TPMDC Sunday Roundup

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Dean: Palin “Just Made That Up” About The Death Panel
Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean told CNN that Sarah Palin’s line about President Obama establishing a “death panel” was simply wrong. “About euthanasia, they’re just totally erroneous. She just made that up,” said Dean. “Just like the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ that she supposedly didn’t support.

Gingrich Defends Palin On The Death Panel
Appearing on This Week, former Speaker Newt Gingrich defended Palin on the “death panel” talk, even though George Stephanopoulos pointed out multiple times that the health care bill does not promote euthanasia. “You are asking us to trust turning power over to the government,” said Gingrich, “when there are clearly people in American who believe in establishing euthanasia, including selective standards.”

Obama’s Day Ahead
President Obama will depart from the White House at 1:55 p.m. ET, headed to Guadalajara, Mexico. He will arrive at 6:20 p.m. ET, and will meet with President Felipe Calderón at 7 p.m. ET. He will then attend a working dinner with Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 8 p.m. ET, and they will attend a cultural event at 9:15 p.m. ET.

Durbin: Town Hall Disruptions “Clearly Being Orchestrated”
Appearing on CNN, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that town hall disruptions are part of a deliberate effort, and not simply people routinely getting upset at town hall meetings. “But this is clearly being orchestrated and these folks have instructions. They come down from a Texas lobbyist in Washington,” said Durbin, also adding: “When there are a group of people honestly sitting in the middle trying to ask the important questions and get the right answers, and instead someone takes the microphone and screams and shouts to the point where the meeting comes to an end, that isn’t dialogue, that isn’t the democratic process.”

McConnell: Dems Trying To Change Subject And “Demonize” Citizens
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the Democrats are trying to change the subject by attacking town hall disruption. “Look, I don’t think either side ought to be trying to engage in disrupting meetings, either the Democratic side or the Republican side. We ought to focus on the issue,” said McConnell. “And to demonize citizens who are — you know, who are energetic about this strikes me as demonstrating a kind of weakness in your position — in other words, you want to — you want to change the subject, and rather than talk about the half a trillion dollar in Medicare cuts, let’s talk about somebody at some town meeting who misbehaved. It strikes me that’s missing the point.”

Graham: “Let’s Not Rumsfeld Afghanistan”
Appearing on Face The Nation, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for more funding and troops for Afghanistan: “My message to my Democratic colleagues is that we made mistakes in Iraq. Let’s not Rumsfeld Afghanistan. Let’s don’t do this thing on the cheap. Let’s have enough combat power and engagement across the board to make sure we’re successful. And quite frankly, we all have got a lot of ground to make up.”

Jones: Kim Jong Il Apparently In Good Health
Appearing on Meet The Press, National Security Adviser James Jones said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appears to be in sufficient health, judging from Bill Clinton’s recent visit there. “His health is a big issue, but obviously we didn’t have any time to make an assessment there,” said Jones. “But he seemed in control of his faculties. And the president, the former president was able to engage him on a number of subjects.”

GOP Congressman Attacks Obama For “Enemies List,” And Birth Certificate
Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) told a Tulsa Republican Club event that this is a “scary time” in Washington. “It’s a very frightening time. I see Barack Obama is creating an enemies list of people who oppose this miserable health care plan. I think that’s frightening,” said Sullivan. “That’s from a guy that can’t even show a long-form birth certificate. I think we all ought to be prepared to fight that.”

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