I was a Deaniac in 2004, well before he became the most popular candidate amongst progressives. As a physician myself, I know that Howard Dean, MD can relate to the healthcare issues that are dragging our country's health system in the gutter. It was one thing for Dean to lead the party back into majority status, I think he deserves and is the right man to lead the country back to healthcare prominence.
Everyday, I get up extra early so that I can come to the hospital to take care of my patients. Everyday, I see that so much money is wasted from repeating expensive tests done on patient because of poor access to health records from prior hospital admissions/doctors visits. A Washington insider who may know about general healthcare policy, such as Tom Daschle, certainly does not know the nitty-gritty of everyday medicine. People who do know the details involved in patient care are most likely the ones actively involved within the healthcare system: physicians and nurses.
It is time to stop thinking that a Washington insider who happened to be involve in healthcare policy will know exactly what must be done in order to stop the deterioration involved in our US healthcare system. A trained physician, such as Dr. Dean, will be able to empathize with the problems doctors and nurses face everyday and will be more apt into listening to their concerns. Medicine, in many ways, also is somewhat like a fraternity, and physicians often would rather listen to someone who is part of the group (like another physician) rather than a politician talking down to them as if they know the details of everyday healthcare.
It is time to start fighting more for your progressive ideals and calling, emailing and writing the president that our healthcare policies should be directed by a physician who knows the basics of medical care. It is time to stand up for the good Dr. Dean and rightfully fight for his place of prominence within the cabinet. Dr. Dean was the man who knocked our party back in place, despite all the naysayers who said he was doing wrong for the party. Dr. Dean needs the benefit of the doubt. Truth always hurts, and Dr. Dean surely knows how to honestly appraise the healthcare situation for what it is: horrible! The time for half-measures in order to fix our healthcare has passed and Dr. Dean will bring forth new ideas that will help to drastically alter the downward spiral our US healthcare system has been taking.