Quiet No More...

Here we go -- it's time to fight the real battles, beginning with this ridiculous healthcare bill (or bills; there are currently 5 bills floating around in committee).

Last night's speech was a great sales presentation. As usual, President Obama delivered a passionate, well-written speech about the "dire" need for healthcare reform in America. It was nothing more than a sales pitch, however, and I don't believe Americans are buying it. But perhaps the biggest news to come out of the speech was not even part of the speech itself, but a seemingly insignificant jeer from a Republican Congressman.

Representative Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina) had the audacity to shout "you lie" in response to the President's assertion that illegal immigrants would not benefit from the new bill. I'll save the details of this half-truth for another post, but suffice it to say that illegals would not be denied insurance for the same reason they are currently not denied ER care.

Was the President lying? Well...let's just say that I'm sure his words were chosen carefully. I think he was telling us what was written in the bill, but I also believe that he knows that the actual consequences that will follow are going to be quite different. I learned in Sunday School that a lie is "any intent to deceive." But I digress...

The Wilson incident (that took all of 7 seconds, max) was headline news today. Again, we stopped focusing on the real debate in lieu of this ancillary story. So, to put the issue to rest, let me give you my take of the outburst.

First of all, I think it was probably wrong to yell what he did during a Presidential speech. It crossed the line of congressional demeanor as we know it. While I would love to have a "House of Commons" approach to presidential speeches, it hasn't ever been a part of our culture. We got rid of that along with driving on the left side of the road and having afternoon tea.

That said, I understand Rep. Wilson's frustrations. During the 40 minute speech, the President drew applause after every partisan comment he made (which were abundant). Nancy Pelosi et al. can stand and clap when they agree with the President, but the opposition's only recourse is to sit quietly when they don't agree with the outlined tenets. I ask: what is more of a distraction; a two word statement or a 30 second round of applause? He felt the need to voice his opinion, and since he didn't sit on the left side of the aisle, this seemed like his only option.

As a side note, I truly enjoyed watching the outrage and sheer disdain on Pelosi's face immediately following the comment. As I watched her reaction, I imagined her telling V.P. Biden that she wanted that man in jail before the speech was over. How dare he speak up? She is the Speaker of the House, after all.

In the end, Rep. Wilson rightly apologized to President Obama for the outburst. President Obama graciously accepted the apology, as did Pelosi (allegedly). It was time to move on with the debate, right? Wrong.

Left-wingers wasted no time hopping on the anti-Wilson bandwagon. Thousands of dollars were immediately sent to his opponent in the next election, courtesy of moveon.org intellectuals.

Here's the captivating new home page content for their website:

Last night, President Obama challenged Congress to "meet

history's test" and fix our broken health care system.

Republicans, led by Joe Wilson, responded by heckling,

booing, and hissing. We can't afford to let right-wing extremists

hold health care reform hostage.

Since when is the Congressman from South Carolina (that only people from South Carolina had ever heard of before last night) the "leader" of the Republicans?

I now patiently wait for the inevitable boycotts. I'm sure that by this weekend there will be grad students and ACORN employees out picketing Wilson sports equipment, the movie Cast Away, all Dennis the Menace episodes that include Mr. Wilson, and any future reunion concerts of Wilson-Phillips (which, admittedly, I would boycott as well).

Let's really "move on" and learn from this experience. Wilson's comment was merely a symptom of a greater problem. Here is the real crux of the issue:

For weeks, Democrats have ignored Republican ideas, intimated at ideas like reconciliation, and subscribed to the notion that they could do this by themselves -- without a single Republican vote. As a result, Republicans are starving for a voice in this process, and it came to a boiling point last night.

The American public, similarly, may feel that they have lost their voice. The liberals in Congress have drowned us out with their standing ovations for too long. I hope that the polls, town hall meetings, and petitions will serve as an outburst of sorts that will ring loud and clear to the President and Congress.

I long for the day when Nancy Pelosi stares at me with as much vitriol as she did to Rep. Wilson last night. Then I'll know that I'm on the right track.