WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean told CNN Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had deliberately made up charges that the Obama administration’s health care bill would lead to euthanasia.
“About euthanasia, they're just totally erroneous. She just made that up,” he said. “Just like the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ that she supposedly didn't support.
“There's nothing like euthanasia in the bill. I practiced medicine for a long time, and of course you have to have end of life discussions - the patients want that. There's nothing... euthanasia's not in this bill.”
Dean was referring comments Palin made late Friday in a post on her Facebook page. In her post, the former Republican vice presidential candidate said President Obama’s health care plan would create a “death panel” that would weigh whether her parents or son Trig were “worthy of health care.”
She discounted the administration’s view that the president’s plan would cut health care costs, saying the only path to lower costs was less treatment.
"And who will suffer the most when they ration care?" she wrote. "The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one 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. Such a system is downright evil."
Palin has mostly steered clear of interviews with reporters since leaving office last month. "Democracy depends on you. That is why our troops are willing to die for you," she told the media in her farewell speech. "So how about in honor of the American soldier, ya quit making things up?" She spent several days last week in New York, meeting with her book publisher.
Actually, Sarah never mentioned "euthanasia" in her post concerning Obama's healthcare bill. Here is her quote:
"The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one 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. Such a system is downright evil."
She is talking about the "rationing" of healthcare, which would exclude the undesirables.
It is Howard Dean who is making things up!
Have you noticed she (Palin) is so stupid..she's not even worth making fun of anymore..(e.g. late night TV has given up on her.) What rots my gut is her claim to be a Christian...She hasn't a clue what Christ stood for.
Lets see, the guy that wrote a book detailing how old people are too expensive and its ok if a two year old dies because we don't have that much invested in her is Obama's health advisor, end of life discussions such as a five year review and quality of remaining years. sure doesn't sound too far from euthanasia to me. I still want someoner to show me proof that the insurance industry is paying for the protests or paying Palin to spek out. If you can't, then shut up. Dave G, i will personally sign you up to stand in front of them in order to help the gene pool. IDK, great reaponse about trustung the governmant. Ya'll get some facts and understand it ain't gonna be free and it ain't gonna be efficient
When Palin speaks I view it as no more than speech pollution.
She does nothing but pollute with hate and negativity. There is nothing good that ever comes out of her mouth. Let's call it what it is. Nothing more than pollution. I'm so tired of it.
As a mother of a profoundly handicapped child I was APALLED BY PALIN's ACCUSATIONS.
I hope healthcare will get the much needed overhaul that Obama intends.
IKERR,
the elderly and the disabled don't get care???
OH My God, what happened to Medicare is it gone?
Oh wait you're WRONG!
The elderly are not rationed. neither are the disabled, they get medicare too through social security disabilty coverage prior to age 65.
Its amazing how some people know so little.
It's nice to know sarah palin cares so much about the developmentally disabled.
I have a brother who has autism and when we had to buy health insurance a few years ago, the "death pannels" from several major health insurance companies decided his life didn't matter.
My friends' daughter has down syndrome and the same "death pannels" decided she shouldn't live either.
Illegal immigrants are covered under the new bill because it will actually save us money. As it is now, they enter the ER for their care and it ends up costing us loads more than it needs to cost.
Palin is a moron. Obama's plan might not be perfect, but for the sake of the Lord All Mighty, PLEASE get your facts straight before you accuse the president of the US of wanting to kill your baby. You're the one complaining about the press treating your children unfairly. Maybe you should stop using them as political props and be a Mom for once.
Furthermore, the majority of care given to kids with disabilities are through publicly funded programs. To my knowledge, we have yet to euthanize a retarded kid. Can you please stop destroying the country for your own selfish needs? Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Stop. You're ruining civil discourse of an important issue that affects us all. Let the adults deal with this and shut the Hell up and go to your hockey games.
The woman has the ethics of a wharf rat. To sideshow her son while spewing lies and misinformation.
Sarah Palin para sailin'
i see russia i see russia, and so i must be in touch with russia too, 'cuz you know us moms, we know everything, even when the bulldog gets the lipstick and tries to lie his sorry butt out of it- that's why we're true americans – because we're not russians, or even prussians, we're just true folks who take the poop out everyday and dump it on some undeserving indigent 'non-american', and you know, that's what's wrong with this health plan of this so-called president of ours now, there's not enough poop to dump on the non-american, and unless we can show that most of the folks here are . . . well, they're just not american enough, and so that's how we're going to fix this big mess the democrat party has gotten us into – only those who agree with us are true american, and this truism will give teeth to that old bible saying "you're either with us or a'gin us", and the lord will look around and say 'it is good", and that's why we're americans, you know, because my daughter was free to have that child and i was free to say anything i wanted about the beauty and americanity of her big teenaged belly and we all knew that would be a republican baby and so that's why i am pro-life ...
bla bla blablazo
@ Chris in MI. I can't agree with you more! You said it, if she wants her kids off the radar, why keep bringing them up into every debate that is out there. It's pathetic. She's nothing more than speech pollution.
