January 6, 2009

For Surgeon General, Obama picks Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Link.

Poll:

What is the significance of the Sanjay Gupta appointment?
Obama has made a strong advance in the project of merging politics and showbiz.
Surgeon General has long been a showbiz slot, so nothing much has changed.
pollcode.com free polls


ADDED: Cato@Liberty says:
[W]hy do we need a surgeon general in the first place? After all, can anyone name our current (acting) surgeon general?

In reality, the surgeon general is little more than the “national nanny,” hectoring us to stop smoking, lose weight, exercise more, and never ever go out without a condom. I’ve been flipping through my copy of the Constitution, and I can’t find the authorization for the federal government to take taxpayers’ money to establish an office to tell us how we should live our lives.

66 comments:

Sprezzatura said...

The conservatives here will like that Gupta got into a debate against Moore on Larry King--Ben Smith has a link

George M. Spencer said...

Too bad Chuck Norris supported Huckabee.

Otherwise he would have been great at CIA or FBI.

Fred would have been good at Defense, too.

traditionalguy said...

The Indian Community is way more important than the Arabs in my hometown. They are all Doctors or Owners of hotels with excellent financial skills. Money talks. Obama listens.

traditionalguy said...

Another thing about the Indian community is that the are all Dems, but they believe that Pres Obama is a moslem. They are also very good bundlers of political contributions. Pres Obama needs to win them over.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Seems like another unserious pick where Obama gave it very little thought or deliberation. I can picture him watching CNN and saying "how about that guy?".

Roberto said...

Gee, Ann...could you slant the polling question any more than you have already? You make it sound like the man has no qualifications whatsoever.

It's called push polling...right?

The fact that he's worked for CNN shouldn't detract from his medical resume and qualifications. (And I've LOVE to hear from anyone here who can compare theirs to his)

1. He received his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences at the University of Michigan, and his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical Center.

2. He completed his residency in neurological surgery within the University of Michigan Health System.

3. He specializes in all facets of neurosurgical care with a strong interest in complicated spine, trauma and 3-D image guided operations.

4. He's had articles published in the Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgical Focus on percutaneous pedicle screw placement, and also published papers on brain tumors and spinal cord abnormalities.
*Wikipedia

Roberto said...

AJ Lynch said..."Seems like another unserious pick where Obama gave it very little thought or deliberation."

That sounds more like another of your comments.

*"unserious"??

Duh.

Anonymous said...

Mmmmm....weren't a group of Indians bundling a big stack of dollars in order to convince Gov Blago to appoint Jesse Jackson Jr. to Obama's old senate seat?

Maybe the appointment of Gupta to the Surgeon General position is a sop to that group, and their wealthy brethren.

Sprezzatura said...

AJ,

According to your theory; do you think he'll be picking folks from "The Wire" (his favorite program) next?

Where will Omar fit in the government?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Of course CNN has been laying off talking heads so maybe this appointment lets Obama claim has already created (or saved) one of those 3 million new jobs he promises.

I'm Full of Soup said...

The Wire ? Am not very familiar with it. Saw it once and thought it was a blatant ripoff of Homicide Life on the Streets.

MadisonMan said...

I hear adverts for Dr. Gupta's weight loss clinics all the time. The clinics are down in Chicago. Why advertise in Madison? I wonder if he has a satellite branch in like Rockford or something.

I guess it's a different Dr. Gupta.

MadisonMan said...

Gautam Gupta, not Sanjay. Mystery solved.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I think the name Gupta in India is like Smith here.

Palladian said...

With his Oprah connections I was so hoping Obama would pick Dr. Phil™.

Roberto said...

"Maybe the appointment of Gupta to the Surgeon General position is a sop to that group, and their wealthy brethren."

Yeah, that must be it.

"I hear adverts for Dr. Gupta's weight loss clinics all the time."

Good lord...

"Money talks. Obama listens."

Duh.

"They are also very good bundlers of political contributions. Pres Obama needs to win them over."

Duh II.

"Seems like another unserious pick where Obama gave it very little thought or deliberation."

