Rep. Joe Wilson sure has a funny way of apologizing
By John Amato Wednesday Sep 16, 2009 5:00am
You know, for a guy who says he's sorry for having called President Obama a liar, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson has a funny way of showing it. Since he basically continues to call the president a liar.
Wilson exposed himself and the modern conservative movement as the idiots they are when he yelled at President Obama during his address to Congress. I was listening to a NY-based sports talk show hosted by Mike Francesa, who is a Republican, and he even mentioned the outburst on his show. He said that he's always been interested in presidential speeches and he's never seen anything like that in his life before and thought it was outrageous.
So it's not just the blogosphere or political news shows that have expressed their disdain for Wilson's outburst. It is all over the country, among all kinds of sensibilities.
For a man like Wilson, there's only one TV show he'd rather be on to try and defuse the situation. And that would be "Hannity." So when he went on last Friday, he basically set the tone for what has followed: He explained that he apologized, but he still believed Obama was not telling the truth.
After Hannity downplayed Wilson's outburst and and after Wilson said that the WH had put it behind them, they went on the attack. No need to bring up an embarrassing event like that, so Hannity went right into his usual hit-piece television and attacked health-care reform. He renewed the bogus claim that health care reform would cover illegal immigrants so that Wilson could attack the president after he called him a liar.
Hannity: Are illegal immigrants covered in this bill?
Wilson: In fact they could get insurance, they could get the benefits, they could get the subsidies and the reason I know this is I serve on a committee where ewe considered amendments and then I foll lowed the amendments on other committees, the energy and commerce, on weighs and means and I noticed that the democrats had defeated the amendments that would provide for enforcement and the verification of citizenship and so when the president said this I knew what he was saying was not accurate, I do apologize for speaking out, but what was said was not accurate.
Wilson was talking about Section 246 in one House bill---HR3200, but even if it's not spelled out in that bill, there are four others, and the House and Senate have to get their bills together first and then head into conference to come up with the final bill. So Wilson was completely out of line for calling the president a liar even by his own logic. Heather and David explain more about this here. (By the way, Mark Williams is one of the most vile people in America.)
The NY Times dispels the Republican lie that Joe Wilson is promoting in an op ed:
Mr. Obama didn’t lie. The bills before Congress declare illegal immigrants to be ineligible for subsidized benefits. It is impossible to imagine any final bill doing otherwise. Mr. Wilson was a boor, but some Republicans still insist that he was right because the bill doesn’t ensure that the undocumented have no insurance.
Time for a reality check. Illegal immigrants are here. They are not eligible for Medicaid, but many still get sick and many get care, often in emergency rooms. The current proposals would likely not stop them from using their money to buy coverage through an insurance exchange, without subsidies. Just as they can do now.
Should we take a harder line? Force people to prove citizenship in emergency rooms? That’s illegal, for good reason. Make verification requirements so onerous that not a single illegal immigrant slips through? Very expensive, and not smart. It would be highly likely to snag deserving citizens — like old people who don’t have their original birth certificates. And besides, we’ve tried that: A House oversight committee reviewed six state Medicaid programs in 2007 and found that verification rules had cost the federal government an additional $8.3 million. They caught exactly eight illegal immigrants.
In the case of an epidemic, like swine flu, should illegal immigrants go untreated so they can infect legal residents and American citizens? Hard-line Republicans insist that they will fight for citizenship verification. They could, in theory, get the country to spend whatever it takes to do that and proudly report back to their voters. But there is a line beyond which antipathy to the undocumented can be damaging to those voters’ health, not to mention the federal budget. Mr. Wilson and his admirers seem to have crossed it.
Teabaggers would rather the country go broke by requiring emergency rooms to make people prove citizenship before receiving treatment, but that's teabagger logic for you.
It's just like the logic that says you apologize for calling someone a liar by calling them a liar all over again.








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it's the exact same way all these schmucks apologize!
Republicans: We believe in Rules. Except when they apply to us.
Unrepentant racist.
..........give all the southern people a black-eye. I've experienced real southern warmth, hospitality, graciousness, and this mis-placed poor, white, trash in public office is a fine example. NO CLASS! This is one uppity peice of Trailor trash, and the direct product of 'reconstruction' and how the south was brought to it's knees by WALLSTREETBANKSTERS. Carpetbagger, supreme.
Wilson's district is full of rightwing Klanners, militia-gun-nuts and moonshiners with very little understanding of what they are supporting.
It's senseless to try to educate a minority of Wilson supporting imbeciles whose daily struggles to simply put food on their tables and then send Wilson money astounds the average American.
