“Bi-Partisan” Grassley Takes Up Death Panel Meme?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Health Care, Republicans, Video
I’m becoming more and more convinced that Republicans in Washington simply don’t want any sort of health care reform. Because the way this “death panel” nonsense is picking up steam seems coordinated.
The latest is one of the Republicans working on health care legislation in the Senate, Chuck Grassley. Here he is talking in Iowa yesterday…
“Pull the plug on grandma?”
Seriously?
Folks, it’s literally getting to the point where I want to throw things. Because not only is this a massively dishonest, fear mongering meme that uses old people as victims, but it has been rebutted by one of the leading Republican voices on end-of-life issues, Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia.
This from an interview with him a few days ago…
I just had a phone call where someone said Sarah Palin’s Web site had talked about the House bill having death panels on it where people would be euthanized. How someone could take an end of life directive or a living will as that is nuts. You’re putting the authority in the individual rather than the government. I don’t know how that got so mixed up.
In other words, do you want somebody to be counseled on end-of-life issues while they still have the capacity to make those decisions or not? Apparently Republicans like Grassley don’t.
UPDATE:
This is amazing. The end-of-life provisions have been dropped from Finance Committee’s version of the bill because Grassley things could get confused. This after he purposefully confused the debate by saying what he said above.
“On the Finance Committee, we are working very hard to avoid unintended consequences by methodically working through the complexities of all of these issues and policy options,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement. “We dropped end-of-life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly.”
Implemented incorrectly? Misinterpreted? How is offering voluntary end-of-life counseling every 5 years going to either be implemented incorrectly or misinterpreted? Do they think there will be some rule put in place after the fact that will force doctors to tell their patients to end their life?
Folks, I don’t care what party you belong to, end-of-life counseling is nothing more than INFORMATION about what your options might be. Some may choose to do everything they can to stay alive, while others may sign a “do not resuscitate” order. But if people don’t have the facts, they can’t make informed decisions about what options are available, and it could force a family member to make a life or death choice.
Amazing.
This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 and is filed under Health Care, Republicans, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
You just came to that conclusion now? I think it’s pretty obvious which corporate hand is up the elephant’s a$$ at this point.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
The GOP has no interest in solving problems. They have no ideas. They are intellectually finished. Brain dead.
All they have left is a will to destroy their enemies. LIke dead wasps they can still sting.
August 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Why is Georgia REPUBLICAN Senator John Isakson so reaosnable? Why, it is because the “death panel” amendment that has the GOP faithful so completely bat-crap crazy was INTRODUCTED INTO THE BILL BY HIM!
That’s right, a GOP senator introduced the death panel legislation.
Personally, Chris and Mike, I think you are being to kind to these folks.
August 13th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Chris, you really need to watch your comments. I deleted your comment on the Newt Gingrich post and nearly banned you because of it. You don’t wish for somebody’s death on this blog. It’s just not done.
August 13th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Not wishing for his death, just wouldn’t be upset ;-) It’s your prerogative to decide what gets to stay or not, but I’ll post my opinions just as everyone else.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
also – I’m sorry that my meaning was misconstrued as that. You can delete both of these posts if you want :) Since I”m only really talking to you Justin.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
This is Republicanism at its purest: they’ve eliminated a benefit and convinced their idiot voters to thank them for it.
Yay! Now grandma’s insurance won’t help pay for a living will. Yay! Now she can let her kids decide when to pull the plug. It’s a win for everyone.
August 13th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Yay! Now grandma’s insurance won’t help pay for a living will. Yay!
Grandma can write her own living will anytime she wishes. The only other person allowed to write a “living will” for an individual is an attorney. How does a “health insurance reform” include such a bonus for lawyers?
Oh!
August 13th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Fletch:
You’re talking about people dumb enough to believe in death panels. They need lawyers. And diapers.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:25 am
@Chris,
Could you go over that one more time for me? I think I misunderstood what corporations had their hand up the a$$ of which party.
While we have a good time railing against the evil Republicans., perhaps we should occasionally recall that this is a Democratic President, with a Democratic filibuster proof senate, and a 80 vote plurality Democratic House of Representatives and a 100% pure all Democratic deal with Big Pharma that is now the centerpiece of this “reform”.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:37 am
I’m becoming more and more convinced that Republicans in Washington simply don’t want any sort of health care reform.
That’s been obvious from the start. Seeking “bipartisanship” with people who accuse you of wanting to euthanize old people is hopeless. The Republicans haven’t shown any good faith, and they won’t.
It’s long past time to move on from “bipartisanship” and do what the voters who elected all these Democrats elected them to do. The town hall screamers are not people who voted for Obama. They lost.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:05 am
@Pug
For the record and FWIW – Just a reminder that the oft repeated charge that Republican’s are accusing Democrats of “wanting to euthanize old people” is every bit as big a lie and wild exaggeration as the hyperbole about “Obama Death Panels”…
Those that are promoting the “Death Panel” meme are claiming that there is a mechanism for denying life-saving care to the elderly based on cost. This is a vastly different thing then euthanasia.
“Unplugging Grandma” is not euthanasia. It is a denial of life extending care. Euthanasia in actively killing. Different.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Which in your opinion is more reprehensible and why?
August 14th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Sorry Mike, you’re wrong…
Here’s what Newt Gingrich on This Week, which I posted about yesterday…
Also, what do you think Grassley is talking about when he says “pulling the plug on grandma?”
So, what Repubs are arguing is the idea that denying care based on medical conditions is a form of involuntary euthanasia. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with it either because I think the logic isn’t sound, but that’s what they’re arguing. And they’re completely ignoring how the private insurance industry does this all the time.
Last, I would appreciate some amendment to your comment since you’re calling me a liar. I think it’s pretty inappropriate that you’re making that comparison between me and them because you disagree with the semantics of my argument.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
@Justin,
I edited it only to point to the comment I was responding to. I was not responding to your post. I was responding to pug’s incorrect and inaccurate use of the word euthanasia as applied to what Grassley said. You did not use that word in your post.
@KK – I cannot answer that. But it does happen now and will happen under Obamacare.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Mike, fair enough, but I feel the net effect is the same and the idea that Republicans aren’t talking about euthanasia is factually incorrect, as is evidenced from the Gingrich quote.
Also, do you think the same party that believes RU487 is akin to abortion makes any sort of distinction between “denial of life extending care” and “euthanasia?” Because if they were…why are we even having this argument in the first place? If they weren’t conflating the two, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But they DO think it’s euthanasia or at least they’re saying it is to scare people. That’s the huge point you’re missing here, and to suggest that people who point that out are just as bad as the Republicans is, well, dead wrong.