Palin: I'm "Not Gonna Back Off" Death Panel Claim

Sarah Palin is standing by her claim that Democratic-authored health care legislation includes the infamous "death panels" -- even after the assertion was labeled the "lie of the year" by a prize-winning fact checking organization.

The former Alaska governor told Sean Hannity, in a taping of the conservative firebrand's radio program on Wednesday, that she was "not gonna back off" the criticism that the health care bill would pursue cost saving measures by rationing end of life care.

"If the health care bill goes the way Obama wants it, we're gonna have something very much like foreign countries' systems of health care like the British, and it's the American people -- if we have our health care paid for by the bureaucracy, by government -- depending on our health condition, depending on our age -- we're gonna be subject to bureaucrats deciding, panels and commissions deciding -- just like they do overseas -- who will be worthy of receiving the health care that government is going to provide."

"So that is the death panel that I referred to, and I won't back off on criticizing that aspect of the health care bill."

COMMENTS COME ABOUT SEVEN MINUTES IN:

The remarks come roughly two weeks after Palin took to her Facebook page to re-assert the validity of the much-criticized (and thoroughly debunked) death panel. That entry from the former vice presidential candidate, in turn, was in response to PolitiFact.com post that dubbed the argument the "lie of the year."

Palin scoffed at that critique. But there was one hitch to her re-assertion. She changed the definition about what actually constituted the death panel. In her first go-around, the former governor referenced end-of-life counseling in the health care legislation. In the post-Politifact Facebook entry she insisted that the death panel was coming in the form of a Medicare Advisory Board -- a panel that a large number of well-respected economist have deemed important to rein in costs in Medicare (not, say, cut the plug on granny).

(Hat tip: GOP12)

Comments

[sandrasamnick]

05:19 PM on 01/18/2010

http://www.mediaite.com/online/revealed-obama-thought-palins-death-panels-too-absurd-to-address/

[ike2371]

02:03 PM on 01/10/2010

The Republican Party including Shara Palin continue to lie about death panels in the health care bill.
Whether the health care bill is a good one or not has nothing to do with the lies that are continuing about death panels.
The origin of the section in the bill that deals with end of life counseling was to include payment for the doctors time. This section was written and inserted into the bill by Johnny Isakson a REPUBLICAN CONSERTIVE SENATOR from the state of GEORGIA. How about them apples.
A REPUBLICAN DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SARAH STOP YOUR LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Write4U]

01:17 AM on 01/09/2010

To those who believe Sarah Palin's definition of "death panels", here is a little sample of "socialized health care". I received this notice from Medicare:

Dear Robert,
Happy Birthday from Medicare! We wish you well in the upcoming year and want to remind you to take advantage of the preventive services Medicare offers to help you stay healthy. Our records show that you have not taken advantage of some of the preventive services which are available to you.

For your convenience, the table below lists the preventive services you may receive now or in the future.

Name Eligible Since Date
PROSTATE 1/1/2004
PSA 6/1/2007
COLORECTAL 1/1/2004
PPV 1/1/2004
CARDIOVASCULAR 1/1/2005
DIABETES 1/1/2004
ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM 7/1/2007

To see a schedule of the services you are eligible for, visit www.MyMedicare.gov and select the "My Preventive Services" tab. Or, talk to your doctor for more information.

Remember, Medicare is your partner in health.

Sincerely,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Has ANYONE, ANYWHERE, EVER, received such a reminder from their private insurance company??

[skatoolaki]

11:28 AM on 01/11/2010

My vote is on "No, never."

[KayCo]

01:24 PM on 01/08/2010

Oh Sarah, you are sooooo misinformed.

Don't you know that we already have death panels in the US? They work for health insuance companies. The health insurance companies are the "deciders" as to whether or not one deserves care.

From what I gather the British health care system is not bad...and It is not as costly as the American system and it is not bankrupting the British people.

[Ds2vet]

01:29 PM on 01/08/2010

She's not misinformed, she's just trying to misinform you. Thats what big pharma pays her for.

[KayCo]

02:00 PM on 01/11/2010

She's doing a sorry a$$ job of it! She has NO credibility with me whatsoever!!

[ctman47]

08:46 AM on 01/08/2010

She is projecting her own policies where she HAD Death Panel in Alaska.

[ctman47]

08:43 AM on 01/08/2010

she has her own Death Panel on the Truth. She is trying very hard to kill it.

[Archivist1000]

02:59 AM on 01/08/2010

Meanwhile .. on Sarah's OFFICIAL site, she is allowing her 'fans' to post the names and personal phone numbers of the Judges involved in her daughter's custody case.

