Is A Dual U.S.-Turkiye Citizen, Turkish-Speaking Muslim (The First), Physician, Television Host, Republican, United States Senator Such A Bad Idea? Not An Endorsement- Analysis Of Opportunity, Caution
Is A Dual U.S.-Turkiye Citizen, Turkish-Speaking Muslim (The First), Physician, Television Host, Republican, United States Senator Such A Bad Idea? Not An Endorsement- An Analysis Of Opportunity And Caution.
On 18 June 2023, or before, there will be a presidential election in the Republic of Turkiye. The current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, first elected in 2014, is expected to seek another five-year term in office. President Erdogan speaks one language, Turkish.
On 8 November 2022, registered voters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will elect an individual to serve a six-year term in the 100-member United States Senate. Among the fifty states (including four self-designated as commonwealths) the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is fifth-largest in terms of population with approximately 12.8 million citizens. The United States has a population of approximately 333.7 million.
On 3 January 2023, the 118th United States Congress will meet, and a new United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will take the oath in the Old United States Senate Chamber and officiated by Kamala Harris, 49th Vice President of the United States.
Might the new United States Senator be fluent in the Turkish language and take the oath of office while placing his hand upon both a Bible and Quran?
Oath of Office: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Mhemet Cengiz Oz, MD (61-years old- 11 June 1960), was born in city of Cleveland in the Commonwealth of Ohio, which became the 17th state of the Union when President Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) endorsed the United States Congress’s decision to grant statehood on 19 February 1803. Dr. Oz’s parents were born in Turkiye.
Dr. Oz has citizenship in the United States and in the Republic of Turkiye, graduated from Harvard University Medical School, is a heart surgeon, served in the armed forces of the Republic of Turkiye, is a best-selling author with more than twelve books published, hosted a syndicated television program, voted in the 2018 presidential election in the Republic of Turkiye, and has resided for decades in the State of New Jersey. He is married and has four children.
On 17 May 2022, Dr. Oz won a seven-candidate primary for the nomination of the Republican Party in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a for the United States Senate.
If Dr. Oz wins and the Republican Party wins control (fifty-one seats) of the United States Senate, Senator Oz will be offered a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee and its subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation; and membership in the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). If the Democratic Party retains control of the United States Senate, Senator Oz would likely be offered the same assignments as a member of the minority.
Whether a member of the majority or minority, Senator Oz will be the lone member of the United States Senate who is Muslim, follows Islam, reads the Quran, and with whom President Erdogan could visit- and converse in the same language, Turkish. Not only will they share a language, but they will also share a culture, a history and, of immense importance to President Erdogan, religious beliefs.
Does this sharing of a common language mean necessarily that Senator Oz will convince President Erdogan to return the S-400 missile system to the Russian Federation? No.
Does this sharing of a common language mean necessarily that Senator Oz will convince President Erdogan to revise his position on the activities in Syria of individuals of Kurdish descent who assist the government of the United States? No.
Does this sharing of a common language mean necessarily that Senator Oz will convince President Erdogan to revise his position on imposing sanctions upon the government of the Russian Federation and individuals of Russian descent? No.
Does this sharing of a common language mean necessarily that Senator Oz will convince President Erdogan to revise his position on commercial, economic, and political relationships with the Cuba and Venezuela? No.
Should President Erdogan not seek or not win another term in office, his successor will find the connectively with Senator Oz to be beneficial towards enhancing the commercial, economic, and political relationship with the government of the United States and, critically, with the public in the United States. The well-honed communication skills of Dr. Oz, particularly derived from his television program, will be important for Senator Oz.
Another critical role for Senator Oz would be as a voice of the Muslim community. Presently, there are three (3) members of the 435-member United States House of Representatives who are Muslim and practice Islam. Two are women; one is a man who converted to Islam. They are not effective at explaining and then projecting, on a national basis, what is a Muslim, what is Islam, and what is and the meaning of the Quran.
Senator Oz, Republican Senator Oz, Conservative Republican Senator Oz, Republican Conservative Senator Oz endorsed by Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States, twenty years a television celebrity will serve as a magnet for fundraising, particularly focusing upon individuals of Turkish descent.
In 146 days, the registered voters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will choose between Dr. Oz, a Republican, and John Karl Fetterman, a Democrat, who is the 34th Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (2019- ) and former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania (2006-2019).
