Sen. Johnny Isakson: Palin’s ‘Death Panel’ Talk Is ‘Nuts’
Sen. Johnny Isakson: Palin’s ‘Death Panel’ Talk Is ‘Nuts’
In recent weeks, conservatives have attacked a small provision in the House-proposed health care legislation that would broaden Medicare to cover counseling sessions for seniors who want to consider their end-of-life choices. Last week, Sarah Palin claimed President Obama plans to institute bureaucratic “death panels.” While some conservatives rejected Palin’s terrifying claims as “crazy,” others sought to keep the fear-mongering alive. Fox News pundit Glenn Beck announced he believes it to be “true.” Newt Gingrich also agreed with Palin.
Yesterday, the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein spoke with Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), a member of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Isakson “co-sponsored 2007’s Medicare End-of-Life Planning Act and proposed an amendment similar to the House bill’s Section 1233 during the Senate HELP Committee’s mark-up of its health care bill.” He told Klein that the “death panel” talk is “nuts”:
KLEIN: How did this become a question of euthanasia?
ISAKSON: I have no idea. I understand — and you have to check this out — 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. [...]
It empowers you to be able to make decisions at a difficult time rather than having the government making them for you.
Isakson, who has also expressed support for a public health care option, has been promoting advance care planning for years. In 2005, while citing the case of Terri Schiavo, Isakson teamed with state lawmakers to publicly sign a personal “Directive for Final Health Care” to encourage Georgians to discuss their personal wishes for end-of-life care. And Isakson isn’t the only GOP senator who supports the provision; Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “sponsored a virtually identical initiative this spring.”
Political Animal’s Steve Benen concludes: “Assorted wingnuts and Tea Baggers may not believe the administration, Democrats, objective news sources, or the plain black-and-white text of the legislation, but they should at least be willing to consider reality from one of the Senate’s most conservative members.”
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It’s nice to see a sane voice coming from the GNOP. I suspect there are more GNOP members of congress who would like to speak out as Isakson has but fear retribution. And with good reason, based on past tactics.
PEACE
August 11th, 2009 at 12:04 pmIs there anything more entertaining than observing the death of a political party?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:04 pmWhat???? A person with an (R) attached to his name that said an entire paragraph that wasn’t packed with lies!!!!
(faint)….(thud)….(can’t breath)
August 11th, 2009 at 12:05 pmHe better be careful. His Wing-Nut Brethren don’t want to hear this. They honestly believe (or tell themselves) to believe the worst, most outragious, Bull-Sh*t arguments I have ever heard. Unreal.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:08 pmIt would be, Levi, if they weren’t threatening to take the rest of the nation down with them.
And you now they’ll do it, too.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:09 pmI am afraid that the rowdy crowd disrupting the various town halls will not even listen to conservatives who are not the sort who engage in dishonest demagoguery. Can you expect any reasonableness at all from folks who allow their world view to be shaped by Limbaugh, Beck or Hannity?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:13 pmI watched as much of Specter’s townhall meeting as I could stomach. The stench of st-o-o-o-o-pid was hanging heavily in that room. I sure hope that room was just packed with cranky old white men wackos and isn’t representative of the good people of Pennsylvania in general.
The most amusing thing about the whole affair was this quote from Megyn (”just another FoxSnooze blonde bimbo”) Kelly:
“And there you have it. An extraordinary showing out of Pennsylvania. As we watched for the past hour non-stop, an informed, articulate, and very concerned group of American people take their questions directly to their elected representative, Senator Arlen Specter, who they attempted to put on his heels with some very tough questioning. This is American democracy at work. This will not provide fodder for those who describe these folks as angry mobs or dismiss them as un-American. It will however provide a lot of fodder for debate.”
I am convinced that FoxSnooze is a big part of the problem in this nation. They seriously report on sensational topics (their usual diet of high-speed police chases, celebrity murder trials, etc.) and they sensationalize serious topics (such as this healthcare debate and the Obama administration).
