Posted on 09/11/2009 5:34:01 AM PDT by NCjim
The Democrats and their press allies have decided to make Representative Joe Wilson's interjection--"You lie!"--the main story of last night's speech by President Obama on health care. Today at an airport gate, I was subjected to a half hour or so of CNN's coverage of the Joe Wilson story. Little or nothing was said about the speech itself. Wilson's remark is being treated as something unprecedented and of historic significance, as in this breathless Politico article:
All eyes were on President Barack Obama entering Wednesday night's address to Congress, but a little-known South Carolina Republican may have done more than the president's combative speech to unify besieged Democrats around health care reform.
The night's defining moment -- which Democrats hope to transform into a turning point -- came when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted "You lie!" as Obama claimed his plan wouldn't offer free care to illegal immigrants.
Wilson's boorishness -- for which he quickly apologized -- enraged audience members on both sides of the aisle.
Actually, I doubt that five percent of those watching Obama's speech considered Wilson's outburst the evening's "defining moment." Nor is there the slightest chance that Wilson's comment will "unify besieged Democrats." No Democrat fearful of losing his or her seat in 2010 by voting for unpopular health care legislation is going to jump on the President's bandwagon because Wilson called him a liar. Nor will the incident be a "turning point" in the national health care debate, any more than the media's efforts to demonize town hall participants became a "turning point" that favored the Democrats.
The main consequence of the Democrats and their allies focusing so much attention on Wilson is that it detracts attention from Obama's speech. It is hard to understand how this can be a good strategy. Moreover, it is hardly good publicity for Obama to repeat endlessly the fact that a Congressman called him a liar, and that the subject was whether the Democrats' health care bill will confer benefits on illegal immigrants. It surely will, as the Congressional Budget Office, for one, has pointed out--a fact that Obama tries hard to keep quiet.
Beyond that, the Democrats' protestations about Wilson's lack of civility ring hollow, to say the least. After all, Obama himself called Sarah Palin a liar in the very speech that so enraged Wilson. And do the Democrats really believe that voters have forgotten how they treated President Bush for the last six years of his administration? A voter would have had to spend those years in Albania not to know that "You lie!" was nicer than most of the things the Democrats had to say, both on and off the floors of Congress.
Here is just one example: Democrat Pete Stark in October 2007, speaking in the very chamber where Joe Wilson lost his temper last night. He begins by calling President Bush a liar, but that doesn't even get him warmed up. His main allegation is that President Bush is sending young men to Iraq so that they will "get their heads blown off for the President's amusement."
When Joe Wilson or any other Republican says something similar about President Obama on the floor of the House, let me know. Until then, when it comes to civility the only thing the Democrats can do is sit down and shut up.
The President and dems in D.C. throw out facts and figures
that are untrue and the MSM nevers calls them on it!
Well someone had to say it.
That’s hilarious!
These guys are so desperate, they think THIS, after all of the other substance that is sinking this thing, is really going to get it passed?
“Well my voters said they want me to vote NO on this, but Wilson will make me completely disregard their wishes, and will ensure that I get voted out in 2010!”
Loony toons...
“The President and dems in D.C. throw out facts and figures
that are untrue and the MSM nevers calls them on it!”
Joe Wilson is only trying to do the media’s job-somebody needs to.
Joe Wilson gave us a new rallying cry. “You lie” replaces death panels.
Before the end of this man’s term, they’ll be making a historical event out of his potty training years.
I am so sick of ‘historical’ being applied to this man it makes you want to puke.
As for me, the only thing historic about him is that the gullible and vulnerable elected a communist. After I started researching him in July of 2007, it didn’t take but three days to find a communist mobster out of Chicago.
Now to me THAT is an historic event, the first communist president of the United States!
Am I first to coin the phrase “Joe Wilson’s Roar?” I’m still not happy with his timing and the4 subsequent co-opting of the news cycle by RATs waiting to pounce. But there are positive things coming of the shout: language has been changed on the Senate version and Joe’s son gave a very credible interview on one of the morons-in-the-morning “news” shows.
Tea Parties tomorrow will have “YOU LIE” displayed prominently, to be sure.
I saw a modified 0bama/Joker image yesterday with “LIAR” at the bottom.
I don’t understand why the Democrats don’t own this health care crap. They have to votes to pass it without the republicans doing anything other than voting present.
Their problem is they don’t want to own it. They understand this is an albatross. The more the president comes out and is forceful about it, the more the American people get upset about it.
Come on Democrats own it. If it works great then you will be the winners, if it bombs then you will never again gain as much as a governorship in this country again. Whats it worth to you.
I don’t understand why the Democrats are making such a huge deal about this. It highlights something that the scripted heavily controlled media assisted administration has tried to suppress—the huge and organized disagreement with this president.
Ohaha wants it both ways: The final legislation will SAY no coverage for illegals BUT it will also prevent checking on the citizenship status of any person seeking healthcare. That's what prompted Cong Joe Wilson---he knows Dems voted down these provision in committee. The end game is that vote-hungry Dems will kneel in obeisance and suck-up to illegals b/c they NEED those votes to stay in power. Read on.
==================================================
Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure; Paying The Price For Illegal Care
IBD Exclusive Series | August 21, 2009
FR Posted by Kaslin
Democrats are right that uncompensated emergency care for the uninsured is driving up costs. What they don't say is it's illegal immigrants who are bankrupting ERs, and the federal government is encouraging them.
Last decade, the Clinton administration added teeth to a little-known Health and Human Services Department regulation mandating that hospitals provide emergency treatment even to illegals. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, hospitals can't ask for a patient's immigration status or ability to pay prior to delivering treatment. They also can't keep such uninsured patients waiting, even if their problem isn't an emergency. Nor can they discharge them until they're fully stabilized and have safe transportation. More, hospitals must post EMTALA signs in Spanish and English.
The law isn't limited to ERs. Hospitals must accept illegals at any facility on campus — including outpatient clinics and doctor's offices — located within 250 yards of the main buildings.
Hospitals end up treating uninsured illegals for the sniffles and other nonurgent care, and pass that exorbitant cost on to the insured, the Government Accountability Office has found. Resulting overcrowding leads to delays in "care for patients with true emergency needs." (Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com .....
=======================================
OBAMA CON JOB: Obama keeps saying "ObamaCare is not going to insure illegal aliens EXCEPT that the several bills floating around do not have verification provisions to make sure illegals can't apply and get benefits." And Obama surely knows (doesn't he?) that our courts have ruled repeatedly that hospitals cannot turn illegals away from emergency rooms
Vote-starved Dems will lose the Senior Citizen vote (when they realize what socialized Medicare means). So if Ohaha does get his socialized medicine atrocity passed soon, amnesty is a must. Ohaha and the Dems are greedily eyeing all those new votes----illegals here, and those pouring over our borders for yet another gov't freebie.
Once again I mention that BOzo had just gotten a standing ovation after calling certain Americans LIARS. Joe just threw it back in his face.
About time Fox started going after the airport business; I get tired of listening to CNN bias while waiting for my plane.
It was not long after Wilson made the remark that BHO said they would “call out” any one who dissented.....
That is all Wilson was doing was “calling out” BHO’s lies.....
Yes, PowerLine and other commentators who have made similar points are right. The Legacy Media and the Democrats have made the story of the speech one motto: “You lie!”.
In their idiotic attempt to flay the honest boy who welled out “The Emperor is naked!” they have set a stone obelisk on a towering height, and inscribed it “You Lie!”.
Apologies for metaphor mixturating.
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