NBC: Did 'Controversial' Dick Cheney Really Deserve That Heart Transplant?
Sinking to a new low in their disdain for Dick Cheney, the hosts on Monday's NBC Today wondered if the former vice president should have received a recent heart transplant, with Ann Curry declaring at the top of the broadcast: "...even though he has waited longer than most to receive his donor heart, some are questioning whether someone that old should be getting one..." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]
Fellow co-host Matt Lauer described Cheney as "somebody who tends to stir controversy," who "can cause all kinds of controversy if he orders a cup of tea."
In the report that followed, NBC's left-wing chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman sounded like a one-person death panel, as she fretted: "...this has raised a lot of ethical questions, moral questions, about whether the Vice President, in fact, should have received his heart against – ahead of other people. And, raises the question, how old is too old to receive such a precious transplant?"
While Snyderman acknowledged that Cheney had been "on a waiting list for 20 months before his successful heart transplant surgery this past weekend, longer than most patients," she added: "Still, the news was met with controversy."
Snyderman argued: "When a patient Cheney's age receives such a scarce, life-extending organ, some doctors question whether hospitals are depriving younger patients, who typically survive longer after the surgery."
She then cited an article from MSNBC.com's Vitals blog, written by bio-ethicist Art Caplan, who couldn't help but use the topic to shill for ObamaCare:
The timing of Cheney's transplant is ethically ironic given that the battle over extending health insurance to all Americans reaches the Supreme Court this week.
If the President's health reform bill is deemed unconstitutional, those who are wealthy or who can easily raise money will continue to have greater access to heart, liver and other forms of transplantation than the uninsured and underinsured.
Wrapping up her report, Snyderman admitted the transplant debate story was mainly driven by the fact that Cheney was the recipient: "And Matt, you said that he's controversial even if he's ordering a cup of tea. It does raise a question whether this were any other 71-year-old, would we be talking about this?"
Talking to Lauer after the taped portion of segment, Snyderman pointed out that Cheney "had really run out of options," leaving the transplant as he only option.
Lauer worried about Cheney getting special treatment: "Is there indication he was given priority?" Snyderman replied: "There is no indication. He did wait for 20 months, which is a reasonably long time." However, she quickly added: "But the question is, always, and this is what the ethicist will talk about, was there a younger person who didn't get the heart, and he did, and will his prognosis be just as good?"
Both ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's This Morning discussed the issue as well. However, the coverage on those shows focused more on Cheney's overall medical condition and did not continually label him as "controversial."
NBC has a long history of slamming Cheney as a controversial villain. Previewing a 2011 interview with Cheney, on the August 25 broadcast of Today, Curry described the former Vice President as, "One of the most controversial figures of our time." In another preview on August 29, interviewer Jamie Gangel quipped he was, "A conservative hero to his fans, Darth Vader to his critics."
Following Cheney's August 30 live interview with Lauer, the camera zoomed out of the Today show studio and focused on an Amnesty International protest sign outside that ranted: "Torture is a Crime: Investigate Cheney."
The most outrageous attack on Cheney came from MSNBC host Ed Schultz, who in February of 2010 called for the ailing vice president's heart to be used as a "political football": "We ought to rip it out and kick it around and stuff it back in him."
Here is a transcript of the March 26 segment:
7:41AM ET
LAUER: Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering at a Virginia hospital this morning after receiving a heart transplant over the weekend. A surgery that has some questioning how hospitals determine which patients receive priority. Dr. Nancy Synderman is NBC's chief medical editor. Nancy, good morning.
NANCY SNYDERMAN: Good morning, Matt.
LAUER: Dick Cheney can cause all kinds of controversy if he orders a cup of tea. But talk to me about this list and how it works.
SNYDERMAN: Well, it's – people say it's unlikely that the 71-year-old jumped – jumped the line. But nonetheless, this has raised a lot of ethical questions, moral questions, about whether the Vice President, in fact, should have received his heart against – ahead of other people. And, raises the question, how old is too old to receive such a precious transplant?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Cheney's New Lease On Life; 71-Year-Old Former VP Gets Heart Transplant]
71-year-old former Vice President Dick Cheney was on a waiting list for 20 months before his successful heart transplant surgery this past weekend, longer than most patients. Still, the news was met with controversy.
