Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel stand out as the only presidential contenders who participated in televised forums on health care hosted by the president of Johns Hopkins University.
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have agreed to interviews but have not been able to squeeze the debates into their busy schedules during this truncated primary election season.
“This changed schedule has thrown this into disarray,” said Mike Field, assistant to JHU President William Brody.
A medical doctor and former radiologist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Brody grew frustrated with reporters? shallow questions and candidates? superficial soundbites on the nation?s health care crisis, so he decided to host the forums to delve deeper into the issues.
Brody flew to Iowa to interview Romney, who shared his experience about creating a health care system in Massachusetts that requires all residents to buy health insurance or face fines.
Gravel, a minor candidate best known for reading the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record, visited the studios of Retirement Living Television at University of Maryland, Baltimore County for an interview with NPR?s Diane Rehm and Brody.
A proponent of a national health care system, Gravel believes voters should be able to enact laws through elections.
With candidates slow to participate in his forums, Brody has extended invitations to other major political figures.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Hopkins alumnus, filmed a discussion moderated by broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff and Brody in Times Square.
“Bloomberg said we spend twice as much on health care as any other nation and yet if you look at how long we live or how healthy we are, we are not getting our money?s worth,” Field said.
Brody may also ask former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to participate.
Retirement Living Television, a new cable network that launched last year for people 55 and older, will air the series as soon as January, producers said.
