Clearly, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio wasn’t looking forward to his weekly press conference today. Why would he, since he knew all of the questions were going to be about one of his caucus members heckling the president’s speech like one of those Little League parents who abuses the coach?
So Boehner did what any congressional leader does in that position: He faced the music, clung to his talking points, and never admitted he was embarrassed. Even though he certainly looked embarrassed.
After a lengthy delay caused by some drawn-out House votes, Boehner walked into the press conference and cited his litany of policy objections to President Obama’s health care speech last night. If it had been any other week, the reporters might have asked him some policy questions. But not the day after Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., disrupted Obama’s speech, shouting “You lie!” when Obama claimed the health care bill wouldn’t extend coverage to illegal immigrants.
Boehner tried to answer the first Wilson question as narrowly as possible. “As Mr. Wilson said last night, his behavior was inappropriate. I think it’s why he apologized to the president, and I’m glad the president accepted his apology.”
Not good enough. Another reporter pointed out that other Republicans shouted out other things, too. So Boehner tried a kind of backhanded defense. Health care is an emotional issue, he said, as last month’s town hall meetings proved.
“I believe that people ought to be respectful, that we ought to have civil discourse in America. But don’t underestimate the amount of emotion that people are feeling,” Boehner said. Throw in a stimulus bill that is adding to record deficits and a climate change bill that would hurt the economy, Boehner said, and “Americans are frustrated. They’re angry. And most importantly, they’re scared to death that the country that they grew up in is not going to be the country that their kids and grandkids grew up in.”
So another reporter asked: As a Republican leader, was he embarrassed by Wilson’s behavior?
Nice try. “I think that Mr. Wilson summed it up best when he said his behavior was inappropriate.”
And that’s about as much of a scolding as Wilson is going to get.
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Comments
I feel for Joe Wilson, in a way. Given how the GOP Congressional leadership has been boasting for months about their tight party discipline, This outburst was undoubtedly planned. That's why Boehner won't come down hard on Wilson.
For whatever reason, Joe Wilson was picked to deliver it, getting the chance to become the new conservative hero (which still may happen). However, when the response was overwhelmingly negative Wilson had to fall on his sword and take the heat on his own.
Of course, him being from South Carolina, this probably will improve his chances of re-election. What a place that must be, with types like Sanford and Wilson.
Posted by: billp
| September 10, 2009 2:07 PM
Congressman Joe Wilson would have never heckled a white president.
Posted by: michael a.
| September 10, 2009 4:33 PM
I wondered how long it would take to play the race-victim card on this. Thank you, Michael A. for living down to my expectations. I guess the Dem lawmakers who jeered, heckled, and booed George W Bush in his 2005 State of the Union speech when he laid Social Security Reform (at great political risk) on the table for debate and resolution, were being, what, equal opportunity boors????? Wilson was correct on substance--the availibility of healthcare insurance for illegal aliens by the Dems in Congress and WH, wrong on the specific words "you lie", and certainly wrong yelling such at this venue.
Posted by: Felix335
| September 11, 2009 4:34 AM
I am from the South, I have relatives who still live there. I know a few things about the culture.
Joe Wilson is a member in the South Carolina National Guard. And, he has four sons in the military. I cannot fathom someone with that background would heckle a white commander in chief.
Posted by: michael a.
| September 11, 2009 12:09 PM
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