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Bachmann: Senior Citizens' 'Lives Literally Are On The Line With ObamaCare' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 10:21AM

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

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Death Panels, Health Care, Michele Bachmann

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is continuing to warn that senior citizens are in danger from "death panels" under President Obama's new health care legislation, predicting that seniors could lose their lives -- and their money, too.

Bachmann visited Duluth over the weekend, a city that is located in the district of Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN). Fittingly enough, the local Republicans put their speaker's podium in the middle of a boxing ring, and Bachmann was putting up her rhetorical dukes.

"Senior citizens have followed this issue more than anyone," said Bachmann. "Senior citizens are very smart. And they have been absolutely opposed to ObamaCare going forward, because senior citizens are the ones whose lives literally are on the line with ObamaCare."

"Because if you have 500 -- over $500 billion in new taxes, and senior citizens have the bulk of the wealth in United States," Bachmann explained. "So you have 500 -- and they should, they've worked their whole life for it -- $500 billion in new taxes, huge increases in health insurance premiums, over $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. "No new doctors, by the way. Thirty-two million more people in the system, but according to Barack Obama it's gonna be over 50 new million people in the system, what do you think is going to happen? It's called rationing.

"And when you ration care, that means you get less. You don't get in to see the doctor, you don't get an appointment, you don't get a surgery. You don't, you don't, you don't.

"That's the death panels. And of course, the Democrats go crazy when you talk about death panels. But when you have a senior citizen who is told, no, you can't have an MRI; no, you can't have a CT scan; no, you're not getting a hip replacement; no, you're not getting the bypass, what is that? What is that, when you're told no?"

Here is the video of Bachmann's full speech, courtesy of The Uptake. The key moment comes at 41:30:

Comments (53) | Join the Conversation!

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March 30, 2010 10:43 AM

Minnesota, please remove this manipulative, fear-mongering, authoritarian, extremist witch from the national stage. I'll even help you by donating to her opponent.

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March 30, 2010 10:47 AM in reply to chitowner

Her opponents name is Tarryl Clark and you can donate here.

http://www.mytengrandphoto.com/photo/

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DES

March 30, 2010 11:03 AM in reply to chitowner

link to Tarryl Clarks's ( Bachamnn's opponent) website http://www.tarrylclark.com/about link to donation page https://secure.tarrylclark.com/page/contribute

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March 30, 2010 11:16 AM in reply to DES

Thanks for the link. I just sent her $5,000,000,000, or a derivative of that. Actually, I did send her some cash. Fingers crossed.

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March 30, 2010 11:28 AM in reply to DES

Don’t forget that Ms. Clark has a primary challenger... a person that ran for Lt. Gov. as an independent in the last election. Ms Clark needs to defeat the wacky independent before she can beat the certifiably crazy republican in the general.

Oh by the way, didn’t the smart senior group AARP support reform? Or do I remember that wrong?

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March 30, 2010 12:38 PM in reply to nancydenis

AARP certainly did support reform! But little things like facts clearly don't hinder Rep. Bachmann in the pursuit of a good lie, oops, I mean, story.

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March 31, 2010 1:21 AM in reply to Demyankee

Doesn't matter. The fools that would vote for Michelle Bachmann are not into facts, reality, and substance. I don't appreciate a nitwit like that trying to speak for me, a senior citizen. I strongly supported HCR and more, public option eventually.

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March 30, 2010 12:38 PM in reply to DES

People in Minnesota are too crazy to not re-elect Bachmann. She is no different than the last time she was elected, so why would they change now. Obviously they enjoy her bat-s@it crazy antics and agree with her over the top rhetoric. I find her extremely dangerous. Almost as dangerous as Palin. I fear what would happen to this country if they had their way. I definitely would no longer live here.

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March 30, 2010 11:13 AM in reply to chitowner

"The Democrats go crazy when you talk about death panels." Maybe that's because there are no death panels and you keep saying there are. You don't, you don't, you don't seem to get it.

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March 30, 2010 11:28 AM in reply to Rick Jones

Other "made up" things Dems would go crazy about if she talked about them -

"HCR will give you cancer"
"You will have to pay eleventygagillion dollars in extra taxes just to get a band-aid"
"People don't go to the docter's office if they don't have insurance"
"HCR will cause monkeys to fly out of your butt."

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Ugg the Repug

March 30, 2010 1:07 PM in reply to justaJ0e

Oh. These good. Ugg put in sack and bring to Moonbat Michele for next crazy talk. She say anything. Then Fox say true. CNN also, too. Har har har.

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March 30, 2010 4:22 PM in reply to chitowner

But...if Bachmann is no longer in office, won't that have a destructive effect on the plethora of comedy material she provides? And tinfoil hat factories all over the country might have to shut down. How can you be so heartless?

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March 30, 2010 10:51 AM

But when Blue Cross or CIGNA does the same thing, that's just free enterprise.

