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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... President candidate says SOU must be enterprising ... Lake Shasta college party routinely turns wild ... Scuba trip to Belize nearly fatal for Rogue River man ... OUR VIEW Our View: The ugly season started quickly this year Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Cheap shots in political campaigns are nothing new, and voters are usually savvy enough to disregard them, but it's always disheartening to see them crop up, especially in Oregon, where civility in public life is still valued — most of the time. Bud Pierce, the Salem oncologist who defeated Allen Alley to win the Republican nomination for governor last week, is calling on Gov. Kate Brown to tell the Democratic Party of Oregon to back down from a meaningless accusation it made against him on election night. We don't blame Pierce for being annoyed. No sooner had Pierce won the primary Tuesday night than the DPO sent out a statement assailing his stands on issues — certainly fair game — and lumping him together with Donald Trump as "a pair of out-of-touch millionaires." Again, par for the course. But then the party aimed an attack that made no sense. The Salem Statesman-Journal had published a story in April focusing on a Salem rheumatologist who collected $2.7 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012, more than any other doctor in Oregon. Included with the story was a list of other Salem doctors and their reimbursements. Pierce ranked third, at $763,713. It is perhaps not surprising that Pierce's practice — the largest private oncology practice in the state with four separate clinics — might collect a lot of Medicare dollars, especially considering that Medicare recipients are more likely to develop cancer than younger people. There also was no indication in the Statesman-Journal story that there was anything remotely fraudulent about Pierce collecting Medicare payments; no indication he was overcharging or doing anything improper. In fact, many doctors don't accept Medicare patients at all, because the reimbursement rates are too low. On Monday, Pierce asked whether the Democratic Party wants him to not treat those patients, and called on Gov. Kate Brown, his opponent in the general election, to rein in the party's baseless attack. The statement about Medicare remained on the DPOs website Tuesday afternoon. Pierce is right. Brown should tell the Democratic Party's campaign staff to stick to the issues. If this is a example of how the campaign will go, it's going to be a long summer. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501