Election 2004

Doctors group endorses McCollum for Senate

The Florida Medical Association criticizes his opponent Mel Martinez, as does a group of Democrats.

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published July 22, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - A statewide lobby group for doctors endorsed Republican Bill McCollum for the U.S. Senate Wednesday and criticized Republican rival Mel Martinez for his ties to trial lawyers, the medical profession's mortal enemy.

At the same time, Democrats in Washington intensified their criticism of Martinez, sending him a letter that sarcastically asks for his "continued support." Martinez supported some Democratic senators in the 1980s, and the letter shows how Democrats are working to try and prevent Martinez from capturing the Republican nomination.

The Florida Medical Association said it favors McCollum because of his deep interest in health care issues, experience in Congress and support for a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in malpractice cases, a priority of the FMA and President Bush.

"Bill McCollum is standing strong with the president," said Dr. Rick Lentz, a Daytona Beach plastic surgeon and president of the FMA.

Doctors who endorsed McCollum repeatedly cited Martinez's background as a trial lawyer.

Martinez says he favors litigation reform, but that a cap on damages should be no lower than $500,000.

"Mel Martinez supports tort reform and he's going to work with the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate to support tort reform," said Jennifer Coxe, Martinez's spokeswoman. "There is nobody closer to the president in this race."

Martinez was a plaintiffs' lawyer in Orlando for almost two decades, representing people injured in car accidents or in product liability cases.

Doctors characterized Martinez's opposition to a $250,000 cap as a rare case in which the former housing secretary disagrees with President Bush.

Doctors, who say trial lawyers are to blame for driving up medical malpractice insurance costs with frivolous lawsuits, have bought radio ads criticizing Martinez for his trial lawyer past.

The ads were paid for by People for a Better Florida, a physician-backed group. The FMA says the two groups are separate.

The Web site of the FMA's political arm, the Florida Medical Political Action Committee FLAMPAC, includes two conditions for membership in the "MD 1000 Club." They are a $500 donation "to the issue advocacy group People for a Better Florida" and $500 "to a "targeted' pro-medicine candidate late in the election cycle." The Web site is www.flampac.org

"That's a separate organization," FLAMPAC executive director Tim Stapleton said of People for a Better Florida. He called the MD 1000 Club "a fundraising entity" and said: "We have no control over how those funds are spent."

Gov. Jeb Bush has criticized stealth groups that run attack ads against candidates.

"If a doctors group wants to say something bad about Mel Martinez, they ought to do it publicly, transparently, openly, on the political square, and let the debate begin," Bush told reporters last month.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, headed by Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., sent Martinez a letter sarcastically inviting him to "increase your previous $500 contribution to the DSCC by ten-fold."

Martinez contributed to several Democratic senators in the 1980s, including Bob Graham of Florida, Ernest (Fritz) Hollings of South Carolina and Joe Biden of Delaware.

Democrats are expected to intensify their attacks on Martinez at the same time Republicans are vilifying Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic candidate for vice president, for his work as a trial lawyer.

[Last modified July 21, 2004, 23:20:22]