I found out recently that the state bird of Minnesota is the Common Loon. Makes sense.

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Steaming Pile

March 30, 2010 10:59 AM in reply to jeevmon

I mean, if Medicare is suddenly sooooo good for people that even Republican nutjobs defend it, shouldn't we have just offered it to everybody?

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March 30, 2010 10:59 AM

Why do we spend our time with this woman?

Here's our multiple choice quiz based on her speech:

1) how many new people covered by Medicare: 32 million? 50 million? whatever there would be anyway?

2) how much "new taxes" on Medicare recipients? $500 million? $ 1 billion? nothing?

3) how much will insurance premiums for seniors be going up? "huge"? "a lot"? nothing, unless they impose a means test?

Sigh

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March 30, 2010 11:04 AM

Keep the Gov't outta my Medicare!

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DES

March 30, 2010 11:06 AM

Bachmann's scariest quote IMHO. "Literally, if we took away the minimum wage—if conceivably it was gone—we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level." —Michele Bachmann, 1/26/05, Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee, testifying against SF 3, a bill to raise the MN minimum wage and advocating the elimination of the minimum wage altogether..

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March 30, 2010 11:08 AM

Since she didn't know any correct numbers, she just made some up, each beginning with a 5 with an assorted number of zeroes.

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March 30, 2010 11:10 AM

The key moment comes at 41:30

Thanks for that heads up -- there's absolutely no way that I could endure 41 and a half minutes of that whining, shrill harpy voice!

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March 30, 2010 11:15 AM

"Senior citizens are very smart"
really? my 3 year old has learned to walk, run, climb, jump, socialize, drive his parents crazy, speak 3 languages (not perfectly), and count to 3 (ok, not so impressive, but better than some reps from MN). I'd stack that up against what any senior has learned in the last 3 years, especially any that can't see thru bachmann.
(the other day: "baehner make bad choices". i don't think he'll be listening to bachmann.)

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March 30, 2010 11:17 AM

Does she even hear any of the words that come out of her mouth?

She is just so completely off the tracks, frankly there aren't words to adequately describe her level of "make it up as you go along".

"Astounding" comes close but not by much.

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March 30, 2010 4:24 PM in reply to justaJ0e

I think the word you're looking for is "insane." Just a guess...

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mans_best_friend

March 30, 2010 11:33 AM

And what do we hear from the Dems in response?

[crickets]

People, this is the problem. They can say any damned fool thing they want and get away with it because THERE IS NOTHING COMING FROM THE OTHER SIDE. They win the message war by default.

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March 30, 2010 12:00 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

The problem the Democrats have is that their side of the issue almost always seems to be the one that is harder to explain without confusing people or sounding condescending. The Republicans can get their case on to a bumper sticker, let alone a 30-second soundbyte. Plus their side already plays into peoples' existing stereotypes and preconceived notions.

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mans_best_friend

March 30, 2010 12:04 PM in reply to jdb316

I don't buy it. The Dems are just inept at this. They allow the other side to frame the issue. They need to get out first instead of reacting to what the R's say. Frame the issue in their terms. This is what creates the preconceived notions in the first place.

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March 30, 2010 3:32 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

Hey, come on. "Frame the issue"?

This time at least the Democrats framed the issue, they passed the bill!!

Give some credit where credit is due!

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March 30, 2010 2:35 PM in reply to jdb316

Personally, I don't believe many politicians have difficulty with being dishonest to one degree or another. However, conservatives seem to have no shame with hyperbolic intellectual dishonesty. Perhaps it says much about who they are speaking to. Liberals I believe, have a difficult time intentionally talking shit when they know that everybody else knows they are intentionally talking shit.

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Chuckwallah

March 30, 2010 12:36 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

I think much of the problem is in the press. There are plenty of Dems who talk cogently about the health care bill, but whenever there is a commentary about the progress being made, they need a quote from the opposition. And most of them, like La B, are not able to handle the math.

We need new journalists with minors in statistics. Anyone know such?

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Chuckwallah

March 30, 2010 12:39 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

I think much of the problem is in the press. There are plenty of Dems who talk cogently about the health care bill, but whenever there is a commentary about the progress being made, they need a quote from the opposition. And most of them, like La B, are not able to handle the math.

We need new journalists with minors in statistics. Anyone know such?

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March 30, 2010 12:49 PM in reply to Chuckwallah

The newspapers have flexible standards. If you write a letter to the editor to the St. Cloud, MN, newspaper (in her district), they'll grill you on everything in it to be sure it's absolutely factual and that you can cite primary sources, but she gets a free pass. She can say anything she wants in an editorial column and they'll just print it.

