Grassley’s ‘grandma’ remark re-ignites debate
Sen. Grassley
WASHINGTON — It was just yesterday when President Barack Obama warned about the “scare tactics” fueling the intense debates and town hall ruckuses over health-care reform.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, must not have been tuned in — or perhaps he has other ideas about what legislation in the House means.
The blunt-spoken Grassley is not just any senator; he’s one of the Senate Finance Committee negotiators working on a version of health-care reform legislation that will be melded with the House bill when Congress returns to work next month.
Today, Grassley offered clues about where he’s coming from with comments in Iowa that are getting a good deal of air time.
In the town of Winterset, Grassley said: “There’s some people that think it’s a terrible problem that grandma’s laying in the bed with tubes in her … We should not have a government program that determines whether you’re going to pull the plug on grandma.”
That reference and others about “death panels” making the rounds refer to wording in House legislation that proposes paying physicians who give counsel to the terminally ill about what medical interventions they would prefer and about living wills.
There’s nothing in any current legislation with regard to officials making decisions about those interventions.
Obama, in his own town hall meeting yesterday, said that “the intent is to give people more information,” adding that the chief sponsor is a Republican, Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who’s getting about as much national TV time these days as Obama with her many town halls, was asked about Grassley’s comments this afternoon on MSNBC.
“Chuck’s just wrong about that. I think he needs to call Johnny Isakson … All this is doing is saying you’re entitled to counseling; you and your family are entitled to counseling.”
Grassley, an influential player in this debate, wasn’t done in Iowa. Speaking in Panora, Iowa this afternoon, he said:
“I think the best thing you do is if you want people to think about the end of life, number one, Jesus Christ is the place to start. And after that, in the physical life as opposed to your eternal life, it ought to be done within the family and considered a religious and ethical issue and not something that politicians deal with.”
Rather then trying to work together to craft a bi-partisan bill, the Republicans are just working to scare people and keep anything from happening. This is why they lost in 08 and why they will lose again in 2010.
I think Senator McCaskill needs to call Senator Isakson. He’s already stated that Obama is wrong.
Richard:
People should be afraid… very, very afraid.
Obama, Waxman, Pelosi and their crew want to end all choice in your medical care. They want total and complete control of 1/6 of the US economy.
Total and complete control.
Total and complete control! Not total and complete!! That’s terrifying!!! Oh wait. Isn’t it possible that it might better for those somewhat accountable to the public through elections be given total and complete control (which the government won’t have) instead of multi-billion dollar companies whose only concern is increasing profits?
lets see; our peoples congress passed an approximately 1000 page economic stimulis bill in Feb, that no one read before passing. why, pray tell, does it matter what is or isn’t in the healthcare reform bill now? what matters is what is in the bill when our peoples congress passes it.
btw, what are we paying congress for if they are going to continue passing bills they don’t even bother to read?
dear leader has the solution for that too. maybe he can insert language in the bill abolishing congress, so life will be easier for him.
well, are you going to delete this and narc me to the white house so the people won’t see what a Nazi Republican wrote?
Medicare is a government program that Americans are very happy with. The Republicans opposed it when it was enacted — even crying “socialism” and employing other scare tactics. The right wing Republicans in Congress despise Medicare and would love to shut it down if they had a chance. What they fear the most is Obama’s health care plan attaining the success and popularity of Medicare. Because while that would be good for the country and likely save thousands of lives, it would be a political setback for the Republicans.
I’m glad that Claire won, but havent been her greatest fan. Didnt like her campaign against Holden for starters. But she was tough at this town hall! Good for her! Toe to toe, smart, brooked no nonsense.
You know what it’s about for these naysayers? They lost the election, and they think they can make up in lies and noise what they lack in votes. Someone needs to tell them, we know how you feel, you like rich people, conservative social issues, insurance companies and drug companies, dont like poor, black or unemployed people, dont want to pay 1c in taxes no matter how much it helps (not that obama is going to make you if earn under $250,000), but you lost the election, so what we’re doing in washington is what the majority of people want and elected us for. And we’re not going to let you steal that from the people regardless of how loud and nuts you are. So get over it. Get some help before it’s too late, tho for most of you it’s way past that.
whoops, should have been under Claire’s post, you know, but you get the idea.
Sen. Grassley votes 99% of the time with the ‘hard core’ Republicans.
His payments from the INSURANCE industries are in the MILLIONS.
Whom does he pay allegiance to - the Insurance /Pharma Corps., Of Course!
The woman who coined the ‘death panel’ wording is associated with the Hudson Institute, an ultra conservative Think Tank.
Who Funds that institute - the INSURANCE /Pharma corporations, Of Course!
Now - does anyone see the pattern emerging…
No One is trying to take over the economy.
Actually, 8 years of Bush ‘economics’ did not leave much of an economy to take over…
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The person calling them self - tsquare, asks us to be afraid of -
Obama / Waxman /Pelosi = a Black man / a Jewish man / a Catholic Woman
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Now - does anyone see the pattern emerging…
Grassley is right , there is a lot to be afraid of.
BUT - it is not from the Dems.
IT IS FROM THE RIGHT WING OF A DYING POLITICAL PARTY, THAT DOES NOT WISH TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THIS COUNTRY ARE CHANGING. THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEAS TO BRING TO THE TABLE - JUST THAT SAME UGLY OLE MANTRA OF …FEAR and HATE.
They are yesterday…and we are tomorrow.
DO NOT LET THEM TAKE AWAY - YOUR FUTURE /YOUR HEALTH CARE/ AND THE HEALTH CARE OF THE 47 MILLION ( without health care ).
Tell the President, tell the Congress, to forge ahead without the Republican,Do Nothing Party !
Our Country Can and Will Pass this Bill!
Mitch:
If these guys are soooo great at running things… making rules, and programs, etc. why do they exempt themselves from so much including this health care plan?
So sorry that you can’t make all those decisions yourself.
billhaas:
What is about these naysayers?
How about that we don’t want to see the government making the decisions of life and death over our health care. Maybe it’s that they lie about their true goals. (Obama assuring poeple like you that single payer is what he wants… then telling us that he doesn’t. Or ‘assuring’ us that ‘if you like your insurance you can keep it’ when the actual bill says otherwise.
Bill… tell me… just why aren’t your Democrats actually DEFENDING the bill? Why are they refusing to talk about it?