Daily Sabah
Istanbul, Turkey
1 February 2021
By Ali Cinar
“Turkish Caucus: Eighty-six members of the 117th United States Congress are members of the Turkish Caucus Group, a friendly body that works to develop Turkey-U.S. relations and emphasize the importance of Turkey in Congress. Within the group, there are two Democrat and two Republican co-leaders. Eighty-two members are also members of the House of Representatives, 42 being Democrats and 40 Republicans. Similarly, four members of the Senate are also in the Turkish Friendship Group, of whom three are Republicans and one a Democrat. The same mechanism exists within the Turkish Parliament, going by the Turkish-U.S. Parliamentary Friendship Group.”
As the junior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Senator Oz will immediately become leader of the Turkish Caucus. He will also undoubtedly lead what will hopefully be a tri-partisan (Democrat, Independent, Republican) series of congressional delegations to Turkiye.
There are some people who think that Dr. Oz is a nutjob, albeit a highly-educated, highly-successful one. Because an individual is “successful”- in the example of Dr. Oz, being well-known from his television appearances and reporting a net worth of US$100 million to US$500 million, does not necessarily translate into being a capable politician. The individual may win an election, but perform poorly in terms of holding office, presenting themselves to their colleagues, engaging with media, voting on legislation consistent with the desires of constituents, serving as an example of what is best rather than what is least.
LinkedIn
Personal Profile
Emmy®-winning host of “The Dr. Oz Show.”
I’m also an attending physician at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center.
I received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University (1982) and obtained a joint MD and MBA (1986) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Wharton School. My research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive surgery, alternative medicine, and healthcare policy.
In 2003, I founded HealthCorps, which emulates the Peace Corps by putting energetic recent college graduates into high schools around the country to improve diet, fitness, and mental resilience.
Previously, I was a featured health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for six seasons, spanning over 60 episodes. I'm the author of over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books and have received numerous patents, including the creation of the famed Mitraclip. Emmy®-winning host of “The Dr. Oz Show.” I’m also an attending physician at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center. I received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University (1982) and obtained a joint MD and MBA (1986) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Wharton School. My research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive surgery, alternative medicine, and healthcare policy. In 2003, I founded HealthCorps, which emulates the Peace Corps by putting energetic recent college graduates into high schools around the country to improve diet, fitness, and mental resilience.
Experience
Candidate for US Senate- Doctor Oz For Senate Nov 2021-Present
Founder- HealthCorps 2003-Present
Cardiac Surgeon- New York-Presbyterian Hospital 1993-Present
Host- The Dr. Oz Show 2009-Jan 2022
Education
Harvard University- Bachelor's degree 1982
The Wharton School- Master of Business Administration 1986
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine- Doctor of Medicine (MD) 1986
Encyclopedia Britannica
Mehmet Oz, in full Mehmet Cengiz Oz, (born June 11, 1960, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.), Turkish American surgeon, educator, author, and television personality who cowrote the popular YOU series of health books and hosted The Dr. Oz Show (2009–22).
Oz, whose parents were Turkish immigrants, was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, where his father was a thoracic surgeon. After graduating from Harvard University (1982), he earned an M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business in 1986. During this time, Oz, who was a dual citizen of the United States and Turkey, served in the Turkish army in order to maintain his citizenship in that country. He subsequently conducted his residency in general surgery (1986–90) and cardiothoracic surgery (1991–93) at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. In 1993 he became an attending surgeon at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. An advocate of alternative medicine, Oz began incorporating hypnosis, meditation, acupuncture, and other non-Western treatments into his practice. In 2001 he became director of the hospital’s complementary medicine program. That year he also became professor of surgery at Columbia University.
In 2005 Oz wrote (with Michael F. Roizen) YOU: The Owner’s Manual. The book—which was noted for its engaging text and humour—led to a television appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oz subsequently became a regular guest on that program as well as many others, earning him the nickname “America’s Doctor.” His rapport with audiences was in part due to his easygoing manner and holistic approach to health. With Roizen he continued the best-selling YOU series with YOU: On a Diet (2006), YOU: The Smart Patient (2006), YOU: Staying Young (2007), YOU: Being Beautiful (2008), and YOU: Having a Baby (2009).
The popularity of the books and television appearances led to a daily radio talk show. The program, which debuted in 2008, featured Oz and Roizen providing health advice. The following year Oz also began hosting the daytime television series The Dr. Oz Show, an hour-long program that included information on various health topics and on preventive medicine. It was an immediate success with viewers, but Oz’s recommendations on the program drew scrutiny, and in 2014 he appeared before a U.S. Senate panel that was critical of his promotion of weight-loss products. Later that year, a study in the British Medical Journal found that 54 percent of his recommendations either contradicted or lacked scientific evidence. Oz responded by defending his right to free speech.
