Report: ‘Death panels’ author worked with big tobacco to scuttle health reform

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: The Raw Story

The person credited with inventing the “death panels” claim about health care reform worked with tobacco giant Phillip Morris to railroad health care reform in the Clinton administration, Rolling Stone magazine reports.

In an article in the magazine’s October 1 issue, not yet available online, writer Tim Dickinson reveals that Phillip Morris “worked off-the-record with … writer Betsy McCaughey as part of the input to the three-part expose in The New Republic on what the Clinton plan means,” Rolling Stone reports.

McCaughey, a conservative columnist and former deputy governor of New York, penned a 1994 article in The New Republic that was credited with helping to kill the Clinton-era health reforms. As RS noted, the magazine later retracted the story. And The Atlantic magazine ran a story in 1995, entitled “A Triumph of Misinformation,” debunking McCaughey’s arguments at TNR.

Now McCaughey appears to be playing a pivotal role in efforts to shut down this year’s health reform efforts. ABC News credited McCaughey earlier this summer with being the person behind the “death panel” falsehood, when she said in a July appearance on the radio program The Fred Thompson Show that the health care reform effort was “a vicious assault on elderly people, all to … cut your life short.”

Read more: http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/20/death-panels-author-big-tobacco/

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[Fridays Child]

1. She's not too worried about her immortal soul, evidently.

She'd better pray that there's no hell.

[blue neen]

5. I believe she would need to have an actual soul first.

;)

[KamaAina]

2. Does Faux have an opening for another blonde with nitrogen between her ears?

She'd be perfect! :P

edit: smilie

[Selena Harris]

13. Another Faux blonde

Nitrogen peroxide ......

[Omaha Steve]

3. K&R!

Great post!

[Spazito]

4. She humiliated herself when on Jon Stewart's show...

It was hilarious! Jon, as usual, was magnificant in pointing out her absolute stupidity with such grace!

It is a MUST-WATCH, imo, if you haven't seen it!

Here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x357826

[samsingh]

6. these people are very evil

[nolabear]

7. There is no Betsy. Only Zuul. nt.

[DebbieCDC]

9. Too funny nolabear!!!

:rofl:

[defendandprotect]

8. Insurance companies=Death Panels -- Thanks to those exposing this . . .

as long as the right wing can operate in secrecy and throw their bombs out

into the public arena to distract and destroy, they'll get away with it!!

[Downwinder]

10. Interesting how the suicide rate keeps going up under the current system.

Wonder if there any studies on suicides relative to health care.

[excess_3]

11. every insurance company has claims adjusters

call the death panel something else,
if you wish.

somebody always wants to pull
the plug on Grandma

[Blandocyte]

12. Mmmmm.... professional liar. Pretty bad.

I so want to puke right now.

[wordpix]

14. you know what's a "vicious assault on the elderly," bitch?

Telling them a lung or stomach or heart operation is just what they need at age 85 when they're sick and frail, and not giving them the other side of the story---that people usually run high fevers after surgery and sometimes get deadly hospital infections, and this kills the elderly following major surgeries.

Let's pay docs to honestly counsel patients and their families when the risk is real and chances aren't too good.

The stupidity coming out of the repukes' mouths is stunning. :puke:

Looks like this train wreck is taking over where Man Coulter left off. :puke:

[LynnTheDem]

15. Oh gee I am so deeply shocked really I am shocked shocked I say.

Ok not.

Healthcare for ALL Americans.

THAT is PRO-American.

It's that simple.