DR. ERIC J. TOPOL [CARDIOLOGIST, SCRIPPS HEALTH]: Age is the hot-button here, because if Mr. Cheney was 55, there wouldn't be any discussion.
SNYDERMAN: More than 3,000 Americans are on the national waiting list for a heart transplant. But every year, hundreds die before they receive a new heart. When a patient Cheney's age receives such a scarce, life-extending organ, some doctors question whether hospitals are depriving younger patients, who typically survive longer after the surgery. Bio-ethicist Dr. Art Caplan writes on the MSNBC.com Vitals blog, "In a system in which donor's hearts are very scarce, shouldn't the young, who are more likely to benefit both in terms of survival and years of life added, take precedence over the old?" More than 70% of heart transplant recipients live at least another five years. But long-term survival is slightly lower for those over the age of 65.
DR. TOPOL: That's always a judgment call, knowing that background. Is a person who's going to get the transplant who's older more likely to do well than the average?
SNYDERMAN: Mr. Cheney has a long history of heart problems. He had his first heart attack at age 37, while running for Wyoming's sole House seat. His second heart attack came six years later, followed by an emergency quadruple bypass in 1988. Cheney suffered two more heart attacks, including one in 2000 during the Florida recount, after which he and George W. Bush took office. His fifth heart attack came in 2010. After that, doctors installed a special device known as a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, to aid his ailing heart. A device he later showed NBC's Jamie Gangel.
DICK CHENEY: You just – you deal with it. You take whatever the doctors recommend, the latest step, and I've been able to live a full, normal, active life.
SNYDERMAN: Cheney and his family have released a statement saying that while they don't know the donor, they will be forever grateful for this life-saving gift. And Matt, you said that he's controversial even if he's ordering a cup of tea. It does raise a question whether this were any other 71-year-old, would we be talking about this?
LAUER: This waiting list, when you're on this list is it like the deli counter? You take a number and it's first come, first served? Or do they take into consideration things like age, other health issues, and prognosis?
SNYDERMAN: They take into factor a lot of parameters. How bad your heart is and if you don't have it, will you die? And he had really run out of options. Age, how good your kidneys and lungs are? Then there's the whole thing about tissue typing. You just can't get anybody else's heart. And if you have the means and the access to a private jet, you can register at various transplant centers around the world...
LAUER: So you can get there quickly if a heart becomes available.
SNYDERMAN: ...Remember Steve Jobs did that with his liver, so you can get there. And he may have done that. But nonetheless, he had this at the hospital where he'd had some previous surgeries.
LAUER: Is there indication he was given priority?
SNYDERMAN: There is no indication. He did wait for 20 months, which is a reasonably long time. But the question is, always, and this is what the ethicist will talk about, was there a younger person who didn't get the heart, and he did, and will his prognosis be just as good? The overall stats are that for five years, he has a 70% survival rate.
LAUER: And real quickly, he'll be on immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of his life.
SNYDERMAN: For the rest of his life, which means he's more at risk for infection and some tumors. These are not inconsequential drugs.
LAUER: Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Nancy, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
SNYDERMAN: You bet, Matt.
- Kyle Drennen's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Sounds like these guys and
Submitted by Semus on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:36am.
Sounds like these guys and gals are bucking for a Death Panel appointments.
Like x 1,000
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:43am.
Nancy Mengele Snyderman would be the plusperfect prototype for Obama's Death Panels.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Nancy Mengele Snyderman
Submitted by stratman on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:51pm.
OMO! She is as stupid as Himmler and would probably be just as dedicated to implementing a final solution for ObamaCare. I'm sure she would stand and salute if called on by Obama to create her own Einsatzgruppen (see second paragraph).
Yep
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:08pm.
The 15-member national death panel is designed to make these "ethical" decisions for the physicians under the penalty of fine (1st violation) or incarceration (2nd violation).
Just as Washington picks winners and losers in the commercial arena, so will it pick winners and losers in the health care arena.
