathesome Dr. Oz.

[WeDidIt]

12. I like Sanjay Gupta

I've got a lot of respect for him after seeing his reporting from Iraq, and then performing neurosurgery on a badly wounded soldier when no doctors in theater felt qualified to perform the operation.

[bdamomma]

70. I like him too.

[Maru Kitteh]

33. Those are all very good points, and he would be working under Obama

So I could deal with Sanjay as SG.

[ColbertWatcher]

60. It's a lazy choice. I'm somewhat disappointed.

Only because Obama picked someone from TV, instead of someone who doesn't already have their own makeup and PR people.

[SoCalDem]

8. Is this from the ONION???

Geez Louise.. Sanjaya would be a more interesting choice ..

Dr Gupta is the Dr. Phil of medicine.. He is a doctor, that's true, but he's a schlock-meister for CNN....His "hard-hitting" pieces always have a tinge of the slant CNN prefers.

There HAS to be a better choice.. If he wants a TV doctor, that Dr Oz that's on Oprah's show is waaaaay better..


or

what about Dr Laura?

or Dr House?

c'mon...not Sanjay

[WeDidIt]

13. Sanjay Gupta is an incredibly gifted neurosurgeon

That's an undeniable fact.

[brentspeak]

17. In that case, keep him in the operating room

[OhioChick]

55. Exactly. n/t

[yardwork]

20. That may be true, but the surgeon general isn't called upon to perform surgery.

The surgeon general is supposed to set health care priorities and policies. Gupta is a commercial hack. I sincerely hope that this isn't true.

[WeDidIt]

29. Teh Surgeon General is more involved as a spokesperson

promoting health.

That's what Gupta is doing now any way.

[yardwork]

32. He's doing that as an employee of a network owned by a huge corporation.

Let them pay him to shill for their biggest advertisers.

It's not appropriate to hire a commercial hack to represent the U.S. government on health care.

[Maru Kitteh]

36. So he's supposed to have reached a broad audience as an employee of a tiny network

owned by 3 dudes from Honey Creek Iowa?

You be sure to tell Barack how inappropriate his behavior is.

[yardwork]

38. I don't believe it.

[Bluenorthwest]

46. Love your Vegan snark

but you do understand that this nation would be far better off if there were a few tiny networks owned by 3 dudes from anywhere, instead of 3 Giant Corps owning it all, don't you? I mean, you do know that the choice in TV is not large or small, but none or all, don't you?
You be sure to look up the sponsors of Gupta, and how they treat animals, understand what you defend, and just eat a huge prime rib, because you might as well. Just saying.
I'm sorry but your post was insipid in so many different ways I had to say something. Now go back to doing your pro-animal testing work.

[yardwork]

50. Great rant!

Hear, hear.

[hfojvt]

62. That should be Honey Creek, Sauk, Wisconsin

Honey Creek, Iowa is in the Omaha metro area. Way too commercial.

[SoCalDem]

22. How does he find the time to practice?

He sure spends a lot of time on the teeeee-veeee..

I do not doubt his medical credentials...just his "flexibility" with the scientific "stories" he covers for CNN..and covers with such exuberance..He always seems to be ready to prop up the latest utterances from Big RX..

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

25. Couldn't they find an anti-medicine alternative doctor for the position?

This is as bad as the pro-physics guy they picked for the DoE.

[physioex]

66. Do you have any undeniable facts.....

To show he would make a gifted a Surgeon General?

[onehandle]

10. .

.

[mikelgb]

11. No Dr. Phil?

[Solly Mack]

14. No need for reality TV anymore..

(if there ever was a need, that is)

[yardwork]

15. I hope that this is a joke.

[WeDidIt]

18. Nope, Howard Kurtz reporting in the Washington Post

Gupta is an incredibly gifted neurosurgeon.

[Lance_Boyle]

so why is he a TV talking head and a shill for PHRMA?

Doesn't he want to "practice his love" on some needy neurons? Why is he so selfish with his immense talents?

:eyes:

[Dennis Donovan]

21. This is like naming Judge Wapner to the US Supreme Court...

What a lousy pick...:thumbsdown:

[yardwork]

24. It's worse. It would be like appointing Judge Wapner if he was owned by the mafia.

It would be like appointing Judge Wapner if he had taken bribes for years and everybody knew he was taking bribes.

This has to be a joke.

[SoCalDem]

26. Hey.. What about Judge Judy? Juuuudy, Juuuudy, Juuudy

she's no slough..and she knows Larry King :)

[TahitiNut]

19. Too bad Gupta can't find a cure for his narcissism.

:shrug:

[HamdenRice]

23. The Surgeon General is basically a publicist for good health

The position had basically little function until it was reinvented by Dr. C. Everett Coop, under Reagan -- one of his few surprise good appointments.

He was appointed because of his anti-abortion background.

Instead, Dr. Coop "invented" a Captain Kangaroo uniform for his office, and went on the tv to talk about things like AIDS and exercise.

He was a great S-G, although now he's known mainly for hawking "life alert."

Despite his past corporate shilling, Gupta is basically a publicity guy and would be perfect for the job.

[yardwork]

28. Gupta can't be separated from his corporate shilling. He will be a publicity guy for Big Pharma.

If this is true - and I will wait to see confirmation before assuming it is true - then we might as well put Doonesbury's Mr. Butts in the job of surgeon general.

We might as well forget having a surgeon general and just let the pharmaceutical companies take turns in the role.

[hileeopnyn8d]

47. ITA

This is the way I'm thinking too. I honestly can't name a Surgeon General SINCE C. Everett Coop, I'm not sure that appointment went the way Reagan expected, what with his advocating for sex education in schools as early as third grade.

The appointment needs to return to high-profile, and I'm sure that is part of the rational behind appointing Gupta. I don't believe he will use the office to shill for Big Pharma.

He can be fired, Clinton fired his Surgeon General for "encouraging masturbation". <--------That's in quotes because it's a rightwing talking point. That isn't what she did, but it is how they framed it.

[Bluenorthwest]

51. Dr Koop did well

once he was at last allowed to address AIDS publically in 1986. Koop did try. I'll give him that. I have to say that he was not a big phrama shill and that was a huge plus, for big phrama was the enemy until they had a product to sell. Just saying the things he was able to get done might have been hindered by industry ties, and the things he did manage to do were very important. Koop was a working and teaching doctor prior to his appointment, not a media figure and not in anyone's pocket.

I really have to take issue at the image of Koop spending his tenure doing TV spots about AIDS, because if they did any, it would have been after 86. Reagan imposed total silence on even the word until that time. Koop did the first 'official' report on AIDS but he stepped down in 89. At that time, AIDS was a hugely inflamatory issue, and could not be catagorized as anything but the health issue of the day. TV spots about it were rare as can be, and it sure wasn't on a list of subjects with excersize, or even cancer. It was the Plauge unspoken. If Koop did a TV spot on AIDS, and he might have, it would have been a huge, groundbreaking thing. An extremely sensitive first.

Koop's TV spots were actually mostly about smoking, which was his number one issue.

[mikelgb]

31. Prediction: Supreme Court Justice Sheindlin

[Chovexani]

65. Best idea I've heard in weeks.

[tech3149]

40. I wouldn't let the fool care for my cats

Keep him on television where he belongs. His diagnostic skills are up there with a witch doctor. Too much belief and not enough examination of evidence.

[WeDidIt]

41. You are now blowing steam out of your ass

because you have no fucking clue what you are talking about.

One does NOT become an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta if one's "diagnostic skills are up there with a witch doctor".

Get a grip.

:eyes:

[tech3149]

68. I might not have a clue

but I know how to think. Mr Gupta may have gained some professional accolades and gotten a degree or two, but he's been selling the corporate line for more than a few years. To me he's nothing more than a corporate shill. And again, I wouldn't let him care for my cats, even with a recommendation.

[spanone]

42. i originally thought this was a joke......not anymore

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

44. If he's going for an Indian doctor, I would prefer Deepak Chopra.

:hide:

[Lisa0825]

48. yuck.

I hope the vetting comes up with something. That smarmy guy makes me sick. He was so full of shit re: Michael Moore's movie, plus he's anti- universal health care. He may be decent in front of the camera, but I personally can't stand him, and prefer not to have his influence involved in health care decisions.

[Catshrink]

52. The SG needs to know how to communicate about health issues.

Gupta certainly knows how to do that. I don't like his ties to big pharma and his dissing of Sicko either, but it's the communication part I think is important for the job.

[OhioChick]

53. Big Pharma Hack. n/t

[helderheid]

54. Michael Moore will be none too pleased.

[BurtWorm]

58. He'll shut up when he's nominated for Commerce

:hide:

[helderheid]

63. !!!

:spray:

[BurtWorm]

56. Judge Wapner for Supreme Court

:patriot:

[Tighelander]

57. What's Next? Suze Orzman for Commerce?

[helderheid]

64. Burtworm already pointed out that that goes to Michael Moore!

:rofl:

[stuntcat]

59. Corporate Spooge-brain?

I hate him. I know it's not cool to Hate but I've seen enough of him to know I do NOT want him in charge of anything that has to do with MY life.

Hearing his name on the news every day from now on will really do something to my good feelings for Obama.. I don't know.. I feel disappointed now.

[physioex]

67. I agree....

He is a lazy corporate shill.

[Fading Captain]

61. Obama for the TV Generation!

Lord.

[DireStrike]

69. Ugh

Ok. This is getting ridiculous now.