How did doctors vote in 1950-1963?

[darklordoftech]

My mom says that doctors used to get paid more, and I know that the American Medical Association was right-wing at the time.

[Tintrlvr]

Doctors = rich = Republican in the 50s and 60s.

[Del Tachi]

1)  Doctors still get paid more

2) The AMA is still right-wing

Funny how little things change, huh?

[darklordoftech]

Doctors still get paid more

I meant “more than they do today”. Who do they get paid more than today?

[Tintrlvr]

Doctors still get paid more

I meant “more than they do today”. Who do they get paid more than today?

Taken as a whole, probably more than any other profession except some obscure science-engineering careers. Obviously lots of business managers and lawyers (e.g.) make more money, but the average for doctors is higher. There's less upside for doctors than some high-earning careers but less downside, too. It's almost impossible to find a doctor out of residency making less than $150k/year, and that would be for a pediatric GP (usually the lowest paid specialty). More typically, doctors make around $300k/year, and much higher for in-demand specialties like surgical specialties, oncology, cardiology, fertility, etc. Doctors are almost certainly the highest earning professionals in any town outside of a major metropolitan area, too.

[TDAS04]

1)  Doctors still get paid more

2) The AMA is still right-wing

Funny how little things change, huh?

Doctors as a whole have long been a pretty GOP-friendly profession.  Doctors may be more moderate than typical Republicans on such social issues as abortion.  Also, within the medical profession, you can probably find a decent number of Republicans who dislike Trump.

The voting patterns of Olmsted County (Rochester), Minnesota—home of the Mayo Clinic and many rich doctors—could provide clues about the profession’s voting habits.  Obama carried the county twice, narrowly.  He was the first Democrat to do so since LBJ.  Bill Clinton lost the county by one vote in 1996 (while winning every neighboring county).  His wife narrowly carried Olmsted 20 years later (while losing every neighboring county), with McMullin doing well.

Many Doctors are pretty much rich, golfing, country club Republicans.  High levels of education may make them more progressive or moderate on social issues, and a bit leery of Trumpism.

[Tintrlvr]

1)  Doctors still get paid more

2) The AMA is still right-wing

Funny how little things change, huh?

Doctors as a whole have long been a pretty GOP-friendly profession.  Doctors may be more moderate than typical Republicans on such social issues as abortion.  Also, within the medical profession, you can probably find a decent number of Republicans who dislike Trump.

The voting patterns of Olmsted County (Rochester), Minnesota—home of the Mayo Clinic and many rich doctors—could provide clues about the profession’s voting habits.  Obama carried the county twice, narrowly.  He was the first Democrat to do so since LBJ.  Bill Clinton lost the county by one vote in 1996 (while winning every neighboring county).  His wife narrowly carried Olmsted 20 years later (while losing every neighboring county), with McMullin doing well.

Many Doctors are pretty much rich, golfing, country club Republicans.  High levels of education may make them more progressive or moderate on social issues, and a bit leery of Trumpism.

I do think the medical profession has moved significantly towards the Democrats in recent years. I'd guess doctors, taken as a whole, voted (narrowly) for Obama in 2008 and 2012 and also more solidly for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But they probably voted for Bush in 2004 and 2000 and for Dole in 1996, and then also Republican by increasingly large margins relative to the nation as a whole for every other election going back to the 19th century except possibly 1964 but including FDR's various landslides.

[Indy Texas]

Two main changes made doctors less right-wing than they were in the '50s:

(1) Exogenous demographics: Doctors in the 1950s were all white men. Nowadays, there are more women, and nonwhites and first- and second-generation immigrants, particularly Asians, are well-represented in medicine.

(2) Changes in the structure of healthcare: Doctors in the 1950s were essentially businessmen - they owned their private medical practices and while they were bound by ethical and professional guidelines, they were ultimately interested in maximizing their profits. Nowadays, someone graduating from medical school will most likely be hired by a large hospital or healthcare group as a salaried employee. And at the end of the day, the Democratic Party is the party for employees, and the Republican Party is the party for business owners.

[darklordoftech]

Two main changes made doctors less right-wing than they were in the '50s:

(1) Exogenous demographics: Doctors in the 1950s were all white men. Nowadays, there are more women, and nonwhites and first- and second-generation immigrants, particularly Asians, are well-represented in medicine.

(2) Changes in the structure of healthcare: Doctors in the 1950s were essentially businessmen - they owned their private medical practices and while they were bound by ethical and professional guidelines, they were ultimately interested in maximizing their profits. Nowadays, someone graduating from medical school will most likely be hired by a large hospital or healthcare group as a salaried employee. And at the end of the day, the Democratic Party is the party for employees, and the Republican Party is the party for business owners.

1. Were doctors all Protestant in the 1950s, and are more doctors Jewish and Catholic today?

2. Did doctors being businessmen in the 1950s make them more fearful of “socialized medicine” than they are today?