Oz authored numerous papers and was a regular contributor to various periodicals, including Esquire and O, the Oprah Magazine. In 2003 he founded and became chairman of HealthCorps, a nonprofit organization that focused on obesity and other health problems, especially those affecting American youths.
In 2021 Oz announced that he was running as a Republican for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania. As he launched his candidacy, he criticized the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed “to help fix the problems and to help us heal.” In order to focus on the election, Oz ended his daytime TV show in 2022. Later that year he received the highly sought-after endorsement of former president Donald Trump.
Wikipedia
Oz was born in 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Suna and Mustafa Öz,[16] who had emigrated from Konya Province, Turkey.[17][16] Mustafa was born in Bozkır, a small town in southern Turkey, and graduated at the top of his class at Cerrahpaşa Medical School in 1950 and moved to the United States to join the general residency program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where Mehmet was born.[18] He trained in cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta and was chief of thoracic surgery at the Medical Center of Delaware for several years before moving back to Turkey.[18] Suna (née Atabay), who comes from a wealthy Istanbul family, is the daughter of a pharmacist with Circassian (Shapsug) descent on her mother's side.[19] Oz has two sisters, Seval Öz and Nazlim Öz.[20] Oz grew up in a mixed Muslim environment where his father's family practiced more traditional Islam, while his mother's family were more secular Muslims.[21] As a child, he spent summers in Turkey[22] and spent two years in the Turkish army after college to maintain his dual citizenship.[23]
Oz was educated at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware.[24] In 1982, he received his undergraduate degree in biology at Harvard University.[25] He played safety on Harvard's football team and won an intramural college championship playing water polo.[26][dead link] In 1986, he obtained MD and MBA degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine[24] and Penn's Wharton School.[27] He was awarded the Captain's Athletic Award for leadership in college[28] and was class president and then student body president during medical school.[29]
Oz began his medical career with a residency at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, then affiliated with Columbia University, in 1986 after being hired by Eric Rose.[30] During his residency, Oz earned the Blakemore research award.[31][32] In April 1995, Oz and his colleague Jerry Whitworth founded the Cardiac Complementary Care Center to provide various types of alternative medicine to heart disease patients.[32][33] The publicity of Oz's work created tension with hospital administration, who expressed alarm at Oz's use of therapeutic touch, which he dropped following backlash.[32][34]
In 1996, Oz and Rose received media publicity following their work on a successful heart transplant for Frank Torre, brother of New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, during the 1996 World Series, which the Yankees won.[35][36] Rose later remarked that while he did not enjoy the media attention, Oz "loved it".[36] Meanwhile, Oz and Whitworth's professional relationship grew strained due to the attention Oz was receiving; Whitworth later recounted in an interview with Vox that he asked Oz to "stop the media circus".[22] In 2000, Whitworth departed the Cardiac Complementary Care Center, which Oz reopened that same year as the Cardiovascular Institute and Integrative Medicine Program at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he served as director.[22][37]
Oz became a professor at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2001,[22] a title he held until 2022.[8] He has helped develop numerous devices and procedures related to heart surgery, including the MitraClip and the left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and by 2015 held a number of patents related to heart surgery.[32][38][22] In 2010, Oz joined Jeff Arnold as co-founder of Sharecare, Inc.[39][40] In 2015, a group of ten physicians demanded Columbia remove Oz from the faculty for his alleged "disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine". Columbia defended Oz and dismissed calls for his termination.[41] Oz responded to the call, stating "I bring the public information that will help them on their path to be their best selves" and that his show provides "multiple points of view, including mine, which is offered without conflict of interest."[42] He now holds the title "professor emeritus" and does not see patients.[8]
Oz appeared as a health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show for five seasons.[43] In 2009, Winfrey offered to produce a syndicated series hosted by him through her company, Harpo Productions.[44] The Dr. Oz Show debuted on September 14, 2009, distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
On the show, Oz addressed issues like Type 2 diabetes[45] and promoted resveratrol supplements, which he claimed were anti-aging.[46] His Transplant! television series won both a Freddie[47] and a Silver Telly award.[48] He served as medical director for Denzel Washington's John Q.[49]
In January 2011, Oz premiered as part of a weekly show on OWN called "Oprah's Allstars". In each episode, he, Suze Orman, and Dr. Phil answer various questions about life, health and finance. In the 2010s he also did a health segment on 1010 WINS titled "Your Daily Dose".[50]
On October 23, 2014, Surgeon Oz, showing Oz's career as a surgeon, debuted on OWN.[51]
Beginning on March 22, 2021, Oz guest-hosted the trivia television game show Jeopardy! for two weeks. The decision to make him a guest-host was met with some criticism from Jeopardy fans and former contestants.[52][53][54]
Eight of Oz's books have been New York Times bestsellers, of which seven were co-authored by Michael F. Roizen. He has a regular column in Esquire magazine and O, The Oprah Magazine and his article "Retool, Reboot, and Rebuild" was awarded the 2009 National Magazine Award for Personal Service.[55] Oz and the Hearst Corporation launched the bi-monthly magazine Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE on February 4, 2014.[56]
Oz was heavily criticized by Senator Claire McCaskill in a hearing on consumer fraud in diet product advertising.
