# "Snake oil salesman" profiled on "60 Minutes" elected to local office **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 10, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454 "2022-08-10T21:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/1 "2022-08-10T21:53:31Z")
Lawrence Stowe created phony treatments for ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and other disorders, which led to him serving 6 years in prison after he was exposed on a “60 Minutes” clip that has re-aired several times. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eTu9kgsZoV0/hqdefault.jpg ""60 Minutes" Presents: 21st Century Cons") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTu9kgsZoV0) Here’s a newspaper story, although you may need to register to read it. > **[Man convicted in federal scheme elected to Rock Island County GOP](https://qctimes.com/news/local/man-convicted-in-federal-scheme-elected-to-rock-island-county-gop/article_a4b85a0b-d3d6-5bb3-a758-01152368f7a8.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_Quad-City_Times&fbclid=IwAR2SjLiinkef__B9CmAWQ0MoSlk-94GHO_lIOgQdny6dhQwooHuY0yjH2ZY)** > > A man who was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in a scheme to sell unlicensed drugs, claiming to treat or even cure the terminally ill, now This is unbelievable to me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/2 "2022-08-10T21:57:57Z")
It’s completely believable to me. I mean, look at Trump. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/3 "2022-08-10T21:58:45Z")
Welcome to the wonderful world of Republican politics. This crook is the perfect modern Republican candidate. He lies smoothly, can raise money from suckers and best of all he states "“It’s just like the people from January 6 (attack on the U.S. Capitol). Those people didn’t commit any crimes.” No doubt Trump will be endorsing him shortly. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/4 "2022-08-10T22:01:13Z")
I’m watching that link in another window. I’m surprised that Dr. Stowe (Ph.D. in chemical engineering) didn’t try to come up with something that would make his leg grow back. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/5 "2022-08-10T22:11:55Z")
> [@glee](#): > > This crook is the perfect modern Republican candidate. > He lies smoothly, can raise money from suckers and best of all he states "“It’s just like the people from January 6 (attack on the U.S. Capitol). Those people didn’t commit any crimes.” And he taps into resentment about “Big Pharma” and the broken US healthcare system. Honestly, it seems as though Republicans are willing to support pretty much any kind of aggressive opposition to the devastating exploitation of Americans by pharmaceutical and healthcare industry interests EXCEPT the kind of opposition that involves enacting rational democratic reforms to the system and science-based government measures to protect public health. IOW, they are happy to hate on the myriad failures of American healthcare as long as it doesn’t require them to endorse any solutions that actually work. (shrugsies) ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/6 "2022-08-10T23:33:52Z")
Amazingly the Stowe foundation which was listed in his conviction as being used to promote his bogus treatment is still being allowed to operate and raise money as a non-profit with $500,000 proposed annual operating expenses. This which probably breaks down as something like: $50,000.00 fund raising $5.95 to buy some test tubes and a 9 volt battery to generate his special Hydrate8X. $449,994.05 Salary for Mr. Stowe. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/7 "2022-08-10T23:55:16Z")
I did not even have to look to know that the man is a Republican. He’s a poster child for the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2022, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/8 "2022-08-10T23:57:52Z")
I see trump’s next Surgeon General. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/9 "2022-08-11T22:35:08Z")
Even though he’s not a physician? Oh, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/10 "2022-08-12T09:16:02Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I see trump’s next Surgeon General. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Even though he’s not a physician? Trump got elected and he’s not a politician. 🤢 ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/11 "2022-08-12T16:03:20Z")
Let’s hope there’s not another “snake oil” interview after the Pennsylvania election for the U.S. Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-oil-salesman-profiled-on-60-minutes-elected-to-local-office/969454/12 "2023-11-27T10:53:55Z")
I wondered if 60 Minutes has had any episodes in 2023 where the interviewers pressed on the subjects and got thrown out. When I was growing up in the 80s those were the interesting episodes to watch. I still appreciate the show when I watch it and it’s interesting to watch the young journalists interview people.