After "Death Panel" Claim, Palin Now Calls For Civility

After making an extraordinary, unsupported and incendiary claim that President Obama's health care plan will result in a "death panel" that is fundamentally "evil," Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is now calling for civility in the debate on health care reform.

In a Facebook posting on Friday, Palin lashed out a scenario "in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care."

Although former House Speaker Newt Gingrich yesterday jumped to Palin's defense, many other conservatives are casting her comments as "crazy". There is nothing in any of the proposed health care legislation that would set up anything remotely like what Palin describes.

Now, in her latest Facebook entry, Palin seems to be wanting to change the subject. She writes:

There are many disturbing details in the current bill that Washington is trying to rush through Congress, but we must stick to a discussion of the issues and not get sidetracked by tactics that can be accused of leading to intimidation or harassment. Such tactics diminish our nation's civil discourse which we need now more than ever because the fine print in this outrageous health care proposal must be understood clearly and not get lost in conscientious voters' passion to want to make elected officials hear what we are saying. Let's not give the proponents of nationalized health care any reason to criticize us.

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Comments

[Mark4Boston]

Oops - sorry, my previous post had a typo - If we could cover every US citizen under a single payer plan at the average cost of an OECD country of $2560 per person, we would save over $1.5 TRILLION dollars annually. thanks...

[mullacabu]

PART 1 OF 2: I just love the nonsense from individuals that want to spend other people’s monies. Let’s just have the rich pay for it! You do know the Pareto principle right? Our Government is so screwed up. My Government tells me that by the time I retire I shouldn’t count on receiving any of the Social Security monies that I’ve paid in for the past 30+ years. I’ve paid far more taxes than most of the people posting on this blog yet it’s the little guy that didn’t educate himself, or had a drug problem, or got a girl pregnant too young or blah, blah, blah. We always reward the failures. Prison inmates have it better than 95% of the people on this planet. Medicare is a disaster so why don’t we add to the mess with more of the same – add a one-option plan and let the government run it. Great idea. Educate yourself then go earn a living and stop looking for handouts from the Government. What do you think happened to our ancestors before we had medicine and hospitals?

[mullacabu]

PART 2 OF 2: The best cure is to reduce government and let the free market work out the rest. And if you think we’re operating in a free market you have no clue. But no self-deserving Democrat would be happy with that approach. Because we have to have the rich pay for the healthcare of the poor and illegal immigrants that are already here. It’s like people think they have a God given right to have a government that will take care of them – People take care of People, not the Government. The United States was established to allow people to be free. Free doesn’t equate to a free ride. It means we have the opportunity to succeed or fail. The leaders of our country, since the early 1900’s, has slowly moved away from the foundation and our President is just trying to move it along faster, so that no one can fail.

Here’s a novel idea. Why don’t the people and the Government that want to have the healthcare plan pay for the healthcare plan separately. And then let those that don’t want to pay for it keep their tax dollars and fend for themselves.

[Mark4Boston]

Palin pokes a stick into my eye and THEN calls for civility? Sorry, but I don't buy it.
I detest Palin. Her claim that end of life counseling is a death panel is a total perversion of language. If this is how Republicans gain "victory" they should never have a say in American politics ever again.

I have worked at a cancer institute, and end of life issues affect everyone, from patients to providers to the patients family. To condemn a proven treatment just to gain attention from the press is irresponsible, contemptable and disgusting.

Until we reform healthcare with a single payer plan we are the laughing stock of the industrial world. If we could cover every US citizen under a single payer plan at the average cost of an OECD country of $2560 per person, we would save over $1.5 BILLION dollars annually.

see the link:
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/news/1/10949-real-health-care-reform-universal-single-payer.html

[mullacabu]

Without free market your heading toward Socialism. Socialism is not what the founding fathers created. It wasn't until FDR took the first step under the New Deal (Socialistic step). If you wan't socialism then move.

[mullacabu]

I just love the nonsense from individuals that want to spend other people’s monies. Let’s just have the rich pay for it! You do know the Pareto principle right?