This kind of discussion brings to mind the old ethics exercise about the bomb shelter, wherein an assortment of 10 people (varying ages, gender/sexual orientation, skills, accomplishments) seek shelter, but the shelter only has space and provision for 8. The group discusses who gets left out to die, and why.
That's the so-called Death Panel.
Cheney deserved to die. Didn't you get that?
Submitted by Mike Bratton on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:33pm.
He's "controversial." He doesn't agree with the Dear Leader's political perspective, so his life is of lesser value--if it has any at all.
And, I mean, he's had over seventy years to live! What, does this guy want to be Methuselah or something? Get on with your dying, Mr. Cheney, and reduce the surplus population! You're emitting too much carbon dioxide, even...
Why, yes, I am being sarcastic. Why do you ask?
--Mike
Additions and Corrections
Submitted by stratman on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:08pm.
Or incineration (3rd violation)
AKA survivors and the dead.
Original Obama Death Panel = Zeke Emanuel's Complete Life System
The heart that Cheney received may be needed by a Black patient
Submitted by ctyankee on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:55pm.
...10 people (varying ages, gender/sexual orientation, skills, accomplishments) seek shelter...
I presume that the "death panel" would enforce equal opportunity for heart transplants, i.e., varying races, ages, gender/sexual orientation...
The transplant is controversial because Cheney is an Old White Male. The Left can't wait for him to be a Dead White European Male (DWEM).
I think any reliable libtard
Submitted by PeskyDane on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:03pm.
I think any reliable libtard vote would do.
An even worse scenario than that...
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:02pm.
imagine the horrified outrage if it were to come out he got it from a black donor?
Death Panels?
Submitted by Guapo Diablo on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:19pm.
Where have we heard that term before? Oh yeah. When these same clowns were ridiculing Sarah Palin for suggesting that our left-wing friends would decide what these "reporters" are openly discussing on national TV.
Hypocrisy? No, no, no.
Five years ago I received a
Submitted by Doubleyou 26 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:25pm.
Five years ago I received a heart transplant, at the age of 55. I was helped prior to my transplant by an LVAD device, certainly a lot less technologically sophisticated than the ones used today. I owe my speedy recovery and current good health to the doctors and nurses who cared (and still care) for me. A transplant is a miracle and a true gift from God.
To read the absolutely ridiculous comments of the media "elite" about Mr. Cheney doesn't surprise me one bit. Consider that Mr. Cheney suffered with heart disease for 34 years of his life makes him a very worthy candidate for transplantation. You only go on that very well regulated list of candidates if your situation is considered end-stage. Mine was and so was Mr. Cheney's. We both had long waits before the proper hearts became available.
Sadly I spent yesterday at Sunday Mass not giving full attention to the Gospel reading and homily concerning Lazarus and Christ, but wondering just how the "elites" would spin the Cheney story.
The "elites" were true to form.
Please consider organ donation.
Welcome, Doubleyou
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 6:03pm.
Thanks for sharing your story here, I'm sure you'll inspire many good people who are not already donors to make sure they check that box....it's as easy as that when you get your drivers license (note to self, renew the bloody thing this week!).
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Doubleyou
Submitted by Seashell on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 7:09pm.
So happy to hear of your transplant and obvious success w/it. My prayers will be w/you and your Dr.'s and nurses! God bless!
Just when you think they can't....
Submitted by Chicagoray40 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:38am.
sink any lower they dig a new sewer like mole people and just wallow in the slime and filth like they're right at home in it.
Filthy repugnant pigs, and Ann Curry couldn't even get hired as a maid around my crib. Liberal Wanker.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. –Albert Einstein My Twitter
Death Panels?
Submitted by Mike Dean on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:50am.
Of course liberals could "NEVER" support government rationing of health care. It is immoral though for a person that can afford to pay for it to get it done. Government should make that decision for us. That heart could have saved a future food stamp recipient instead of the rich man.
(Hopefully tongue in cheek is understood)
What about Ted Kennedy...?
Submitted by NeoKong on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:50am.
They wouldn't for a second ever question the expensive tumor operation he had that only extended his life a few months.
He died less than a year after the operation.
Also once again Lauer and Snyderman use that very busy strawman to claim that there are people actually questioning whether Cheney was a legitimate candidate for the operation.
