Washington | The Conservation Report

In an attempt to appear independent from the Democrats in Washington and the Obama Administration, West Virginia’s Governor Joe Manchin, who is “the Democratic nominee to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.)[,] actually fire[ed] a bullet through a piece of paper meant to symbolize last year’s House-passed cap-and-trade bill.” In his advertisement, Governor Manchin seems to channel the Tea Party more than the Democratic Party. According to The Hill, “Manchin is trying to illustrate his independence from Washington lawmakers and the Obama administration as he finds himself trailing or — at best — in a dead heat, with Republican John Raese for Byrd’s seat.”

However, Governor Manchin’s political advertisement is ridiculous. How can anyone be against “a bill to create clean energy jobs, promote energy independence, reduce global warming pollution, and transition to a clean energy economy?” In reality, there’s nothing radical about a prudent energy policy that reduces greenhouse gases and moves his state and our country towards the utilization of proven renewable energy sources. Rather than attempting to capitalize from West Virginians’ fears and ignorance, Governor Joe Manchin should be campaigning and educating people about the merits of an energy policy that moves his state and our country away from polluting fossil fuels towards a future that’s cleaner and more sustainable. Instead, Governor Manchin plays politics at the expense of the environment. For example, “Manchin announced last Wednesday that the state is suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its crackdown on mountaintop-removal practices by the coal-mining industry.”

Of course, the people that work in the coal industry (and the oil industry) who don’t want cap-and-trade legislation or any legislation that reduces greenhouse gases and promotes the adoption of renewable energy, don’t want prudent energy legislation, because they benefit from polluting the environment and making people sick. However, that doesn’t give them the right to force all Americans to continue to be disadvantaged by an imprudent energy policy that comes at a high price.

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?