Why do so many physicians back Joe Biden for president?
Why are so many physicians a part of Doctors for Biden? Because we respect truth, medical science and the importance of quick, informed action in the face of a life-threatening foe.
President Donald Trump was thoroughly briefed on the danger COVID-19 posed to the American people. His own national security adviser told him “This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency.” He understood how contagious this virus is, saying on tape: “You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. It is also more deadly than even your strenuous flu. This is deadly stuff.”
But to the American people he said just the opposite, that it was no worse than the seasonal flu.
Imagine if your doctor did that. Imagine if they knew that you had lung cancer, but didn’t tell you because they didn’t want you to panic.
President Trump did not have this confidence in the American people. He deliberately withheld vital public health information while undermining the very doctors he had appointed to lead the country through this crisis. He told us the virus would just “go away.” He told us masks weren’t necessary and for months he pointedly refused to wear one himself.
Meanwhile, more than 200,000 Americans have died and 6.5 million have contracted the disease. The economy is in tatters, education is at a standstill and America’s reputation has diminished throughout the world.
When the Ebola epidemic spread through West Africa, overwhelming public health systems and threatening to cross more borders, the ObamaBiden administration mobilized immediately, spearheading the formation of an international coalition that built hospitals and rapid-testing labs throughout West Africa.
The Obama-Biden leadership on Ebola was swift and decisive. It will be remembered, unlike COVID-19, as the crisis that didn’t happen. That meant quiet, hard, thankless work, the avoidance of drama and constant reference to the best possible scientific evidence.
In medicine we work in teams: medical assistants, nurses, dietitians, therapists, technicians, pharmacists, psychologists, researchers, and medical doctors. And we listen to the advice each team member offers because that’s in the best interests of the health and wellbeing of our patients.
For the health and well-being of our nation, we need a president who knows how to seek advice, a president who listens.
Nobody knows everything — whether about medicine, the economy, the arms race, foreign policy or any of the hundreds of issues a president has to deal with in the course of their term. Good leaders are secure enough to seek out and listen to the best possible advice from a range of experts and then have the discernment and the courage to make the best decision for the American people.
Joe Biden has a proven record of listening. As demonstrated by his role in the Ebola crisis, he will work with medical experts to end this terrible pandemic and its consequences.
Dr. Mary P. McGowan is a Bedford physician who specializes in cholesterol metabolism and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Dr. James Muller is a Boston-based cardiologist and co-founder of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War, the organization awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in Auburndale, Mass.