A White House photo-op, utilizing 150 doctors wearing white coats in the Rose Garden, grabbed some TV and still camera attention but left unanswered whether the group was a typical cross-section of medical professionals around the land as debate continued on health care, observes Grumpy Editor.
President Barack Obama was photographed on the podium with three doctors prior to another pitch for health care reform.
The Monday event attracted about 150 invited doctors. Those who came without the requested white coats were provided government-issued outer garments, with the tab paid by taxpayers.
That way, reminiscent of Hollywood studios’ PR people promoting a medical movie, TV viewers --- and attending media --- could see “a sea of white coats” representing the medical profession.
It also gave the president a line to work into his remarks: “You look spiffy in your coats.”
“Nobody has more credibility with the American people on this issue than you do,” Obama told the white-garbed guests. “When you cut through all the noise and all the distractions that are out there, I think what's most telling is that some of the people who are most supportive of reform are the very medical professionals who know the health-care system best.”
Responding to the White House “costume party,” Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.), an orthopedic surgeon before becoming a congressman, said, “Today, the president wants you to believe that the medical community supports his government takeover of health care. Don't be fooled.”
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R., Ohio) said large numbers of doctors fear it would cripple their ability to care for patients, adding, “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.”
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