Yesterday, McCain health care architect John Goodman told the Dallas Morning News yesterday that there are no “uninsured” people in America because Americans have access to emergency rooms, which is a radical view of health care in this country. Now, the McCain campaign is trying to distance itself from Goodman, telling The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn that “he is not an advisor”:
Although the Morning News article reported Goodman as a McCain advisor, the McCain campaign says he is NOT an advisor. That’s obviously a big distinction so I’ve corrected the item, which described Goodman as part of the campaign, as well as the update below. I apologize for the error.
But in July, when Goodman wrote a WSJ op-ed praising McCain’s health care plan, he was labeled “an unpaid adviser to the McCain campaign” by the paper.
Update:
In an e-mail to Cohn, Dallas Morning News reporter Jason Roberson he stands behind his story and the designation of Goodman as a McCain adviser.
Update:
,McCain campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin tells Cohn that “Goodman volunteered his advice to the campaign in the past,” but “earlier this summer the campaign informed” him that “his advice was not required and requested that he not identify himself as being associated with the campaign.” Griffin also claimed that Goodman’s “philosophy on health care” was “out of step with John McCain.” Cohn notes that “the McCain health plan” is “perfectly consistent with Goodman’s statements.”