Given doctors are the main recipients of a market-run system that focuses on profits instead of care, I’d say they aren’t the most reliable sources of information about health care funding and policy. They scream “don’t sue us” while refusing to be regulated. It’s like asking prostitutes whether we should regulate sex.

Obama is a pro at making conservatives look idiotic. But then again, it doesn’t take much.

Were these docs from every state supposed to be “representative” of docs across America? I doubt it.
Many were from Doctors For America, an organization lobbying for ObamaCare. Here is some background on DFA:

I’ve been following Doctors for America since the election. Back then they were called Doctors for Obama. It appears they got started as part of a smear on John McCain.
After the election these partisans in lab coats changed their name to position themselves for the health care debate to come. Now they are just Doctors for America. However, as the NY Times notes, DFA head Alice Chen (who has been to the White House to lobby for reform prior to yesterday) is working closely with Organizing for America and posted this note on the OFA website yesterday.
Finally, I can’t help but note that one of the “Senior Advisers” of DFA is none other than Jacob Hacker, architect of the public option and of much of Obama’s plan. DFA is not an independent group of doctors. They are highly partisan and well connected to the White House.

The link is: http://www.verumserum.com/?p=8981
Run on over to that site and read the post. And why not comment there while you’re at it.

Because Republican presidents have never, ever done photo ops at the White House with people and groups that support their policies. Obama is the first president ever to do such a thing.
Honestly, do you even bother thinking before you post anymore, or is your Obama Derangement Syndrome that severe that you’ll just blindly lash out at everything he does?

Poll Finds Most Doctors Support Public Option:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112818960
And per usual, still waiting for a faith angle that distinguishes your political posts from anything we’d find on Hot Air or Redstate. The link between Reformed theology and Republican partisanship isn’t self-evident.

I’m almost positive “conservatives” had no problem with the Potemkin Villages Bush Jr set up in his tireless pursuit to produce undeniable damage to the country. Where were you during those eight years? Obama is actually pursuing something positive for the country. He was hired to address our major problems in education, energy, the economy, and healthcare reform. In less than 9 month’s that he’s been POTUS, he’s worked nearly every day on these very issues.
He should use every tool at his disposal to reach the goals he promised to accomplish during his campaign. He won after all.

It is a great idea for Obama to look for buy in from the various professional groups who are impacted by the current state of our health care system. It is a strength, not a weakness.
Given that I’ve visited quite a few doctors’ offices in my life where they had to stop using various health insurance providers because it was such a hassle to get paid by them that it wasn’t worth it, I would say that involving docs is a great idea. It looks like we are going to end up with some kind of health care reform bill passed soon.
It really is too bad (and I mean this) that many conservatives (at least those on the Right) have wasted an opportunity to provide real input by spreading lies such as “death panels.” As a moderate, I am so turned off by extremist rhetoric (no matter who it comes from) that I have stopped taking Republicans (especially those in Congress) seriously. And I’m registered Republican (soon to change to Independent).

Bob Wolfe,
He should use every tool at his disposal to reach the goals he promised to accomplish during his campaign. He won after all.
How about Obama does this: he gets his own party in line and they vote in whatever they want. They won, after all and hold the majority in both houses of Congress. I really don’t understand what they are waiting on.

How about Obama does this: he gets his own party in line and they vote in whatever they want.
Indeed. That would be nice. But diplomacy doesn’t work that way. Above all, Obama is a shrewd diplomat who promised to do something for millions of uninsured Americans (much to the dismay of conservative). By reaching out in a bipartisan way early on — only to discover the GOP was taking their cues directly from Beck, Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Joe Wilson, and and disenchanted teabaggers — he effectively made republicans completely and totally irrelevant in this debate.

So pass it! What are they (Dems) waiting on? If the Republicans are “completely and totally irrelevant,” then just pass it. Why don’t they do it?

the obama haters are hilarious. when professional doctors team up to speak out about a cause that they champion for a cause that they believe in, you attack them while in the same breath prop up those doctors who are opposed to reform.
some doctors are against obama’s health insurance reform, more are for it… in about the same proportion as the general public.
i’m with mr. wolfe. the opportunity for republicans to offer meaningful input (if there was anything beyond their hysterics of “death panels” and “dying waiting in line” and “unplugging grandma” and “socialism”) has passed. they’ve already shown that they are against anything that is good for this country as long as obama is for it.

What I’m saying is, in case it has escaped you, now that republicans have been through the “elimination round,” all Obama has to deal with are his friends on the left, you know, the ones NOT shouting “you lie!” at him. To think that every democratic member of congress is just going to fall in line and rubber stamp everything the president wants is ridiculous. Surely you must thinking of what republicans did when they were in control.

Mr. Anonymous,
I don’t know about Obama haters. I’m sure there are some out there, a small group. Just as I’m sure there were, and apparently still are, Bush haters. You can see most of them commenting on the huffington post.
they’ve already shown that they are against anything that is good for this country as long as obama is for it.
Here is how I would re-phrase your statement to reflect my (and most conservatives’) view:
“they’ve [Conservatives, not Obama haters] already shown that they are against anything that is bad for this country as long as obama is for it.”
I would be for anything Obama is for if I believed it is constitutional and good for our country.

