OBSTRUCT AND BLAME

It has been nearly a year since Vivek Murthy was nominated by President Obama to serve as the next Surgeon General, but thanks in large part to the gun lobby and their Republican allies in the Senate, there has yet to be any movement on his confirmation.

That vacancy has become a central focus in the last week as government officials and medical professionals try to calm the public about the spread of Ebola.

On Sunday, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked Senator Roy Blunt about the NRA’s role in blocking Murthy’s confirmation, but the Republican senator dismissed the question outright.

Blunt blamed the vacancy on President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has yet to put Murthy’s nomination to a full vote, and dismissed questions about the National Rifle Association’s efforts to block the nominee.

“The NRA said they were going to score the vote and suddenly everybody froze him,” said Chuck Todd. “That seems a little petty in hindsight, does it not?”

“Well, the president really ought to nominate people that can be confirmed to these jobs, and frankly then we should confirm them, there’s no question about that,” replied Blunt.

Earlier this year, the NRA launched a campaign to derail Murthy’s nomination because he voiced support for expanding background checks for gun purchases. His comments that gun violence was a public health concern raised the ire of the gun lobby and conservative lawmakers despite the fact that every major medical association — and several former Surgeons General under Republican presidents — shared the same view.

Todd questioned the wisdom of giving the NRA any kind of influence over the country’s top public health position, but Blunt rejected the notion that the NRA played any role in Murthy’s confirmation. “I’m not sure that’s why, you’d have to ask Senator Reid why he hasn’t move that to the top of his list to be confirmed.”

After the NRA began publicly opposing Murthy’s nomination, several of Blunt’s Republican colleagues including Rand Paul, John Cornyn and John Barrasso said they too would move to block Murthy’s nomination, and Paul placed a hold on the nomination.

Lawmakers and health experts have expressed concern over the lack of a Surgeon General to craft a unified response to the ebola diagnoses, leading to confusion that has helped fuel public fear of the virus, fear that is largely unfounded.

Blunt told Todd that he thinks we need a surgeon general. But asked if he would vote for Murthy’s confirmation, Blunt again refused to answer the question and blamed the administration.

“Until this came up, frankly I've heard very little discussion about the Surgeon General,” he said.

NFTOS

STAFF WRITER

WHY IS EBOLA THE THREAT THAT IT IS?

REPUBLICANS CUT HALF OF BUDGET FOR HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

There has been no lack of conservatives freaking out on Bullshit Mountain [Fox News] to discuss the arrival of the deadly Ebola virus in America, and they have had a fair measure of success frightening a surprisingly large segment of their viewership.

MADDOW PART ONE




MADDOW PART TWO

Republicans and their conservative cabal have even combined their ISIL fear-mongering tactics with their immigration fear-mongering to distract Americans going into an important midterm election. Except for the medical researchers and infectious disease scientists from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH), there has been precious little information from real medical professionals of any repute that could relieve the rising fear and anxiety among the population that knows little about the virus, or what precautions they need, if any, to protect themselves and their families.

Although experts claim there is little reason for panic of a devastating outbreak of the deadly virus in America, a recent Harvard poll revealed that 39% of American adults are worried about a large-scale outbreak and over 25% are mortified that an immediate family member will be stricken with the infectious virus and die. What America needs at times like this is a trusted public health expert and medical professional to educate the public about the risk of contracting Ebola and reassure them that there is little to worry about and what steps to take to stay safe and Ebola-free.

Last November 14th, the President nominated Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, an extremely qualified candidate to replace ‘acting’ Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin. It took three months, but the Senate finally got around to holding a confirmation hearing for Dr. Murthy’s appointment. However, the National Rifle Association exerted its very substantial legislative prerogative and blocked Murthy’s confirmation because he does not recognize that the NRA is “fourth and all-powerful branch of the federal government” and called for sane gun restrictions to prevent more Americans from dying unnecessarily from the gun violence epidemic. It is exactly what a real medical professional, and highly-qualified potential Surgeon General of the United States is supposed to do - help prevent a deadly epidemic from spreading to save American lives.


It is a sad state of affairs when Republicans and their puppet masters - the NRA, are able to wield such powerful influence that they will not vote to confirm Dr. Murthy. Ebola is not an epidemic in America and a trusted Surgeon General would ease the fear and anxiety among the growing number of Americans worried they or their families will contract and succumb to the virus. However, because the qualified Surgeon General candidate believes easing the proliferation of guns driving the real American epidemic killing over a hundred Americans daily and injuring even more, the National Rifle Association, Republicans, and a few gun-shy Democrats will not allow his confirmation.

With the blockage of Dr. Vivek H. Murthy - along with a republcian lead congress reducing federal dollars to PHEP [Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement Funding] by half since 2006 [See above Gantt Chart] its no wonder why America is not prepared for a Ebola outbreak.

Naturally, like all things tea bagger, if Obama wasn't busy covering up Benghazi conspiracies by playing golf, we would be more prepared for Ebola.

Conservatives are our own worst enemy. This story is a prime example readers of why we should always - "remember to spay or neuter your Republicans".






NFTOS
Editor-In-Chief
Roger West