Grassley Voted For So-Called "Death Panel" In 2003

Time Magazine's Amy Sullivan pointed out last night that, for all of his ardent demagoguery on the so-called "death panels," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) voted for just such a provision in 2003.

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!!

So either Republicans were for death panels in 2003 before turning against them now--or they're lying about end-of-life counseling in order to frighten the bejeezus out of their fellow citizens and defeat health reform by any means necessary. Which is it, Mr. Grassley ("Yea," 2003)?

Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), who both claimed end-of-life consultations could result in "government encouraged euthanasia," also voted for similar policy in 2003.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) tried to call Grassley on Friday and tell him he was wrong about health care reform. He got the senator's voicemail.

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Comments

[cassiegirl]

11:42 AM on 08/16/2009

Maddow stated on MTP this morning that this "goof" (my term) is at these town halls passing out Beck's book. It can't get any worse than that.

[ebanks84]

11:06 AM on 08/16/2009

Grassley is too old to be looking for a new job so I hope he has STOLEN enough money from the American people to keep him in retirement :)

HE WILL NOT WIN A REELECTION THAT'S FOR SURE!

[ebanks84]

11:04 AM on 08/16/2009

These men are so used to lying and NOT getting caught that they continue to do the same thing without realizing that their past behavior is just a "click" away of the mouse to contradict themselves and show their hypocrisy.

Will somebody tell these old geesers that "lying" is NOT the way to stay in their positions of grandeur? They will all be voted out at their next election.

[BeyondKen]

10:21 AM on 08/16/2009

A little over a decade ago, during another heated debate about health care, Democratic Press Secretary Mike McCurry said that Republicans wanted Medicare - and seniors - to "Go away and die".

Republican Newt Gingrich demanded that he be fired immediately.

[2centsplain]

09:53 AM on 08/16/2009

Which "people" does this guy represent? Are they on this planet? Shouldn't we retire him already?

[anthonytaurus]

09:26 AM on 08/16/2009

If the Democrats want healthcare reform, all they have to do is say they don't want it and wait for the repubs to go against them on the issue. Obama should offer to completely do away with any govt provided healthcare whatsoever. I'd bet we get universal healthcare out of it.

[Benton]

12:26 AM on 08/16/2009

What do you expect from the Republikkklan party.

[orfew]

11:24 PM on 08/15/2009

Ghandi was asked by a reporter what he thought about western civilization.

He replied "I think it is a good idea"

[maryjflyfree]

01:29 AM on 08/16/2009

fanned

[chosenson]

09:52 PM on 08/15/2009

Another shining bit of hypocrisy - Watch Glen Beck campaign FOR health care reform . . .

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-2009/glenn-beck-s-operation

[chosenson]

09:50 PM on 08/15/2009

Another shining bit of hypocrisy - Watch Glen Beck campaign FOR health care reform . . .

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-13-20 ...

That was BEFORE the need to sling slime at Obama!

[PltclJnksAnnyms]

08:45 PM on 08/15/2009

I sent the senator an email where I said his words were an egregious obfuscation of a very serious issue.

[dwillisno1]

08:05 PM on 08/15/2009

Two observations. Sen Grassly, not using the death panel term doesn't mean you weren't obviously referring to the implications of it. Two, apparently Sen Grassly is familiar with panels, when he met with the Integrity Panel, they deemed him not worth giving any to.

[Benton]

12:25 AM on 08/16/2009

I guess he does not mind lawyering after all.

[mi]

03:24 PM on 08/15/2009

They have no shame.

[SFSister]

03:02 PM on 08/15/2009

I suggest we all write to Grassley and let him know how the rest of us feel. I was really angry at how he attacked the UK healthcare system, causing ill will between the UK and the US for no apparent reason, and wrote to him to let him know I lived there, and our piss-poor system here doesn't deserve to mentioned in the same breath as the UK's.

Here's his contact info:

http://grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

[EasyZee]

02:35 PM on 08/15/2009

We all know it has absolutely nothing to do with death panels, the deficit, government control, or any of the other excuses the GOP are spinning. They will vote "no" to anything and everything President Obama wants to do just because they want him to fail. The fact that the GOP overwhelmingly voted in favor of end of life consultations in 2003 when Bush was in office, and suddenly, unanimously vote against it when Obama is in office is proof that they are not trying to do what is best for this country. They are playing partisan politics to the extreme.

[Marmel]

02:48 PM on 08/15/2009

Follow Glenn Beck's similar flip flop on health care:

http://marmel.com/2009/08/beckwatch-big-bucket-of-hypocrisy/

It's not about America. It's about power (or being out of it) and race (or people who don't like us having a black president)

[keepemhonest]

01:30 AM on 08/16/2009

I heard Obama suggested that people should brush their teeth at least once a day and the rightwingers got in a tither & yelled socialist.