Another Piece of The Pie

“Any coincidence is worth noticing. You can throw it away later if it is only a coincidence.”
— Agatha Christie

Posted on May 16, 2016

The Washington Leadership Conference is an annual event at which dentists from all over the country meet at our nation’s Capitol to talk with their state senators and representatives and discuss issues affecting our profession. The first day consisted of training on how to best reach our members of Congress and the second day consisted of individual meetings with senators and representatives or their staff. On the first day, we had Tucker Carlson from “Fox & Friends” as the keynote speaker. He discussed the political climate in our country and I was pleasantly surprised at how non-biased and interesting his presentation was. I had a great time meeting other dentists from South Carolina and trekking around the Capitol building together on the second day. My topic of choice to discuss was student debt, as obviously that hits a little closer to home for a new dentist (my debt is still around $483K even a year after graduation). Here are the bills that we discussed in case you would like to look into them further:  H.R. 649, H.R. 4223, H.R. 4062, and H.R. 3323.

A personal famly member of mine was also an event organizer of the conference later stated that Carlson asked for significantly less than other possible speakers and received only $3000 for his time, while socializing with organizers and attendees of the conference for over eight hours that day. The flag immediately went up in my mind as I continued asking specifics about the topics covered at the conference. I made a joke that Carlson spoke aabout the ‘joys of dentistry’ with a bunch of dentists. I asked what value was added with him being the keynote speaker for the conference. She became more combative in her responses and our discussion devolved into anger being spewed by one side. The last thing I said was, “Carlson doesn’t get out of bed for $3000, you’re smart enough to know that.” I realized right away that he would have done it for free, but I wasn ‘t certain why.

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson

Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is not ‘new money,’ he grew up in the neighborhood below and his home overlooked the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

With her death, Carlson’s biological mother left Tucker and his brother each $1.

Dental procedures may only represent 4% of national health care expenditures, but in Washington, D.C., dentists carry clout.

Five Dentists to Serve in the New Congress Starting in January

The Associated Press (November 7, 2018) reported that five dentists were elected or re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on Election Day (November 6). The successful candidates included:

● Dr. Brian Babin, a Republican from Texas’ 36th District;
● Dr. Drew Ferguson, a Republican from Georgia’s 3rd District;
● Dr. Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona’s 4th District;
● Dr. Mike Simpson, a Republican from Idaho’s 2nd District;
● Dr. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat from New Jersey’s 2nd District.

Dr. Ferguson is moving into leadership within the Republican party, having been appointed Chief Deputy Whip for the 116th Congress.

The AAO Political Action Committee supported Drs. Babin, Ferguson, Gosar, Van Drew and other successful candidates in the 2018 election.

The upcoming 2019 session of the US House of Representatives will include five dentists: newly elected Dr. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) and returning members Dr. Mike Simpson (R-ID), Dr. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Dr. Brian Babin (R-TX), and Dr. Drew Ferguson (R-GA). These five members represent little more than 1% of the 435-seat House. 

That 1% may seem insignificant compared to the number of attorneys serving in Congress. According to the Congressional Research Service, there are 170 professional attorneys serving in the House of Representatives (39%). However, these dentists are positioned to have a meaningful impact because of leadership positions.

5 dentists elected to Congress

Five dentists were elected to Congress Nov. 3, as reported by the Advisory Board and the American Dental Association.

Reelected: 

  • Rep. Drew Ferguson, DMD, R-Ga.
  • Rep. Mike Simpson, DMD, R-Idaho
  • Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS, R-Ariz.
  • Rep. Brian Babin, DDS, R-Texas
  • Rep. Jeff Van Drew, DMD, R-N.J.
America’s dentists have their man in Washington. His name is Paul Gosar. And these days, Gosar’s open fraternization with known white nationalists is giving the self-described “Tooth Party” a bit of a toothache. 

Most recently, Gosar was touted on a flier advertising a joint fundraising event with Fuentes, who has embarked on a tour called “White Boy Summer.” Gosar at first appeared to defend the event, organized under Fuentes’ banner of “America First”, but he later denied having any knowledge of it. 

“Dentistry was the perfect profession to prepare me for Congress. All of the folks I meet with essentially want the same thing: policy changes that come with no pain and little cost, and I am ultimately looking for the most pragmatic approach”

Paul Gosar promoted appearing at a white nationalist social gathering on Hitler’s birthday, but his campaign says he isn’t

KEY POINTS

  • 3 dentists in Congress voted to overturn election results following a mob scene at the Capitol.
  • The 3 dentists include: Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Brian Babin (Texas), & Paul Gosar (Ariz.).
  • ADA will need to decide whether or not to continue funding to these dentists.

“Last weekend a far-right group called America First held a political rally in Orlando. At one point, organizer Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist also involved in the 2017 Charlottesville rally, invited attendees to cheer for Russia. Soon the audience was chanting ‘Putin! Putin!'”

<strong><mark style=background colorrgba0 0 0 0 class=has inline color has contrast 2 color>Opening quote from Nemesis by Agatha Christie 1971<br><mark><strong>

Just a few years ago, shortly after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, the American evangelist Franklin Graham wrote admiringly, in his father’s magazine, of Putin’s efforts to protect children from the “propaganda of homosexuality.”

The 2014 Sochi Olympics had just ended, and the United States had included gay athletes like Billie Jean King in its official delegation to the games—in part, a rebuke to a law passed in Russia the year before that made it illegal to equate same-sex relationships with heterosexual ones.

Calling Vladimir Putin’s presence at the Olympics “commanding,” Graham chastised President Barack Obama and lauded the Russian president. “Isn’t it sad,” Graham wrote, “that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue—protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda—Russia’s standard is higher than our own?” As a bonus, Graham added, Putin was supporting the Assad regime in Syria in order to protect persecuted Christians. “In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues,” he wrote.

At 7:39 pm, PERSON-1 sent two text messages to TARRIO that read, “Brother. ‘You know we made this happen,” and “I’m so proud of my country today.” TARRIO responded, “I know” At 7:44 pm. the conversation continued, with PERSON-1 texting, “1776 motherfuckers.” TARRIO responded, “The Winter Palace.” PERSON-1 texted, “Dude. Did we just influence history?” TARRIO responded, “Let’s first see how this plays out.” PERSON-1 stated, “They HAVE to certify today! Or it’s invalid.” These messages were exchanged before the Senate returned to its chamber at approximately 8:00 p.m. to resume certifying the Electoral College vote.

Russian Revolution, also called Russian Revolution of 1917, evolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power.