Oz's image and quotes have been exploited by many weight loss product scammers. While he himself has not been found to be involved in these scams, he has made statements that were exploited by scammers.[57][58] During a 2014 Senate hearing on consumer protection, Senator Claire McCaskill stated that "the scientific community is almost monolithic against you" for airing segments on weight loss products that are later cited in advertisements, concluding that Oz plays a role, intentional or not, in perpetuating these scams, and that she is "concerned that you are melding medical advice, news, and entertainment in a way that harms consumers."[59][60] He has been a spokesman and advisor for the website RealAge.com, which The New York Times has criticized for its pharmaceutical marketing practices.[58]
In September 2016, during his presidential campaign, Donald Trump appeared on The Dr. Oz Show.[61] In the lead-up to the show's taping, Oz promoted Trump's appearance with a claim that Oz would assess medical records submitted to the show by Trump and reveal his assessment on the show.[62] CNN speculated that Trump's appearance aimed to appeal to The Dr. Oz Show's large female viewership.[63][64] In 2018, Trump appointed Oz, athletes, and The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno to his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Trump's selections of pundits, rather than experts, for the panel was criticized.[13] Trump appointed Oz to a second term on the council in December 2020.[65][66]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz's television appearances influenced Trump's decision-making, and he became an informal advisor to the Trump administration.[67][68][69][70] Oz had promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, as a cure for COVID-19 on more than 25 Fox News broadcasts in March and April 2020.[71][72][73][74] Trump claimed to be taking the drug in May 2020.[75] In June 2020, the Food and Drug Administration revoked emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine, stating that it was "no longer reasonable to believe" that the drug was effective against COVID-19 or that its benefits outweighed "known and potential risks".[76][77][78]
In April 2020, Oz appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity and stated that reopening schools in the United States might be worth the increased number of deaths it would cause. Referencing an article published in the medical journal The Lancet, Oz stated, "I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet [medical journal] arguing that the opening of schools may only cost us 2-3% in terms of total mortality."[79][80]
Oz denounced the "hypocrisy" in the Drug Enforcement Administration's classification of cannabis as a Schedule I, controlled substance on Fox & Friends.[81] He has advocated for medical marijuana as a solution for the opioid epidemic during an episode of the series featuring Montel Williams.[82]
Oz has spoken in favor of the disputed practice of intermittent fasting. He became involved in a feud with actor Mark Wahlberg over not eating breakfast and took part in a push-up challenge, which Wahlberg won.[83][84]
Oz has faced criticism for his promotion of pseudoscience,[10][71] homeopathy,[85][86] and alternative medicine.[60] Popular Science[87] and The New Yorker[44] have published critical articles on Oz for giving "non-scientific" advice.[44] HuffPost has accused Oz of promoting quackery.[88]
A 2014 study published in the British Medical Journal found that medical talk shows such as The Dr Oz Show and The Doctors often lack adequate information on the specific benefits or evidence of their claims. Forty episodes of each program from early 2013 were evaluated, determining that evidence supported 46 percent, contradicted 15 percent and was not found for 39 percent of the recommendations on The Dr Oz Show.[14][12] Unfounded claims included saying apple juice had unsafe levels of arsenic and cell phones could cause breast cancer.[71] Researchers for The Dr Oz Show said they were unable to push back against the producers' topics.
