Lobbyists for the Schindlers Got Paid for their Work on the Schiavo Effort
Could this be more pathetic? Paid consultants to plan 'media' strategies. I always suspected that those 'advising' the Schindlers were there for the money. And they were. What a crock. That this guy would even consider running for office is a joke. He is a spin-meister for hire.- Art Caplan
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Gee, I don't know Art, let's add up the facts.
The parents would have done ANYTHING to save their daughter. Why wouldn't they have wanted a "professional"?
They only paid him $10,000. Isn't that the paltry sum that bioethicists kick around as too little to cause a conflict of interest/an acceptable stipend or whatnot?
Give it up. So what if they paid their spokesperson? If he had done it for free I'm sure this blog would have found a way to criticize that as well.
- by Sarcasticus Bioethicus on Aug 11, 2006 at 3:50 AM | link
"I would have done it for free in a heartbeat."
...except, he didn't.
You know, I just graduated with my own BA, and have been a starving student myself...yet, when I got involved with projects that took up tons of my time, I didn't demand, ask for, or accept payment. I thought I was doing it because it was the sort of thing you did as a student to look more acceptable for graduate programs (and it appears to have worked).
Of course, I wasn't considering a career in politics. Maybe if I had been, doing something for charity instead of payment would seem a bit more foriegn.
- by Kelly on Aug 11, 2006 at 11:01 AM | link
Art may seem a bit harsh, but I agree--it's the whole business of commercialism. I know, that's our system, but in this setting it stinks. I don't know whether the commercialism or the politics was worse.
- by Tom Preston on Aug 11, 2006 at 3:17 PM | link
Have you considered that they might have INSISTED on paying him? I've been a starving student as well and had friends insist on paying me when I've assisted them in a professional manner for which they normally would have to pay.
- by Sarcasticus Bioethicus on Aug 11, 2006 at 4:07 PM | link
Sorry Art, we don't all have the academic soapbox to stand on and preach the gospel. If you're in a fight (and, as far as getting results, that's what the Schiavo matter was) and the other side gets free press, you'd be INSANE to not pay a professional to help get you coverage.
- by Boston Medical on Aug 11, 2006 at 4:41 PM | link
Not sure why you used the plural instead of the singular, other than to try to stretch a point, since the story is only about Elmer Gantry.
I was close to the situation. I know of no one (other than Elmer) who got paid, false allegations that have been made to the contrary notwithstanding. Well, except for George Felos who got hundreds of thousands of Terri's money, but I guess that doesn't count.
The Schindler's attorney Pat Anderson lost tons of money and set aside almost her entire practice to work on the case, for example. I would call that pro bono, squared.
- by Wesley J. Smith on Aug 12, 2006 at 4:52 AM | link
I am afraid there was commodification of Terri Schiavo's life problem all around. Every newspaper, every news broadcast, every magazine and any book with her name in the title which carried or carries her dramatic story had included, somewhere in their goals, financial interest in that story.
Surely the political response to the developments of Terri Schiavo case was not purely altruistic but involved self-interest (though perhaps in the end, misguided) And it's too bad that this case, which belonged to the domain of the family, was managed to be made a public event. ..Maurice.
- by Maurice Bernstein, M.D. on Aug 13, 2006 at 3:29 AM | link
The whole thing was a circus. The evidence showed her perpetual incapacity. Only fools were on the side of the wacky Schiavos.
- by griggs1947 on Aug 18, 2006 at 4:02 PM | link
Fools aided the foolish Schaivos .The evidence showed Terri forever incapacitated . Art , Paul Kurtz and Peter Singer know ethics . Charles Coulson is a nut.
- by griggs1947 on Aug 18, 2006 at 4:05 PM | link