Obama did a good job with his healthcare address to a joint session of Congress in terms of both clarifying his mission to provide affordable healthcare for all Americans and debunking the ridiculous myths. The point was made that in America, nobody should go broke because they get sick. We’ve started the conversation anew with talking about a plan in which insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage because of a preexisting condition, dropping or watering down coverage when you get sick, or arbitrarily capping the amount of coverage you can receive in year or lifetime. That’s real discussion — no inflammatory rhetoric about Nazis nor Communists needed, thanks.

Yet the news this am gave a lot of attention to the guy, Joe Wilson, who dissed the president by yelling: “You Lie!” during Obama’s speech when he stated (factually) that illegal immigrants would not be covered. He’s from South Carolina and evidently bristled at having to listen to a black president. This is a guy who voted with someone 95% of the time known to bend the truth: George W. Bush. He’s clearly of the Palin/Beck/Hannity mouthbreather set. I think it’s a shame that so much attention is being drawn away from Obama’s plan of insurance reform and openness to ideas from all sides by this jerk.

Racist Rush Limbaugh naturally doesn’t think Wilson should have apologized to the president for disrupting his speech like a drunk-ass frat boy. He says this isn’t a garden party and that this isn’t like any other presidency. Guess cuz Obama’s black? It galls me that some on the right will paint this guy Wilson as a hero even as South Carolinians suffer.

Former Republican Arlen Specter says Wilson should be censured, saying on twitter:

“There ought to be a reprimand or censure of Rep. Joe Wilson to discourage that kind of conduct in the future.”

I agree. There should be a clear, formal message from Congress that, just as Bush received a polite hearing in Congress despite  running our country into a ditch and then setting in on fire (not to mention a failure to win the popular election in his 1st term!), that America’s first Black president deserves at least as much consideration and respect for his authority. That outbursts and protests (like those guys waving some flyers in their hands) will not be tolerated. Wilson should also have to face the American people and the rest of Congress and apologize publicly for his disrespectful actions (as would be customary and appropriate). Via Politico:

“House Republican aides said they had expected Wilson to go on the House floor and make a public apology. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said he was told the final vote of the day in the House Thursday was delayed because Republican leaders were trying to convince Wilson he needed to go beyond his call to Emanuel.”

Disgusting cowardice — typical of a hard-bitten race-baiter, no? So far, since Republican Congressman Joe Wilson’s outburst on the House floor his Democratic opponent, former-Marine Rob Miller, has received 11,000 individual grassroots contributions raising more than $400,000. If you want to help (especially if you live in SC), make a donation to Miller’s campaign and giving Wilson a boot up his behind.

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