Joe Wilson’s Outburst - Sanctioned and Approved in Advance?

[Stingo]

It’s hard to believe the “lone gunman” theory of Joe Wilson’s (R-SC) outburst yesterday evening during the president’s address to congress. Someone put him up to it. Low level hit men in crime families don’t freelance.

http://allspinzone.com/wp/2009/09/10/joe-wilsons-outburst-sanctioned-and-approved-in-advance/

[aquart]

1. Rob Miller: $301,417 at 1:33 pm edt

I love a good strategy, don't you?

[The Wielding Truth]

2. Interesting speculation. We know the papers they were waving

were not spontaneous.

[Inuca]

4. What the hell were these papers, by the way?

Anyone knows?

[Stingo]

5. I'd like to know also

It reminded me of the purple fingers, a totally bogus and ineffective symbol, but this time nobody knows what it means.

[The Wielding Truth]

6. I heard they were copies of the President's speech. So maybe they

rehearsed when to act up.??

[Inuca]

7. This would not make much sense

not tat sense is much expected... By the way, there was also that bottom feeder rep from Iowa, Steve something, I cannot for the life of me remember his last name (he is in the judiciary committee if that helps identify him), he had a sign in his lap reading WHAT BILL?

[The Wielding Truth]

13. Think I found our answer. Parts of a republican bill.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0909/The_Republican_paper.html

[kcass1954]

14. They put new covers on their budget plan. n/t

[BirminghamExaminer]

12. According to WaPO there was a lot more shouting that you didn't hear:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090903585.html?sub=AR

As President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, the nation's rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low.

It happened at 8:40 pm, just after the president vowed to lawmakers that his health-care reform proposals would not provide benefits to illegal immigrants. As millions of Americans watched from home, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted at the president from his fifth-row seat: "You lie!"

Murmurs of "ooh" filled the stunned chamber. Nancy Pelosi's chin dropped. Obama moved on to the next sentence in his speech, about how no federal money would be used to fund abortion. "Not true!" came another shout.

The national debate, already raw for years, had coarsened over the summer as town hall meetings across the country dissolved into protests about "death panels" and granny-killing. Guns were brought to Obama appearances. A pastor in Arizona said he was praying for Obama to die.

But even by that standard, there was something appalling about the display on the House floor for what was supposed to be a sacred ritual of American democracy: the nation watching while Cabinet members, lawmakers from both chambers and the diplomatic corps assembled.

Wilson was only the most flagrant. There was booing from House Republicans when the president caricatured a conservative argument by saying they would "leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own." They hissed when he protested their "scare tactics." They grumbled as they do in Britain's House of Commons when Obama spoke of the "blizzard of charges and countercharges."

When he asserted that "nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have," there was scoffing and outright laughter on the GOP side. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) shook his head in disbelief. Several Republicans shouted "What plan?" and Rep. Louis Gohmert (Tex.) waved at Obama a handwritten poster he made on a letter-size piece of paper: "WHAT PLAN?" Gohmert then took that down and replaced it with another handmade poster that said "WHAT BILL?"

But while the majority of both parties' lawmakers behaved as adults, the insolence by House Republicans stole the show. There was derisive laughter on that side of the chamber when Obama noted that "there remain some significant details to be ironed out." They applauded as he spoke of "all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months." They laughed again when he said that "many Americans have grown nervous about reform."

When Obama addressed the charge that he plans "panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens," someone on the GOP side shouted out "shame!" The president went on: "Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical." "Read the bill!" someone shouted back. Obama mentioned those who accuse him of a government takeover of health care. "It's true," someone shouted back.

There is more stuff in the article but the signs must have read, "What plan?" and apparently Joe Wilson wasn't the only town hall cronie in the bunch.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. I think it is right out of the Rove playbook (not saying Rove directly, but...)

Low level pol made sacrificial lamb (and GOP hero) with his outburst to take away the newscycle.

Sounds prettly plausible to me. Follow the money.....

[JohnWxy]

8. The guy's a PUNK, ...But! he's a good Republican. -- he should have been formally reprimanded.

We keep giving Republicans special dispensation (def. 2) because they are accepted to be ignorant jerks. I don't think we should make special cases for punks. They should be held to the same standard of behavior they expect Democrats to adhere to. Everybody should be expected to behave like a civilized adult in Congress - particularly when addresssing our President -- expecially since Obama is an ELECTED president. He IS the people's President.

[Stingo]

9. They will likely not give him a gold watch

after the voters retire him.

[Raster]

10. What a way to put it....SPOT ON!

[NecklyTyler]

11. It is not about serving the country, for Republicans it is all about regaining political power n/t

[Quantess]

15. It did seem a bit staged.

[Stingo]

16. By

the Three Stooges trying to start a pie fight? No, that would be too classy.

[JohnWxy]

17. I've read he "apologized"..? to Obama? How about to the nation? That's an ELECTED president he

yelled at. I think he owes a public apology to the nation.

something like: "to the nation, I apologize for being such a dick. I'm an ignorant ass-hole. Everybody who knows me knows that. Now the whole nation does. I apologize to President Obama and the nation."


That would be acceptable.

[Stingo]

20. What was his excuse?

That he was off his meds?

[burning rain]

18. Sounds a bit conspiratorial...

but Wilson's outburst has very predictably diverted news coverage and public attention from the contents of the president's speech, and from its effects on Congress and public opinion. It couldn't have had more of the desired effect if it had been planned.

[bertman]

19. Get over it. This is just the beginning. These fuckers are pulling out all the stops.

Anyone who operates under the delusion that there is any limit to what the Republicans will do to sink President Obama and the Democrats--progressive, centrist, or otherwise--hasn't been paying attention.

This is just heating up, folks. They rabid dogs are being loosed.