GOP Senator Pat Tomey from Pennsylvania is retiring, leaving his seat up for grabs. It’s a crucial seat for both parties. The Republican running for Tomey’s seat, Sean Parnell, just suspended his campaign after he lost his custody case due to domestic assault evidence provided by his ex-wife. Parnell had also been endorsed by Donald Trump, so he was just a real winner all around. With the GOP field opening up it seems TV medicine slinger, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has started some political maneuvering to position himself to fill the seat.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, television’s Dr. Oz, is seriously considering entering the race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat as a Republican, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
The 2022 race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the nation, after the retirement of GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, setting up competitive primaries on both sides of the ticket. The race for the Republican nomination opened up further on Monday when Sean Parnell, the candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, suspended his campaign after a ruling in a custody case found he had committed “some acts of abuse in the past.”
Oz, 61, a cardiothoracic surgeon, rose to prominence in guest appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s show before getting his own series in 2009, and has long been criticized for promoting questionable medical advice on the show. If he were to win, Oz would become the first Muslim to hold a U.S. Senate seat.
Oz, who lives and was registered to vote in New Jersey, re-registered and voted in PA in 2020. Plus he’s supposedly looking for a home near Philadelphia. He is also said to be scouting schedulers and policy directors. According to Politico, the race is wide open right now so someone could swoop in and nab the nomination. However, nobody thinks Oz is the one to do it. Everyone is a little baffled about what’s motivating him. He calls himself a moderate Republican, which would be a departure from what they’ve been trying to run in the state. But this guy is so problematic. Fellow physicians at Columbia University Medical Center, on which he is staff, tried to oust him due to his bogus medical advice and treatments he peddles. Since he’s essentially a snake oil salesman, I guess he’d fit right in at the Senate, but that doesn’t mean he should be there. He’s got no experience and if his medical career is anything to go by, his moral compass is for sale so no, this makes me very uncomfortable. Also, the rumor is he’ll launch his campaign on Fox’s Hannity – that’s a bad omen for any political career.
I’d be surprised if much came from this bid, though. The left will dislike his trash medicine and the fact that his peers discredit him. His opponents will juice up his Oprah connection to turn off hard right wing nuts. And I wonder if his wife if supportive or if she’s encouraging him to keep his lucrative day job.
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It’s the world we live in. He’s got the name recognition and the biggest thing in common with 45 – a TV career. Our only hope is that Pennsylvania voters don’t like carpetbaggers. {Shake head, roll eyes, move on….}
Unfortunately we have to take this fraud seriously due to his wealth and platform. He has a massive ego, powerful and wealthy and corrupt backers in and out of media, and a big name. Trumper who promoted hydroxychloroquine for COVID. He’ll say anything for a buck and for attention. Beware.
Also that PA voter registration was st his in laws house which is voter fraud. If you want to know where his wife stands, she’s all in.
he’s just repeating what Rick Santorum got away with. I cannot wait to get rid of Toomey and will spend my time hammering away at the fact he announced the run without even going through the motions of at least buying a house here before deciding to run and that he registered at a place he did not & does not live. I will never forgive Oprah for giving us Dr Oz & Dr Phil
anyone who would vote for Toomey or Trump is capable of voting for anything. I need someone to make a meme using the scene from Mean Girls where they say you dont even go here and make it you dont even live here. this is bananas. If I see him out and about I promise to heckle him.
I hope nobody votes for this quack. I love Oprah but she has endorsed some terrible people over the years.
The quacks she has unleashed upon the world are the main reason that I don’t like Oprah. I definitely recognize her skills and talent, but she launched this freak.
@Betsy – Honest questions: can you name all of the quacks Oprah has pushed? How many have there been? Is she still doing it? I love a good Oprah interview but don’t follow her super closely. However, I don’t believe she’s currently pushing quacks like, say, Gwyneth and goop are doing. It doesn’t seem right to blame Oprah for people like Oz, who was as least decently respected when we all first learned of him.
@Green Desert he was respected as a cardiothoracic surgeon, not as a healthcare generalist with expertise on most of what he covered as an entertainer. Surgeons treat people surgically, not medically (there is a difference) and while I’ve had the pleasure of working with many surgeons who do respect the medical side of the equation, many more (especially those sub specialized) do not. Now I have not worked in a hospital setting for over 20 years but when we started our lung transplant program, we were very lucky that the cardiothoracic surgeons were skewed by sputum and allowed pulmonary & critical care group to manage post surgical care. I can’ tell you how many arguments I witnessed between medical staff (internists and the internal med subspecialties) and surgical staff in the post-surgical care of a patient. Oz’s comments on COVID show he’s definitely the stereotypical CT-surgeon complete with G-d complex and willful ignorance of things that don’t require a surgical fix
Oprah also gave us Dr Phil. She’s elevated the profiles of a few authors who proved to be problematic as well. Americans, in generally, are woefully uneducated when it comes to science – even as it pertains to how their own bodies function. The last thing we needed was people elevated to the status of health/lifestyle gurus to make blanket pronouncements on fields outside their actual expertise
@pottymouth – I agree with everything you’ve said, the only exception being that Oprah is to blame. You sound educated when it comes to the medical field, but there are commenters who are like “Oprah gave us Oz and Phil f*ck her!” when my question is, is she still doing this? goop is FAR MORE and CURRENTLY problematic in this area. Blaming Oprah for these two who have been around for a long time, and have now evolved into the sh*tshows we know today is gross, and I stand by that. Let’s blame the problematic white men, not the black woman who, as far as I know, has not publicly supported these two in a long time.