[Laurie Knowlton]

as MJ says....the Queen of Bi-Polar.....anyone that thinks she is govenment material scares me

[EagleFliesInSky]

Most of those against Obama's health care plan have clearly not read it and from the looks of some of those at the anti-rallies, they probably can't read. Make it easy for them? OK. Here it is in simple English.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/?e=11&ref=myth1

Did you know that most insurance underwriters and those who possess the ability (and mandate) to say NO to your claims must have a certain quota? Of NOs, that is. When you begin to start saying YES to those claims, you'd better start looking for another job.

Remember! Insurance companies are in business to make money and they don't give a d@mn about your personal health problems. That's a fact of life.

The plan In plain English: http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq/?e=11&ref=myth1#s2

[mullacabu]

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. And then, they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." Pastor Marin Niemoeller (1891-1984)

If you like the plan so much, then you pay for it and leave me alone!

[Jo Farrell]

I am not a political traitor, hate group, just a senior citizen. Who despite what the younger generation can still think. I honestly believe that if ever a straight answer was provided by the Admin. most of this nonsense would stop. I as an America have the legal right to ask question. And that is all I am doing. The terms used by the Admin. of "New World Order" does have a Nazi connection in minds. I was taught to NEVER sign anything till I read it, but yet the congress is just signing for fear. The bully tactics is all I see and hear. What was once just off the wall media, is starting to make it to main stream media. WHAT took so long. And the threats of "terrorist" lists, including vets. only makes average Americans think twice. All I want is a straight answer. Not a "Close to" remark, or "sort of like" , etc. Too much wiggle room for me.

[gfulmore]

Sarah Palin is the master of catchy phases to make a simplistic point. It feeds red meat to folks who really do not want "discussion time." What makes more sense is for sensible politicians and others to have sane discussions about how we can make progress in improving our nation's health care system. In the end, a political decision can be made by the majority party in charge. Hopefully, we will soon move forward, at least with ending insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. And, hopefully, we will move forward with a public option for that 20-25% of Americans who are shopping for health insurance and want the same choices available to federal employees. Want to see what they have to choose from? Go to http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/planinfo/index.asp

[mullacabu]

I just love the nonsense from individuals that want to spend other people’s monies. Let’s just have the rich pay for it! You do know the Pareto principle right?

[pleurothallis1]

Leo Tolstoy 'Anna Karenina'.­...."...:h­er goal is virtue, she's a christian, yet she's angry all the time, and they're all her enemies, and they are all enemies on account of Christianity and virtue."

[trdsf]

This is no different from her whipping up her campaign crowds to the point where they were shouting death threats against Obama -- and her backing off 'death panels' now is no more effective than it was when she made her half-assed call for civility then. It's a little late to put the gunpowder back in the bomb after it's exploded.

And why in the name of reasoned discourse is Palin paid any attention whatsoever? Oh, yes. Because screaming lunatics make better TV than an actual discussion of the facts.

[mullacabu]

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. And then, they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." Pastor Marin Niemoeller (1891-1984)

If you like the plan so much, then you pay for it. Take money out of your own pocket (not mine) pay for the plan and leave me alone!

[SonyaInTx]

Has this woman EVER said anything that wasn't polarizing?

[Mike Barden]

But the Paliban eats it up.

[diahni]

Palin stirs up a ruckus with her inflammatory "death panel" comments, followed by advising others not to do the same. What a hypocrite! Worse, she ignores the reality that insurance companies regularly use "death panels" when they deny people care. Ideology has no place in the health care debate. Meanwhile, we already do have state insurance - Medicaid. Decades ago, job applications asked if the applicant had ever been a member of the Communist party. Red paranoia is still alive and well even if Communisim is dead. Ironically, those who work for the government are well-covered by good health insurance. My husband works for the state, and we have a family health plan for a little over a hundred bucks a month. My self-employed friends are envious and amazed. What I don't get is how the adequate insurance of government workers is not considered "socialized medicine." It is. Every American should be so lucky. Single payer is the only way to go. Yes, it will cost all of us. Can you imagine having to have insurance for the services of public servants such as police and fire fighters? You can drop dead from not having health insurance, but your local firemen would never let your house burn down, never mind leave your cat up in the tree. Why should health care be any different than other civic services? If the government is bailing out banks and the auto industry, how 'bout bailing out our fellow Americans?