August 11th, 2009 at 12:18 pm“I don’t know how that got so mixed up.”
Yeah thats a real mystery..
http://mediamatters.org/research/200907310051
August 11th, 2009 at 12:18 pmPerhaps we should have Sarah Palin’s death panel wish come true.
My thumb’s down.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:19 pmI’m impressed. It’s good to know that there’s at least one R out there who will attribute wingnuttery to wingnuts.
How long before Pudge Limpdiddler tries to read him out of the party? Before Glenda pronounces him an unAmerican traitor, etc?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pmNobody is going to be “written off just because they have cancer,” he said.
You mean like my ‘tumor board’ tried to do with me by recommending I wait 90 days to retest so my cancerous tumor could grow and possibly spread to my lymph system? That kind of writing off?
Asshowles.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:26 pm8. Tom sez:…
yum, FauxSnooze, the high fructose corn syrup lying-sack-of-shit rot-your-brain end of the fast news franchise market; have you had your dose of brainclap this morning, chilluns?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:28 pmTruth warms one man’s soul;
August 11th, 2009 at 12:28 pmBeck, Gingrich wrestle in beans;
Interesting day
***
#5,
i agree with levi.
the republicans are going down.
and they are not taking anyone with
them who didn’t sign on for it.
*
relax.
:)
August 11th, 2009 at 12:28 pmOn the bright side, maybe all this ranting and raving is absolutely beneficial to this country–in the long run.
If this nightmare of malicious stupidity forces more “normal” Republicans to speak up and sideline their nuts, then it’s a good thing. If the nuts continue to take over then more ‘normal’ people will vacate the Republican party, until it either becomes only a regional party or simply snuffs itself out like an old cigarette…long run…
:|
August 11th, 2009 at 12:29 pmHmmm…does Mr. Benen really expect people who see a government conspiracy to send them to FEMA camps where they can be euthanized to listen to anyone who contradicts them? No, they’ll read this to mean that the conspiracy is even bigger than they thought.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:29 pmBut, but, but President Obama wants to kill Sarah’s (grand) baby, Trigg.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pmKudos to Senator Isakson! Somebody in the Republican party Finally has the decency to stand up and say, This Is NUTS! Now if Only some Democrats would only have the Spine to say the same thing!!!
August 11th, 2009 at 12:30 pmSolum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum.
Unfortunately Senator Isakson’s clear description of his provision and his obviously sincere explanation of its purpose and those who have so egregiously characterized it probably won’t make any difference to the mob.
Once the mob has been instructed in what to think, it is inconceivable for them to reverse their position.
Isakson does not have the prominence to be heard above the noise of Palin, Gingrich, Beck, Limbaugh etc.
As FOX etc have been covering this stuff already from their singular angle, it will be interesting to see if they now include Isakson in their studio discussions.
I;m not holding my breath, because Isakson would undermine every report and comment they have made aout this B.S.
And I’ll bet no-one else from the Right, pundit or politician, will even mention Isakson on-air as the feeding frenzy continues.
I’ll bet the only chance we will see Isakson on FOX, if at all, will be a carefully spliced video that Hannit os famous for. Like so:
“I understand [...] people would be euthanized. [...]that is nuts. You’re putting the authority in [...] the government. It empowers [...]the government making them (decisions)for you.“
August 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pmI remember when most of the nuts I knew were actually on the Left — the most credulous people when it came to conspiracies and general goofiness. Most of it, though, was harmless and these days the most credulous people in the country are the Hard Right who apparently will believe absolutely anything, just as long as it’s couched as “the Liberals want to . . .”
It seems like willful stupidity.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:33 pmtom says:
I am convinced that FoxSnooze is a big part of the problem in this nation. They seriously report on sensational topics (their usual diet of high-speed police chases, celebrity murder trials, etc.) and they sensationalize serious topics (such as this healthcare debate and the Obama administration).