It is absurd.
Nobody would question it.
Presidents and VP's always get the very best of medical care and nobody ever questions it.
Cuz he was liberal
Submitted by Guapo Diablo on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:23pm.
Liberals, by definition, can't be "controversial." You didn't know that?
Paving the way for Death Panels...
Submitted by c5then on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:56am.
This is a perfect "prime the pump" story to get the general public used to thinking in terms of cost-benefit analysis on who gets medical treatment and who doesn't.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Uh...
Submitted by GG_NB on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:58am.
I guess this answers the "Are they going to be mean?" question.
Shocked.
Not.
"If not us, who? If not now, when?"
~Ronald Reagan
GG
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:28pm.
Well, I'm shocked!
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I speculated yesterday
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:56am.
when talking about this with my Missus. Suppose that somewhere in America is a family of ultra-liberals (as if there's any other kind) that just lost a family member, that was an organ donor.
After running the timeline through their heads, they realize that their loved one COULD have been the donor for VP Cheney's new heart. Their heads explode in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..........
What are you guys talking about?
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 11:59am.
Death panels are just a figment of the imagination of drummed up, fear-mongering conservatives who are scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for red herrings to try to defeat Obama-care!
Liberals have promised us that there won't be any death panels, so you can take that to the bank. Any more discussion of death panels prove the point or how extremely erratic, and irrational conservatives really are.
/sarc
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
Vile
Submitted by Joe W. on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:02pm.
What a bunch of vile ghouls these "people" are. This is merely a preview of the "death panel" scenario foretold by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Who gets to determine which one of us is "worthy" of having our life extended...and who is not? Thank God I am old enough not to have to live in a country such as the one that America is becoming. According to these folks, I've lived long enough anyway.....
This is scary, the media
Submitted by ForeverOnTheRight on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:03pm.
This is scary, the media engaged in age discrimination and they are trying to deside who is and who is not worthy of a heart transplant, who will live and who will die. They hate him, but he is a former VP and should have preferential treatment as all former Presedents and VPs no matter who they are or what political persuasion is.
Cheney is controversial even if he's ordering a cup of tea?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:04pm.
Thanks for admitting it, Lauer, you worm.
And gee, is there any area of medicine that Snyderman is NOT an expert in? I'm sure there are at least 100 actual cardiologists within a four-block radius of 30 Rock.
If San Fran Nan was the
Submitted by d1carter on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:07pm.
If San Fran Nan was the recipient of a heart transplant, would the legacy media have these skeptical conversations..?
brings back memorys
Submitted by WV-Rebel on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:14pm.
My Dad waited 2 years on the Kidney Transplant list and got the call day before Easter they had found a match.On Easter Sunday 2007 he had his Transplant and had a allergic reaction to the anti rejection medicine and died 3 weeks later.he was 57 at the time and I have said during the debate that if he had been this way after Obamacare passed they would turn him down for a younger person to get it instead. I know the DNC-Media hates any Republican especially Vice President Dick Cheney and they showed it.
WV
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:32pm.
I'm sorry for your loss.
If you want to scare yourself witless, read some of Zeke Emanuel's theories of health care rationing. He even had graphs of "optimum" results by age. Zeke is Rahmbo's brother....and was behind the scenes during the crafting of O Care.
Big Brother, in the worst way imaginable.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
GMTA
Submitted by stratman on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:10pm.
I just linked Emanuel's Complete Lives Sytem above.
Therein lies
Submitted by fivestring_assassin on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:19pm.
a major issue of Nationalized Health Care
Whats this dunce meant was , was Dick Cheney, a Republican deserving of a heart transplant??
Under Nationalized Health Care, the real danger is not cancer, diabetes or heart disease, but what politiccal party one belongs to
Mark my words, one day health care will be rationed not according to need, but according to political affiliation
Uplifting Story about a 66 Year old Heart Transplant....
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:23pm.
