Dr. Gupta to the Rescue

2009-01-08
By Eric Easter

Call me crazy, but of all the appointments President-elect Obama has made, the selection of CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General may turn out to be his most significant and the one most reflective of the kind of dramatic change Obama supporters were looking for.

Some might disagree and consider the choice of “rivals” such as Hillary Clinton to be a more aggressive sign of change. But aside from the choice, the reality is that policy at that level is mired in so many complications that changes in foreign policy may turn out to be more cosmetic than anything else. Time will tell.

Last May I made a prediction that the Obama Administration at the highest cabinet levels might turn out to be somewhat less diverse than we would expect form the first Black president, but that the real diversity and real differences would be felt at the fringes of government in the positions less subject to scrutiny and with less bureaucracy where authentic change could happen with less visible but more lasting results.

I’m still taking that bet, and the selection of Gupta is a key example.

What the Gupta appointment means – assuming vetting works out – is that the new administration is intending to approach the nation’s health policy from the perspective of prevention and wellness as opposed to the treatment of illness. In short, health care instead of sick care.  That would be a radically different approach that if done effectively could have broad implications on food and nutrition policy and whether the nation continues to think about drug addiction as a criminal issue or a health issue.

And despite any questions about Gupta’s qualification as either a policy wonk or an agency administrator, the truth is that sending a consistent message of wellness from the platform of government requires a highly skilled and media savvy communicator with broad appeal across the lines of age, sex, class and ethnicity.

Since CNN has become the de facto deputized Voice of America, what better choice than the nation’s most famous TV doctor? Those of us lucky enough to have health care may have lost touch with the reality of health care for nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, but for those people Sanjay Gupta is already about as close to a family doctor as too many people will get. Otherwise it’s whoever was on call the last time they went to the emergency room.

Gupta’s media skills mixed with the Obama camp’s sophisticated use of social media and video could prove to be a potent force. But what will that mean? Saturday yoga on the National Mall? Downloadable government-sanctioned workouts? Who knows. But whatever happens, it will be intriguing at least.

The only question is, how will the hip Dr. Gupta play when he has to wear that goofy Captain Crunch suit?

Eric Easter is Chief of Digital Strategy for Johnson Publishing, Inc. He writes about politics, culture and technology.

Photo: CNN.com