The White House made a big deal of the support it has garnered from physicians around the country. Yesterday they even held a doctors’ rally – complete with white smocks – to show support. Yet the physicians in attendance weren’t the disinterested crowd President Obama suggested – many were longtime Democrat donors.
Based on the list of attendees provided to Time, it seems that the crowd was full of ringers. Here is a look at the history of political donations by some in attendance. It is not complete, but this is what I was able to find by searching the database at Congressional Quarterly:
- Dr. Hershey Garner: more than $10,000 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Mona Mangat: $500 in donations to Barack Obama last year.
- Dr. Amanda McKinney: $2,750 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Alice Chen: $1,810 in donations to Barack Obama since last year.
- Dr. Michael Newman: $4,550 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Jason Schneider: $600 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Stanton McKenna: $1,000 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Biron Baker: $500 donated to Barack Obama last year.
- Dr. Nick Perencevich: $500 in donations to Democrats since 2008.
- Dr. Elaine Bradshaw: $500 in donations to Barack Obama last year.
- Dr. Boyd Shook: $3,500 in donations to Democrats since 2002.
- Dr. Tracy Nelson: $1,500 in donations to Barack Obama.
- Dr. Winfred Parnell: More than $5,700 in donations to Democrats since 2001.
- Dr. Gary Goldbaum: $300 in donations to Democrats since 2004.
- Dr. Jan Sarnecki: $3,400 in donations to Democrats since 2004.
According to the White House, the rally was attended by about 150 doctors. I have only checked the backgrounds of the 50 identified to Time. Given the highly political nature of the debate, I’m willing to bet that the White House did its best to highlight the support of those who don’t have a long history of supporting Democrats. Thus, we might expect that the other 100 doctors are more consistent Democrat donors.
It’s too bad the White House didn’t state up front that some unspecified swath of those in attendance were confirmed partisans – not the impartial experts the White House claimed.
They should change their name to Liberal Doctors for America.
Cross-posted to theconservatives.com
Note: My Washington Times colleague Amanda Carpenter has more on this.