Here's an uplifting story about a 66 year old man who received a heart transplant back in 1986. Older transplant recipients usually receive organs because of special circumstances. It will be interesting if we learn of any associated with Cheney.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
How
Submitted by grammajane on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:35pm.
hateful could this so-called Dr. Snyderman be? Sure would hate being a patient of hers, if I was over 70. What a repulsive "conversation" between these two radical libs. Wonder how they would feel if it were clinton getting the heart?? nbc could not get any lower and today proved what a discusting mess the whole network is. Imagine tonight, williams will continue the whinning about the heart.
The Real Danger of Obamacare
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:44pm.
Under the Leftist "Death Panel" system of rationed medical care, Ted Kennedy gets his brain tumor treated, Dick Cheney gets the death penalty. You know, and I know, we all know the only way to have fair rationed medical care is to have a blind lottery system. Everybody must truly be "the same".
Compassionless is a mark of the Leftist psychopathology.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
What "other" people is that?
Submitted by CobraMan on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:41pm.
"this has raised a lot of ethical questions, moral questions, about whether the Vice President, in fact, should have received his heart against – ahead of other people. "
What "other people" is that? You make the claim that Cheney received his heart "ahead of other people," so it is morally incumbent upon you to tell us who those "other people" are, in fact.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
What "other" people is that?
Submitted by CobraMan on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:46pm.
"this has raised a lot of ethical questions, moral questions, about whether the Vice President, in fact, should have received his heart against – ahead of other people. "
What "other people" is that? You make the claim that Cheney received his heart "ahead of other people," so it is morally incumbent upon you to tell us who those "other people" are, in fact.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Is she a Marxist, too??
Submitted by ray johnson on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:43pm.
Is she a Marxist, too??
Mr. Drennen, is the question
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:47pm.
Mr. Drennen, is the question whether Cheney should have received the transplant because of his age, or is it, as the headline implies, that the "controversial" Cheney received the heart?
I don't see any evidence in this video that anyone thinks Cheney shouldn't have gotten the heart because he's controversial (other than Lauer saying he'd cause controvery ordering a cup of tea). And I don't want to see NB go the way of the AP in distorting Rick Santorum's comment.
With that out of the way, regarding whether he "should have" gotten the heart, Snyderman admits that there is no evidence that Cheney "jumped the line" which means he was next up on the list. But she then makes the pointless adn provocative conjecture about whether a younger person would have gotten the heart.
DOCTOR Snyderman should know that translplant lists are NOT first-come, first-served. Many considerations go into a patients hierarchy on the list. If a younger patient were more in need of the heart or a better candidate, he/she would have been ABOVE Cheney on the list.
Makes one wonder why she had to pose that question, doesn't it?
It's politically driven, to be sure
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 12:59pm.
Here's an interesting take, from across the pond.
Critics are complaining that former vice president Dick Cheney was too old to receive a heart transplant on Friday, saying that the 71-year-old Republican was given special consideration because of his position.
Though they do not think that he was moved up the transplant list, he was given the organ that could have gone to thousands of younger recipients who would have more years to live with it.
'Most centers wouldn't put somebody on' at Cheney's age, said University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Art Caplan, who has testified before many panels on organ sharing issues.
'I've been arguing for a long time that the system should pay more attention to age because you'll get a better return on the gift' because younger people are more likely to live longer with a donor organ, Mr Caplan said.
Mr Cheney’s case reopens debate about whether rules should be changed to favor youth over age in giving out scarce organs.
Anyone care to bet that this bioethicist is a compatriot of Dr. Zeke?
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Agree with you Blonde*
Submitted by cajun2 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:18pm.
Those who believe in eugenics will find "ethical" questions to be very relevant. What people dont get is that "age" will be first, then "value". For instance, eugenics is based on "value" to society. The phrase used in Obamacare is "assessment of potential productivity" by health care commissions.
Who do you think they are talking about? There are people in their 60's and 70's who are a lot more productive than those idiots I saw "occupying" Zuccotti Park. But those compassionate liberals who so know what is best for everyone are the ones pushing abortions and morning after pill for those who are "poor" and their children who will inevitably live in poverty. California provides transplants for people on death row. Liberals fight to remove the death penalty from our justicial system. What hypocricy. But you have to look behind the rhetoric.
Face it folks, Margaret Sanger lives.
