John McCormack, a state trooper from Pembroke, stepped off the shuttle from Logan Airport on his way to Capitol Hill, carrying in his right hand the newest weapon in the multimillion-dollar national battle over medical malpractice: his 13-inch television.
Inside the television was a videotape of his 13-month-old daughter, Taylor, who died three years ago, partly, state officials ruled, because of mistakes at Children's Hospital in Boston.
Over the next 36 hours, McCormack carried his television through the marble labyrinth of Senate offices, paying calls on half a dozen senators poised to vote on a hotly debated bill to limit jury awards for the victims of medical malpractice.
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“He had the press there in tears. He's very powerful when he tells his story,” said Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy, an advocacy group that opposes attempts to curb civil lawsuits.
In March, the Center for Justice and Democracy brought McCormack to the Washington Hilton to protest at a meeting of the American Medical Association, where Bush was due to speak.
Doroshow, of the advocacy group, reminded the visitors of their message: “Don't try to solve [malpractice insurance] problems by taking rights away from people who are injured,” she said. “That's when they'll point to you. And you all will come in and say, ‘We're the kind of people it will hurt.’”
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