___________
I think the word you were searchiong for in there was TRIVIALIZE… they trivialize serious topics, like trying to equate unanswered questions around 9/11 w/ the whole Obama’s birth certificate nonsense.
One issue – the birth certificate silliness, is a yes, or no kind of thing and just too assinine for words. 9/11 is FAAAAR more complicated and the whole shebang still has so many question marks floating over it.
A more apt equivalency fro the birth certificate would be Bush’s missing service records. Why is it considered unpatriotic to question bush’s story when he CAN’T produce those records, but not so when folks refuse to accept the certificate that Obama HAS produced?
Don’t forget, Fox is STILL the ONLY major news “outfit” that has defended its behavior in court by claiming it had a Constitutionally protected right to LIE and call it “news”… and PREVAILED.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:33 pmgummble-bee-itch says:
It seems like willful stupidity.
_____________
“SEEMS LIKE”????
August 11th, 2009 at 12:34 pmI’m pissed! Dr. Nancy just said, ‘These protesters aren’t stupid they are scared.” (I don’t know if she said dumb, but you get the drift) And I’m pissed. “Hey Dr. Nancy, These people are stupid! Theses people are Dumb!” Can you imagine other countries looking at this? My God, Americans will look like idiots. the Canadians already think were morons. Just wait to see what the Brits and the French think. Dear lord, safe us from these Neanderthals.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:34 pmAll the manufactured mayhem this August also points to:
1) the need for campaign finance reform; to get the money-interests from buying, renting and leasing our elected representatives and their polluting the media landscape with lies, myths and distortions:
and
2) the need for reform and de-consolidation of the media, and insuring net neutrality
August 11th, 2009 at 12:36 pmWell said Senator now you need to just keep talking and making others on your side to listen and well pull there head out of the lobby’s ass`s and see and smell real american sunshine and air.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:36 pmOf course, this is giving Republicans political cover to vote for the majority of what the people want while at the same time appeasing their far right wing nut base.
This way, they can move toward voting for health care reform or some version of it while at the same time telling their base, ‘well, I wouldn’t have voted for it at all if a no vote hadn’t become associated with the tea-baggers’
August 11th, 2009 at 12:38 pmraynman says:
Of course, this is giving Republicans political cover to vote for the majority of what the people want while at the same time appeasing their far right wing nut base.
____________
it’s also forcing many of them into the weird position of defending Medicare, a program they’ve always loathed.
Someone’s should make this a routine question at EVERY elected Republican’s press conference:
“Sir… are you going to drop your socialized, inferior government coverage and gladly put your health care decisions in the hands of a private insurer?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:43 pmROTFLMAO!
In #8 above, I said of FoxSnooze: “they seriously report on sensational topics (their usual diet of high-speed police chases, celebrity murder trials, etc.)”.
Well, wouldn’t you know it — they just finished covering one of those L.A. car chases! Unfortunately, it ended. I was real curious to see if they would stay with it if it were still in progress after President Obama’s townhall meeting started.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:43 pmDr. Hussein Matt says:
Teabagger Drops Gun at Anti-Democracy Health Care Protest
_____________
Sweet snapping ass cheeks… they can’t even hold onto their own guns…
The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight?
Is it possible to nominate the entire F-in’ GOOP for a Darwin Award™?
August 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pmThe Astro-turfers, using Rovian tactics, are simply attacking others with their weakness [recission] and their lug humpers are only too happpy to repeat the disinformation.
As for Palin discussing health reform….she doesnt read and hasnt read the legislation.
August 11th, 2009 at 12:58 pmRemember Sarah Qwitter Palin is a “Energy Expert” [Bwahaha] and not a health expert.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:00 pmgummble-bee-itch says: “I remember when most of the nuts I knew were actually on the Left — the most credulous people when it came to conspiracies and general goofiness. Most of it, though, was harmless…”
Because they weren’t organized and financed by a network of ‘religious’ businesses and major industry controlled policy propagandists?
