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Death panel originator Betsy McCaughey resigns in disgrace


   Betsy McCaughey

 

Death panel originator Betsy McCaughey resigns in disgrace after humiliating herself on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. An obviously prepared and informed Stewart calmly demonstrated McCaughey's entire position on health care reform to be as solid as Swiss cheese.

McCaughey, former Lt. Gov. of New York, is given credit as the originator of the death panel myth. This false claim that Democrats’ health care reform proposals will lead to the creation of “death panels,” has been a staple of the Republican campaign of misinformation and dirty tricks.

The "unplugging grandma" meme has been a successful diversion and distraction to meaningful and relevant discussion about health care reform.

Host Jon Stewart met with a great deal of success as he aggressively challenged McCaughey's positions on health care reform.

From Media Matters:

After previously backtracking from a claim that Page 425 of the House health care reform bill would provide for "mandatory" end-of-life counseling, former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey -- a serial misinformer about health care reform proposals -- falsely claimed on The Daily Show that another page of the bill -- Page 432 -- would make such counseling "mandatory" and that a provision on that page "penalize[s]" doctors who do not adhere to government standards. In fact, as host Jon Stewart noted, the language McCaughey cited does not make end-of-life counseling mandatory and does not "penalize" doctors, but rather provides incentive payments for doctors who report "data on quality measures" for end-of-life care.

After finding herself the subject of widespread ridicule after her appearance on “The Daily Show”,
McCaughey has stepped down from her position as a director of Cantel Medical Corp., which bills itself as a “leading provider of infection prevention and control products in the healthcare market.”

From a press release:

CANTEL MEDICAL CORP. (NYSE: CMN – News) announced that on August 20, 2009 it received a letter of resignation from Ms. Elizabeth McCaughey as a director of the Company. Ms. McCaughey, who had served as a director since 2005, stated that she was resigning to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest during the national debate over healthcare reform.

 

 

Other articles of interest:

 

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Portland Progressive Examiner

Gypsy scholar and freelance writer, Michael is a secular humanist with a passion for politics and protecting the civil liberties of those on the...

Comments

  • Al Gore jr 2 years ago
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    Is Mikey ever happy,always has his panties in a bunch.

  • Mother Theresa 2 years ago
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    Micheal really creams his jeans when he thinks he has some dirt on a someone who he doesn't agree with.

  • akaKJB 2 years ago
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    I'd say this made him pretty happy. I know I'm freaking ecstatic over it! About time that this lie spewing shrew got the wind knocked out of her. She has done nothing but make up things with the sole purpose of trying (and succeeding) to enrage the conservative base who apparently don't have enough time to think for themselves and she finally got called on it. How stupid do you have to be to roll into The Daily Show with no preparation whatsoever? This isn't a new show that nobody's heard of - it's well known that Stewart comes into these interviews very well prepared. She made a joke of herself, her organization and her "cause" - the Emperor was finally shown to not only have no clothes but apparently no brain, either. If anybody would try to argue the actual issues, I'm certain that everyone who it pushing the healthcare bill would be happy to take part in that discussion. Just leave your Hitler Obama posters at home.

  • TheDieHard 2 years ago
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    Did that McWhory slut -- honestly, have you ever seen a worse dye job, even on a downtown Miami hooker? -- REALLY believe she could get past Jon Stewart? Typical bushdick, all she ever watches is the cotton-candy crap on Faux Spews, and never DREAMED that reality would bite her lying corporate-whore ass.

    And Stewart was going EASY on her. He could have ripped that reject from a Barbie-doll factory to her component plastic shreds.

    Good riddance to yet another conservatoad lying slimeball moron.

  • nana c 2 years ago
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    I don't understand why the very people that supposing represent the truth, don't have any regard for the truth....These hypocrites claim to be on the side of Jesus, however, these people are the opposite of Jesus. They represent hate, when Jesus is the epitome of love.

  • TheDieHard 2 years ago
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    nana c, whatever drugs you're on, they're controlled substances for a reason. Go sleep it off, and then go back and try to make any sense out of what you wrote.

