Lipscomb welcomed James P. Pinkerton to campus Tuesday night as a part of the Don R. Elliot Distinguished Presidential Lecture series.
Pinkerton, a domestic policy and campaign worker for both Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, currently serves as the co-chair for the RATE Coalition (Reducing America’s Tax Equitably), an organization dedicated to the decrease of the corporate income tax rate. Pinkerton also serves as a regular contributor to Fox News, best known for his work on the Fox “News Watch” program. He also contributes to Fox News’ website.
More recently, Pinkerton served as the senior adviser on the Mike Huckabee 2008 presidential campaign.
After an introduction by Linda Peek Schacht, executive director of Lipscomb’s Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership, Pinkerton lectured on the importance of governmental involvement in the research for cures of diseases affecting our nation.
Pinkerton based his talk on a magazine article featuring actor Michael J. Fox’s charitable organization, which focuses on the cure for Parkinson’s disease. In the article, Fox questioned why the government does not feature a department that specifically goes after curing diseases. Pinkerton agrees with the Fox’s questioning.
“He’s sort of right,” Pinkerton said.
Pinkerton offered insight into the current trends of FDA and government practices regarding research funding for the cure of major diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other malevolent sicknesses.
Pinkerton believes the future of medicine and the search for cures in our nation rests on the funds and attention received.
Above all, Pinkerton believes the American people desire a system of government that will pursue curing diseases and ailments that affect people on a daily basis. He backed up his claim rather simply, saying, “People care about medicine.”
After his presentation, a Q-and-A session was moderated by Debi Tate, executive-in-residence for Lipscomb’s Department of Communication and Journalism.
Questions ranged from how Pinkerton entered his profession, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on the President Obama’s affordable health care bill, degenerative diseases and drug repurposing.
In regard to the Supreme Court’s decision, Pinkerton quoted screenwriter William Goldman, saying “nobody knows anything.”
Pinkerton offered insight to young students wanting to get into politics. Pinkerton believes that staying up to date with headlines and showing an interest in the field can be vital when the time comes to enter the profession.
Pinkerton also stated that throughout his career, he has never become attached to a certain political ideology. He encourages everyone to follow suit.
Pinkerton’s presentation was the last segment of the Pizza and Politics series for the semester.