Quite so, caj
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:30pm.
Remember I told you about the Cajun cooking show I saw? It featured a woman in NO, whose restaurant was flattened by Katrina. Her restaurant was a landmark, and with the help of the community, her restaurant was rebuilt. At which point she finally hung up her spatula. She was 95 years old when she finally stopped cooking!!!!
You can bet the house that transplants will be rationed, but idiots like Fluke will be demanding not only "free" birth control, but also "free" sex reassignment surgery.
And I'm really, really concerned about the "make up" of these panels. I can just see a host of liberals, who will justify their refusals on some inane reason or other, but which really are made along party lines. I know the leftists would argue that that would never happen, but color me jaded.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
B, the reason I asked the
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:50pm.
B, the reason I asked the question was because the headline refers to "controversial" Cheney receiving the heart. It makes it sound like Snyderman and Lauer are complaining that someone controversial shouldn't get a heart transplant, and I heard no evidence of that.
As much as I despise the MSM, I wouldn't like to see NB putting words in their mouths any more than I like THEM putting words into Rick Santorum's by mischaracterizing his statement.
They may think he's controversial, and they may question whether he should've gotten the heart, but I didn't see or hear any indication that one thought led to the other.
Not sure, mb
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:00pm.
But I believe the author picked up on the "controversy" in Lauer's comment about ordering tea, and then Snyderman's subsequent "you said he was controversial". Also, the "controversial" is in quotes in the headline.
I agree, the headline is not necessarily the way you or I might have written it, but the fact that Snyderman (per the usual) uses it to gin up support for Obamacare, is enough to warrant a write up here, IMO.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
but it will be old news by then
Submitted by Rousse on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:06pm.
An friend of mine had a severe heart attack. Since he was a veteran, the VA sent him to Albuquerque, and then to Salt Lake City. His heart was so bad that he was sent to the top of the waiting list---and he didn't wait for very long. He received a heart within a few week (after his condition was stabilized). He felt badly about it---that others who had been waiting were still waiting, but he was informed that there is a comprehensive evaluation and checklist so that those in greatest peril go to the top of the list.
Surely there are many patients who are tied in their evaluations, and I don't doubt that the Cheneys purposely pulled back and waited until they could no longer do so. I expect all this will eventually be revealed, but of course by then it will be "old news" so the mass media will not report it.
Evidence of Preferential Treatment?
Submitted by libBuster on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:16pm.
Does Snyderman have a scintilla of evidence that former Vice President Cheney was given preferential treatment?. Cheney was on the transplant list for 20 months before a donor heart became available.
Snyderman claims that Cheney received his transplant ahead of other people. Implicit in that statement is a claim that he somehow jumped the line. She also used the "some say" rhetorical device.
If Snyderman has any evidence that Cheney was bumped up on the list because of who he was, she should present it. If Snyderman cannot back up these claims with facts she, Curry and the producers of the segment should be suspended by NBC.
I hope Mr. Bozell writes NBC on this one. If the allegations cannot be supported by facts the behavoir is vile and disciplinary action is in order. Leftists like Curry and Snyderman should be held to the Limbaugh standard they promulgated.
I'm sure the folks at NBC
Submitted by lesterwink23 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:17pm.
I'm sure the folks at NBC (Nothing But Commies as I like to refer to them, nowadays) would be asking the same questions if it was Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter who needed the transplant. Sure, just let the man die even though he was a suitable match for an available heart and waited almost 2 years for it. Just the kind of tolerance and compassion we've come to expect from the leftiess, eh?
Vote With Your Wallet..Maybe NBC Would Appreciate a Boycott...??
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:29pm.
This is my new plan.
Watch as little as possible.
Boycott their major sponsors.
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
Wallet Question
Submitted by BuffNBone on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:16pm.
Was thinking about my wallet too--it's about the donor information on my driver's license. Should I ask that my organs be restricted from going to liberals?
Transplant
Submitted by shayne62 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:34pm.
"If the President's health reform bill is deemed unconstitutional, those who are wealthy or who can easily raise money will continue to have greater access to heart, liver and other forms of transplantation than the uninsured and underinsured."