A 'protest' is also being organized to object to the Judge's decision to allow the case to be public.

Levi wanted it public because he felt he would be at a disadvantage is it was in private ... guess he was right!

............... is this what Sarah means by 'respecting the Constitution' ?

[SeniorMoment]

01:40 AM on 01/08/2010

Several Republican candidates persisted in making statements in the last election that depended on lies such as Palin's attack on death panels that never were planned or existed in law or proposals. The closest thing to that is the now long standing Medicaid law exceptions granted to the Oregon plan which prioritizes health care procedures, based on money available.

The disturbing fact is that a lot of suckers in the public believe liars. That is how so many criminal schemes, like the latest Ponzi schemes always seem to have a lot of accounts before they collapse. even though it is obviously suspicious when any investment company makes consistent returns for years even when the economy is collapsing.

We can only hope there are more people who vote in the next election with common sense and factual information than there are suckers.

[dhinds]

05:54 PM on 01/07/2010

Nominating Sarah for V.P. was as reckless an act as John Sidney McCain has ever committed, and John was the most reckless pilot the Navy ever gave a plane to fly - he wrecked five of their planes (and that's without counting the planes destroyed on the USS Forrester).

If McCain HADN''T nominated her, NO ONE would know who she was, no one would buy her books, no one would talk about Palin in 2012 and no one would care about what Sarah Palin said.

What we do all know about Sarah Palin is that Sarah helped John McCain lose the election.

Keep on chuggin, Sarah.

[Pilatunes]

05:56 PM on 01/07/2010

I agree, of all the things John McCain has done, drawing her into the political limelight was the worst. She is nothing less than a peril to the future of the USA.

[4Peace2]

08:19 PM on 01/07/2010

And an embarrassment to the US worldwide.

[G Katz]

06:42 PM on 01/07/2010

If there is a silver lining, maybe it is that we are now aware of a strong and frightening movement to take our freedoms away and slowly turn our country into a church state. Like a pimple, I think this movement was ready to pop. I believe the more emboldened and vociferious it's elements become, the more quickly the movement will self destruct. In the meantime, we can deal with it through education and at the ballot box.

[dbailey]

05:48 PM on 01/07/2010

No revelation there. she only backs off of jobs, truth, responsibility , integrity....

[Pilatunes]

05:44 PM on 01/07/2010

Wouldn't it be funny if Kanye West jumped up during her speach and said "I'mma gonna let you finish."

[Manata]

05:38 PM on 01/07/2010

Seems to me that this emergency interview with Faux is nothing more than Granny Palin's attempt to divert attention. She doesn't appreciate everyone knowing the BSMP LLC firm is a money laundering scam.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/bristol-palins-new-compan_n_411920.html

[CoronaDischarge]

05:35 PM on 01/07/2010

If she were President, I expect that Jerry Falwell would be her Science Adviser and Orly Taitz her Chief White House Counsel.

It's heart warming to see her latch on to a wrong idea and just dig in, despite whatever new information may arise to contradict. Her hard-line approach certainly sets my mind at ease. I think she would pose a much greater threat to the country if she was able to entertain the appearance of open-mindedness.

[4Peace2]

08:22 PM on 01/07/2010

Todd would have a seat, yes the AIP and Bristol would be her consultant. Eikes.

[Ds2vet]

05:33 PM on 01/07/2010

-- "depending on our health condition, depending on our age -- we're gonna be subject to bureaucrats deciding, panels and commissions deciding" --

Okay, couple of points here. First off I want everyone to replace "bureaucrats" w/ "HC Ceo's" and honestly tell me that we dont, this very minute, have rich fat cats rationing care to us via pre-existing conditions, dropped policies and partial coverage on insanely expensive treatments.

Second, I am infuriated that Sarah Palin is allowed to continuously and blatently spew these lies as truth unopposed the way she is. Weak democrats need to grow a pair and shout her down every time she opens her lying mouth. Same for Cheney, Rush and Hannity among others.

And lastly, when are democrats going to wake up and realize that Bush was a horrible president, person, human being even a terrible primate but he was a TERRIFIC governor. He did not wait for bipartisan approval to destroy this country for crying out loud democrats, fix the country on your own before youve wasted your mandated majorities. Bipartisanship WAS a nice gesture but now it's just a fool's errand.

[Kaviraj]

07:31 PM on 01/07/2010

FAV'D AND FAN'D

Best post so far.

[ctman47]

05:24 PM on 01/07/2010

She has already backed off her original claim. Now she is trying to redefine what she meant by Death Panel since she knew she was wrong before. Her new criticism is that the Federal government MIGHT do exactly the same thing she DID do in Alaska.