Yesterday, President Obama told a New Hampshire audience that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is “sincerely trying to figure out…a health care bill that works.”
But as The Iowa Independent reports today, during a health care meeting with constituents Grassley spouted the latest conservative conspiracy theory about health care reform — that it will put seniors to death:
Americans should be scared of provisions in a health care bill currently in the U.S. House because it will allow the government to have a say in end-of-life decisions, Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley told a crowd of more than 300 Wednesday morning.
“In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life,” Grassley said. “You have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life, you should have done that 20 years before. Should not have a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma.”
ThinkProgress recorded Grassley’s comments on the ground. Watch it:
In endorsing this latest right-wing conspiracy theory, Grassley seperates himself from other GOP senators. Yesterday Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told an Anchorage crowd that she was “offended” that fellow conservative Sarah Palin wrote that health care legislation will force citizens to stand before “death panels.” And Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who has authored legislation calling for government coverage of voluntary end-of-life counseling, called the conspiracy theory “nuts.”
This isn’t the first time Grassley has scare mongered about health care. Last week he told an Iowan radio host that government-run health insurance programs would force people like Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who was recently treated for a brain tumor, to die rather than treating them.
Despite all this, Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) has continued to insist that he “couldn’t ask for a better partner” for “meaningful health care reform” than Grassley.
(HT: Washington Independent)
Update:
Huffington Post’s Sam Stein notes that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs hit back at Palin today for her death panel remark, saying that the former governor had given out “information that I think many of you all pointed out was wrong.”
Update:
,Politico’s Lisa Lerer reports that “Grassley flagrently refused to denounce rumors for a second time on Wednesday that the House health care bill would allow government to make end of life decisions.” “With all the other fears people have and what they do in England then you get the idea that somebody is going to decide grandma lived too long,” said Grassley. “You understand why you get it.”