We at USDemocrazy like to speak out (especially when it’s our turn to wash the dishes). So the question is: when does speaking out become too out spoken?
That’s a question Representative Joe Wilson, of South Carolina, has heard since he shouted his feelings (“You LIE!” to be exact) during President Obama’s speech on health care (see video above).After Mr. Wilson’s now famous shock-heard-round-the world he quickly issued an apology to Mr. Obama. The President graciously accepted. However, this was not enough for the delicate Democrats in Congress.
Democrats are threatening sanctions unless Mr. Wilson issues a formal apology on the House floor (talk about a tough crowd). Wilson refuses on the grounds that he’s already apologized.
So was Joe Wilson in the wrong?
Blogger Mark McKinnon seems to believe so, noting
There’s only one way to we’re going to change our political climate and ensure we establish some respect in our discourse. And that is to show there is a real price to pay for being a disrespectful partisan idiot.
Send Joe Wilson home.
Michael Sherer questions if Wilson himself may have lied.
But Wilson’s outburst is on far shakier footing, even though the details of enforcement mechanisms for the bill have not been worked out. He was claiming something — benefits for illegal immigrants — that is expressly prohibited in the major legislative efforts in both houses of Congress.
Alex Massie however disagrees, defending Wilson on the grounds that
The factual merits of Wilson’s cry of “You lie!” need not detain us, if only because it is an obvious truth that, sooner or later, all presidents speak less than the whole truth. Here was an opportunity for Obama to endorse the eternal value of the First Amendment; instead, he emphasized the idea that criticizing the president of the United States is, in the dread terms favored by puritans, killjoys, and charlatans everywhere, “inappropriate.”
Wilson’s shout is also finding support with some of his constituents.
So is Joe Wilson in the right or wrong? Should he formally apologize? Is it okay to call out during speeches? Please tell us because we have no idea (what did you expect us to have an opinion? By the way, here are 10 reasons Joe may have shouted out.
Wilson’s outburst was an outrageous response to yet another outrageous provocation by the President. One does not justify the other, but when do we, the slandered and abused American people, get an apology from either the President or from the woman who believes she is king, Sen. Pelosi?
Since before the beginning of the summer recess and to this day, those who disagree with *specific* issues and proposals in the various bills designed to address ‘health care reform’, um, I mean ‘health insurance reform’, oops, I mean, suitable taxation of those rich SOB’s, umm, I mean ‘Co-op creation,’ errr… ‘Stable Health Insurance’ have been vilified, sneered at, called racists and bigots and even laughed at or worse when we insist that our elected lawmakers actually *read* the various bills that would impact more than 17% of our GDP, *thousands of billions* of dollars woth of services and care.
It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the respect that I *wish* to hold for the office of the President or for any of our elected officials when the President and others elected officials engage in outright falsehoods while labeling those of us who *have* read the bills as racists or shills.
When our elected officials show us the respect that we deserve, simply by dint of being the people who voted them into office, then and only then will I support or even believe in the mendacious outrage expressed about Wilson’s breach of manners.
I’ll have no respect for anyone or any institution that claims to be my agent without my explicitly written consent outlining the parameters of the agreement and the penalties for a breach of contract.
I doubt these men are even elected anymore given the lifetime status of senators and house members. You’re not by bloody representative!!! You claim to be my agent when I delegated no such authority and yet you continue anyway with impunity. You are nothing more than an imposter, begone!!!
They have no obligation to you whatsoever, that goes for every single public (ie. government) officer. When Arlen Spector said he doesn’t have to hold any meetings with the commoners he’s 100% correct. Show me the contract that binds me to your statutes!!! The only thing they have you by is the chicanery and color of law. Pettifoggers, the lot of ‘em!
“Here was an opportunity for Obama to endorse the eternal value of the First Amendment; instead, he emphasized the idea that criticizing the president of the United States is, in the dread terms favored by puritans, killjoys, and charlatans everywhere, “inappropriate.””
Please. While it’s true, I’m sure, that there are some people out there who are upset simply because theirs and the President’s ideals were publicly refuted, the stink is about more than that.
This man is supposed to be a Representative to his constituency, and as such he is believed to be someone who is learned in the matters conflicting the public realm and who should be more than capable of making his point in a manner that reflects this. He seems to have made the mistaken assumption that acting as if he were at a some drunken tailgating anti-whatever rally when dealing with his peers and, no less, the President, is perfectly okay. Sorry, it’s not, I don’t care who you’re disagreeing with. If you take on a job assuming some degree of respect and authority, hopefully you’re intelligent enough to know when to open your mouth, and when to let sleeping dogs lie and come back with a more thought-out response later.
I don’t know if he should lose his job over it, but he appears to need to step back and grow up a little.
He said sorry to the president. He doesn’t need to say it again. They’re wasting time voting on chastising him.
Not that it excuses his behavior in any way, but there was no vote to chastise the Democrats that booed, hissed at, and yelled “no!” to Bush in the 2004 or 2005 addresses he made.
It makes the House look pathetic worrying about this.
This comment was unreasonable. The public apology is needed because it is expressly writting in the rules governing the Senate that a member may not degrade any other in the House, let alone the President.
The president should be respected whether you disagree with him or not.the senator did not have to say a disrespectful thing.He should of thought before he spoke.