Anyone who watched President Obama's awesome speech last night couldn't miss the Republican behavior -- highlighted by Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina's shouting that the president was lying.
As we know from the last few weeks, that is all Republicans have to offer in this debate about rising health care costs -- name-calling and shouting. Now that it has been done by a member of Congress in a formal setting, Republicans can no longer disassociate themselves from the right-wing fringe. This is the heart of their party. If Republicans can't act civilly in one of our democracy's most hallowed chambers, do they belong there at all? Why should anyone take them seriously as people trying to solve the problems our nation faces?
Rep. John Dingle put it best when Huffington Post asked for his reaction to Wilson's rudeness. "Well, you've got to understand: They're Republicans. They're just doing what comes natural," he said.
Wilson apologized afterwards, but it's too late.
Independents and moderate Republicans need to ask themselves why they want to be associated with people like that.
7 comments:
I don't mind you being partisan. I really don't. But what I do mind is you don't realize that you are as shrill and as mindless as the Republicans you criticize...and you don't seem to care.
Joe Wilson was out of line...way out of line. He realizes it and he was immediately criticized by a host of Republicans. He made a mistake and he should pay a price for it.
But you make it sound as though it were a Republican trait.
Thus, I guess, Kwame's lying, perjury and infidelity must be a Democratic trait. The corruption on the Detroit City Council and the Detroit school board must be a Democratic trait.
The fact that John Edwards has an illicit affair while his wife is battling cancer, then lies about it, then lies about fathering a baby...well, that must be a Democratic trait.
Do you get the idea? Joe Wilson made an error. It's not a Republican trait. It's a human failing...just like those demonstrated by the Democrats I named.
If a Democrat stabbed a nun in the middle of Times Square, you will find a reason to defend him. If a Republican found a cure for AIDS, you'd say it was a ploy to raise money for the pharmaceutical companies.
Of course, you will now tell me that never, ever has a Democrat said anything disrespectful about a Republican president.
Seems like Wilson makes this kind of rude behavior a habit.
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/you-lie-not-the-first-time-rep-wilsons-emotions-got-the-best-of-him.php?ref=fpb
Not saying he didn't. And Kwame Kilpatrick made it a habit to screw any woman within 50 yards and spend government money doing it.
So what's your point?
I wrote an essay about our trip to tea bag land. (I am in no way affiliated w/ Liv Dems, and while I support them fully, gave my own independent opinions in this story)
I hereby give Judy permission to reprint this in part or in full, with attribution to The Wild Wild Left, and yours truly, Diane Gee.
http://thewildwildleft.soapblox.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=2407
As to Joe Wilson, this indicative of a greater breakdown. The press already has come to the point where they can yell "LIE" with an absolute lack of substantiation, and now our elected representatives are acting in the same childish barbaric way?
I hate to let them steal the news cycle with this.
Lets talk about how Obam moved right, threw single-payer under the bus, made sure the neo-liberal ideation of "We won't touch your profits or your wallets" and sold out perfectly good reform into a mandatory purchase that this economically devastated populace cannot withstand.
The R's have made their objection, but will capitulate. When this passes, and NASCAR nation has a new bill to pay beyond their trailer lot rent, backlash will be enough to erase any chance of a Democrat seeing a seat for 20 more years.
His choice is counter-productive and counterintuitive. He let us down.
Judy, your post was out of line. You can - and should - criticize Wilson for what he did, because he was a jerk who disrespected the office of president, if not the man who holds it.
But to say this is typical Republican behavior is just wrong. Every credible Republican in Congress has distanced himself from what Wilson did.
Sorry Anon, but Judy is completely correct. Every credible Republican has distanced themselves from the act that Rep. Wilson did, but they HAVE NOT distanced themselves from the stance that he was supporting.
The problem with what Rep. Joe Wilson did wasn't just that it was inappropriate, it was also that he was wrong. Sure, Republicans have pointed out the inappropriateness, but they haven't admitted that his stance is inaccurate.
Her point is that Republicans still feel that simply shouting things like "you lie" is a valid counter-position in our political debate. They recognize when they shouldn't do such a thing (well... most of them do), but they do feel it is appropriate at other times.
If the Republicans are to truly distance themselves from Rep. Wilson, as you claim they are doing, they have to admit that "you lie!" is not a reasonable response to anyone saying that the bill does not cover illegal immigrants.
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