We offer advice to WYO GOP Sen./Doc Barrasso: "Physician, heal thyself!"

From the Bible, Luke 4:23 (King James Version):

And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.

Physician John Barrasso, one of Wyoming's two U.S. Senators, released his critique of the Senate's health care reform bill this morning.

He calls it the "Reid healthcare bill." One of the GOP talking points is to blame Democratic Sen. Harry Reid because he pushed and cajoled and ramrodded this bill. The GOP has its sights on Reid's seat in Nevada. They hope that by equating this bill with the senator from the tiny Nevada desert mining town of Searchlight, voters in the Silver State will see the error of their ways and vote him out. They want another senator as clean and pure of heart as Republican John Ensign, who cheated on his wife, tried to cover it up through sexual harrassment and may be guilty of violating campaign finance laws. Ensign was selected for Top Ten Scandals of 2009 by Citizens for Responsibilty and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Ensign also made the "50 Assclowns of the Year" list at http://welcomebacktopottersville.blogspot.com/2009/12/assclowns-of-week-year-79-top-50.html

But hummingbirdminds digresses (what else is new?). HM has always been flummoxed by Dr. Barrasso's negativity toward true healthcare reform. Here is a physician that most Wyomingites know through his television "Health Care Minute," in which he imparts his 25 years of medical wisdom in one-minute sound bites. We also know him as a key sponsor of health fairs around the state and emcee of the Casper site of the annual Labor Day weekend Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. He has a reputation as a pol with one eye on media exposure and one on public service. Can't fault any American for that. Usually you get one or the other. Those interested in All Public Exposure All the Time are usually vacuous celebrities whose only goal seems to be getting in front of the nearest camera. On the other hand, public servants don't necessarily crave the limelight but sometimes have it thrust upon them.

Sen. Barrasso might want to look inside himself to see which kind of human dwells within. He criticizes Reid and Dems for playing politics but says nothing about the underhanded tactics used by the Republicans during this process. At least Sen. Enzi, Wyoming's other senator and Gang of Six member, said early on that the Repubs' super-secret plan was to derail Obama. Who cares about healthcare reform? We want to sink Barack Obama.

So, before Sen. Barrasso gets all high and mighty on us -- "physician, heal thyself!" Look into your own heart and see if you are truly serving the Wyoming electorate or you are only towing the party line. You seem to love the TV camera, Sen. Barrasso. Is this vanity or service to your state? We wonder. So do Wyoming's 81,000 uninsured.

Here's Barrasso's statement from his web page:

“The Senate today passed a healthcare bill that represents politics at its worst. Promises of transparency, fiscal discipline and thoughtful policy debates were replaced with closed door meetings, billion dollar pay offs and partisan tactics.

“Instead of helping more Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health care, this 2700 page bill cuts Medicare, increases taxes, raises insurance premiums and burdens our grandchildren with even more debt.

“There is no reason to rush legislation that will impact one sixth of our economy and affect the health of each American.

“After practicing medicine for over 25 years, I know that this bill will not deliver better care to folks in Wyoming and across America. As this legislation moves to the House, I will continue to speak out against it and do everything possible to ensure that Congress finally passes reform that will increase the quality, availability and affordability of healthcare in our country.”

Contact Sen. Barrasso at http://barrasso.senate.gov/public/