During President Obama's address to Congress and the nation about health care reform, one congressman had to act like a fool. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) rudely interrupted the president's speech by shouting "You lie". Members of both parties were shocked by this reprehensible behavior.Wilson (pictured) apologized to President Obama over the phone, and the president was gracious enough to accept his apology. Wilson thought that personal apology should have been enough, and the matter should now be forgotten. He was wrong.
The president was not the only person Wilson wronged with his rude and unacceptable behavior. He also embarrassed his fellow congressmen and the institution and traditions of the U.S. Congress. He also owed a formal apology to the Congress and the American people.
But Wilson absolutely refused to apologize on the floor of the House of Representatives. Instead of properly apologizing, he is instead using his own misbehavior to play to the racist base of his party. Since he refused to do the right thing, the House of Representatives finally had to take action on their own, and properly so.
For the first time in 220 years, the House of Representatives has admonished one of it's members for misbehavior during a presidential speech to a joint session of Congress. The House showed its disapproval of Wilson's behavior with a 240-179 vote in favor of a resolution.
The resolution reads, "Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on September 9, 2009."
Now he just owes the people of the United States a formal public apology. Hopefully the people of his House District will punish him for this refusal in November of 2010.
"Now he just owes the people of the United States a formal public apology."
ReplyDeleteSpeak for yourself. I think that Rep. Wilson's outburst was inappropriate, but if the President of the United States accepted his apology, and Congress issued a resolution disapproving of his behavior, that's good enough for me. Forced public confessions remind me a little too much of the Soviet show trials of the 1930's.
If you're going to speak on behalf of "the people of the United States," please be advised that you're not doing so in my name.
Furthermore, if it had been a Democrat congressman shouting "You lie!" during an address by President Bush to Congress, my guess is that he would have been lionized by the Left.
But that's only a guess. I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to speak for the Left, let alone for the whole country.
Mr. Wilson,
ReplyDeleteYou are a disgrace to the American people!
ARNIS
CT-
ReplyDeleteIf it had been a Democrat who did this, there probably would have been some on the left lionizing him, just like some on the right are lionizing Wilson. Personally, I would have expected and demanded the same three apologies.
Ted,
ReplyDeleteI believe you would take a Democrat to task for the same behavior. Even though we disagree on a lot of things, you're consistent, and I have to respect you for that.
One good example is your anti-war stance, which didn't dissipate after January 20th of this year. The same can't be said for a lot of people on the Left.
Back in April of 2006, at the height of the anti-war movement, a friend of mine anticipated just that kind of selective protest if the White House ever changed hands. So he decided to engage in a little satire. Here's a picture of him, "protesting" the war alongside some people from Question War Amarillo. (He's the one carrying the sign that reads, "Say No to War! - Unless a Democrat is President.")
I wonder how many of the protesters in that picture continued to speak out against the war after inaurgaration day this year like you have. That would have been consistent.
Even if one does not agree with the President, the outburst was so disrespectful, so the rebuke was a good decision.
ReplyDelete