In April 2015, a group of 10 physicians called for Columbia University to part ways with Oz, who was the vice chair of the department of surgery. More than 1,300 doctors signed a letter sent to the university.[14][89][90]
Oz has been awarded the James Randi Educational Foundation's Pigasus Award from 2009 to 2012 for his promotion of energy therapies, support of faith healing, psychic communication with the dead and "quack medical practices, paranormal belief, and pseudoscience".[91][92][93][94]
Oz has been criticized for some of the guests he has invited onto The Dr. Oz Show, including psychics, faith healers, peddlers of unproven or disproven medical treatments, and anti-vaccination activists.[95] Oz has featured Joseph Mercola, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Christiane Northrup, who are noted spreaders of misinformation about vaccines.[96][97]
From 1999 to 2004, Oz was named a "Global Leader of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum[16] and was listed on Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" of 2008.[98] He has been nominated for nine Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Host since The Dr. Oz Show premiered in 2009, and won the award in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2016.[99][100][101][102]
In 2007, it was reported that Oz had been active in his local chapter of the Republican Party of New Jersey for several years, and had donated to Republicans John McCain and Bill Frist.[103][104] He supported the re-election campaign of President George W. Bush in 2004 and the candidacy of Shmuley Boteach, a rabbi who ran for Congress as a Republican in New Jersey in 2012.[105][106] Oz is a longtime New Jersey resident.[107] He registered to vote at his in-laws' address in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, in 2020, but spends time at his Cliffside Park, New Jersey mansion near his work in New York.[108] He holds his medical license in Pennsylvania.[109]
On November 30, 2021, Oz announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2022.[110][111] After Oz announced his candidacy, a number of TV stations in Philadelphia, New York City and Cleveland stated that they were to remove his show from air, compelled by the FCC's equal-time rule that provide an equivalent air time to any opposing political candidates who request it.[112]
If elected, he would be the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate.[113] In his campaign, he has called for immunologist Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, to be fired and also opposed vaccine requirements.[114] In March 2022, President Joe Biden asked Oz and Herschel Walker to resign from their posts on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, or be terminated. A White House official said the Biden administration does not allow federal candidates to serve on presidential boards.[115]
On April 9, 2022, Oz's campaign was endorsed by former president Donald Trump.[116]
The Republican primary was held on May 17. A day after the election, Oz narrowly led his main opponent David McCormick by a difference of just 0.1% of the vote, triggering a mandatory statewide recount. When the election was still too close to call and the mail-in ballots had not yet been counted, Trump urged Oz to declare victory.[117] On May 27, before the recount started, Oz prematurely declared victory, calling himself the presumptive nominee.[118] On June 3, Oz became the Republican nominee after McCormick conceded that the recount would not make up the deficit in votes.[119]
Political positions
In 2007, Oz described himself as a "moderate Republican" and cited Arnold Schwarzenegger and Theodore Roosevelt as inspirations.[104][103] In 2008, Oz told The National Review of Medicine that "I'm not socially conservative" and "I don't believe that we should be intruding into the private lives of homosexuals and we should not be creating obstacles during the difficult time that women have when trying to terminate a pregnancy."[105] Making his 2022 Senate campaign announcement in late 2021, Oz identified himself as a "conservative Republican".[120]
Abortion
In 2022, Oz announced that he supports overturning the Roe v. Wade decision and was against abortion, except for when the pregnant person's life is in danger or in cases of rape or incest.[121][122][123][124][125] He had supported abortion rights in 2019, saying he saw the effects of unsafe and illegal abortions prior to the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide; also in 2019, he said that he was opposed to six-week abortion bans.[121][126][127][128]
Climate change
In 2017, Oz co-authored an article that highlighted the threats of climate change including extreme heat, wildfires and floods. When running for the Senate, he downplayed the risk that carbon dioxide poses when contributing to the role of the greenhouse effect in contributing to climate change.[129] He said "carbon dioxide, my friends, is 0.04% of our air. That's not the problem."
