White House pauses surgeon general appointment in face of NRA opposition

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/17/white-house-surgeon-general-appointment-nra

Version 0 of 1.

The White House has confirmed that it is “recalibrating” its attempt to appoint the next US surgeon general, due to fierce opposition from the National Rifle Association.

Despite a recent rule change designed to remove Republican vetoes over the Senate confirmation process, President Barack Obama’s spokesman, Jay Carney, admitted on Monday that a second administration appointee this month has hit potentially intractable opposition from Democrats.

Dr Vivek Murthy would have been the first Indian-American surgeon general if confirmed by Congress, but his nomination has been attacked by the NRA over comments in support of gun licensing and a ban on assault rifles.

The prestigious public heath post has traditionally had little involvement in firearms policy, but gun lobbyists claim that Murthy’s views – together with calls to fund more research on gun violence – make him “a prescription for disaster for America’s gun owners”.

“The public must trust that the surgeon general’s actions are based on empirical and scientific evidence rather than political or ideological motives,” wrote NRA director Chris Cox in a letter to senators.

“Dr Murthy’s record of political activism in support of radical gun control measures raises significant concerns about his ability to objectively examine issues pertinent to America’s 100 million firearm owners.”

The NRA also criticised Murthy’s support of Obama’s healthcare reforms, and a number of tweets including one in 2012 in which he said “guns are a healthcare issue”.

The campaign appears to have helped persuade up to 10 Democrats to warn the White House that they would vote no if the confirmation process reaches the full Senate, according to the New York Times.

The Associated Press reported that Mark Begich of Alaska, one of several Democrats to oppose legislation on expanded gun background checks last summer, has already written to his constituents assuring them he intends to vote no.

Last week, the administration was embarrassed by a similar rebellion among rightwing Democrats against its pick for a new head of the civil rights division at the Department of Justice.

Debo Adegbile, who has been a senior lawyer with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, was criticised for his role in the legal defence of a black activist convicted of murdering a police officer.

Carney said on Monday that the White House remained supportive of Murthy’s nomination and was merely pausing in its efforts to get him confirmed by the Senate, but he acknowledged that the Adegbile defeat has prompted a strategic rethink.

“Dr Murthy was approved out of committee with bipartisan support but after the confirmation vote of Debo Adegbile we are recalibrating the strategy around Dr Murthy’s floor vote,” he told reporters. “We expect to get him confirmed ultimately and he will be one of the country’s most powerful messengers on health and wellness.”

But such language has often proven the kiss of death for controversial nominees, who are quietly encouraged to withdraw. The political opposition is unlikely to weaken in the run-up to November’s mid-term elections, when many Senate Democrats will be running in Republican-leaning states that fiercely oppose gun control.