Like most, if not all Americans, I found South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson's “You lie” comment during President Obama's Sept. 9 address to be rude and disrespectful. It doesn't matter whether you agree with the president or not.
I felt that way, AT FIRST, that is. I think Wilson’s comment is another reason why the Republican party is not in power right now and the Democrats control not just the presidency but all of Congress.
Then something happened less than 24 hours later after the “shout heard round the country” was said live on television.
House Republican Leader John Boehner came to Wilson’s defense on "substance" in an article on politico website while still condemning the South Carolina Republican congressman’s outburst. Boehner offered reporters proof from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report that illegal immigrants would receive health care benefits under the Democrats’ reform bill.
The article states, “On the one hand, the report says the bill 'reiterates current law that unauthorized aliens are not eligible for full-benefit Medicaid coverage'.” The article, however, quoted from the CRS report saying also that some undocumented immigrants “would be eligible for emergency Medicaid” and that some families of illegal immigrants would qualify for subsidies if other members of the household are eligible for those benefits.
II didn’t hear anyone disapprove in 2005 when President Bush was booed by Democrats when he spoke before Congress about how Social Security would be bankrupt by 2042 unless steps were taken to prevent it.
Where was the protocol then?
I had to laugh when ABC news anchor Charles Gibson and commentator George Stephanopoulos had never heard such a comment come from the House floor during a president’s address until Wilson uttered those fateful two words.
“When the president talked about the bankruptcy of Social Security, there were clearly some Democrats on the floor who thought that that was taking it too far. And they did something that, apparently, no one at this table has ever heard before. They booed.”
CBS White House correspondent John Roberts said:
“At a couple points in this address, it looked more like the British Parliament than the United States Congress. I've never heard the minority party shout at the president during the State-of-the-Union address.”
Wilson spoke the truth and because of it, he is taking heat and could even lose his seat next year to Democratic opponent, Rob Miller, as a result in the 2010 congressional elections. I wouldn’t be surprised if some are saying Wilson is racist, which he is not, because he spoke out against a president who happens to be African American.
Up until now, I had absolutely no respect and no faith in Congress. Their approval ratings are worse than the president’s.
In a September 2009 article from Reuters, one in five Americans (21%) give Democrats in Congress positive ratings while 47% give them negative ones and one-third (32%) say they are not familiar enough to have an opinion.
The same goes for Republicans, according to Reuters.
Even lower numbers (12%) give Republicans in Congress positive ratings and over half (52%) give them negative ones while 37% are not familiar with them.
The American people put these men and women in office to work for us. They are our voice. On Sept. 9, 2009, one person in Congress was working for us, and that was Joe Wilson.
So, while the rest of you utter that infamous phrase said by a young kid to baseball player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson after he was banned from the game for his participation in the Black Sox Scandal during the 1919 World Series, “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” I have three words for Republican Congressman Joe Wilson.
“You go, Joe!”
He’s got my vote in 2010, and I don’t live in South Carolina.
©9/17/09
I felt that way, AT FIRST, that is. I think Wilson’s comment is another reason why the Republican party is not in power right now and the Democrats control not just the presidency but all of Congress.
Then something happened less than 24 hours later after the “shout heard round the country” was said live on television.
House Republican Leader John Boehner came to Wilson’s defense on "substance" in an article on politico website while still condemning the South Carolina Republican congressman’s outburst. Boehner offered reporters proof from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report that illegal immigrants would receive health care benefits under the Democrats’ reform bill.
The article states, “On the one hand, the report says the bill 'reiterates current law that unauthorized aliens are not eligible for full-benefit Medicaid coverage'.” The article, however, quoted from the CRS report saying also that some undocumented immigrants “would be eligible for emergency Medicaid” and that some families of illegal immigrants would qualify for subsidies if other members of the household are eligible for those benefits.
So, Wilson was right on “substance” that is, even if his outburst was condemned by congressional members of both parties. It’s one thing if the guy was dead wrong but he wasn’t. Wilson, who told Fox News Sept. 13, that he was not going to apologize again for his inappropriate comment, was speaking what some Americans wished they could say is wrong with President Obama’s health care plan.The backlash Wilson is getting demonstrates yet another example of how, when a Republican says something against a Democrat, the liberal drive-by media go out for blood but when a Democrat steps out of line, the media says nothing. Things would be so much better if people would quit resorting to the good old double standard.
“The American people are fed up with the political games in Washington, and I refuse to participate in an effort to divert our attention away from the task at hand of reforming health insurance and creating new jobs,” Wilson said.
II didn’t hear anyone disapprove in 2005 when President Bush was booed by Democrats when he spoke before Congress about how Social Security would be bankrupt by 2042 unless steps were taken to prevent it.
Where was the protocol then?
I had to laugh when ABC news anchor Charles Gibson and commentator George Stephanopoulos had never heard such a comment come from the House floor during a president’s address until Wilson uttered those fateful two words.
Take a journey with me now down memory lane back to Feb. 2, 2005, after “Dubya’s” State of the Union address in which he said social security will be exhausted and bankrupt, according to quotes from mediamatters.org.ABC host Ted Koppel said:
“When the president talked about the bankruptcy of Social Security, there were clearly some Democrats on the floor who thought that that was taking it too far. And they did something that, apparently, no one at this table has ever heard before. They booed.”
CBS White House correspondent John Roberts said:
“At a couple points in this address, it looked more like the British Parliament than the United States Congress. I've never heard the minority party shout at the president during the State-of-the-Union address.”
Former President Bush was merely speaking the truth back then on the issue of Social Security and the truth was something the Democrats didn’t want to hear. Social Security, which is a joke, is the Democratic Party’s baby.So, too, is this health care bill.
Wilson spoke the truth and because of it, he is taking heat and could even lose his seat next year to Democratic opponent, Rob Miller, as a result in the 2010 congressional elections. I wouldn’t be surprised if some are saying Wilson is racist, which he is not, because he spoke out against a president who happens to be African American.
Up until now, I had absolutely no respect and no faith in Congress. Their approval ratings are worse than the president’s.
In a September 2009 article from Reuters, one in five Americans (21%) give Democrats in Congress positive ratings while 47% give them negative ones and one-third (32%) say they are not familiar enough to have an opinion.
The same goes for Republicans, according to Reuters.
Even lower numbers (12%) give Republicans in Congress positive ratings and over half (52%) give them negative ones while 37% are not familiar with them.
The American people put these men and women in office to work for us. They are our voice. On Sept. 9, 2009, one person in Congress was working for us, and that was Joe Wilson.
So, while the rest of you utter that infamous phrase said by a young kid to baseball player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson after he was banned from the game for his participation in the Black Sox Scandal during the 1919 World Series, “Say it ain’t so, Joe,” I have three words for Republican Congressman Joe Wilson.
“You go, Joe!”
He’s got my vote in 2010, and I don’t live in South Carolina.
©9/17/09
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