The U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed the appointment of a new Surgeon General Monday, whose past “commitment to politics” has led him to campaign for stricter gun control measures. Monday was also Bill of Rights Day, which includes our Second Amendment guarantees to to keep and bear arms.
After becoming America’s newest Surgeon General by a 51-43 vote, President Barack Obama announced that Dr. Vivek Murthy will “hit the ground running to make sure every American has the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe,” according to the Washington Examiner.
The problem is, Murthy has previously demonstrated that his commitment to keeping “families safe” includes stricter gun control legislation. He refers to gun violence as a “healthcare issue.” As noted previously at Liberty Unyielding:
[W]hat makes … Murthy such a controversial choice for the post is not … that he is a champion of late-term abortions (though he probably is) or believes in fully government-subsidized sex reassignment surgeries (though he probably does).
The problem … rather, is his position on guns. Namely, he thinks one of the questions doctors should ask patients during a routine medical history is whether the person has any guns in his home. [Emphasis added]
If that’s not sufficient to disqualify him from serious consideration for the post of the nation’s chief medical officer, the fact that he developed anti-gun stance watching Saturday morning cartoons should be.
“Dr. Murthy’s political activism on behalf of a radical gun control agenda compromises his ability to speak to a broad segment of the American public on questions of health and science,” wrote Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s lobby arm, in a letter to the Senate’s party leaders.
The fact that the Senate confirmed Murthy on Bill of Rights Day wasn’t lost on either U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) or Townhall editor Katie Pavlich. After the vote, Paul tweeted:
Congrats @BarackObama on getting a Surgeon General who extols the health benefits of restricting 2nd Amdt rights. Happy #BillofRightsDay
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 16, 2014
Pavlich’s tweet was a bit more succinct, which earned many replies including this:
@KatiePavlich what isn’t a disaster these days. You just get used to it time after time and no one is pushing back. I’m disheartened.
— Annie Mountain (@annie_amountain) December 16, 2014
As it turned out, people did try to push back including three Democrats: Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Vir.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.).
“It is essential that the surgeon general gains the public’s trust, so this position must be separated from the political arena,” said Manchin. “I don’t question his medical qualifications; I just question whether the public will believe that he can separate his political beliefs from his public health views.”
Murthy’s political agenda isn’t strictly limited to gun control. He co-founded a political group in 2008 called Doctors for America, which advocated the establishment of the Affordable Care Act. The Examiner reported:
Doctors for America describes itself as “not affiliated with any partisan group or with the administration” and says it doesn’t endorse or support any candidates or groups.
Notwithstanding that claim, Doctors for America was originally called Doctors for Obama.
“The American people deserve a surgeon general who has proven throughout his or her career that their main focus is a commitment to patients, not a commitment to politics,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), said on the Senate floor.
All but one Republican senator voted against Murthy’s confirmation. That 51st vote was cast by Mark Kirk of Illinois.