Image: Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) lacks social decorum:
Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Of course, Representative Joe Wilson gave a non-apology apology. From TPMDC (emphasis added):
Wilson has in fact just apologized: “This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility.”
It’s an understatement to say that Wilson is a big-time conservative activist — he’s actually opening his office this Saturday, to host people marching in the Glenn Beck-organized “9/12 March on Washington.” And nothing says the spirit of national unity — the original premise of Beck’s 9/12 movement — like yelling “You lie!” at the President in the middle of a speech to Congress.
The reaction:
Joe Wilson, you lie (or you don’t pay attention and don’t care about due diligence, thus prefer to ignore reality and live in ignorance). More from Media Matters for America:
Of course, the rude heckling by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) is being reported everywhere. And yes, his apology for the extraordinary outburst has been noted. But have you noticed what’s been mostly left out from the dispatches? It’s the fact that when Wilson called Obama a liar for claiming illegal immigrants would not be covered by proposed health care reforms, Wilson himself was lying.
What’s been completely glossed over by the press is the fact that the “You Lie!” was itself built upon a lie. That the rude outburst was yet more GOP misinformation. Instead, too many in the press treat the exchange as a he said/he said. i.e. Obama claimed illegal immigrants won’t be covered, and Wilson called him a liar. What are the facts? Which man was telling the truth? The press won’t say.
From ABC News:
A Republican member of Congress interrupted President Obama’s speech tonight on the floor of the House of Representatives to yell “You lie!” at the president, in reference to the president’s assertion that his proposals wouldn’t provide health insurance to illegal immigrants.
That’s it. ABC never even tries to inform online readers which side was telling the truth.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, since the press has spent the whole summer timidly looking away from the orchestrated, right-wing misinformation. What does a Republican have to do these days to get fact-checked by the press?
More from msnbc.com:
However, for weeks, independent fact-checkers like PolitiFact and Factcheck.org have maintained that the House bill does NOT give illegal immigrants benefits like tax subsidies.
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You GO JOE – you’re THE MAN! TELL IT LIKE IT IS – AND YOU DID!
We’re behind you all the way. No illegals in ANY HEALTH CARE pkg. Let them earn it like we have done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can’t afford trillions of dollars more in spending (the Pres. already has said “we’re broke” oops, he misspoke… And if you take away Medicare Advantage for our Dad what will my Dad have for his health care; we can not afford ours plus HIS. – AND what other pkgs (Cap and Trade) are/will come up to promote more spending. What’s wrong with natural gas as an energy resource??????? Keep telling the truth as you’ve done. Demo’s don’t want us to have a Democratic voice; they only want themselves heard. Give me a break; they don’t know how to be FAIR.
Thanks for being truthful and speaking up last night.
Great! you did what many millions of us want to do but do not have the chance,, we are tired of the outright lies, and deception from this bunch of deceitful individuals.. PLEASE keep up the fight.. I will be following you and seeing what you stand for.. I heard your son on TV this morning , and according to his perspective you stand for what many of us do! Thank you for your honesty and speaking out ,, its a relief.. we need more of this before the country as we know it is “changed” for the worse,,before many of us know what has hit us. We need more individual leaders like you, especially in my state of Ca. My prediction is that you will become a political hero from this.. keep it up !
What truth did Joe Wilson tell? How is Joe Wilson a political hero?
I wish I could ignore evidence, reality, and the truth. It would be nice to have as a skill the ability to distort reality or make it gray. If I could ignore reality, perhaps I wouldn’t care about energy issues, environmental issues, or health care issues or my fellow neighbor. Furthermore, if I didn’t care about facts or reality, perhaps I wouldn’t care that my government spent massive amounts of money on a war that was based on evidence that was erroneous.
I’m sure there’s a special circle in Hell for these people: habitual hypocrites, liars, uncompromising zealots, and people that care nothing of due diligence; and those individuals that promote and spread disinformation.
It seems that most Republicans, and the like, have an amazing capacity for self-deception. How do they do that?