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March 30, 2010 1:56 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

It's a pretty simple response:

"Michelle Bachmann hates taxes. In fact, she hates them so much, she'd rather see 32 million Americans go without health care insurance than see a tax increase of any kind. She'd rather see 47,000 Americans die each year for lack of health care insurance than see anyone's taxes go up. She prefers real death panels run for profit by the insurance companies to the imaginary ones that only she can see in the recently passed health care reform bill."

You want it short and sweet? Just trim it down to one or two lines and you'll still make the point.

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mans_best_friend

March 30, 2010 2:22 PM in reply to chimpale

That was more or less my point, except I'd go one further. Instead of responding, get out there first. The first one out gets to frame the issue. Once you let them frame the issue you're always going to be at a disadvantage.

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March 30, 2010 11:34 AM

Seniors paying the $500 billion in new taxes? She needs tutoring on the difference between an income tax and a tax on assets.

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mikedrevguy

March 30, 2010 11:49 AM

GOOD GOD, woman!!! let it go, already!!

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March 30, 2010 12:17 PM

She's a spokesperson for everyone, whether they want her or not. She speaks for God. She speaks for the elderly. She speaks for all Americans. She knows exactly what they're all thinking and we don't need to listen to them, we just need to listen to her.

Thank you, Michelle. What a valuable service you provide.

Actually, she doesn't speak for God. God speaks for her. Whatever it is she wants him to say, that's what he says. She's just reporting it back to us.

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March 30, 2010 4:32 PM in reply to chimpale

What color is the sky in your world? And does the medication affect it in any way?

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March 30, 2010 5:14 PM in reply to Shoto

Calibrate your snark meter.

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marysteeleyorktownva

March 30, 2010 12:31 PM

If Canada is paying for its citizens to come here and get treatment, where will we go when we need it, China or Mexico? If this plan was so good, the Democrats would have passed a long time ago, but it barely passed!!!

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March 30, 2010 2:04 PM in reply to marysteeleyorktownva

the stupidity of your comment does not merit a response.

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March 30, 2010 4:34 PM in reply to marysteeleyorktownva

China or Mexico? Neither. I'm going with Barstow all the way...

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March 30, 2010 12:32 PM

So in actuality what she is saying is that it's Ok if those other 32 million people don't get health care.
We have money and we are not going to stand for it.
Amazing. 2 of my adult children don't have health care, not provided by their employer. I bet most people know of somebody that is not insured, not employed.

She is a first class bitch.

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ohyeathatsright

March 30, 2010 1:01 PM

It's a good thing we have social security, so those wealthy seniors don't have to live their life on the line.

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March 30, 2010 1:12 PM

She's awesome!

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March 30, 2010 1:20 PM

Right. All 20 million undocumented workers, if there are that many, and they are given amnesty, which I didn't hear Obama even say, would ALL go right on welfare. Because they're not getting by now, they're not hard-working at all, they're just in a van somewhere by the border, waiting for amnesty, some for 20 years, just to get glorious, glorious welfare. Because welfare payments are so generous.

Hey Michelle! I'm in your unfilled-out census forms, wiping out your district.

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jimlscotland

March 30, 2010 1:22 PM

While it is true that extra resources will be required to service the addition 32 million people, that is a 10% increase - not insurmountable. In addition of the 32 million many, if not most of them, just show up at hospitals and get treated anyway so it is a lot less than 10% increase in doctors, nurses, etc. The Dems need to counter these talking points by the Repugs with better numbers.

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March 30, 2010 1:51 PM

This woman literally uses the word "literally" in every sentence she utters.

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March 30, 2010 2:03 PM

Were Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and Ann Coulter triplets who were separated at birth? Seems like the all have a similar
deficit in their genetic material.

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March 30, 2010 4:36 PM in reply to apache

Fraternal. Coulter had the sex-change operation after they were born.

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March 30, 2010 3:17 PM

I try to be understanding and to not think poorly of the Republicans, but, when I read things like this, all I can see is their greed. If rationing of care does become a reality due to the increase in accessibility, I'm ok with it. If it happens, we take steps to improve availability through education and other programs that ultimately improve employment outlook for our future generations. In exchange for this possible temporary inconvenience, our children get access to healthcare. I, for one, am happy to make the sacrifice and risk that I might not get care as urgently as I could for a while in order to make a better future for my children and grandchildren. I don't understand any other mindset. Perhaps someone can explain this to me?

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March 30, 2010 4:51 PM

Bachmann is completely bonkers.

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March 30, 2010 6:33 PM

Okay, so we are going to take away all the old people's money and then kill them via death panels.

All righty then!!!

LET THE KILLINGS BEGIN.

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Sailormarlowe

March 30, 2010 7:23 PM

It don't matter what Michele say, she look so sexy saying it. Oooohhh, that lady, she strict, she stern, she scintillating!

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March 31, 2010 10:50 AM in reply to Sailormarlowe

Uh-oh - looks like Ugg has hijacked Sailor's account. :)

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