Thread: ALIPAC LA Times: Outrage over Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst isn

Outrage over Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst isn't dying down



By Richard Simon
Los Angeles Times


WASHINGTON BUREAU The congressman who heckled President Obama during a televised address before Congress on Wednesday night found his apology accepted by the president, even while a furor continued over his outburst.

Obama on Thursday acknowledged the apology from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who had shouted "You lie!'' from his seat in the House during Obama's speech on health care. The congressman's outburst was a significant break in decorum.

"I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes," Obama said. "I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name-calling without the assumption of the worse of other people's motives.''

Still, Wilson remained a focus of the health care debate in Congress.

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, a Democrat from Wilson's home state of South Carolina, said he planned to push for a resolution expressing disapproval of the outburst unless Wilson issued a public apology on the House floor.

Wilson's Democratic challenger for his House seat, Rob Miller, raked in more than 14,000 contributions totaling more than $500,000 since the incident, according to the House Democratic campaign committee. The committee also cited the outburst in a new fund-raising appeal: "Calling the president of the United States a liar in front of the nation is a new low even for House Republicans.''

A Wilson spokesman, Ryan Murphy, said, ``Congressman Wilson apologized to the president sincerely, and the president accepted and said let's move on and have a civil discourse, and the congressman agrees."

Wilson's outburst came in response to remarks in Obama's speech that a health care overhaul would not directly benefit illegal immigrants.

"There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants,'' the president said. "This, too, is false--the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

On Thursday, some people said Wilson was right in challenging Obama's claim.

"It is a real shame that the rest of Congress was not on their feet pointing out the president's lie about illegal aliens in his health care plans along with Joe Wilson," said William Gheen, president with the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC.

The bills developed by House Democrats and the by the Senate's health committee explicitly prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving federal subsidies for health insurance.

However, the House Republican leadership has complained that there is no provision to enforce the prohibition. House leaders also complain that Democrats rejected their amendment to require applicants for federally-subsidized health care to verify their legal status.

Republican leaders saw the furor over Wilson's outburst as a distraction from their efforts to talk about health care and Obama's speech. They described their colleague's prompt apology as adequate amends.

"I think all of us who know Joe Wilson know that he did the right thing in apologizing to this White House,'' said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). "I don't think anyone accepts the type of outburst and the lack of decorum in the House chamber.''

"Aren't ridiculous outbursts one of the hallmarks of modern American politics?'' said Brian Kennedy, a former House GOP leadership aide. "He apologized. The president accepted. If the entire health care debate is enveloped by blowback on that one outburst, do we really want these people developing complex national policies in the first place?''

In a separate deplay of Republican unhappiness, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) had walked out of the House chamber during the president's address. His spokesman said the congressman was frustrated that Obama was not offering any new ground and left with just minutes remaining in the speech.

Robert Oldendick, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina, described reaction within the state to Wilson's outburst as "surprise and strong disapproval.''

Whether it will hurt Wilson at home is uncertain. Republicans in the state are worried about political fallout from Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's extramarital affair. But Oldendick, citing Wilson's prompt apology, said, "There are 14 months for people's memories of this to fade before the election--although I'm sure they'll be reminded by opposition campaign ads."

"While the reaction here has been pretty strongly negative, I don't get the sense that Wilson will be severely damaged,'' he added. "And he may over time be able to turn this mistake into his 'passionate opposition' to a plan that he felt was so wrong."

The outburst came as officials have lamented the breakdown in civility on Capitol Hill--though there have been plenty of episodes over the years, including Vice President Dick Cheney directing an obscenity at a senator on the Senate floor in 2004.

In 1856, when the nation was increasingly riven over slavery, a South Carolina House member, Preston Brooks, entered the Senate chamber and severely beat abolitionist Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over the head with a cane.

"The Rules and Precedents of the House do not allow insulting language or personal attacks, or even the public questioning of the sincerity of a member,'' according to the Office of the House Historian.

The Senate Republican campaign, in the meantime, called attention to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) calling President Bush a liar in 2002. "Where was the outrage from his fellow Democrats then?'' a Senate GOP campaign official asked.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 4524.story

Wilson's outburst came in response to remarks in Obama's speech that a health care overhaul would not directly benefit illegal immigrants.

"There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants,'' the president said. "This, too, is false--the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

Really? Then put your money where your mouth is Obama man. Then there won't be a problem adding language that requires everyone to present proof of CITIZENSHIP or legal status, eh?

