tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post3341761079938260316..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Told You So Moment 2 (Maybe)Jonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-19833166964675098602010-12-28T11:42:48.860-06:002010-12-28T11:42:48.860-06:00I just glanced at Bernstein's post and noticed...I just glanced at Bernstein's post and noticed that he attributes 'death panels' to 'a Sarah Palin tweet'. It was actually a five paragraph Facebook post. Was Palin even using Twitter in August of 2009?David Tomlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-90045567735481374402010-12-28T11:23:50.456-06:002010-12-28T11:23:50.456-06:00@Matt Jarvis
I googled 'Palin death panels...@Matt Jarvis<br /><br />I googled 'Palin death panels', and the fifth hit was a Huffpo piece that led, through a couple of links, to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=113851103434" rel="nofollow">full text</a> of Palin's Facebook 'Statement on the Current Health Care Debate' of August 7, 2009.<br /><br />(I just discovered my spellchecker doesn't know 'Facebook' is a word.)David Tomlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-577484865146591482010-12-28T07:40:04.931-06:002010-12-28T07:40:04.931-06:00Palin's "death panel" claim, as I un...Palin's "death panel" claim, as I understand it, was that the bill's attempts at cost reduction would lead to rationing, with bureaucrats choosing to sacrifice those they regarded as less valued, the elderly and the disabled.<br /><br />The end-of-life counseling claim actually was started earlier, by Betsy McCaughey. It is closely related to Palin's claim, but slightly milder. Both claims conjure up a group of bureaucrats holding the lives of the elderly in their hands, but McCaughey merely claimed they would put pressure on old people to end their lives sooner.<br /><br />McCaughey had to resign from her position at a medical supplies company due to the controversy. Some people attribute her resignation to an appearance on Jon Stewart in which she was unable to substantiate her claims about the bill after Stewart challenged her to.<br /><br />Go <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_panels_(political_term)" rel="nofollow">here</a> for Wikipedia's description of the controversy. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_McCaughey" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is Wikipedia's article on McCaughey. Politifact awarded Palin's "death panels" claim "<a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/aug/10/sarah-palin/sarah-palin-barack-obama-death-panel/" rel="nofollow">Lie of the Year</a>" at the end of 2009, and <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jul/23/betsy-mccaughey/mccaughey-claims-end-life-counseling-will-be-requi/" rel="nofollow">here</a> is their debunking of McCaughey's earlier claim. For her two-part appearance on Stewart (it's long), go <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-20-2009/exclusive---betsy-mccaughey-extended-interview-pt--1" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-20-2009/exclusive---betsy-mccaughey-extended-interview-pt--2" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Kylopodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06932528611103718373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-87019130771563149042010-12-27T18:01:15.757-06:002010-12-27T18:01:15.757-06:00David:
What exactly was Palin attacking with her &...David:<br />What exactly was Palin attacking with her "death panel" post then?<br /><br />I tried the google, but "death panel = EOLC" is just about all the top hits.Matt Jarvisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-1571988058158730902010-12-27T12:56:12.994-06:002010-12-27T12:56:12.994-06:00But Boehner did take up the chant, calling it &quo...But Boehner did take up the chant, calling it "government-endorsed euthanasia."Leslie Parsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743778482517634823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-29996672161923874412010-12-27T11:39:36.137-06:002010-12-27T11:39:36.137-06:00It's a pet peeve of mine that most people seem...It's a pet peeve of mine that most people seem to misunderstand the history of this. When Sarah Palin first used the 'death panels' phrase, she wasn't talking about end-of-life counseling. (Look it up.)<br /><br />Before that moment, other Republican critics of the legislation had raised issues about EOLC. It seems some critics of Palin, or maybe just some journalists, conflated EOLC with 'death panels'. When Palin was asked about it, she responded by defending the arguments of her fellow Republicans. This cemented the association.David Tomlinnoreply@blogger.com