A Case For Electing An Expert-- Instead Of An Airbag… Meet Lee Rogers

The DCCC claims they're recruiting "problem solvers" as candidates this cycle. That's a nice phrase with a focus group-tested appeal but, alas, it isn't true. Unlike Steve Israel, however, Alan Grayson has been helping candidates who actually know something. "One of the dirty little secrets of Congress is that many of us legislate in areas in which we are utterly bereft of knowledge. If ignorance is bliss, then some of our Members must be deliriously happy… Seriously," he wrote recently, "we have Members on the Agriculture Committee who couldn’t tell a plow from a harvester. We have Members on the Science Committee who couldn’t tell a proton from a photon. We have Members on the Foreign Affairs Committee who couldn’t locate Indonesia on a globe if their lives were at stake. And we have Members on the Intelligence Committee who are as dumb as…"

As you know, both Rep. Grayson and Blue America are backing Lee Rogers' campaign in CA-25 (Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley), the district Buck McKeon is abandoning this year. Last week, while endorsing Rogers, Grayson mentioned that "I respect Lee Rogers, because he is the doctor who founded and directed the Amputation Prevention Center, and reduced amputations by 72%… I know that we need a progressive doctor like Lee Rogers in Congress, to help… counter the demented ravings of Drs. Paul Broun (R-Paleolithic), Scott DesJarlais (R-Patient Dating), Michael Burgess (R-Fetal Wanking) and Larry Bucshon (R-Guns)." And Grayson is hardly the only person to have noticed that Rogers is an expert in the field of public health policy. As a national spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association, Grayson had worked with other surgeons how to prevent amputations due to diabetes, especially among vulnerable American populations. And he has brought his expertise to countries all over the world, not just Canada and Mexico but also to France, Japan, Russia, Jamaica and, last week, Saudi Arabia where he worked with hospital directors and physicians from all over the Middle East on diabetes-related health issues. The five countries in the world with the highest incidences of diabetes are Saudi Arabia (24%), Kuwait (23%), Qatar (19%), the United Arab Emirates (19%) and Egypt (17%).

Yesterday, Rogers told us that "In Saudi Arabia, there are several cultural reasons for their health problems. For example, since women are covered when outside except for their eyes and hands, they get minimal sunlight which is responsible for converting Vitamin D in the skin. This leads to a high incidence of osteoporosis. Also, Saudi Arabia has a 25% incidence of diabetes, the highest in the world. It is a result of easy access to calories, since they are a wealthy nation, but minimal physical activity. Only 3% of women work outside the home and neither it isn't culturally appropriate of either gender to wear sports clothing, so they don't exercise… I'm hopeful that my advice can help experts in Saudi Arabia to come up with strategies to prevent diabetes and treat complications to avoid amputations."

His trips abroad, of course, are as a private citizen and the help he is giving physicians, whether in Mexico, France or the Middle East is a matter of "medical diplomacy," not government diplomacy. But having a public health expert in Congress-- someone who warned about the shortcomings of the Affordable Care Act while the bill was being debated-- is a necessary part of perfecting a flawed piece of legislation.

"I firmly believe that diplomacy, and especially 'medical diplomacy' is the key to ensuring a safer United States for our children’s future. I’m honored to share my expertise with the great people in Saudi Arabia, just as I welcome the opportunity to serve the constituents in the 25th Congressional district as they face economic and healthcare challenges of their own… People in Saudi Arabia suffer from one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. About 25 percent of Saudis have diabetes. Due to the traditional footwear, ulcers, infections and gangrene are common, leading to amputation. Saudi Arabia is a key US ally, and I’m happy to provide what I can as a doctor and a teacher to help them curb the rate of diabetes and the complications that result."

 While in Jeddah, he spoke to a group of vascular surgeons from around Saudi Arabia and toured the King Abdullahaziz University Hospital and Medical School. He went on ward rounds to see patients and met with doctors and medical students. I hope he is as able to communicate a scientific approach as easily to future colleagues of the House Science and Technology Committee, like Dr. Paul Broun, who has a unique way of looking at science: