Grassley Defends ‘Pull The Plug On Grandma’ Comments: Palin Said It First!
Grassley Defends ‘Pull The Plug On Grandma’ Comments: Palin Said It First!
Last month, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was widely criticized for saying that Americans “have every right to fear” the end-of-life counseling provisions in the House health care bill. “We should not have a government program that determines if you’re going to pull the plug on grandma,” Grassley said during a town hall in Iowa.
This morning on C-SPAN, Grassley defended his statement by blaming Obama, stating that “there is another political leader, higher up in the hierarchy, that used that than I did.” He then suggested that if Americans “connect several dots,” it would become obvious that the bill could euthanize seniors:
Well, there is another political leader, higher up in the hierarchy that used that than I did…And then the Washington Post, or some newspaper later on said something about Sarah Palin. Well, Sarah Palin said that presumably before I said it, about the death boards…But if you figure, if you connect several dots, you got, the concern about saving money in this health care bill, you’ve got the concern about a public option leading to a government run health care plan, and then you got the Veterans Administration putting out a book saying that all of the doctors have to deal with end of life issues for everyone that is in that system, and then you’ve got all of that put together. And quite frankly, between government running everything and paying a doctor to give that advice, everybody figures that the government is going to be in the middle of end of life issues just like they are in England, as an example.
Watch it:
In reality, the so-called ‘death panel provision,’ Section 1233 of the House Tri Committee bill, would allow Medicare to reimburse providers for consulting with patients about end-of-life issues; nothing in the section mandates a consultation. In fact, the provision builds on President Bush’s efforts to expand Medicare coverage to “counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options” for terminally ill patients. In 2003, Grassley voted in favor of the provision as part of Bush’s Medicare drug bill.
The Wonk Room has compiled a list of Grassley’s most egregious misrepresentations and will continue monitoring and fact checking Grassley’s statements throughout the reform process. Read the full document HERE.
Transcript:
Well, there is another political leader, higher up in the hierarchy that used that than I did. And if it was wrong for him to use it, then it was wrong for me to use it. But here is, I bet if you saw on television just that statement that I made, you would think I was giving a speech inflaming the whole issue. And then the Washington Post, or some newspaper later on said something about Sarah Palin. Well, Sarah Palin said that presumably before I said it about the death boards. But I never used the word and I wasn’t aware of her doing it until one of the press people asked me.
So I was in a town hall meeting, in Winterset, Iowa, and a person stands up, like you could stand up now, and get off the internet a copy of the House bill and you read what it says there. Now what it says there is well intentioned, well intentioned…I don’t agree with how they’re doing it, but I spoke out against end of life stuff in our Finance Committee over the last several months. So it was nothing new for me to say that I don’t want the government involved in it. I want the family involved in it. So I answered it that way. But if you figure, if you connect several dots, you got, the concern about saving money in this health care bill, you’ve got the concern about a public option leading to a government run health care plan, and then you got the Veterans Administration putting out a book saying that all of the doctors have to deal with end of life issues for everyone that is in that system, and then you’ve got all of that put together. And quite frankly, between government running everything and paying a doctor to give that advise, everybody figures that the government is going to be in the middle of end of life issues just like they are in England, as an example.
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Just like a Repug. “I DIDN’T say it! I just repeated it! So there!” What a dirt-bag. With Repugs it is always SOMEBODY elses fault.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:54 amHAH!!!
Hey… Sarah… Chucky just threw you under the bus.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:55 am” In 2003, Grassley voted in favor of the provision as part of Bush’s Medicare drug bill”.
Well, Grassely is a HYPOCRITTER after all…………
September 8th, 2009 at 10:57 am… between government running everything and paying a doctor to give that advise, everybody figures that the government is going to be in the middle of end of life issues just like they are in England, as an example.
Just like in ENGLAND?????
You mean… the way they killed Stephen Hawking?
September 8th, 2009 at 10:57 amSo, as I read Grassley’s statement… he seems to be taking credit for saying something blatantly misleading and untrue, but then blames it on someone else saying it first…
Wow. That’s some serious high-wire acrobatics of hypocrisy right there.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:58 amSo let me see if I’ve got this right. One of the major tenets of GrassleyCare would be the “Terry Schiavo” provision . . . compulsory survival no matter how long the vegetative state?
Yup. That makes a lot of sense. And I can understand why Grassley (DRT-AU) supports it. After all, he’s been in a vegetative state for the past ten years — and I don’t mean Iowa.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:59 amSome people are just too stupid for their own good.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:00 amThe GOP has become the most unpatriotic treasonous bunch since they brought out McCarthyism in the 1950’s.
I think the key here is that yes you Might have a government person in the middle that is there to say yes to your request by the doctor rather then a insurance person in between you saying sorry no can do.
So in that case i still rather have a government person over a insurance person.
but we all know its really up to you and your doctor……
September 8th, 2009 at 11:02 amWhat a ghoul. You know, I blame Americans (Uninformed Americans) for this. ‘Death panels’, ‘Pulling the plug on Granny’ What a bunch of Bullsh*t, and Americans fall for it. Hook, line and sinker. When have we gotten so dumb? It is very depressing.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:02 amPalin didnt read the legislation and didnt think of using the phrase ‘Death Panel’ she was told this by someone else and has been phlegming it ever since.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:03 amLast I checked Sarah Palin is not in any hierarchy. She violated her oath of office to join the talk show and twitter circuit. The idea that a Senator who is ostensibly actually working on the legislation in question would defer his understanding of the legislation to a twit is understandable given the state of the GOP today, but hardly defensible.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:06 amThe someone else said it excuse doesnt wash. Its like saying they pulled the plug on some granny, its their fault I pulled the plug of some granny.
And really, does anyone think these pro-rescission, pro-war, money before all folks really care about people?
September 8th, 2009 at 11:07 amConnect the dots?…Oh, I see, we have to use simple fun activities. How about a word search, then:
aqwthevjkl
September 8th, 2009 at 11:08 ammgopyurtxz
iabceqisbv
idealessqt
Nice to know that Grassley has such an impeccable source of authority, Caribou Bible-thumping Barbie.
pssst, GrASSley, Sara isn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the box.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:08 amI would add that having recently dealt with an end-of-life situation the counselors, social workers, hospitalists, and hospice workers, not to mention doctors and nurses, who helped us plan and deal with the inevitable were greatly appreciate. Fortunately, we had the advantage of government run Tricare medical coverage so all of that was covered by our insurance.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:08 amGrassley, the Washington Post, or Palin, is not a representative of the constituents of your state. Its not your job to parakeet lobbyist views or instill fear in your constituents to pass legislation that favors those you are not supposed to be working for.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:11 amThis is why we need TERM limits to keep morans like him with brain rot out of goverment 1 term as senator, 2 terms for the house no more big retirements and pay there owm medical when leaveing office.There are a lot of smart american people that would make great leaders, Instead of voteing all thses sorry basters in office year after year.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:12 amGrassley is totally owned by the health insurers. He is a whore.
Never trust a whore.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:12 amSo what is next Grassley? Bozo the Clown said it first? I thought cream rose to the top I guess shite does too
September 8th, 2009 at 11:12 amRepublicans demanded that the Medicare bill include “end of life counseling” years ago when it passed.
Yes, that’s right. Remember the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill, the one that passed with the votes of 204 GOP House members and 42 GOP Senators? Anyone want to guess what it provided funding for? Did you say counseling for end-of-life issues and care? Ding ding ding!!
Hypocrite, fcukwit, traitor a$$holes.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:15 amShorter Grassley:
“I know, I’ve been intricately involved in the creation of this bill, have read and actually written part of this Bill. I know, I endorsed the same verbiage in previous healthcare bills and would never have been inclined to imply that they create “death panels”. I know, I am an elected representative and have the responsibility to bring the facts of this issue to my constituents and the Nation so that they can make an honest opinion on this issue. But damnit, Sarah Palin says that they are in there so I decided to parrot her lie rather than educate people on the facts. I AM a Republican aren’t I?!
September 8th, 2009 at 11:18 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
How will Iowa’s corn production fare
September 8th, 2009 at 11:23 amwhen their scarecrow is in Washington D.C.?
We all know that the repugs make sht up. Their base eats it up and believes it. I like to think that most Americans have common sense and can see thru the repugs bullsht.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:24 amIn the end repugs are only hurting themselves. Dems won the last two election cycles,and we will keep winning because the repugs lie and mke sht up.
So let me get this straight. Grassley spewed this bullshit on C-SPAN and nobody called him on it? How hard is it to ask, “Yes Sarah Palin said that but she said quite a bit during the Presidential campaign that was proven to be simply untrue. You are an elected official and are deeply involved in the negotiation and creation of this Bill. You KNOW better but still wish to posit this lie?”