What an incredibly ignorant thing to say. I received a heart transplant in 2002. At the time, I was unemployed and on COBRA for insurance. Even given these challenges, I received my new heart just 6 weeks after my massive heart attack. Now it should be noted that, because I have a rare blood type, the surgeon was able to go outside my region to find me a heart. So it was a bit quick. Still, at no time did the amount of personal wealth (or, in my case, lack thereof) play into the equation. If that were the case, I would have either waited a very, very long time, or would have died waiting.
I am beyond frustrated and annoyed by the lies and agenda of the mainstream media. In the long run, they are the ones who will ultimately destroy this nation. While the explosion of media access, due to the Internet, has been an incredible event, the downside is the lack of intelligence by the media elite. A perfect example is the entire MSNBC lineup. Al Sharpton? Serously?
Sadly, back in the "good ol' days" we were forced to ingest the left-wing bias of Walter Cronkite. But as bad as he was (including causing the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and losing the Vietnam War), today we seem to have hundreds of Cronkites - without the charm. And in an age where more people care about American Idol than they do about electing the right President, our country is headed down the toilet. Obama's election, back in 2008, was just the tip of the iceberg.
Strange
Submitted by octavioj on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:34pm.
Were not these people dismissing the talk about death panels? Is this not a political decision about someone else's health care?
Eh
Submitted by fenngibbon on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:39pm.
I've heard the issue of older people and transplants brought up before, but it does seem as if NBC was rather fixated on it in this case.
this is reallly a question of...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 1:53pm.
...the mindset of our country.
- in a country based on socialism, this would be an issue
- in a country based on captialism, this would not be an issue
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Transplant
Submitted by Seashell on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:27pm.
This is something I know a little bit about. As I was saying on another thread over the weekend my Dad got a transplant at age 67. At that time, 65 was the cut-off age for heart transplant surgery at Carolinas Medical in Charlotte, NC (1992). They made an exception for him because his lungs, liver, kidneys, and over-all health was perfect. His surgery was immensely successful so he was able to continue working, meet his granddaughter and spoil both his grandchildren terribly for 15 YEARS!
I wonder how Snyderman would react if she needed a transplant at age 71 and was denied for age if she was still otherwise healthy and knew with the transplant she could meet and love and create memories with her grandchildren.
I am sure she would be selfless and give the heart to someone younger. /sarc
Sinking to a new low
Submitted by Conservator on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:09pm.
I must disagree; NBC/MSNBC lies come from the depths of the 'Mariana Trench' with a depth of 35,800 feet. That's why it takes some time for them to produce a trashy piece like the one about Dick Cheney.
Nothing to do with being a Republican VP
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 2:47pm.
This has nothing to do with Cheney being an ex Republican Vice-President. The obvious connection is.......HALIBURTON!
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Matt Liar, I Would Not Consider YOUR Transplant Controversial...
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:00pm.
Of course, I am not talking about your heart.
I refer of course to your brain, which is obviously damaged, you blithering imbecile.
Or perhaps you need a liver transplant because of all those years of cheap whiskey that you drown your sorrows in because you know you will never get picked to anchor the "Evening News", or, as we call it, The Daily Report of the State-Run Media.
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
Matt Liar's Liver
Submitted by miss911ninja on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 5:42pm.
Even those hair transplants didn't get him the gig!
"Sound" Medical Criteria
Submitted by Pilgrim1949 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:17pm.
Hmmm.... Now I understand how this magical health care-dispensing board will function.
Did the patient ever say or do anything that can be even remotely considered by anyone anywhere at any time (especially Liberals) to sound "controversial" in any way, shape or form?
If so, then --- REQUEST DENIED!!!
Shut the #@*%# up, take your %^$@#& aspirin and die.
Next patient please.....
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
Her own dad
Submitted by Model850 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 3:45pm.
Forget "what if" questions about liberal politicians. What would her opinion be if her 71-year old father needed a heart transplant? Would she visit him in the hospital and say, "Look, Dad. You've had a good run. But you're just too damned old to receive a new heart that could go to someone more likely to benefit from it. Just die peacefully and let us all move on, 'K?"
What if Bill Clinton needs one in a few years
Submitted by gussie'sowner on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:25pm.