"The richest 1 percent have more financial wealth than the bottom 95 percent combined." – Michael Moore
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
"Wilson's district is full of rightwing Klanners, militia-gun-nuts and moonshiners with very little understanding of what they are supporting."
Do you see the flaw? };)>
that the racists in his district know very well how racist he is and that's precisely why they support him?
I agree. We persist in not wanting to acknowledge just how depraved and evil some people really are, in spite of how open they are about it.
"When people show you who they are, believe them." Oprah
they think he's god now, for callin Obama a liar.
Has Oprah ever shown you who she is?
Gawd???
How else can we help this scourge of uneducated Wing Nuts?
Nice to see there is no lack of personal hateful bigotry here just like this blog accuses the right wing of. Tit for tat is hardly a solution...
fullovit. spare us your concern.
Please define your concept of bigotry and provide work.
Extra credit if you can provide example of Joe Wilson not being a bigot.
Wilson is a dim-witted sociopath, but the House rule he broke has nothing to do with his beliefs. He apologized for breaking decorum, not because he has his facts wrong.
This is exactly right. Heckling a President speaking to a joint session of Congress is unheard of. Lying about the president when he's not around is, for Republicans, standard procedure.
Here we go a Closet Queen Faux Noise, interviews a Racist Nazi (what happened I thought the White trailer Trash had a Goose Stepper in the Military),The lies keep rolling and the Nazi Noise Machine fox keeps feeding the wacko right brain dead functional illiterate.
Myself I have already told South Carolina that this year I will not be visiting and or passing through their HATE State. Sig Heil the new chant of the RNC and the GOP.
Excellent idea. I imagine they depend on lots of tourist $$$.
The rethugs actually WANT the government to come between you and your doctor until you can prove citizenship?
can have a couple of INS agents on duty 24/7, ready to take illegals away.
Sound like your America? It's Joe Wilson's
And, that's where those handy little national ID cards or, someday, implanted chips come in
to the scum that may reside in peoples bathrooms, when I call this spittle-flecked rascist moron "scum."
He needs to have his mouth washed out with "Scrubbin' Bubbles." Maybe he'll like it and drink it.
"...weighs and means..." ???
So, only obese illegals get included now? WTF!
The Dems finally grew some 'nads and timidly rebuked Wilson. The language barely approximated a slap on the wrist for that racist coward.
Watch what the Frat Boy party does with this episode of disgrace and the next Presidential address before Congress. The Frat Boys will all be shouting out "you lie" or something equally offensive thus daring the Dems to rebuke the entire party. The Repugs are adolescent frat boys, they can't conform to adult decorum, they would rather embarrass the entire country than conform to parameters of adult decorum.
They are sore losers and would do harm to our nation and it's people rather than accept their self inflicted fate.
is predicting the downfall of the Democratic Party for doing this!
What a jackass!
To stoke fear - add a little "the illegals are taking over" and the dog whistle is complete.
Fear fear scare scare - when will even the simpleminded get the message?
.........was a much gentler looter, pillager, rapist, Conqueror than the PUKIE face these stupid people use to cover for the WALLSTREETBANKSTERS/ZIONISTS.
... that the Democrats couldn't even call it what it was.
The measure is HR 744 'Raising a question of the privileges of the House.'
The problem is not only Wilson's breach of decorum, but that his claim is not factual.
Wilson/Payme in 2012.
Or is it Payme/Wilson in 2012.
The rethugs would not know which way to go.
How different Hannity's rantings would be were this a Dem. Congressman and a Rep. President in the same situation? This guy's position consistently changes based on who the players are!
This sums it up quite nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYJjdQ3AEGU
I don't feel like the Dems recognize who much air time they continue to give this guy. When Members of Congress or other Dem pols are asked about him, they should just say, "we support Rob Miller for the SC seat." Period. Vow not to utter this [donkey synonym]'s name ever again.
..we'll be talking about Rob Miller's opponet!
I'm not opposed to people calling out lying politicians, or even ones they think are lying, as long as you back it up. It happened a lot with Bush's lying. The whole reason this is an issue is that he did it during Obama's speech and broke decorum and House rules. Presidents have a way of making life tough for people that they have personal beefs with. Wilson should suffer the consequences and we should all move on.
Had some choice words regarding this subject yesterday .
..I think anyone with a conscience considered it offensive. But anything he says now? C'mon, after that silly 'slap on the wrist' the Democrats issued, what did they or anyone expect joe wilson would do? They should have LEAD the way, been leaders, and censured or at the very least, put censure to a vote. If you think you're going to get anything resembling decency from the right, you are sadly mistaken. They are not in the House or the Senate right now to represent their states or districts; they are there to delegitimize the President and his agenda. Wake up, dammit!
this is really nothing.
the important thing is that bush is a f-nut liar d-bag and i hope he gets crohn's disease; yes, this is all that matters.