[mullacabu]

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. And then, they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." Pastor Marin Niemoeller (1891-1984)

If you like the plan so much, then you pay for it. Take money out of your own pocket (not mine) pay for the plan and leave me alone!

[USAALLTHEWAY]

Wow! Right now if McCain/Palin won. We would be at war with Iran and Korea, deeper in debt, no hope for health care, and the rest of the world still hating us.

[brahdog]

seriously. as much as some of us may have problems with obama and his progress, the alternative could be sooo much worse.

[PragmaticStatistic]

Palin's “Death Panel” comments just go to show how irresponsible she would be as president. As a recognized news item, she created an environment of fear that the conservative talk show hosts exploited based on misinformation and distortion of the facts. The result of which has brought this nation to the point of near violence in town hall meetings across the country. Only now after Charles Gibson, of ABC News, in his fact checking series on healthcare reform protests, pointed out how Palin’s distortions led to near violence, does she suddenly decide we need to be civil about it.

She calls for us to be civil about it without her ever retracting her "Death Panel" comment or accepting blame for inciting the public? Obama at least took the responsibility for his “stupid cop” comment and set things right when things appeared to get out of hand.

Palin’s fear provoking style of leadership, level of intelligence, and willingness to distort the facts is not what this country needs at this time. However, the constitution protects her right to do so. This former Conservative Republican for one views her activities as representative of a frantic party who no longer expresses the values of its lost membership and is desperately trying to recapture what they lost.

The time has come for the political talk hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck to admit that they too were irresponsible for bringing the nation to the point of near violence.

[Rachael Wamsley]

It seems to me Ms. Palin has taken responsibility by calling for civility to then admit her being misinformed and thereby misguiding others. She is not qualified to lead and has stepped down as Alaska's governor to prove it. I think the last clip I saw of Ms. Palin showed her fishing near her home or the home of one of her best girlfriends.

[mullacabu]

I just love the nonsense from individuals that want to spend other people’s monies. Let’s just have the rich pay for it! You do know the Pareto principle right? Here’s a novel idea. Why don’t the people and the Government that want to have the healthcare plan pay for the healthcare plan separately. And then let those that don’t want to pay for it keep their tax dollars and fend for themselves.

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. And then, they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." Pastor Marin Niemoeller (1891-1984)

[mullacabu]

"Obama's plan would mean depriving senior citizens and disabled people of proper care." Watch:

Michele Bachmann seeking questions (YouTube Video "The Presidents Healthcare Advisors")

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/palin-obamas-death-panel_n_254399.html

[Bubba Gump]

Sarah Palin is half right. There is a "death panel" -- they're called medical insurance corporate executives. Today, they bar 46 million Americans from any insurance and maintain many more Americans with insufficient insurance by fixing high prices/unnecessary paperwork and tests, pre-existing disqualifiers, games of greed (when people get sick and need the insurance, they get dropped), restrictions to bad hospitals, etc.

Trading lives for dollars. Just like blood for oil.

[PlainJayne]

After opening the gate and letting all the cows out now she's trying to round 'em all up and make them act civilized? Please! She got what she what she wanted. Have you seen pictures of her talk show host friend and his big red t-shirt. Those weren't nice lets be friends words, those were I'm ready to fight to get rid of people who are different words. I'm sure she has the same sentiments and is going to let all the cows to the work. She's going to milk them until the last drop.

[mullacabu]

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. And then, they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up." Pastor Marin Niemoeller (1891-1984)

If you like the plan so much, then you pay for it. Take money out of your own pocket (not mine) pay for the plan and leave me alone!

[arpaul]

Didn't Alaskans invent "death panels"? You know ... setting elderly Eskimos adrift on ice flows? Isn't that what passes for health care in Palin's Alaska? Pallin' around with polar bears?

[mullacabu]

"Obama's plan would mean depriving senior citizens and disabled people of proper care." Watch:

Michele Bachmann seeking questions (YouTube Video "The Presidents Healthcare Advisors")

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/palin-obamas-death-panel_n_254399.html