Dr. George Flinn, a candidate for U.S. Congress – 8th Congressional District in Tennessee – visited with NEWS/TALK 101.5 FM, WNWS.COM to discuss his campaign and plans if elected.
Question: What was the main reason for you deciding to run for Congress in 2018?
Answer: There are a lot of reasons why I’m running for Congress, but the main reason is so that we have a conservative Republican in this seat representing West Tennessee. Our current Congressman has sold us out and is arm-in-arm with the establishment and Washington’s political elite. Once a politician is accepting money from special interests groups, they are selling us out. They will be doing what’s best for special interests groups instead of doing what’s best for us.
Question: Will your approach, or game plan, during the campaign differ from 2016?
Answer: You know, my game plan stays the same. It doesn’t change because there is an election. My game plan has always been to connect with and help people in West Tennessee. Several years ago, through my Screen at 40 initiative, I worked to gather support to show Congress and the federal government that mammograms need to continue to be covered by insurers for women ages 40 and older. Last year, I held a healthcare town hall here in Jackson at the Old Country Store to give everyone a voice and send Congress a message that Obamacare is hurting everyone in our community.
My approach, my work– it doesn’t stop. I believe that when I’m elected to Congress, I will be able to create a positive impact for West Tennessee.
Question: What’s the feeling in the Flinn camp about the election?
Answer: Our Primary is August 2, so we are about four months away. I’ve been traveling throughout West Tennessee, listening to people and everyone that I’m talking with has been so supportive. I get handwritten notes from people thanking me for stopping by to have a meeting with them in their home or for attending worship service with them at church. It’s really been a blessing and I could not be more proud to represent West Tennessee in Congress.
Question: Would you give us some background information about George Flinn?
Answer: I’m from Memphis. I attended school at East and Central High Schools. I attend church at 2nd Presbyterian in Memphis. I have two wonderful adult children and three grandchildren.
I worked my way through college at the University of Mississippi and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
While working as an electrical engineer, I became interested in how radio and x-rays could be used together. I enrolled at the University of Tennessee medical school and earned my medical degree in 1969. I interned at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, returned to Memphis and completed my Radiology Residency at Methodist Hospital (now Methodist UT Hospital).
I was appointed by President Nixon to work at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. I served in the United States Public Health Service and that was when I really got a desire to serve my community and country.
I came home to Tennessee and started an outpatient radiology practice. It allowed me to combine all my passions: electrical engineering, radio, and medicine. I was one of the first to utilize the practice of teleradiology, providing diagnoses to patients in any part of the county in a rapid and convenient manner.
I have seven radiology offices now that serve West Tennessee and North Mississippi. I also serve as the owner and President of Flinn Broadcasting, which operates 40 radio and television stations throughout the country. You can read more about my background by visiting www.Flinnfor8.com
Question: How did a physician become so interested in politics?
Answer: I see people with problems every day. My job is to get to the root of the problem and prescribe a treatment to fix it. I would like to put those skills to use to diagnose and treat the problems of people in West Tennessee. Serving as an elected official gives me a way to help more people.
Question: What would you say is the toughest, or most difficult part of any political campaign.
Answer: I would say the most difficult part of this particular campaign is to see how badly some people in West Tennessee are hurting. The fact that the government could be doing something about it, but isn’t is truly alarming. Government is looking the other way, so they don’t see our needs. The government has turned into an elitist group. My goal is to bring the focus back to the people, not the politics.
(PHOTO: Dr. George Flinn)
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