I wonder what the media would have said if this were Bill Clinton in a few years from now and he needed a .transplant. I hazard a guess there would be NO second guessing his need whatever his age. And I would place a small wager he would not wait 20 months before receiving it
Just a thought.
Heart Transplant
Submitted by mmilesll on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:48pm.
Wonder how many of these liberal sickos would be bitching about Cheney if they were the ones that needed a heart transplant. NONE. The comments that these assholes are making about Cheney means it is time to stop being nice. This is a war, not a tea party-no offense to the Tea Party. GET BACK IN THEIR FACES WITH FACTS-THEY DON'T HAVE ANY SO THAT SHOULD SLOW THEM DOWN
Honestly
Submitted by LinTaylor on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 4:49pm.
"One of the most controversial figures of our time."
"A conservative hero to his fans, Darth Vader to his critics."
I wouldn't really call those slams or insults, because they're 100% true. Especially the Darth Vader one.
Nancy Snyderman
Submitted by djwolf12 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 6:49pm.
It is very upsetting to me that when a woman that is as pretty as she is can have so much vile hatred built up inside of her that makes her extremely repulsive and repugnant to look at.
The media should ask Senator Casey about his dad...
Submitted by OxyCon on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 7:46pm.
The media should ask Senator Casey about his dad...Bob Casey who got a liver and heart transplant at the age of 61 while only being on the waiting list for 10 HOURS even though he had an incurable disease that destroyed his own organs.
My thoughts,
Submitted by bobsmom on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 8:08pm.
By the time I get there, 72 will be considered “retirement” age, and is already in many cases. That being said, my Dad is 82 and he’s sharper than some of the young lib dim bulbs who try and amaze us with their wit and insight here on a daily basis. Age cannot be a primary criterion in any case. Let’s talk more about someone’s worth to society………..what the heck was that noise? Oh, was a lot of middle agers and seniors laughing, and a whole poopload of OWS’ers running for the exits to try and find a way to be relevant.
And to question further, how can a segment of society, who promotes abortion, which is the absolute antithesis of life feel they're even qualified to debate the question? From their perspective, no one should be born, and those who are and reach an educated age should not be given the gift of continued life. What does that leave? A load of "intelligent" folks without the wherewithal to take care of themselves, cuz they've killed off all the taxpayers, either pre-emptively, or retroactively. Gee, I wish I was one o' them smart people..............
Snyderman's progressive beliefs and goals in 1 quote:
Submitted by djwolf12 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 10:19pm.
Read between the lines.....THIS is the agenda of NBC's progressive Dr. Snyderman in 1 quote:
"It does raise a question whether this were any other 71-year-old, would we be talking about this?"
That's pretty f'n disgusting, Nancy. You just exposed your progressive ugliness that makes your own heart as black as a lump of coal. You'd rather see Cheney dead and for you to question that heart transplant or even refer to that heart for just any 71 year old is appauling, disgusting and reprehensible, and you should know better.
Nancy Snyderman must resign from NBC immediately. If she refuses to do so, then Boycott GE and all of their sponsors.
Ethical and moral questions
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 10:23pm.
So we should debate if Chaney should receive a heart transplant when they are no indications that he was not shown any favoritism, but killing unborn babies, no problem with that.
Unreal.
Unreal, indeed.
Submitted by djwolf12 on Mon, 03/26/2012 - 10:38pm.
They'd rather Cheney be judged by his "peers", or a "panel" in order to get that transplant. By them referring to him a "Controversial", that sounds to me that they would like to make him beg them for a new heart and that is pretty disgusting.
If you haven't seen the Twilight Zone episode "The Obsolete Man", watch it on youtube. That episode precisely represents the Medical practice under Nancy Snyderman, Eric Topol, HHS Comerade Kathleen Sebilius, and Barack Obama.
The Libs were hoping
Submitted by RR GOP on Tue, 03/27/2012 - 12:49am.
The Libs were hoping that Mr. Cheney would die. That simple really.
"Under Capitalism, man exploits man. Under Communism it's just the opposite."
"All that Communism needs to make it successful is for someone to feed and clothe it."