I remember the 1991 Gulf War protests–NO BLOOD FOR OIL!–and I though at the time that they were being simplistic ( after all. Hussein had invaded Kuwait). BUT, as I found out later, they weren’t wrong.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:00 pmWhile it is good to see that Sen. Isakson is “above the fray” on this issue, he needs to go on Fox, CNN, MSNBC and say this. Then and only then will those who are not to far out there in their thinking will start to understand what this means. You cannot teach those who dont want to learn, especially those who have nothing but pure hatred in their hearts and minds, but those who honestly dont know and are looking for real answers this would help them, both of them, because the Repuppetcans dont care, they just want to “bury” the President.
And to think not long ago it was treasonous just for disagreeing with George Bush, just like perjury wasnt really that bad when Scooter Libby did it, will somebody in D.C. stand the eff up!
RIP
August 11th, 2009 at 1:01 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
What I don’t understand is why these Democratic representatives don’t limit participation in their town-halls to their constituents. It would be very easy to require identification proving that the person lives in their district. Then have security on-site to escort out anyone who behaves in a disrespectful manner.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:02 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins says:
Then have security on-site to escort out anyone who behaves in a disrespectful manner.
____________
They’re going to have to do something, or end up w/ a tragedy on their hands.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:07 pmI don’t know how that got so mixed up.
Easy answer, Senator. It didn’t get mixed up, it was just a straight-up lie. A fear-tactic. An attempt to start a riot. However you want to word it, there was no confusion, just dishonesty.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:40 pmhttp://www.seslichatli.com/?tag=on-sevisme-teknikleri
August 11th, 2009 at 2:00 pmMaddow made the point that these people who are now denouncing the scare tactics are the same people who are stoking the public with those tactics. This is a case of Republicans wanting to have their cake and eat it too. They should be called on this because they should not be allowed to distance themselves and repeat the whole cycle of stoke and then denounce the tactics.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:07 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins says:
What I don’t understand is why these Democratic representatives don’t limit participation in their town-halls to their constituents. It would be very easy to require identification proving that the person lives in their district. Then have security on-site to escort out anyone who behaves in a disrespectful manner.
It should be you can’t come in unless you bring your voters ID
August 11th, 2009 at 2:31 pmIt’s about time Isakson said something! Those who are still sane in the GOP need to reign in the crazies.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:38 pmOh nevermind – I forgot that the somewhat sane folks in the GOP have already lost control of the crazies.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:40 pmI absolutely do not and cannot understand why those talking about being denied coverage from the govt can happily live in their bubble and ignore the fact that private insurers are well known to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditioins and to manufacture the situation so that those who develop costly diseases are removed from coverage.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pmI was watching a couple of the townhalls and a noticed there were some that were concerned about tort reform, limiting the cost of malpractice suits and insurance as a way of limiting health care cost. First reaction is that this is a very small part of the health care cost, 1-2%. Second reaction is that why are people so concerned about what happens to a bunch of rich doctors?
August 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pmThe insurance industry would like people to think malpractice is a significant reason for the high costs, but it isn’t. Just another lie.
August 11th, 2009 at 4:13 pmI’m not sure if this would work but these senators have staff with them but why not have a copy of HB3200 at the meeting and when a page is cited as a source of info go to that page and read it.On second thought,it would make no difference because hatred ,racism,and being stupid trump the facts(see birthers)
August 11th, 2009 at 10:07 pmjerry smith says:
I think that is too restrictive. Everyone is effected by healthcare reform everyone should have the opportunity to speak their minds on the issue. Disruptions however should NOT be allowed. The meetings should not have to suffer fools stopping the discourse.
August 12th, 2009 at 3:51 amFirst appointment to Death Panel.
See:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/paula-abdul-named-to-obama-death-panel/
August 12th, 2009 at 10:13 am