  • The Waco Kid 2 years ago
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    Jon Stewart is a banana nose midget, I'd love to go on his show and slam his dwarf @ss in a debate. Afterwards I'd b**ch-slap him for good measure, and yank on his large nose while kicking his liberal arse across the stage.

  • akaKJB is a Geek 2 years ago
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    Hey Mikey what is a "meme"

  • Mikey's Buddy 2 years ago
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    Mikey why are you so vindictive? Were you picked on as a child?

  • Anon 2 years ago
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    Wow. These comments are sad.

    Regardless, shame on McCaughey. I saw the interview and, to me, it didn't even seem like she realized or cared that she was being exposed.

  • PhilistineTheArtLover 2 years ago
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    What an adorable woman Ms. McCaughey is. She's the type I'd love to marry!
    Unfortunately, she's a liar and an agent provocateur, just like Rush, Hannity and Beck are.
    They've all taken this opportunity to spout their racism and phobias towards anything that is not as American as they are.
    These delusional neantherdals truly believe that Obama's health insurance proposals will lead to a dictatorship run by lowlifes and illegal immigrants.
    How can you argue or have a civil discussion with insane people like that?
    I just hope that when reforms start being implemented they will all stay put at home and not go out in the streets shooting and bombing people so they can get a civil war going.

  • B52RN 2 years ago
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    Mikey? see how these people scream with emotion, but don't bother to cite any facts? What can we possibly learn from them? You have pointed out that I am dumb and hang out with dumb people, and need a dictionary, but I guess I need to hang out somewhere else, I'm not learning anything here.

  • Russ 2 years ago
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    There IS a death panel. It's Congress, and even us, the American people, who will decide if 46 million will continue to go uninsured or get health insurance that will save hundreds of thousands of lives.

  • AMC/NYC 2 years ago
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    Thank you for this complete article on the subject..

    You're dead on. It's just a shame that it's left to a late night comedien to do the work of the wimpy Cable TV guys and MSM.

    All they had to do was a little bit of research to determine that end-of-life care counselling has been going on for 20 years and ain't no "death panels". And let's not forget, all the Republican pols who have been calling it so, including top-ranked Rep Boehner and Senator Grassley, are great big liars..because they, along with 242 other Repubs, voted for "end-of-life-care counselling" in GW Bush' 2003 Medicare drug modernization bill!!

  • Mitch 2 years ago
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    Good riddance to another ignorant hick.

    Palin/McCaughey in 2012!

    That oughta make The Waco Kid happy, since ignorant hicks like to support each other.

  • Monkey#99 2 years ago
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    O.K. Folks, here's the part of the bill that is the source of controversy:

    "In general, for purposes of reporting data on quality measures for covered professional services, the Secretary shall include quality measures on end of life care and advanced care planning that have been adopted or endorsed by a concensus-based organization if appropriate. Such measures shall measure both the creation of, and adherence to orders for life-sustaining treatment."

    Nowhere in there can a "death panel" be gleaned. What I get from this is that if desired, and with the acceptance of legal changes or additions from an attorney, a living will CAN be accepted and adhered to. This is a choice. NOT a "death Panel". If anyone can interpret this in another way that does not agree with mine, and that is based in reality, I'd be happy to consider that point of view.

  • ExaminerFaith 2 years ago
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    I agree with AMC/NYC- finally someone is trying to draw some attention to the originator of these foolish scare tactics. Great job from a fellow examiner- linked your article on my Facebook. Keep up the hard work.

  • So What ? 2 years ago
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    None of this changes the fact that most Americans do not want the federal government involved in health care - except, of course, those who are naive enough to think that they will get something for nothing out of it.

  • Monkey#99 2 years ago
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    So What,

    77% of the American people want healthcare reform. Another piece of misinformation you want to push? Can't you just admit you defend the status quo? It's so much easier than trying to B.S. people. I'm just glad that charlatan is out of the public eye. Let her slither back under the rock she came out from. It's really for the best, her career was going nowhere.

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