Jeb Bush Signals More Funding and Faster Drug Approval for Alzheimer’sA deviation from right-wing orthodoxy on Jeb's part? Well, there's a reason for that:
.... Mr. Bush’s comments ... signal that ... if he runs for president and wins, he would be willing to reverse some of the spending cuts to medical research that Republicans have pushed for in recent years during budget battles.
The Republican from Florida suggested as much in March when he said at an event in Iowa that increasing spending would be wise in some cases.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush opened up last week about his mother-in-law’s affliction with Alzheimer’s disease and, on Tuesday, shed some light on what he thinks should be done to fight the illness.So it's not that Jeb disagrees with his fellow Republicans on social spending in general, or even that he dispassionately examined the GOP's approach to medical research funding and found it inadequate to the task. He believes Alzheimer's needs more funding because Alzheimer's affects him personally, as the son-in-law of someone who's suffering from it.
In an email exchange with Maria Shriver, the journalist, activist and author, Mr. Bush wrote that he has been getting a lot of feedback since revealing that his family has firsthand experience with the disease. As for how he would address Alzheimer’s disease, which according to the Centers for Disease Control afflicts five million Americans, Mr. Bush called for more research funding and a faster drug approval process.
“We need to increase funding to find a cure,” Mr. Bush said. “We need to reform F.D.A. [regulations] to accelerate the approval process for drug and device approval at a much lower cost. We need to find more community based solutions for care.”
This is how Republican compassion usually works. Who in the GOP supports same-sex marriage? Dick Cheney (gay daughter) and Rob Portman (gay son). Who in the GOP is skeptical about torture? John McCain (torture victim). Who in the GOP ever says a kind word about Muslims? Grover Norquist (married to a Palestinian Muslim).
There are exceptions to this rule, but not many. Jeb as president wouldn't rethink the GOP's entire approach to non-military spending -- but for this he'll make an exception. Because it matters to him.
Via Only4RM.)
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UPDATE: The Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog lists multiple vetoes of Alzheimer's research by Jeb Bush when he was governor.
6 comments:
Yep. Mark Schmitt wrote about this 10 years ago, labeling it "Miss America Conservatives".
He specifically mentioned Gordon Smith and suicide prevention.
But you could also Sarah Palin and her special needs child, who she said she would advocate for in her VP acceptance speech.
Heck, even David Koch, a prostate cancer survivor, lamented cuts to cancer research during the sequester.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/david-koch-cancer-research-gop-nih
Here is Schmitt's article:
http://markschmitt.typepad.com/decembrist/2005/03/miss_america_co.html
Koch spends tons of his own money on cancer, too. River blindness and malaria not so much. I think the modern original of the pattern was Nancy Reagan boldly supporting stem cell research after it was pointed out that it could have helped with her husband's Alzheimer's.
IMBY Republicans.
It matters, and they care, but only if it's "in my back yard."
Rand Paul will come out in favor of drunk driving any day now.
"The Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog lists multiple vetoes of Alzheimer's research by Jeb Bush when he was governor."
Jeb must've forgotten.
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