If there is no enforcement, illegal aliens will continue to game the system as easliy as they do now. The congressman was right - YOU LIE!

If Wilson had not spontaneously said that, the president would have just glided through his speech as if all he said were true.

Some say that was not the time or place to make such a comment and yet if he hadn't the issue of how illegals are covered would not be discussed to the extent it is today. So if it opens up the issue for discussion that is good instead of hoping it will be quietly swept under the rug.

Then again most of the msm will focus on his apology than discuss the issue of illegals covered.

This article has since been updated:

Outrage over Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst isn't dying down

Although President Obama accepted the Republican congressman's apology for his 'You lie' remark, Democrats are calling for a public mea culpa and using the incident in fundraising appeals.
By Richard Simon

8:22 PM PDT, September 10, 2009

Reporting from Washington

The congressman who heckled President Obama during a televised address found that while the president accepted his apology Thursday, the furor over his outburst did not let up.

"I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes," Obama said in acknowledging the apology from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). The lawmaker's shout of "You lie!" during the president's speech on healthcare was a significant break in decorum.

"I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name-calling, without the assumption of the worst of other people's motives," Obama said.

Still, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, a Democrat from Wilson's home state, said that he planned to push for a resolution expressing disapproval of the incident unless Wilson issued a public apology on the House floor.

And Rob Miller -- the Democratic challenger for Wilson's House seat -- raked in 14,000-plus contributions totaling more than $500,000 since the Wednesday night outburst, according to the House Democratic Campaign Committee. The committee also has cited the shout-out in a fundraising appeal: "Calling the president of the United States a liar in front of the nation is a new low even for House Republicans."

Wilson spokesman Ryan Murphy said that the lawmaker had "apologized to the president sincerely, and the president accepted and said let's move on and have a civil discourse. And the congressman agrees."

Wilson's outburst came in response to Obama's statement that a healthcare overhaul would not directly benefit illegal immigrants.

"There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants," the president said. "This too is false -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

On Thursday, some people said Wilson was right in challenging Obama's statement.

"It is a real shame that the rest of Congress was not on their feet pointing out the president's lie about illegal aliens in his healthcare plans," said William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration, a political action committee.

The healthcare bills developed by House Democrats and by the Senate's health committee explicitly prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving federal subsidies for insurance. However, the House Republican leadership has complained that there is no provision to enforce the prohibition. GOP House leaders also complain that Democrats rejected their amendment to require applicants for federally subsidized healthcare to verify their legal status.

Republican leaders said the furor over Wilson had distracted them from their efforts to talk about healthcare and Obama's speech. They described their colleague's prompt apology as adequate.

"I think all of us who know Joe Wilson know that he did the right thing in apologizing to this White House," said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). "I don't think anyone accepts the type of outburst and the lack of decorum in the House chamber."

(In a separate display of Republican unhappiness, Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois had walked out of the House chamber during the president's address. His spokesman said the congressman was frustrated that Obama was not offering any new ground and left with just minutes remaining in the speech.)

Robert Oldendick, a political science professor at the University of South Carolina, on Thursday described reaction within the state to Wilson's outburst as "surprise and strong disapproval."

But whether it will hurt the lawmaker at home is uncertain.

"There are 14 months for people's memories of this to fade before the election -- although I'm sure they'll be reminded by opposition campaign ads," Oldendick said. "While the reaction here has been pretty strongly negative, I don't get the sense that Wilson will be severely damaged.

"And he may, over time, be able to turn this mistake into his 'passionate opposition' to a plan that he felt was so wrong."

There have been many examples of the breakdown in civility on Capitol Hill over the years, including Vice President Dick Cheney directing an obscenity at a senator on the Senate floor in 2004. In 1856, a South Carolina House member, Preston Brooks, entered the Senate chamber and severely beat abolitionist Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over the head with a cane.

Even so, according to the Office of the House Historian, "the rules and precedents of the House do not allow insulting language or personal attacks, or even the public questioning of the sincerity of a member."

www.latimes.com

CONTACT JOE WILSON (Note, his website may be down due to high traffic)
Wilson, Joe (R) SC 2nd
Telephone 202-225-2452 Fax 202-225-2455
Website: http://joewilson.house.gov/
Contact: http://www.house.gov/formwilson/IMA/issue.htm