This has been a really somber day, both weather-wise and in spirit. I need to laugh. As I combed through some of my various favs like Bill Maher and other irreverent beings, I thought nahhh…Bill is a little crude, a little too in your face. So I settled on satirist Rick Horowitz.
Yup, more on Joe Wilson. I understand that fund raising has really taken on new zest and zeal since his outburst of uncontrolled emotion. Wilson helps out both sides, it seems–his own and his opponent’s.
His opponent, Rob Miller, who no one had ever heard of, has amassed something like $800,000 in the past 2 days and Wilson has gotten an extra Half million or so and lots of atta boys. Letterman has made him infamous by citing my favorite:
#2 “It’s been weeks since a politician embarrassed the state of South Carolina.”
Now the House Democrats want to make him a real martyr by passing some resolution condemning him if he doesn’t apologize on the floor of the House. Such theater and high drama from all!
On to Satirist Horowitz:
Joe Wilson: Just Another Heckler in the Crowd
Surprised? Why would you be surprised?
A congressman shouts at the president. A Member of Congress shouts “You lie!” at the President of the United States — right there in the halls of Congress, right there in the middle of a major presidential address — and everyone claims to be stunned.
Everyone hasn’t been paying attention.
The congressman in question was one Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, but it didn’t have to be Joe Wilson. It could have been somebody else. And if it hadn’t happened when it did, on Wednesday evening, it would have happened soon enough. It was waiting to happen.
The members were just back in town, after all, after their August recess. It’s never easy to return to school rules — jacket and tie and a civil tongue — after weeks of summer vacation. Even congressmen need time to readjust.
Besides, once you’ve spent day after day among the constituents, hearing the president being called a Nazi, a commie, a socialist tool, a terrorist mole — hey, after nonstop trash talk from the town-hallers and the tea-baggers and the cable cranks, calling Barack Obama a liar must have seemed almost quaint.
It couldn’t have been easy, sitting there in silence as the president called Joe Wilson out — not personally, but generically, Wilson and many of his GOP pals — for their inconsistencies and their hypocrisies. For their deliberate distortions and their public-be-damned political calculations.
The president called him out, and promised to do it again, and as often as necessary. He was willing to listen to the “serious” people, the president said. He was willing to work with the “serious” people to try to fix the country’s teetering health-care system — but he wasn’t about to waste any more time on the phonies and the fabricators.
It’s the kind of attitude that might rub a congressman the wrong way, you know what I mean?
At least Joe Wilson wasn’t packing.
As far as we know.
And hasn’t that been yet another enlightened development in this latest season of indignation? It’s become acceptable, somehow, to carry a firearm to the vicinity of a presidential event. To carry a gun, and to display it proudly. Just in case the angry chants and the angry signs aren’t quite enough to get the message across.
What was once considered a threat, a provocation, an outrage — now it’s just another way of making a point. (Thanks for sharing.) And if a loaded gun is OK — and there are people now who insist that it is, and still others who accept that it is — well, what’s wrong with a few loaded words? Even in the halls of Congress. Even in the middle of a presidential address.
Every time you think the currency of civic conversation simply can’t be any further debased…
Rest assured, there’s always someone ready to cheapen things a little more.
Congressman Joe Wilson apologized for his outburst. He didn’t have much choice — everyone, on both sides of the aisle, thought he’d gone over the line.
It’ll be much easier the next time
Truthfully, I had never heard of Joe Wilson either, much less Rob Miller.
Just in case you need a Bill Maher fix..new rules
He already apologized directly to the White House, and did so graciously. The Democrats just want him to grovel now, because deep down they know he echoes the voices of many, many Americans, and it scares them. I hope he stands up to their hypocrisy, and continues to refuse the big public sackcloth.
He’s become the poster child of how issues are going to be discussed in the coming months. What’s being talked about is his behavior. The Dems want to exploit it and squeeze everything they can from it. The Repubs are spinning to excuse it or claim that he made an apology and therefore everything is hunky dory.
Meanwhile concerns regarding a complicated health care proposal are not being addressed, a troublesome Afghan election is being virtually ignored, the deficit is through the roof and we’re still not doing jack to address the burdensome Social Security hurricane when the boomers retire.
This is our America.
Just think, only 3 people outside this district would have paid attention to this race. Now it’s a big deal! Might have been bad manners, but it really put them on the map. As far as apologizing any more, I don’t think he should until Pelosi, Murtha, Fwank, Boxer, and a few other Dems apologize for their transgressions. The best part of this is people now remember why they couldn’t stand McCain.
No more publicity for Joe Wilson. Leave him be!
Speaking of Joe – where’s Joe the Plumber these days?
Indeed, I would like a big public apology, and then mandated hara-kiri, for Barney Frank et al for reassuring us that Fanny and Freddy were just A-OK. They were complicit in this economic meltdown, and their transgressions far exceed poor Joe Wilson’s Tourette’s syndrome.
What happened to the real Democrats? The ones who inspired me, an idealistic college student, to vote for Jimmy Carter (cough, gag)?
I say we launch a full investigation!
He was a lout but surely he doesn’t deserve this much attention.
He seems to be turning in to a Joe the Plumber figure.
I suppose the Republicans needed a new martyr/hero and the Democrats needed a new demon.
The real winner seems to be…what’s his name…Rob Miller? He got $824,000 bucks in donations without lifting a finger and his name on the map in what would have probably otherwise been a rout.
Emma! You never told me you belonged to the Peanut Gallery?!!!!!
Hey, I think Carter is a great guy, even if he wasn’t the perfect President.
Let’s have a Carter thread some time, MH.
Huzzah, Moon!!!!
I don’t think Rob Miller wll be a big winner here. A lot of money is pouring in to him from out of state. In state is a different story–it’s a very conservative district. I think Wilson will prevail, and any further persecution will only galvanize his support base there. Anything the Democrats in Congress do to try to bring him down at this point will only make them look vindictive and unfocused.
So, how about that healthcare reform? And aren’t we still involved in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Agree about Carter–a fundamentally decent man who should never have been President.
I pretty much agree, Emma. His boorish behavior shouldn’t be a rallying point for everyone. And I think he will win. He has already reached hero status with many people. President Obama accepted the apology and moved on. Democrats in Congress should follow suit. Many of them have blemished track records in the manners department.
Pinko, I don’t know what I can say about him. Would you like to do a guest post on him?
@Emma
Emma,
You say Wilson apologized graciously. That may be, but I heard him say, that the Rep.Committee had told him that he should do it. Not quite a willing and sincere apology if it was forced upon him.
I don’t think one can get back to “gracious” after something like that.
Good point, NOVA Scout.
I understand that both candidates have received over a million each in donations from their ‘supporters.’