On May 30^th, Iowa senator Joni Ernst held a Town Hall in Butler County. These are usually said to be to listen to the concerns of constituents.

When someone called out “People are going to die!” Ernst replied “Well, we are all going to die.” The audience groaned, and she admonished them, “For Heaven’s sakes, folks.”

Here’s some context. Many of the citizens present were alarmed about the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” barely passed by the House and now before the Senate. The bill is indeed big, and contains many horrible things. Medicaid cuts in it will affect millions of people. Ernst defended the bill and argued that people who would lose Medicaid were illegal immigrants. She didn’t say that all of them were. Good, because that’s not true. One in 5 Iowans get Medicaid.

Along with the bill’s proposed defunding of Planned Parenthood, one particular effect would be no coverage for prenatal care, childbirth, and postnatal care. Oh, and the closing of rural hospitals.

So yes, cuts anything like the ones proposed will result in many deaths. Rural people, poor people, old people, baby people, and more.

When Ernst’s “We are all going to die” remark went public, there was a lot of anger about it. Enough that she apparently felt she should apologize. Or was advised to apologize.

As we often say, a bad apology can make things worse. This was one of those cases.

She filmed it in a graveyard.

Hello, everyone.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize for a statement that I made yesterday at my Town Hall.

See, I was in the process of answering a question that had been asked by an audience member when

a woman who was extremely distraught screamed out from the back corner of the auditorium, “People are going to die!”

And I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that yes, we are all going to perish from this earth.

So, I apologize.

And I’m really really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the Tooth Fairy as well. But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

She forgot to say that in hell, they want ice water.

Terrible apology! Yes, she uses the word “apologize.” It was not sincere, but still, she said it. And she said what the action was that she was apologizing for. But then she went off the rails in the part about acknowledging the impact.

There’s a passing attack on the audience member (“extremely distraught” “screamed”). Then a sneering attack on everyone present who shared that concern, in which she pretends they don’t know that people die. (“I made an incorrect assumption”) This of course ignores the obvious fact that a responsible government works to ensure that people don’t die sooner than they must, and don’t die in untreated physical misery.

To add insult she implies that anyone concerned not only doesn’t know about death but also believes in the Tooth Fairy.

Strangely, she then tries to manifest lovingkindness by advising listeners to find Jesus. This is one of the weirder evangelical gestures we’ve seen. “Hey stupid, find Christ!”

She’s not sorry, she doesn’t think she was wrong, she thinks her constituents are dumb (not because they don’t know about death, but because they think she’s wrong not to care about others), and she’s only pretending to do religious outreach.

This is called doubling down. It’s not a persuasive technique, but it may amuse her handlers in the administration.

Adults know all of us will die eventually. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care how soon we die. It doesn’t mean we don’t want medical care. Maybe even in a hospital. We also care about the health of our family and friends.

“We are all going to die” is not about Ernst accepting her own mortality. It’s about her lack of interest in other people’s mortality. A bad look in a public servant.