@pottymouth – such a great comment that says it all. I especially appreciate the insight into the differences in medical vs. surgical approaches.
This guy degenerated into a first-class charlatan with a god complex on a greed quest. Unfortunately, that makes him the perfect republican candidate. I just don’t know what it will take to protect democracy from these money/power grabbers and their followers.
@ Green Desert,
Normally I’d agree with this position that a black woman shouldn’t take the fall for two fraudulent white men. Oz & Phil both suck and deserve all the blame they receive. However, Oprah did more than just introduce them to people. She facilitated the start of their own TV shows through her production company. Oz was a guest on her show over 50x. And the outsized impact both of these men have had on people’s beliefs about medicine and mental health is frightening. You can also look up Oprah’s support of John of God, a Brazilian con-man. Paltrow is a huckster and Oprah supports a lot of junk science/wellness stuff. Both can be true. But Paltrow’s influence on the average American just doesn’t compare to Oprah’s. Oprah is a smart, talented woman and her accomplishments are astounding. But she has an enormous blindspot when it comes to wellness gurus.
Sorry but there is only this one time that I probably have ever agreed with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, and that was when he called out Oprah for her push of pseudoscience quacks and huckster like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. They only now have their $ and platforms because of her support.
Both of them were respected when she gave them a platform. Dr. Phil was used by the defense in the O.J. trial because he was known for looking at the psychology of jury participants. Dr. Oz was a respected doctor at the time. It’s not her fault men have egos he size of planets and they decided to use their time in the spotlight for evil.
I used to occasionally watch after school, when “Dr.” Phil started appearing on the show. I remember him dishing out some no nonsense hard truths to people, and I think he was pretty respected at that time. Seems like he went off the rails pretty quickly though. I don’t think she’s involved in either show anymore? But I don’t know if she’s ever spoken about them and who they became either. That would probably go along way with a lot of her critics.
Also, I wish people would have to establish actual residency for a few years before running to represent a state. This guy lives in NJ and is using his in laws address to vote in PA.
My former congressional rep did the same thing, bought a little condo in a nearby town because it was an open seat to run for, meanwhile he lived in a giant house in the next district.
Thank you, @Winnie. If Oprah was still out there stumping for people like Oz and Phil that would be one thing. But like you said, both were respected when she helped them with platforms.
Sorry, but she pushed for them. So they have PhD’s and/or MD’s. So does Ronny Jackson and Ben Carson. Their egotism and narcissism was allowed to grow exponentially with her blessing and the platforms she gave them
Still love Oprah and I always will. She is an African American icon and first woman of color to reach the heights of where she got and a network owner. She also donates consistently to animal shelters and orphanages and Americas poorest schools. If two out of 100s of guests turnes out bad, that is not her fault. I will NOT join in the denigrating of this black woman. I see more comments on here putting her down rather than sticking to Dr. OZ who is the keeper of his own bad actions. The people saying nasty stuff about Oprah should be ashamed. Dont put on her on a standard that you dont place others. As a black woman, I am tired of it.
@ Mercury – Yes to ALL OF THIS.
Oprah, come get your man.
Oh Oprah. Talk about having a bad “picker.”
This guy seems like he spends a lot of time looking in the mirror at his own reflection. There is something really unlikable about him but that seems to be the GOP standard these days
Really really bad hair dye job also.
Sounds like he’s trying get traction for more media appearances by courting Faux news, but it might backfire.
There are at least two big personalities running for this seat on the democratic side (Fetterman and Kenyatta), so maybe he’s hoping they split the vote and he’ll rally the GOP base?
TV star who spouts junk medical advice? He’ll fit right in.
That’s exactly what I thought. Not qualified at all to be elected to anything. They are going to LOVE him and elect him.
A long time ago, he used to have some pretty good practical advice especially about eating better for health and what eating the right foods will do for your health. Then he got on the wacky train and never came back.
He’s a Trumper with TV shine. Bleah. I have family in Pennsylvania who are already excited. We never learn.
I wish people would stop dragging Oprah for the assholery of these guys; she gave Oz a platform a long time ago when he was hiding the full bloom (as far as we know) of his true nature. She’s not responsible for his behavior now.
It’s so easy for celebrities to win with a built in fan base, ugghhh. I hope he loses. He once did a show where he talked about a killer who claimed to be possessed by a demon and acted as if it was real possiblility. I can’t.
Just what we needed….another “conservative” con man to bring their “values” to Washington…..SMDH.
I know we’re supposed to love Oprah, but he and “Dr.” Phil are the worst and she’s the one who foisted them on the public. When people kept saying she should run for President, her judgement when it comes to people like this and endorsing their BS is why I kept saying “NO!”
I do not live in PA but I LOVE love love John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor running for that senate seat and so far he seems to be polling well. He was the light and mirth of the PA scrum over the 2020 calls to recount, this enormous behemoth of a guy who practically lived on zoom during the post election melee. His wife helps run a free store to fight food and clothing insecurity, they are two people who dont just talk, they walk the walk.
Same here, Truthiness! Don’t live in PA, but have contributed to his campaign – have followed and loved the big guy and his awesome wife since he shamelessly trolled the RepubliCONs after the election. They definitely walk the walk, and I love his daily battle to replace his Pride flag at the PA state house (?) when the R bigots tear it down. I’d absolutely vote for him if I could!
Yikes. No real surprise; he’s been Repubbin’ for a while now.
eye roll this one.
Thanks, Oprah!
Dr.Pepper, Dr.Suess, Dr.Quinn, Dr.House, Dr.Spock, hell Dr. Sholl’s but no Dr.Phil and no Dr. Oz. Period