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Is Joe Wilson the new Carrie Prejean?
Or, Do the President’s Words Mean Nothing to House Democrats?

by

Unlike some conservatives, I did not celebrate South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson’s outburst on the House floor, crying, “You Lie!” while the President delivered his health care address.  While I share his opinion about the President’s dishonesty (as does apparently the White House), I don’t think it appropriate for a Member of Congress (or any individual for that matter) to shout out during a presidential address.

Show respect for the office, even when you disagree with the man who occupies it.

But, now that the media and House Democrats are giving Wilson the Carrie Prejean treatment, I’m beginning to fall into the camp of the Palmetto State Republican.  I never would have heard of the socially conservative California beauty queen had it not been for the media obsession with her response to a question, offering her honest opinion on marriage (which happens to be that of a majority of voters in her home state as well as that of the President of the United States).

I only began to sympathize with her as left-wingers (particularly gay left-wingers) began to demonize her.

And now with Democrats threatening to “censure Wilson” unless he apologizes “on the House floor in front of his colleagues,” they’re making a martyr of a man for his boorish behavior.*  He apologized, the president accepted his apology.  Since Mr. Obama was the one interrupted, shouldn’t this acceptance end the matter?  Shouldn’t we, as the Democratic chief executive asks, move on and focus “on the issues at hand”?

Yet, Democrats don’t want to move on; they just can’t let go of Joe Wilson (just as some gay activists couldn’t let go of Carrie Prejean.)

These Democrats seem far more thin-skinned than Republicans (or perhaps just far more eager to score political points).  While they demand this one, lone Republican apologize on the House floor for his boorish behavior, four years ago, Republicans didn’t demand Democrats apologize (or face censure) for booing the the then-Republican President during his constitutionally sanctioned State of the Union address.   Unlike Wilson, those Democrats didn’t even apologize privately to the President (through his representative) nor did any of them release a statement indicating they regretted their ill-manner outbursts.

Tell you what, if they want to censure Wilson, let them reprimand him together with those Democrats who failed to apologize for booing Bush.  At least that would show some consistency.

*Say what you will about Prejean, her behavior was not boorish.

Comments

  2. Consistency of thought and evenness of character are exactly hallmarks of liberal and Democrat behavior. Democrats typically operate on one principle only- what works best for them, regardless of principles, morals, consistency, or logic. It’s the kind of mentality that leds to places we don’t want to go as a nation.

  5. I quote Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute:

    On the eighth anniversary of 9/11, the most brutal single attack on the nation in our history, we’re debating whether the GOP has a civility problem?! This, because one GOP congressman said “You lie” when the president spoke about a provision he himself had just removed from the bill Congress had last seen? Have we failed to notice that the president himself had just called the words of “prominent politicians” “a lie, plain and simple”? Have we failed to notice that his entire “something-for-nothing” scheme simply doesn’t add up, financially, which makes it one grand lie? Have we forgotten that Senator Harry Reid said “President Bush is a liar” – and never apologized for it? Have we forgotten the vicious, unrelenting Democratic attacks on Bush throughout his presidency, or on Sarah Palin, extending even to her children? Or the gratuitous attacks on Republican judicial nominees, starting with Robert Bork, and running through Samuel Alito, to a point at which Mrs. Alito had to leave the hearing room in tears? Have we lost all perspective? Or is the question before us and this debate just one more example of politics as usual here in Washington?

    Exactly.

  7. Did Joe Wilson behave improperly? I’m still working that out.

    As a Congressman, Wilson’s first and foremost responsibilities are to his constituents and the Constitution he swore to uphold.

    Nowhere does the Constitution call for him to treat the president with fawning deference. That’s merely a house rule. In fact, the constitutional role of Congress is not to respect the president, its to check and balance him.

    The biggest breach of precedent here is not Wilson’s outburst, but Obama’s speech. I am unaware of any president, standing before congress and telling so many blatant lies. When has any president stood there before congress and the American people and felt so comfortable telling so many blatant lies before? Perhaps someone can point that out to me.

    So what DO you do when a president believes he can stand before the nation and lie with impunity because his party controls congress and the press is in his pocket? Most of the 30 million who watched the speech will not be around to hear your criticism, assuming the press actually allowed any critical voices to be heard.

    Why is it OK for congress to interrupt the president with agreeing cheers of approval but it is not OK to show that you disagree?

    Which is more important? House rules? Or keeping the president in check?

    Congressman Wilson’s outburst, while unprecedented was after all just a reaction to a speech that was itself unprecedented in its rank dishonesty.

    Yes, Congress should show respect to the office, but the man who holds that office also has a duty to show more respect to the American people.

  8. There is the question of why they don’t censure the Democrats who booed Bush. If believing that the wars in Iraq and Afghnistan are evil is a legitimate reason for booing, then why not the fact that someone seems to be trying to bankrupt the country?

    I’m with Ann Althouse on this one. Reprimand Wilson, the Democrats, as well as the people who waste valuable time by making stupid standing ovations.

    Speaking of Prejean, I’m sure that this has been said before, many times by far more talented writers: Obambi shares her views. Why aren’t liberal gays going after his jugular?

  9. So we have a President who demeans the office by yelling, lying and attacking Republicans, American citizens and anybody else who disagrees with him and we’re supposed to get wee-weed up over Wilson? Screw that! And let’s not forget the liberals sitting on the right side of the aisle goading Republicans. Is that not a breech of decorum?

    When he said what millions of Americans were saying or thinking, it seems to me that he was representing the people.

  10. I don’t understand what the problem is w/ Wilson’s behavior…

    Have you ever watched British Parliament? Canadian Parliament?? Australian Parliament???

    Part of why our Congress is so boring (and why many Congressmen fall asleep) is b/c they never engage in truly vigorous debate.

    For a country that prides itself on vigorous public debate, I find this ironic…

    Maybe some of the most despicable members of the House & Senate couldn’t get away with their lies, hypocrisy & vitriol, if we did have more open sessions….

    I watched the House of Commons where, on a regular basis, PM Blair was openly boo’d, yelled at, etc.

    What’s not to like? It’s not a matter of ‘civility’ or being ‘boorish’, but a requirement for a healthy and enduring democracy.

  11. Wilson told the truth. The POTUS lied….

    I would go further and point out that POTUS is nothing more than a Chicago hoodlum… and he does not deserve any respect…. the office of POTUS deserves respect…. but he does not…..

  13. “Why aren’t liberal gays going after his jugular?”I think we all know the answer to that: this isn’t about principled behavior, it’s about power. We have a street bully from the Chicago political machine in the White House. He and his thug buddies will use smash-mouth tactics whenever they think it will serve their political purposes. We live in very dangerous times for our country.

  14. I was screaming, “You lie!” at the television screen the whole time. Joe Wilson said exactly what I was saying. I probably would have done the same thing? Was it right? I don’t know. It was probably just impulse. He is extremely soft-spoken and mild-mannered, so it isn’t typical of him. He couldn’t take anymore of President Obama’s lies anymore. I would have done the same thing. Probably would have booed him down.

  16. Don’t you all remember how the MSM state run media giggled when the Iraqi threw shoes at our President?
    I don’t seem to recall any leftists or liberal Democrats expressing their outrage over that bit of physical disrespect.

  18. Wow. It is sad to see gay people spewing the party line of the party that would prefer they have no rights whatsoever. You know — the party of “man on dog” Santorum, and lyingl, theiving George W Bush. Depressing.

  19. Gene in Pennsylvania, the shoe thrower was not a US representative throwing the shoes during a joint session of Congress. He was a journalist from a country we invaded in order to secure oil for Bush’s corporate buddies. BIG difference.