SALON

Wednesday, Sep 9, 2009 12:25 AM UTC

Palin: I’ve been vindicated on “death panels”

The former governor submits written testimony in which she claims she's been proven right

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Topics: Healthcare Reform, Sarah Palin, War Room,

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin isn’t about to give up on the “death panels” myth she had a major hand in spreading. So, though she declined to appear in person after getting an invitation to testify before a committee of the New York State Senate about Democratic healthcare reform proposals, she did submit written testimony — and, of course, she posted it to her Facebook page as well.

Palin’s claims about “death panels” have been repeatedly debunked by numerous outlets. But that’s not the way she sees it.

“A great deal of attention was given to my use of the phrase ‘death panel’ in discussing such rationing. Despite repeated attempts by many in the media to dismiss this phrase as a ‘myth,’ its accuracy has been vindicated,” Palin wrote. “In the face of a nationwide public outcry, the Senate Finance Committee agreed to ‘drop end-of-life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly.’”

Of course, as the quote Palin herself chose showed, the Senate Finance Committee’s decision to drop the provisions didn’t vindicate her in any way — other than to show that wild, irresponsible accusations can have an outsized effect on policy.

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon. More Alex Koppelman.

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On March 21, 2010, the House voted to approve a healthcare bill intended to overhaul the system and guarantee Americans access to health insurance. The vote was 219 to 213. Problem solved? Hardly.

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