Why hasn’t anyone even asked this fool if he is SO concerned about death panels why doesn’t he DO something about it? Rather than spending all of his breath trying to kill reform, why not work to guarentee that there are no “death panels” in the Bill? Maybe because they don’t exist and you’re just hoping to terrorize retired folks?
September 8th, 2009 at 11:24 amjoedee1969, is it left to say that you have an agenda?
Shall we compare his boringness to say, bush?
If you don’t think race is still an issue in America then you never will.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:25 amAll Grassley wants is to pull the plug on health care reform.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:26 amGO HERE and tell him to pull the
plug on his political career if
he doesn’t support health care reform:
http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm
September 8th, 2009 at 11:28 amBush was more entertaining just for the sheer comedic value.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:29 amGrassley (R-IA) was widely criticized for saying that Americans “have every right to fear”
it’s another frighty talking point… i posted this yesterday:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) — The “reset button” needs to be pressed on healthcare reforms being “imposed upon” the American people, a Republican congressman says.
Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, speaking Saturday in the GOP’s response to President Barack Obama’s weekly radio and Internet address, said: “It’s time to press the ‘reset’ button’” on “healthcare reform (that) is being imposed upon (Americans), rather than developed with them.”
Saying Americans are right to be frightened and confused about the Democratic reforms, Kline said hardworking families were being kept in the dark and asserted the costs of the measures will mean more job losses.
“Democrats have crafted this legislation behind closed doors, creating a partisan blueprint that — at last count — clocked in at more than 1,000 pages. It’s complicated, it’s convoluted and it’s quite simply not going to work,” he said.
Kline said Democrats have rejected overtures on a GOP proposal “designed to make health care more affordable, reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and increase quality at a price our country can afford.”
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/09/05/GOP-Time-for-healthcare-reset-button/UPI-96721252162117/
well, fear has always been the frighties’ friend…
September 8th, 2009 at 11:31 amshoeless says,
All Grassley wants is to pull the plug on health care reform.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:31 am————————————————————-
Not just Grassely, it`s all the HYPOCRITTERS from the Right and those Blue dog democrats.
Evangenital: “Grassley is totally owned by the health insurers. He is a whore.
Never trust a whore.”
I don’t think it’s fair to whores to have you comparing them to Chuck Grassley. Grassley’s killing people. Whores are just trying to make some money.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:32 amWhen you compare anything or anyone to the psychotic, sociopathic, money grubbing, hypocrite, chicken hawk liars on the hill — well you get the idea, JoeDee.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:33 amYou know, you’re not exactly putting a lot of faith in your arguments if you use Sarah Palin as the primary reference…
September 8th, 2009 at 11:34 amI have known a lot of trustworthy whores in my life, some really decent people. And they would be apalled to be lumped with some lying POS like Grassley.
The Repugnants are more akin to a week old road killed deer, bloated and filled with maggots. Disgusting lot, top to bottom.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:34 amjoedee is a spamming whore.
Ignore.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:35 amBeat me to it NinerFan.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:35 amDear John, I should remind you that Nixon, in 1974, attempted healt insurance reform. Now, lets be truthful here, this is not a left, right issue and you know it, the fact is that you would sell out your constituents for some campaign cash and a rolo-dex of business contacts to enrich yourself.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:38 amAt first, yeah. But of course there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy.
I recall reading somewhere — can’t remember who was the author — a description of the dividing line between the two: an elegantly dressed man appears at the top of a long flight of stairs. He starts down that stairs, trips and tumbles. He bounces from step to step and lands in a heap at the foot of the staircase. He is dead.
If you can point to the exact moment when the man’s fall stopped being comic and became tragic, then you understand comedy.
For Bush, I’d say it was when the first plane hit the tower.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:43 amnanlichi, I suppose that would mean that those trustworthy whores would be almost as appalled to be lumped in with joedee, as I did so callously.
My apologies to them.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:44 amHe’s not negotiating constructively. Kick him to the curb!
September 8th, 2009 at 11:45 amFirst of all, why would anyone listen to Palin? She is no longer in office. She is no longer a Govenor, she quit her job halfway through her term! My God! She uses a My Face page for her statements. Are we supposed to be impressed? Jeez!
September 8th, 2009 at 11:47 amralph, joedee couldn’t get laid if he had $1,000 cash and promised to bathe first. That stench won’t scrub off.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:49 amWhy does Sen. Grassley remind me so much of Hitler?
Hey, don’t blame me for that comment, I’m sure someone else made it first!
