Thursday, September 10, 2009

No way, Joe

The newest star in the constellation that is the Republican Party emerged last night during President Barack Obama's speech. Since the president shot a sharp glance toward the congressman who had just yelled, "You lie!" South Carolina's Rep. Joe Wilson has become an overnight celebrity.
"You lie!" Wilson blurted out during President Barack Obama's health care address to a joint session Wednesday night, an outburst that made some supporters shudder even as others believed it could give Wilson a political boost in his conservative hometown.

"He's the only one who has guts in that whole place. He'll get re-elected in a landslide," said John Roper, an insurance agent, as he sat among patrons at a diner near Columbia.

Click here to read the entire AP article.

Move over Sarah Palin. Step aside Joe the Plumber. The new darling of the Perpetually Angry Neo-Fruitcake Wing of the GOP is Joe Wilson, who claims his outburst was spontaneous.

Well, I have my doubts that Wilson is telling the truth. It could easily have been predicted in advance that if a rightwing congressman yelled, "You lie!" at Obama during his speech on live television -- under the Capitol dome! -- that with the help of the media the PAN-FWotGOP would instantly make a hero out that same rude congressman.

Two days ago who knew this Wilson cat? Now he's the story. The nation's news junkies are learning all about his history. Well, I think the guy went there last night to make himself into the lowbrow celebrity he has suddenly become.

Sorry, Joe, I don't believe there's much truth in your saying it ain't so, either. What this former protégé of the flinty Strom Thurmond did was an obvious stunt to draw attention to himself.

This was a career move for Mr. Wilson, who's now in the process of becoming the face of the shameless Town Hall sabotage strategy of the rightwing fringe that seeks to do everything it can to block health care reform.

It's no wonder the Grand Old Party is shriveling like a wicked witch caught in a cloudburst.

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Update: Want to see how silly it has gotten? Click here to read the comments under a short RT-D article about this incident. Check out how quickly Wilson has been embraced as a champion of truth and justice to those who can't stand Obama.

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