..I do wish w was charged with war crimes though. Later this afternoon would be fine with me!
i will delete said crohn's disease and replace it with a good war crimes charge.
It's canard. Wilson wants provisions included into the bill that would require the government to spend MORE money on "proof of citizen" enforcement than it would save on the money lost to fraud from illegal aliens.
It's stupid.
Why not offer a trade, in classic congress style. Congress will add provisions for "proof of citizen" enforcement into the health insurance bill, at the same time they add "proof of citizen" enforcements to gun purchases at all gun shows and shops?
for the guns they should require proof of IQ or at least some functioning brain matter.!
... whinging about 'illegals' getting healthcare understand that 'enforcement' means E V E R Y O N E seeking insurance under the government program would have to prove their citizenship?
the proper number of feet outside polling places in majority GOP precincts, saying "HAVE YOUR PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP READY IN ORDER TO VOTE!" in constitutionally protected free speech?
on Joe Wilson. Actually I'd like to see people wandering around the Teabaggings with be-moustached Beck and Limbaugh placards. The placard bearers ought to be wearing brown shirts for the proper effect, of course. "Heil Beck" and goosestepping, oh my! It would be a hoot. The Billionaires for Wealthcare blended right in and maybe we could have some fun!
Ask Mark Williams, he admitted it on the tv machine yesterday.
And the Teabaggers don't just want health care to fail - they NEED the country to be left worse off by Obama than it was left by Bush/Cheney, so they can get control back.
Time to face facts: the Right does not care about the country nearly as much as they care about getting their way at all costs.
To get back control, they need to try and destroy Obama, just like they have tried to destroy every Democratic Administration since FDR. And if that hurts the country, they do not care.
This clown just reacted out of passion or some such bullshit.
What he did do is let his racism get the best of him. That's the passion he acted out with. He should be impeached, recalled, fired, or call it whatever you want. NEVER, in the history of this counrty has this ever happened before. Never has a Representative or a Senator at a special session in the House ever called the President of the United States a liar. It would be the same as calling the POTUS a liar during a State of the Union address. Exact same thing.
Joe Wilson needs to go. Now.
This wasn't a slip of the racist tongue...
This was planned.
This was a not so silent dog whistle.
!!!
in a hospital and I've seen ONE, ONE, 1 questionably illegal patient come through and I say questionable because it appeared that this person could be legal. Whenever anyone shows up at the ER seeking treatment they have to be treated, it's called EMTALA. If the patient is admitted to the hospital then, actually it's usually much later, our money people start asking the hard questions. Many people who are illegal go far out of their way to avoid medical treatment because they are concerned that immigration will be contacted and they will be forced to leave.
If this is such an issue why don't we include, in the aid that we provide, that any medical treatment provided to the citizens of said country will be deducted from the aid that would be provided? All of this is really just smoke and mirrors and a way to avoid real discussion. I've been involved in cases where legally vetted Americans that are originally from other countries actually return home to have procedures or surgeries for the comfort, ease, cost, etc.
Lastly, no matter what Wilson says, his "good 'ol boy," credentials are shining through. Since it appears that he can't be embarrassed for himself I will be embarrassed for him and the face of America that he presents to the world. We really look like troglodytes.
I'm a certified rescue swimmer and a lifeguard. When I'm on duty I'm liable if I don't do my best to save a person. As long as I do my best I'm not legally liable.
Who the heck asks for ID during an emergency?
should of forced JW to sing the Denis Leary song ,
Im an asshole
Wilson by and large has not been called out by the mainstream media for calling Obama a liar, ONLY for his "outburst" during the President's speech. Therefore, it wasn't what he said, it was WHEN he said it. The fact that WHAT he said is factually incorrect is, apparently a moot point. And since people don't seem to give a crap that Wilson lied by calling Obama a liar, he's free to do it again and again and again, and will continue to do so until challenged by someone with the cojones to say enough...and then he'll continue to do it again once that cojones-laden person leaves the room. He now has the "majority of the minority" behind him, and he's hailed by the right of the right as a folk hero telling "truth" to power. OF COURSE, he's going to keep calling Obama a liar, it's the only mojo he has.
Ah, Memories...
the Fan one of these days. people will die. It only takes 1 nut case from the right and 1 nut case from the left. If you look at thr so called news, all they are doing is keeping it going. rateings, that what there after, any way they can get it. Just how can a TV station like flux put out the shit they do and stan on the air?????
don't be fooled. people planning to do a john wilkes booth are being questioned at Obama appearances. In Colorado, there were 12 of them, all listeners to Rev. Hater.