Bob,
No it has not escaped me that all Obama has to deal with are his friends on the left. He is the left. He doesn’t need every member of Congress. Dems have the majority! Pass it. Use the “nuclear” option. We conservatives dare them. We’ll just have to unwind this mess after the Dems are voted out. But we can handle it.
Surely you must thinking of what republicans did when they were in control.
Bush had all the Rs lined up? You’re kidding, right? Just one example:
The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush’s plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.
It was a victory for Republican conservatives who strongly criticized the bill’s provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with calls, faxes and e-mails.
Hardly lockstep. And we Conservatives were elated when Bush failed to get that bill passed!

This should have been italicized:
It was a victory for Republican conservatives who strongly criticized the bill’s provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with calls, faxes and e-mails.
Link is http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19475868/

apparently there are a few who prefer the current health care rationing plan.
let’s not forget that when it comes to trotting out the “professionals who support my side” of the issue, michele was right out front with her post of a (bogus and highly criticized) poll.
you’re losing. again. it seems you need to find a new fear tactic.
mr. ed, since you’ve been appointed to speak for conservatives, perhaps you can say what conservatives hate about the olympics (or what they find to be unconstitutional about hosting the olympics).
if you happen to think that the current health insurance system here flawless, you’re entitled to that opinion. meanwhile, your leaders are on record saying things like “If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” they’re on record cheering that obama failed to persuade the olympics council to bring the olympics to the states.
if you don’t agree with them, maybe you should choose new leaders in your republican party who actually reflect your views instead of championing the ones you have now.

And we Conservatives were elated when Bush failed to get that bill passed!
Geez. It is no small wonder your side has also failed to attract the ever expanding hispanic electorate. But I stand corrected. The rubber stampers didn’t rubber stamp every single thing.
We conservatives dare them.
Well I double dare you conservatives to try and stop healthcare reform. Look, if talk radio and TV hosts were so effective then we’d have president McCain & vice president Palin at the helm. And thank God we don’t.

So much to respond to, so little time.
Mr. Anonymous:
perhaps you can say what conservatives hate about the olympics (or what they find to be unconstitutional about hosting the olympics).
Nice redirection try. I’m not going there. That’s another post.
if you happen to think that the current health insurance system here flawless, you’re entitled to that opinion.
I’ve never said it is flawless. No Conservative has said that. Your statement is crass assumption and baseless. It really contributes nothing to a real debate.
The rest of your comments are off topic.
Bob,
I can’t speak for the Republican party. But wooing voting blocks should not be the aim of policy. Enforcing the law is far more important.
Well I double dare you conservatives to try and stop healthcare reform.
We can’t. No argument. Dems have the majority. That is what I’ve been saying. So pass it already. Then we can move on to Cap (productivity) and Tax (the poor and middle class).

“So pass it! What are they (Dems) waiting on? If the Republicans are “completely and totally irrelevant,” then just pass it. Why don’t they do it?”
Maybe they’re afraid that doing something so drastic would cause even more conservatives to show up with guns where the president is speaking?

“We can’t.”
in that case, mr. ed, why don’t all the republicans just stay home?
the topic was about using medical professionals on both sides of the debate to try to bolster their case… you went off topic to challenge the dems to just pass healthcare reform. the dare is stupid and formed by a simpleton view of the world.
it amuses me the way conservative republicans view congress and the world. black or white, with us or against us. for you i guess it’s that simple, since all the republicans remaining are extremist ideologues with a common mindset and belief system; simple drones who do the bidding of the queen bee (they’re still trying to decide if the queen is rush limbaugh or glenn beck). because of small thinking, conservative republicans assume that everyone with a label or in a group must do the same thing, think the same thoughts and vote the same way.
however, in the democratic party there are also some conservatives along with liberals and moderates. i know, it’s hard for a republican to believe that a political party can have such a diverse, big tent. but this is why the republican party is irrelevant. democrats need to hash out their differences among themselves and pass the bill that the people want, despite republicans’ obstruction. considering congressional republicans’ childish antics, i predict that’s exactly what will happen.
“Nice redirection try… The rest of your comments are off topic.”
funny, nobody before complained when you went off topic. but hey, if you don’t want to address that your conservative congressmen aren’t willing to put anything worthwhile on the table for discussion and then vote for it because their goal is simply to bring down obama, well that’s your prerogative.
i’d correct you on the rest of your comments, but they’re off topic.

Wow, Michelle, your hate and fear really came through strongly on this post.
I guess that means things are looking good for American.

The fact that a sitting US president puts together a photo op at the White House to help push one of his major legislative agenda items isn’t exactly shocking news, except in the right wingnuttosphere.
The polls show the majority of Americans, and the majority of doctors, support a public option. And by a significant margin.
My mother has Tricare. Unlike many private plans, it continues to cover her even after her second husband’s (a navy vet) death. That’s not cheap to do. It’s really very good. A 20% cost increase in 3 years is still less than the rise in premiums and copays for most private insurances.

Obama will do the right thing. You will thank him when you or someone you love gets free care instead of DYING because the cost for treatment is ridiculously high!
Why do you think that poor people deserve to die?
Why do you only want rich people to have medication?
Are you a nazi?