Super Duh.

Bender R said...

The Wire ? Am not very familiar with it. Saw it once and thought it was a blatant ripoff of Homicide Life on the Streets.

You really can't rip yourself off.

The Wire was created by the same guy as Homicide, and is considered by some to be something of a "follow-up" even if not strictly a sequel.

Ron said...

Maybe now putting Oprah in the cabinet isn't as wacky an idea as I thought!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The Huxtables were passed over... again.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Bender:

Re the wire. Then that indicates I am very astute heh.

I'm Full of Soup said...

And Michael is still a German valise.

Trooper York said...

Gee I hope Bob Villa get Housing and Urban Development.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Maytag Repair man for Commerce Secretary.

Trooper York said...

Denny Crane for the Supreme Court. He is about the average age right?

Anonymous said...

Ted Baxter for Press Secretary.

Anonymous said...

Michael for the Secretary of Inferior.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Kat Von D for Health and Human Services.

Matt Eckert said...

OJ Simpson for Secretary of Homeland Security.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Beta is here without Alpha! There is hope afterall. Heh.

Anonymous said...

What is the significance of the Sanjay Gupta appointment?

1. Racial politics. Obama needs Indian votes, contributions etc.

2. Culinary politics. Obama needs someone to help Joe Biden get his Donuts and Slurpees.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Ralph Cramden for Sec of Transportation.

Ed Norton for Infrastructure Czar.

Trixie for Dept of Home Economics.

Unknown said...

BetaLiberal:

Michael for the Secretary of the Interior of Obama's Rectum

Fixed.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Kareem Abdul Jabbar ..

To head the small business administration.

Anonymous said...

Major Major Major to head the Department of Departments Department.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TitusTheHillsAreAliveWithTheSoundofMusic said...

I would do Sanjay Gupta.

TitusTheHillsAreAliveWithTheSoundofMusic said...

I would not do Sanjay from American Idol.

TitusTheHillsAreAliveWithTheSoundofMusic said...

Actually I think I have done a Sanjay before.

TitusTheHillsAreAliveWithTheSoundofMusic said...

I did a Mohammad once too and while we are my loft mistakenly dialed my phone which was in my pants to my parents phone and my mother heard him and I doing it for like 30 minutes.

She called the next day worried because she got a call from me at three in the morning and heard some Mohammad was at my house. She thought it was a terrorist but then realized that we were just doing it.

Talk about embarassing.

I never carry my cell with me when I go out now.

TitusTheHillsAreAliveWithTheSoundofMusic said...

My poor mother got a couple of those late night calls from my cell. You have to be careful to shut them off otherwise they can dial back calls very easily, especially if you are moving around in sexual positions.

john said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
john said...

Michael -

Can he jump out of his car in the middle of an intersection and stop cold a fleeing suspect driving the other way, firing a single round? Well, can he?

The guy's just not qualified.

john said...

That does kind of play into the show biz aspect of the job.

That, and the uniform that was designed in the Spainsh American war.

Swifty Quick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
john said...

OK, you know he really looks like he could be Dev Patel's dad.

Funny, all this time I thought we were talking about this guy.

john said...

Zeb - u beat me to it.

Ron said...

I, for one, welcome our new celebutard overlords!

Send ScarJo to the Middle East...she can tell them when we're about to blow them up...

traditionalguy said...

Does Dr.Sanjay Gupta seem to anyone here to be a candidate for ignorant ridicule? This guy is just as qualified to be Surgeon General as David Petraeus is to be a U.S. Army General. The One hit a homerun here. This guy really is a top surgeon, and he has guts Brains and a good personality. He is an Emory U. Doctor here in Atlanta, and GREATLY respected.

dick said...

I think he might have been trying to get an offset for Gov Jindahl in case Jindahl is the Republican candidate in 2012 and he figures that Gupta will get the Indian vote for him.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Ignorant ridicule?

It is what I do best!

I'm Full of Soup said...

Don't worry traditional guy, this job is purely ceremonial and non-revenue producing.