Let's split the difference and put a "Euthenize Sarah Palin" clause in there! She'll be happy. We'll be happy.
I truly do NOT understand why Palin gets all the press she does! Is she to be believed...nada. She continually shoots her mouth off and there are idiots who believe her! I find that astounding. I'd like to THINK there are intelligent people here...and find just the opposite. Anyone with half a brain would know how dumb she can be...'you can't put in what God left out!' Amen!
Hey Brian,
American's have the best health care int he world? Are you even remotely serious? People in your country DIE every day because they have treatable illnesses but no health care with which they can afford the treatment.
Can you imagine having a cancer that has a high response rate to Chemo and not being able to get that Chemo because you have no insurance and no money? Ethan Zohn recently said that even with a good health care insurer he pays $22,000 extra for each 2 treatments he has. Who on earth besides the rich can afford that??
In Canada we don't have the perfect system, but everyone who is legally in the country is covered and if you can't afford the $54 a month then it's put on a sliding scale for you. This means that EVERY person can see a doctor / specialist / have cancer treatments etc. Everyone gets treatment if they seek it. How can that be worse?
And, by the way, some of the best cancer research / treatments are done in Canada and so not only do we have coverage for everyone, but it's some of the best in the world.
And what about having a serious car accident, and not being able to be admitted to a hospital because you don't have insurance.... again would never happen here.
Many Americans tend to think they live in the best and most forward moving / thinking country in the world and that's just not true. If you saw yourselves through the eyes of the world, especially people with your views, Brian, you would be embarrassed. Obama may not be perfect, but he is trying to bring you folks a step closer to catching up with health care.
I think that it's wonderful that Ms. Palin has the resources to care for her child. That others may not and that nothing should be done to help them is, apparently, not something she wants to offer a solution for.
Trash -Town Barbie...alias Sarah Palin, has compared us with Nazi Germany...they had a policy like hers, as far as euthanasia is concerned. How dare that piece of s–t talk about our president and his policies, and our country like that!!
Bring on the killing. More Soylent Green for me!
This entire debate is absolutely PATHETIC! As someone who had to dea with an elderly relative without an advanced directive, I had to make gut wrenching decisions about my mother's end of life. Had I known what she wanted, I could have taken the appropriate action according to what she wanted, not what I thought was best. Nobody should have to make these decisions except the people who are in that state. The fact that help with this type of ADVANCE decision making will be made available to everyone at no cost is a BLESSING, NOT EUTHANASIA. The Republican conservative hoodlums who are trying to stop the REAL conversation prove themselves over and over again to be ignorant, unevolved pigs. May they all go to Hell!!
There seem to be still a lot of people left that are utterly uneducated, easily derailed by lies, uncivilized, cowardly, backward, and too lazy to think for themselves. The power of money, used to mislead and to make even more money of the backs of ordinary people, is very much alive. If one hears the rampages of a Mrs. Palin (and others), reads some of those “contributions” and “blogs” run by Fox News (fair and balanced – if that is not a joke in itself!!!) one finds no discussions about politics, but clear examples of the loss of all respect, all thoughtfulness, all integrity, and all honesty! Those people should be very ashamed of themselves and quit making things up! Or is that really the American Way? Hope not!
THANK YOU! Finally, a Democrat willing to fight the GOP propaganda
Mr. Dean ... liberals and democrats have been telling the country for years that incrementalism just doesn't happen. But we all know that it does! If the health care bill takes even a tiny step towards, or opens a door just a crack towards euthenasia .... then euthenasia doesn't need to be mentioned in the bill .... because next year or the year after that the liberals, the democrats the activist judges will take another step or open the door a bit farther .... and we the American people will eventually find ourselves with a bill that not only supports euthenasia but will probably make it a hate crime to oppose those that support euthenasia.
thats the first smart thing DEAN has said
PALIN is a self serving jerk monkey ass twitt
all medea should just walk away from her mouth
but I have to side with her on this
I don't know what she said about assisted suicide, but her comment about “worthy of health care" is spot on
I don't respect her and wish she would go away, but the healthcare I grew up with is long gone and we are now at the mercy of a whole health industry that is judging “worthy of health care.”
Our healthcare needs an over haul, and this is a comment from Palin worth of the discussion
Sarah doesn't want her kids to be in the public eye – except when she wants to place them there.
When the going gets tough, Sarah Palin resigns from her responsibilities, runs to her book publish and complains that she is being treated unfairly.