COVID-19
During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz initially downplayed the severity of the disease and suggested hydroxychloroquine could be used to treat the virus. However, Oz has also promoted the efficacy of wearing masks and getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Regarding COVID-19 restrictions, Oz said in 2022 when running for the Senate that "it's time we get back to normal".[130] During earlier stages of the pandemic, Oz praised Anthony Fauci as a "pro" and lauded his role in combatting the pandemic. Upon running for the Senate, however, Oz changed his tone on Fauci and referred to him as a "tyrant".[105]
Education
Oz is a supporter of school choice and charter schools.[131] He has criticized the power of teachers unions and their close relationship with the Democratic Party.[131] In April 2020, when schools were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz suggested that re-opening schools would be "a very appetizing opportunity" and "may only cost us 2–3% in terms of total mortality".[79]
Fracking
In 2022, Oz stated that he supports the process of hydraulic fracturing and believes that natural gas can help the United State become energy independent and reduce gasoline prices.[132] In addition, he supports reducing environmental regulations on the fracking industry.[132] In 2014, Oz called for more regulations on the fracking industry, including a halt on fracking until the environmental impact had been researched more, because of the possible connection between fracking and the pollution of the air and waterways.[132]
Gun rights
Oz has said that he is a gun owner and that he supports the constitutional right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.[133] At a campaign event in February 2022, Oz stated that he supports red flag-style laws for those expressing dangerous behavior, but opposes a national red flag law registry.[133] Prior to running for the Senate, in 2017, Oz expressed support for waiting periods before someone can acquire a gun and in 2019, he co-wrote a column that called for the United States to institute a ban on assault rifles.[133] In March 2018, he tweeted that gun violence is a public health problem and that the Centers for Disease Control should "comprehensively study gun violence".[134]
Healthcare
In 2009, Oz said "It should be mandatory that everybody in America have healthcare coverage. If you can't afford it, we have to give it to you..."[135] In 2010, Oz supported a government backed healthcare system and was featured in an advertisement that promoted The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.[105] Oz has stated that the healthcare systems that he thinks work the best are Germany and Switzerland, which are both universal healthcare systems.[135] In 2022, Oz stated that he would vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act if he were elected to the Senate, and backed Medicare Advantage Plus.[135]
Israel
Oz has long been a supporter of Israel and visited the Jewish state in 2013. When speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an interview with The Forward, Oz said "It's not black and white. The ultimate solution will be driven by financial means. Peace is an imperative for that. When people love their children so much, they'll do whatever it takes to make their future brighter."[136] In 2022, Oz said that Israel is "an ally and a vibrant democracy in the world's most troubled region" and that he opposes the BDS Movement, supports keeping the US Embassy in Jerusalem and supports continued military aid to Israel.[137]
LGBTQ rights
Oz has taken some positions seen as supportive of LGBT rights while opposing other rights. In 2012, after facing criticism for hosting a guest who supported pseudoscientific reparative or conversion therapy on his show, he announced that he is opposed to conversion therapy and called conversion therapy "dangerous".[138][139] Oz also had guests from GLAAD on his show who spoke out against conversion therapy.[140] In 2010, he had hosted and offered support to transgender youth and their families on his show.[141][142][143] In 2022, Oz supported legislation to prohibit transgender women from participating in women's sports.[123]
Marijuana
While running for the Senate in 2022, Oz announced he opposes the legalization of recreational cannabis.[144] In 2014, Oz said on Larry King Live "marijuana is hugely beneficial when used correctly for medicinal purposes" and in 2017 criticized the federal government for classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which prevents more scientific research on marijuana.[145][146]
Oz lived in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, with his wife Lisa, an author who has appeared on radio and TV, for much of his adult life.[147][148] They have been married since 1985[149] and have four children,[150] including eldest daughter Daphne, an author and television host. Oz and his wife founded HealthCorps, a non-profit organization for health education and peer mentoring.[151] In late 2020, Oz changed his voter registration to the home of his in-laws in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. His website lists his home as Bryn Athyn,[113] The Ozes also have an $18 million estate in Palm Beach, Florida.[114]
As a candidate, Oz filed required FEC financial disclosure materials that indicated his net worth as between $100 million and $500 million.[152]
In November 2020, Oz was sued by his sister Nazlim Öz. Nazlim alleged that he was withholding her rental income from apartments owned by their late father Mustafa Öz. Oz stated that he was forced to hold payments from the apartments in escrow, as their mother and other relatives were suing Nazlim in Turkish probate court over the distribution of Mustafa Öz's estate.[153][154]
In a 2012 interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr., Oz said that his father strictly followed Islam, while his mother was a secular Kemalist.[156] Oz says that his own beliefs are influenced by Sufism (Islamic mysticism) as well as Swedenborgianism, the ideas of 18th-century Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.[156][157][158]
Oz is a practitioner of transcendental meditation.[159] He identifies as Muslim and said he "chose to align his views with Sufism, a mystical Islamic sect."[160][161]
In August 2010, Oz was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous polyp in the colon during a routine colonoscopy[162] which was performed as part of his show. Oz said that the procedure likely saved his life.[163]
In 2019, Oz played for the "Home" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots.[164] He previously played in the 2010 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.[26] Also in 2019, Oz played for Team Cleveland in Major League Baseball's All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland.[165]