Meaningless govt positions like this may be downsized before Obama's 1st term ends.

SteveR said...

Well he'll do better than Jocelyn Elders at making public statements although he's tended to get on the "woe is the planet because of man" script a bit too much for me. Let me guess, stop smoking, exercise more, eat better, practice safe sex.

Perhaps he'll be tasked to front Obama expected softening of federal embyonic stem cell rules, which he's well qualified to do.

Not his worst pick by far, in large part because he can't do that much damage (see Paulson, Henry).

former law student said...

Guptas have been high achievers since the first ones got here in the 60s. Obama thus appeals to Indians, high achievers, and people with cable TV.

Dr. Dean Edell would have been a poor substitute, I suppose.

Sprezzatura said...

traditionalguy,

It's precisely because he's accomplished that it's fun to poke a little fun--it' harmless.

Aside from Malkin's weak explanation of Gupta's background, she didn't seem totally opposed to him (which I interpret as approval from her for anything BHO related.) And, she had some funny lines:

"What next? Judge Judy for the next Supreme Court opening?

I vote for celebrity bounty hunter Duane “The Dog” Chapman to head the Border Patrol."

LoafingOaf said...

Would it be wrong to say I don't really care? I've seen Sanjay on TV once or twice and he seemed like a good dude. *shrug*

I'm too busy with other things. The new Morrissey album, "Years of Refusal", leaked to the internet last night!!! Titus, have you downloaded it yet?

LoafingOaf said...

For some reason I think Titus should hear "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore" off that album. Cuz, does he get all cold to people after he lays them? Lots of dudes will play that song and remember how Titus treated them all special till he got what he wanted on the floor.

Zachary Sire said...

The only thing I know about Surgeon Generals is Dr. Jocelyn Elders who told me to masturbate and C. Everett Koop who I always thought was actually Colonel Sanders. That is all.

dhagood said...

Deepak Chopra must've been too busy.

for whatever reason, this is the guy i thought of when i read that obama had picked gupta for surgeon general. "this can't possibly be true" sez i.

and it isn't.

Palladian said...

"The only thing I know about Surgeon Generals is Dr. Jocelyn Elders who told me to masturbate and C. Everett Koop who I always thought was actually Colonel Sanders. That is all."

So Colonel Koop taught you to fry your chicken and Dr Elders taught you to choke it.

rhhardin said...

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

I never heard of him. Show biz obviously isn't working.

I gather he's the _The Prophet_ guy.

KCFleming said...

One serious problem Gupta raises is that he is a CNN reporter, and the choice violates the supposed independence of news organizations.

In my view, it acknowledges a close working relationship between the Obama campaign for President and CNN, which was quite clear already, but now officially sanctioned.

That is, CNN shills for Obama, and that will continue.

And since when did "qualified" come to mean anything in any office anymore?

knox said...

I'd rather have Sanjaya.

Shanna said...

I can picture him watching CNN and saying "how about that guy?

I don’t have any problem with Dr. Gupta so far, but that thought cracks me up. Maybe it should have been Dr. Oz.

The Wire was created by the same guy as Homicide, and is considered by some to be something of a "follow-up" even if not strictly a sequel.

No kidding? I remember watching the wire and liking it when it first came on the air, but then I didn’t have HBO anymore and couldn’t keep up with it. Maybe I’ll rent it.

Sprezzatura said...

...it acknowledges a close working relationship between the Obama campaign for President and CNN, which was quite clear already, but now officially sanctioned.

This is such an outrage!!!!!!!!!!!

But, at least it's not like he's a political operative turned into a news anchor (for an organization run by a decades long political operative) that's becoming the White House spokesman. Thankfully that could never happen.

KCFleming said...

"Thankfully that could never happen."
Yeah, but it killed him, didn't it?

KCFleming said...

"This is such an outrage!!!!!!!!!!!"
In any case, your comment belies the truth. The Democrats were not outraged at all, except that it benefited Bush. Now that it benefits Obama, all is well.

No underlying principles are involved, it just depends on whose ox is gored.