During President Obama’s address to Congress concerning health care reform, Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-R) from South Carolina’s Second District decided to act like this address was a town hall meeting. Speaking to the full Congress, President Obama addressed some of the misinformation being distributed about health care reform and when he stated that health care reform would not include undocumented, ie illegals, Rep. Joe Wilson screamed out, “You Lie”.
FactCheck.org has already shown that undocumented workers, ie illegals, would not be covered:
H.R. 3200: Sec 246 – NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.
Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-R) has shown that he is clueless about what the bill actually states if he believes that undocumented illegals will be covered under the health care reform bill. Beyond being clueless and wishing to push a talking point that is false, he has shown himself to be totally without decorum. This act by Rep. Joe Wilson, screaming out at the President during his address, underscores the lack of respect that Republicans hold toward anyone and anything; to include the Office of the Presidency. Rep. Joe Wilson may have endeared himself to the 20% that is what is left of the GOP with his disrespect towards President Obama, but, not to the rest of America or citizens of South Carolina.
A President, any President, has the right of office to use the “bully pulpit”, the podium, to speak about an issue to whoever he wishes. Whether you agree with the President, or even the issue about what he speaks, it is established decorum that the President be afforded respect during his address. After the address, whether in rebuttal, press conference, interview or press release is the time to speak in disagreement, not during the address when you interupt, yell out, and make a fool out of yourself in doing so.
It was the Republican Party, during the George W. Bush administration, that labeled people unAmerican, unpatriotic, terrorist sympathizers, and treasonous for the act of simply opposing the policies of the administration. If a Democratic politician had yelled out during an address given by President Bush, the GOP would have introduced an article of censure in Congress the next morning. There would have been GOP operatives and politicians on every talk show decrying the disrespect the person showed the Office of the President for days on end.
That Rep. Joe Wilson issued an apology afterward for his uncivil action and disrespect is not enough.
The State newspaper needs to do an editorial finally debunking these lies that Republican politician’s like Rep. Joe Wilson continually push on health reform. There are no “death panels” unless you are talking about insurance companies denying patient claims, denying coverage to people, or dropping coverages of people during their time of most need. There is no provision to cover illegal, undocumented workers. People are not going to be forced to sign up for a public option, nor, are they going to be forced to lose insurance they currently may have. These are lies told by the GOP and it is past time that the media do its job and call them lies.
The reaction of the other members of Congress to Rep. Wilson’s outburst speaks volumes. He not only crossed a line, but, did so to push a lie while calling the President a liar. This cannot be ignored nor should it.
Rep. Wilson’s office number is 803-926-1413. Leave him a message.
2 comments
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Presidents don’t deserve respect.
Nothing pained me more than watching ‘progressives’ sit silently or even clapping while Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush lied to us. Take off the kid gloves.
And nothing made me more happy than the shoe thrower in Iraq.
The only thing that makes me mad, is that a right-ist is the first one to break with the fake decorum in congress.