Michael Moore’s prominence in the health care reform debate is symptomatic of a diseased public discourse. And, make no mistake about it, the pathology is spreading. As David Hogberg notes, it has moved beyond entertainment venues like Oprah to the California legislature. Yes, that’s what I said, the outsize auteur is actually going to testify before a group of elected officials formulating health care policy:
The briefing is sponsored by State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, chair of the Senate Health Committee, and author of a sweeping healthcare reform bill, SB 840. The briefing for legislative co-authors of SB 840 will be followed by a big rally with Moore and Physicians for a National Health Program …
But, as Kevin, MD notes, perhaps the most shocking WTF relating to Sicko is this statement by the president of the AMA:
“Anything—including a film—that can bring this issue into the public eye is good for the debate,” says heart surgeon Dr. William Plested, president of the American Medical Assn. “So, I’m cheering on Michael Moore, even though I haven’t seen the film.”
It’s one thing for intellectually lazy journalists and demented denizens of the wackosphere to treat Moore as if he has something useful to say in the health care reform debate. That government policy-makers and the AMA do so is another thing entirely. It is a sign that the national conversation about health care is in the grip of a deadly infection.
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