During Obama’s speech to the joint session of congress on health care, Representative Joe Wilson suddenly shouted out ” it’s a lie”. His opponent got a lot of cash into his campaign war chest and Wilson had to apologize for his actions. Obama wouldn’t, or didn’t, take the call, so he spoke to Emmanuel. Certainly, in our country there is still a need to respect the President and control one’s emotions in a nationally televised joint session of Congress. One would be hard pressed to make excuses for Wilson’s behavior.
The outburst came when Obama said there never was any intent to provide free health care to illegals. The facts are Obama and the Democrats have always included the 9 million illegals in the 45 million uninsured count. Some have suggested that one of the many bills is implicit that it would cover the illegals. The illegals are covered now, does reform uncover them? They go immediately to the emergency rooms in America and get good treatment. They are adding billions to the health care tab today. Does Obama propose refusing them treatment? Fining them for not having insurance?
While Wilson responded in an inappropriate manner, his response was probably factual. President Obama was lying.
Obama’s speech baited every opponent to his vision of health care reform. He did call some liars. He called them obstructionists. He said they would be called out for misrepresenting the truth about his health care reform bill. What doe called out mean? I guess old Joe just called Obama out for doing exactly what Obama was suggesting. Elders, whites, Republicans, Independents, and non-left-wing Democrats were being threatened for disagreeing. Disagreeing with his plan and challenging it by using facts. In other words, pointing out where the other side is not telling the truth.
When you introduce a bill that fosters unions becoming a greater part of the health care system–even insisting home health care workers be unionized, excluding union insurance from the tax on the so-called Cadillac plans, and pandering to every special interest group that ever gave you a buck, you are open to criticism. The newly silent media should be all over this.
But, Obama did not adress how 36 million more Americans can be treated with the existing population of doctors and nurses. Rationing, that’s the only way. Nor did he sell a majority of listeners on the idea of government taking $500 billion in fraud out of Medicare and Medicaid. Nor did he address buying insurance across state lines.
So, to Joe Wilson, shame on you. You were right in what you said. You were being provoked in an angry, unfair, way by your president, but you should have kept your cool. For the first time the president was losing his, and you needed to rise above that.
My guess, Joe, you will be re-elected. Your president, on the other hand, may not be.
