Republicans are predictably and tiresomely fuming over Rep. Alan Grayson's remark yesterday that "Republicans want you to die quickly," and with Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN) declaring:
"That is about the most mean-spirited partisan statement that I've ever heard made on this floor, and I, for one, don't appreciate it."
Hmmmm. Really? The most mean-spirited partisan statement ever heard? Let's see what a little digging comes up with ....
Ryan Grim at the Huffington Post takes a preliminary look at a few Republican representatives who claimed the Democratic health care plan spelled death for Americans:
Take Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.), who said in July: "Last week, Democrats released a health care bill which essentially said to America's seniors: drop dead."
Or Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), a doctor, who reviewed the public health insurance option in July and diagnosed that it is "gonna kill people."
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), not one to pull punches, suggested on the House floor that Congress "make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."
July was a busy time for House floor death sentences. Also that month, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), noted: "One in five people have to die because they went to socialized medicine...I would hate to think that among five women, one of 'em is gonna die because we go to socialized care."
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) had a similar assessment. "They're going to save money by rationing care, getting you in a long line. Places like Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe. People die when they're in line," he said on the House floor in July.