I pray no one attempts anything, but I wonder if Obama's hair is graying for a reason.
During the last 6 years of Clinton and the first 6 years of Bush. Instead of working to "fix" the problems of illegal immigration and protecting our borders they ignored the problem and encouraged their corporate buds to hire illegal immigrants and PUT AMERICANS OUT OF WORK. They subsidized their corporate buds who took their manufacturing plants to China, Mexico, India and anywhere else on earth other than the U.S. They NEVER MET AN ANTI-AMERICAN TRADE DEAL they didn't LOVE.
Now that jobs, other than SERVICE JOBS, fast food servers etc. have disappeared faster than fleas on a dog after a DIP, all of a SUDDEN the possibility that those SAME ILLEGALS THEY LOVED HAVING HERE WHEN WORKING FOR SLAVE WAGES THAT IMMEDIATELY GOT SENT OUT TO THOSE OTHER COUNTRIES THE JOBS WENT TO, when those illegal workers MIGHT have to be CARED FOR in the AMERICAN hospitals by AMERICAN? doctors and paid for by American tax payers, which INCLUDES, I might ADD, MANY MILLIONS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS who's ORIGINS are NOT in AMERICA, the THUGS get all bent out of SHAPE. It was PERFECTLY OKEYDOKEY to EXPLOIT THEM for CHEAP LABOR AND EXORBITANT PROFITS FOR THEIR CORPORATE BUDS, but if they get SICK, if they get hurt, if their "CHILDREN" GET SICK OR HURT, then OUR medical system JUST BETTER NOT give THEM any HAND OUTS FROM US!
When will NORMAL people start CALLING THESE TWO FACED HYPOCRITES OUT? They INVENT, MISINFORM, outright LIE, but THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NUMBER OF ILLEGALS HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE and in keeping them as POOR as possible, so it's time for those THUGS to PAY THE PRICE!
If they want to believe themselves to be "pro-life" they have to STOP advocating for DEATH for anyone they don't LIKE.
#:) !!!
touche`
The guy who threw his shoes at President Bush was put in Jail. How come Joe Wilson is still walking around free and running his mouth?
In the opinion section of my daily newspaper some idiot wrote that Joe Wilson shouldn't have to apologize because when people had bumper stickers saying BUSH LIES-PEOPLE DIE- nobody apologized for having them on their car. See these people can't tell the differnce between reality and fiction.
In his recent address to congress President Obama stated that:
And I Quote: “The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who ARE HERE illegally."
But the New York Times reports that: “comprehensive immigration legislation, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year in office.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics...
But this is old news; everyone, especially the media, knows that president Obama intends to support this legalization legislation.
So if any portion of those 12 million immigrants, who ARE HERE illegally, do in fact achieve legal status, then his statement to congress would indeed be false.
So why does he lie, and why aren’t more of our leaders or anyone in the media calling him on them?
The immigrants will be legal. your 'point' is moot. Though certainly, we'll note your 'concern'.
Isn't this really all about the Pukes wanting to put a national ID chip under our skin, then they can blame it on the dims? I wonder.
More freedumbs in the homeland.
A typical southern racist that lies through his rotten teeth.
You know, like the one where JOHN MCCAIN says that Joe Walson was wrong and Obama was right?
I think any American has a right to call a President a liar, that is political speech protected under the First Amendment. But what Wilson did was against the House rules that House members have set-up for themselves. The fact that he didn't apologize for breaking the rule on the floor of the House is at issue here.
A censured Joe Wilson denies
Minorities he must despise;
He's simply astonished
At being admonished
For some of his best friends tell lies.
News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8
Many of them said that they as a Congress have more important things to deal with than this issue. My take on it is, if they don't think that it is that big an issue, then why doesn't Wilson just find his voice somewhere and apologize to the floor of the Congress and make the whole thing just go away?
You wrote:
I have no problem with Joe Wilson calling Obama a liar. Of course, he should only do it when Obama actually lies, but I had no problem with anyone calling George Bush and Dick Cheney liars. However, it wouldn't have been appropriate to shout it out during a televised speech. That is all Wilson needed to apologize for.
If he wants to continue to maintain that Obama is lying, I'm fine with that -- all he has to do is present his case. If his claims are false, then he should be called out for lying and condemned. If his claims are true, then Obama should answer for telling lies.
Wilson's an ass. No doubt about it. However, are you really going to maintain that Barack Obama has never lied during the exercise of his political duties?
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