Grassley Retracts Claim That Government Could “Pull The Plug On Grandma”

[jefferson_dem]

Grassley Retracts Claim That Government Could “Pull The Plug On Grandma”

This passed unnoticed, but it’s a big deal: Over the weekend, and very quietly, Senator Chuck Grassley completely retracted his widely-reported claim last week that people have “every reason to fear” that the House health care proposal would create a “government program that determines if you’re going to pull the plug on grandma.”

The retraction was buried deep in this Washington Post article on Grassley’s role, with a spokesperson admitting Grassley doesn’t really believe what he said about “grandma”:

Grassley says he opposes that counseling as written in the House version of the bill, but a spokesman said the senator does not think the House provision would in fact give the government such authority in deciding when and how people die. The House bill allows patients to decide for themselves if they would like such counseling.

Let’s be clear: By clarifying that Grassley doesn’t think the House bill would “give the government such authority in deciding when and how people die,” his spokesperson completely repudiated his widely discussed claim. This goes much farther than Grassley did in a statement released Friday clarifying he’d never used the words “death panel” and was merely worried about “unintended consequences.”

So, either Grassley made his claim about “grandma” to a crowd in his home state last week and didn’t believe it; or he changed his mind since then.

Grassley’s retraction will get nowhere near the coverage his initial statement did. False or outlandish claims are “controversial,” so they get rewarded with media attention; their subsequent retractions tend to pass unnoticed, because the press has moved on to the next false or outlandish claim. The big news orgs blared Grassley’s initial assertion at the electorate for days, but almost no one will ever learn that Grassley didn’t really mean it.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/grassley-retracts-claim-that-government-could-pull-the-plug-on-grandma/

[FrenchieCat]

1. It was so quiet, I didn't hear him.

[madmax]

2. Yes, he needs to stand up in front of something

made out of cement and say it LOUD AND CLEAR! The punk ass.

[nc4bo]

17. Silent fart. Very little noise (if any) but big stink. Too bad M$M isn't

calling attention to it like they did Tiger Wood's non-silent one.

Time after time M$M proves itself to be the GOP's megaphone.

[shraby]

3. Take a good look at the weasel...would you expect anything

different from him?

[KittyWampus]

7. doesn't he have this habit of saying inflammatory lies and then retracting them?

[Jennicut]

4. Well, well, well....Crazy old Grasshead actually admitted he was an idiot.

Sometimes a Rethug can be right about something. :rofl:

[SpiralHawk]

5. Typical Republicon weasel

Makes a big fat FALSE public statement, then after the furor has petered out utters a weak, lame, wimpy 'ooops' that no one will hear.

[JoePhilly]

6. Grassely LIED right to the face of his constituents ... no question about it.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. Like retracting a fart.

[Kahuna]

15. Pretty much. nt

[Raine1967]

9. I am SO sick of retractions AFTER the damage is done.

It's just abusive behavior.

[Hepburn]

10. Yeah, and look at all the MSM attention the retraction got....

...wow....just wow!

:eyes:

[Akoto]

11. Of course HE doesn't believe it ...

There are a bunch of easily frightened people listening, however, and their beliefs will be guided by what people like Grassley say. He knew that, too.

[global1]

14. It Doesn't Matter Whether He Believes It Or Not - What Matters.....

is that the people that heard him say it - believe it. So "Mission Accomplished" huh Chuck?

[Orsino]

12. There's no retraction there.

His "clarification," as per the Republican Opposites Principle, is mere obfuscation, and the flip-flop was issued by a spokesperson.

Grassley doesn't have the guts to retract his lies.

[rurallib]

13. Sorry Chuck. It is out there and I hope it gets you defeated next year!

and I promise to help defeat you.

[Clio the Leo]

16. this the same time Sebelius "Misspeaks"

...... interesting.

The across town mind f*ckage is fascinating. ;)

[ashling]

18. Cheesy Chuck

It is amazing that anybody with a minutia of common sense believes anything this blowhard has to say . . .

Oh, yeah . . . they don't!

Unfortunately for the rest of us, history is replete with fear mongering airheads who have caused major destruction and a world of hurt because they new how to fan the flames of fear among those who were gullible enough or desperate enough to believe them.

:hurts: