Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

'Pull the Plug on Grandma'? That's GOP Policy

Republicans, not Obama, willing to let elderly die off: Weisberg

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 30, 2009 5:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – Chuck Grassley’s warning that Obamacare will “pull the plug on Grandma” has become a rallying cry for the GOP’s anti–health reform efforts. But looking at past policies, it’s the GOP that's out to get grandma, Jacob Weisberg writes in Newsweek. A wide range of Republican policies, from opposing stem cell research and clean air legislation to privatizing Social Security, are more likely to make Grandma kick the bucket early.

Grassley himself proposed an expiration date—Jan. 1, 2011—for the estate-tax cut that gives the elderly and wealthy an incentive to die before that date. So why is the GOP secretly anti-Grandma? Because, Weisberg writes, they prefer lower taxes to benefit programs. Too bad for Republicans—"after all, senior citizens are more likely to vote for the GOP than for Democrats."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Protesters for and against President Barack Obama's health care reform proposals demonstrate outside of a town hall style meeting on health care in Reston, Va., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, questions Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor during testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday July 15, 2009, before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, answers a question from Sheryl Prather during a town meeting on health care reform Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 in Adel, Iowa. (AP Photo/Steve Pope)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Beneath the mask, that surgeon has a familiar face … wait, isn't that … Dr. Grassley? And who's that with the syringe—Nurse Palin? At which point, if you are lucky, you will wake up in a cold sweat. - Jacob Weisberg, Newsweek

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 36 comments

fancygapva

Sep 1, 2009 2:11 AM CDT

@justme-- Here in the good old USof A I have a social worker friend who discovered that she had Hepatitis C at age 59. It was also one of the most difficult genotypes to treat. She was working and had insurance but the protocol (insurance driven?) for treatment said that she was too old for treatment and it was too hard to treat her type. Is that rationing? Wonder how Canada would have handled that?

NxBigmouthery

Aug 31, 2009 12:53 PM CDT

It should come as no surprise that the conservative mindset ends up in less being spent on people's welfare. The word itself is a dirty one in the view of a conservative.

Doctor-Zaius

Aug 31, 2009 12:46 PM CDT

these polls always include Church contributions.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

Newsweek (Source Grid »)

Politics • Health

Clean Air Act • GOP • humor • Charles Grassley • health care reform • Social Security • estate tax • George W. Bush

More Newser Stories

Who's to Blame for America's Massive Debt?

Bush policies account for $7T: Washington Post

(NEWSER) - The United States started 2001 with a cozy nest egg of more than $2 trillion, and now the country owes about $10 trillion—but who's to blame? Put simply, Obama-era policies account for $1.7 trillion of the debt, and Bush policies for over $7 trillion, the Washington Post reports in an economic breakdown of the past 10 years. As the Post has it, America's biggest challenge entering the 21st century was figuring out how to spend its Clinton-era surplus—and Bush decided to throw most of it at tax cuts. More»

Enough With the Bush Nostalgia

He did a lot of things wrong, and some Republicans 'haven't forgotten'

(NEWSER) - With President Obama’s approval ratings in the toilet and George W. Bush’s highly-publicized Decision Points out today, it’s easy to get caught up in a bit of “Bush nostalgia.” And yes, W’s “candor, decency, self-effacement, and clear love of country stand in stark contrast to the current antagonist-in-chief at the White House,” writes Michelle Malkin on her blog . But that nostalgia “is indelibly marred by his disastrous domestic policy legacy of big government, big spending, and betrayal of core fiscal principles.” More»

Republicans Look to Hobble Health Reform

May force partisan standoff

(NEWSER) - The GOP may not have the votes to repeal health care reform, but they're still setting their sights on it. Incoming Republicans say they plan to curtail the controversial law by finding creative ways to hobble it, finds the New York Times . They may, for instance, cut funding and personnel at the IRS to slow the implementation of new health insurance requirements, or use spending bills to block federal insurance regulations they oppose. More»

Oops: Congress Might Have Killed Its Own Health Care

Health bill error may leave lawmakers, aides without coverage

(NEWSER) - If you know exactly how the health care reform bill will impact your coverage, you may be a step ahead of your member of Congress, according to the New York Times . A report from the Congressional Research Service found that—because of imprecise language and a possible drafting error in the bill—senators, representatives, and their staffers may end up having their coverage pulled with no ready replacement. More»

GOP Hopefuls Embrace Pledge to 'Repeal It'

Health care reform law opposition becomes Republican litmus test

(NEWSER) - The push to repeal health care reform has become a rallying cry for GOP candidates pushing for big congressional victories this year and eager to show their willingness to take on the Democratic agenda. In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist and conservative upstart Marco Rubio agreed on little else in a weekend debate, during which Crist used the issue to appear just as ready as Rubio to fight President Obama. John McCain and Sarah Palin delivered a similar message while stumping for his re-election. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Pull the Plug on Grandma'? That's GOP Policy