SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A campaign ad from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz shows Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emerging from the skull of John Fetterman holding a "free healthcare" sign.
(Photo: Dr. Mehmet Oz/Twitter Screengrab)
Dr. Oz Derided Over Ad Attacking Fetterman's Support for 'Free Healthcare'
"What's radical," responded a top aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders, "is 338,000 Americans dying during the pandemic because they could not afford for-profit healthcare."
Aug 16, 2022
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful and ultra-millionaire Mehmet Oz attempted Monday to cast his Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as "the most radical candidate in the country" by citing his support for "free healthcare," a line of attack that was met with widespread derision on social media.
Dr. Oz, a former television personality who is trailing the key Senate contest by double digits, delivered the attack through a crudely animated ad showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) emerging from Fetterman's skull holding a sign that reads, "Free healthcare for everyone!"
"Socialized medicine?" the narrator scoffs. "Where did he get these crazy ideas?"
The ad, which has previously aired on television, answers the question with an animation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has polled as the most popular politician in the United States.
Watch:
\u201cHe\u2019s the most radical candidate in the country.\u201d— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@Dr. Mehmet Oz) 1660587120
"Honestly had to double check that this wasn't a parody account," Robert Maguire, research director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, tweeted in response to the clip, which includes a slew of other attacks on Fetterman's policy agenda, some of them highly misleading.
Warren Gunnels, Sanders' staff director, added that "67% of the American people support providing Medicare to every American, including 69% of independents and 87% of Democrats."
"What's radical," Gunnels added, "is 338,000 Americans dying during the pandemic because they could not afford for-profit healthcare."
Gunnels was referencing a peer-reviewed study published in June showing that more than 338,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths could have been prevented if the country had a single-payer healthcare system that guaranteed comprehensive coverage for all.
Fetterman has long expressed support for Medicare for All and promised, if needed, to cast the decisive Senate vote in support of single-payer legislation, a position that led for-profit healthcare interests to attack him during the Democratic primary. On his campaign website, Fetterman states his view that "healthcare is a fundamental human right--just like housing, food, and education."
Oz, by contrast, has pledged to "expand access to private sector plans expanded by President Trump," an apparent reference to the former president's executive order bolstering privately run Medicare Advantage plans that are notorious for overcharging the government and denying patients medically necessary care.
Oz has also vowed to take on healthcare industry "lobbyists and powerful special interests," not mentioning that he has benefited from Big Pharma cash.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
alexandria ocasio-cortezbernie sanderselection 2022healthcarepennsylvaniapoliticsus senatemehmet ozwarren gunnelsjohn fetterman
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful and ultra-millionaire Mehmet Oz attempted Monday to cast his Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as "the most radical candidate in the country" by citing his support for "free healthcare," a line of attack that was met with widespread derision on social media.
Dr. Oz, a former television personality who is trailing the key Senate contest by double digits, delivered the attack through a crudely animated ad showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) emerging from Fetterman's skull holding a sign that reads, "Free healthcare for everyone!"
"Socialized medicine?" the narrator scoffs. "Where did he get these crazy ideas?"
The ad, which has previously aired on television, answers the question with an animation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has polled as the most popular politician in the United States.
Watch:
\u201cHe\u2019s the most radical candidate in the country.\u201d— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@Dr. Mehmet Oz) 1660587120
"Honestly had to double check that this wasn't a parody account," Robert Maguire, research director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, tweeted in response to the clip, which includes a slew of other attacks on Fetterman's policy agenda, some of them highly misleading.
Warren Gunnels, Sanders' staff director, added that "67% of the American people support providing Medicare to every American, including 69% of independents and 87% of Democrats."
"What's radical," Gunnels added, "is 338,000 Americans dying during the pandemic because they could not afford for-profit healthcare."
Gunnels was referencing a peer-reviewed study published in June showing that more than 338,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths could have been prevented if the country had a single-payer healthcare system that guaranteed comprehensive coverage for all.
Fetterman has long expressed support for Medicare for All and promised, if needed, to cast the decisive Senate vote in support of single-payer legislation, a position that led for-profit healthcare interests to attack him during the Democratic primary. On his campaign website, Fetterman states his view that "healthcare is a fundamental human right--just like housing, food, and education."
Oz, by contrast, has pledged to "expand access to private sector plans expanded by President Trump," an apparent reference to the former president's executive order bolstering privately run Medicare Advantage plans that are notorious for overcharging the government and denying patients medically necessary care.
Oz has also vowed to take on healthcare industry "lobbyists and powerful special interests," not mentioning that he has benefited from Big Pharma cash.
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful and ultra-millionaire Mehmet Oz attempted Monday to cast his Democratic opponent, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as "the most radical candidate in the country" by citing his support for "free healthcare," a line of attack that was met with widespread derision on social media.
Dr. Oz, a former television personality who is trailing the key Senate contest by double digits, delivered the attack through a crudely animated ad showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) emerging from Fetterman's skull holding a sign that reads, "Free healthcare for everyone!"
"Socialized medicine?" the narrator scoffs. "Where did he get these crazy ideas?"
The ad, which has previously aired on television, answers the question with an animation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has polled as the most popular politician in the United States.
Watch:
\u201cHe\u2019s the most radical candidate in the country.\u201d— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@Dr. Mehmet Oz) 1660587120
"Honestly had to double check that this wasn't a parody account," Robert Maguire, research director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, tweeted in response to the clip, which includes a slew of other attacks on Fetterman's policy agenda, some of them highly misleading.
Warren Gunnels, Sanders' staff director, added that "67% of the American people support providing Medicare to every American, including 69% of independents and 87% of Democrats."
"What's radical," Gunnels added, "is 338,000 Americans dying during the pandemic because they could not afford for-profit healthcare."
Gunnels was referencing a peer-reviewed study published in June showing that more than 338,000 U.S. coronavirus deaths could have been prevented if the country had a single-payer healthcare system that guaranteed comprehensive coverage for all.
Fetterman has long expressed support for Medicare for All and promised, if needed, to cast the decisive Senate vote in support of single-payer legislation, a position that led for-profit healthcare interests to attack him during the Democratic primary. On his campaign website, Fetterman states his view that "healthcare is a fundamental human right--just like housing, food, and education."
Oz, by contrast, has pledged to "expand access to private sector plans expanded by President Trump," an apparent reference to the former president's executive order bolstering privately run Medicare Advantage plans that are notorious for overcharging the government and denying patients medically necessary care.
Oz has also vowed to take on healthcare industry "lobbyists and powerful special interests," not mentioning that he has benefited from Big Pharma cash.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.