/snark
September 8th, 2009 at 11:51 amYou have love the right for their great politicizing of everything that comes down the pike but you also have to hate them for all of their UNAmerican obstructionist tactics.They really do hate America!
September 8th, 2009 at 11:53 amLest we forget, in the decades since Roe v. Wade the republics have done NOTHING to repeal or change anything regarding abortion. They need this wedge issue to keep the base strong and engaged. They don’t really give a shit about it beyond it’s power to motivate the base.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:57 amHealth care reform is similar. They’ve done everything to sabotage any real reform to make what’s left a piece of shit that likely will change nothing other than increase the pool of suckers for the health insurance companies to prey on. Then they get to point to it and say: look at this piece of crap the Dems stuck us with.
OMG, he sounds like a four year old “Billy did it first”….
Grassley is so typical of Republics. When they find themselves in a hole, they just keep on digging.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:58 amPull the plug on Grassley, not Grandma!
September 8th, 2009 at 11:59 amIf Grassley considers Palin to be an expert on healthcare (or ANYTHING ELSE, for that matter), he’s not worth considering. I see no evidence that accepting compromises in order to make the legislation ‘bi-partisan’ will do anything other than introduce massive flaws in the bill. All for what – a ‘possible’ 3 votes in the House and 1 or 2 in the Senate?
The best that I can hope is that this attempt at bipartisanship has all been a tactic to allow them to display their utter disinterest in compromise and engagement in solving the problems of our current system before CHANGING COURSE and pushing through a strong comprehensive solution (SINGLE PAYER, please!) with only votes from the Democratic congressional ranks.
IF this is their secret tactic, it sure is time for them to make their move. Tomorrow in the joint session would work …
September 8th, 2009 at 12:03 pmHey NinerFan, Did kws ever get back to you about meeting him?
September 8th, 2009 at 12:04 pmWell, of course, I see the logic and perfect morality to that; someone else spouted a lie first so it’s perfectly OK to repeat it and pump it up and throw it out as fact to the ignorant and raving…
September 8th, 2009 at 12:22 pmIf the people in Iowa re-elect Grassley, then they get what they deserve-a politician who will lie, cheat and do anything for campaign contributions to the detriment of his constituents.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:37 pmI saw this piece of crap on TV a little while ago…He is complaining that the President has given up on working with both parties to get health reform done.
This same idiot last week asked for help so he can defeat Obama care.
What an ass!
September 8th, 2009 at 12:59 pmWaitaminnit — you mean if I say that Grassley has been selling our military secrets to the North Koreans (or made up some other lie), it’s perfectly OK if somebody else said it first?
Nonsense. When you perpetuate something you know is a falsehood, it doesn’t matter whether you’re the first person to say it or the 500th.
And if Grassley is going to claim that his sole source of information is Sarah Palin, it’s not going to fly.
Grassley should know better. Every doctor has to deal with end-of-life issues for their patients, whether their patient is covered by Medicare, by private insurance, or not covered at all. And if I’m going to have somebody hovering over me to see if I’m going to die or not, I’d prefer to take my chances with the government than have it be some flunky employed by a for-profit organization whose bonus gets bigger if I die.
September 8th, 2009 at 1:16 pmsscncturn64, I never saw a reply. I actually can get around the country to meet people and I wasn’t kidding. And, I think if the guy met me in person, there would be no violence. I’m a very large guy.
September 8th, 2009 at 1:56 pmAssley is better than the Albert and Costello’s skit “Who’s on first.” I thought it was Obama and now you say it is Palin. Stay classy, Chucky.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:26 pmGrASSley = I(diot) O(ut) W(alking) A(round). ‘Nuff said.
September 9th, 2009 at 3:36 amGrassley doesn’t get it. He needs to lighten up and watch this health reform ad.
http://axisofreason.com/2009/09/09/health-reform-worries/
September 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pmThank you for your sharing.!
September 11th, 2009 at 2:47 pmI hope he and the other rethuglicans realize that they have really shot themselves in the foot by refusing to work for obama’s healthcare bill (which btw, sounds a lot more like what we need here than just tax breaks and tort reform; I guess the repubs just don’t get it).
September 12th, 2009 at 10:18 amLast month, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was widely criticized for saying that Americans “have every right to fear” the end-of-life counseling provisions in the House health care bill. “We should not have a government program that determines if you’re going to pull the plug on grandma,” Grassley said during a town hall in Iowa. estetik ameliyatlar
September 15th, 2009 at 5:58 am