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Is There a Politician Lower Than Joe Wilson?

Yeah. His name is Joe Wilson. This is not the Joe Wilson who apologized to Pres. Obama last night for screaming, “You lie! Lies!” in the middle of the President’s speech to a joint session of Congress. This is the Joe Wilson who, the day after the speech (that would be today), made a YouTube video using his (in his words) “inappropriate” behavior to ask for money and continue telling his own lies (see my added emphasis) about Obama’s health care reform proposals. The video is below the quote:

“On these issues, I will not be muzzled. I will speak up, and speak loudly, against this risky plan. … The supporters of the government takeover of health care, and the liberals who want to give health care to illegals, are using my opposition as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly-conceived plan. [T]hey want to silence anyone who speaks out against it. They made it clear they want to defeat me, and pass the plan.”

“Health care is a matter of life and death for so many,” he later adds. “I choose life, with health-insurance reform.”

YouTube Preview Image

Hat tip to Josh Marshall.

  • Leonidas
    Harry Reid comes to mind. He did pretty much the same thing Wilson did with 2 exceptions Reid did it on face the Nation as opposed to the Speech in the House, and Reid was the Senate Majority Leader and Wilson just an average Congressman.

    Oh and a third difference, Wilson apologized and his party asked him to, while Reid did not and was under no pressure from his party to do so. All in all I'd say Reid was worse, given his leadership role and his lack of apology.

    Reid of course is not the lowest, I don't think anyone here will argue that that honor belongs to Rod Blagojevich

    Also don't forget the way Reid treated David Petraeus when things didn't look as bright, and then turned around later and called him a genius when he achieved results.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV4DIURvbwY
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-y4LNGEXnE

    But Reid is not the worst that dubious honor has to belong to Rod Blagojevich
  • dmf
    sarah palin comes to mind. 'member how stupid she is? let's talk about that now because i want to. or wee can talk about dick cheney saying "go fuck yourself" on the senate floor.

    PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I WANT AND NOT THE TOPIC OF THIS ARTICLE.

    /makingfunofyou.
  • Leonidas
    Definately a lot of folks to choose from in both parties. Larry Craig, Sarah Palin, Harry Reid, Cynthia McKinney, John Murtha, Don Young, Richard Nixon, Dick Cheney, Charlie Rangel, Rick Renzi, John Doolittle, Bob Allen, David Vitter, Willian Jefferson etc.

    I'll still stick by my choice of Rod Blagovitch though, the only person worse than him in my book wasn't a politician but an appointee, David S. Addington.
  • AustinRoth
    Is There a Politician Lower Than Joe Wilson?

    Oh, hell yes. Lets start with Rangel and Dodd, the two income tax-evading cheats, and go on to Murtha, whose sweetheart deals of federal funds to friends, family and lobbyists makes Delay seem like a paragon of virtue; Pelosi for all her efforts to prevent any investigations against her pets in Congress from going forward; and Reid.

    Not to pick on Democrats, mind you! :)
  • AustinRoth
    BTW - Vicki got home today. Successfully surprised the wife (we told her she was coming home Monday the 14th!). Tears of joy all around. All of us are very, very happy.

    I think I will only post 'happy thought' posts for a few days in celebration, starting now!
  • superdestroyer
    What is wrong is calling the president on an outright lie. The Democrats will never deny health care to illegal aliens because the Democratic Party wants to give those same illegal aliens amnesty and citizenship so that they can automatically vote for big government Democrats.

    Look at what happened when the voters tried to limit government benefits to illegal aliens in California. The Democrats ran to court and put a stop to it.

    Look at the hidden agenda. The progressives really want single payer, government run health care that will give the same level of healthcare to everyone is the U.S The Democrats believe that no one should be any better health care (or any better of any education, or transportation, or living conditions) than what illegal aliens receive.

    Look at what happened when the government passed amensty in the 1980's. The promised border security never showed up and both Bush I and the Clinton Administraiotn promoted open borders. Politicians lie when it comes to immigration and until they take actions to prove their credibility, everyone should just assumed that they are still lying,.
  • CStanley
    That is great, AR! Glad to hear your happy news. Enjoy!
  • CStanley
    You'd sort of have to group them according to what type of low misdeeds they're guilty of, and then rank them according to the seven circles of hell.

    Your list is a good start, but in terms of someone who committed the same kind of egregious disrespect of a president (and the GOP in general) as Joe Wilson I'd have to go with Pete Stark.
  • D. E.Rodriguez
    Enjoy!

    Dorian
  • DLS
    I can be more clever than a typical deceiving Democrat, and ace this quiz easily: Are you a politician, too, Kathy? [rolling eyes]

    "Look at the hidden agenda."

    So much of it, they don't even bother to hide, except when they fear exposure to public revulsion.

    And, Super D., you know the kind of immigration "reform" the Demmies are poised to shove shortly on us after they finish this big effort at health care "reform." (Who knows, maybe Employee Free Choice Act and mandatory, binding, federal union-friendly artbitration would come next, if not more climate junk.)

    * * *

    C. Stanley: Pete Stark is a typical disgraceful California reputation-ruining Democrat. He's not only been among the play-pen crowd with health care, and misbehaved in the way you chose to show, but he also tried to eliminate indexing of incomes, a welcome reform against the upward ratchet of taxes during the earlier inflationary era, for example. How dare we Be Allowed to keep more money than we should keep!
  • shannonlee
    Liberals need to read these comments in order to remind themselves of how crooked their party still is....Yes, just as dirty as Reps.

    Conservatives need not forget the past 8 years of the Bush Admin.

    Both parties are dirty...both parties believe they have the moral high ground....not enough politicians end up in jail.
  • MikeyBackwards
    While it would be gratifying to think the title to this post was meant in seriousness, I don't find the ad hominem and inflammatory nature of the title to be helpful in this debate. Hypocrisy and double standards are stock in trade for members of both parties.

    However, if I were to play along with the game, as others have done, I would nominate Mike Duvall or perhaps Mark Foley. Foley seems to me to be particularly despicable for championing legislation to criminalize the 'grooming' of potential victims using the internet and then doing exactly that himself.
  • Anna
    Funny how there is a similarity on 1 specific level between Congress and street gangs...factions in both tend to "protect their own".

    Convicted crooks regardless of party should be subject to the law, kicked out of Congress and thrown in jail by a jury. One thing to recall though is that during an investigation, we do have such a thing as "innocent until proven guilty" in a court of law. The court of public opinion is a whole different enchilada, however.
  • archangel
    thanks so much for telling us Austin, and God Bless your family. I'm so glad your girl made it home safely, and surprised her mother. How happy you must all be. Bravo.

    dr.e
  • Leonidas
    BTW - Vicki got home today. Successfully surprised the wife (we told her she was coming home Monday the 14th!). Tears of joy all around. All of us are very, very happy.

    I think I will only post 'happy thought' posts for a few days in celebration, starting now!


    WOOT! Very happy for you.
  • Mikey, that's not an ad hominem.
  • MikeyBackwards
    Brian Curry, here's the definition of ad hominem.

    By attacking Joe Wilson's character rather than responding to his claims, this is a classic ad hominem fallacy.
  • dmf
    What is wrong is calling the president on an outright lie.

    iono. can i call you on this outright lie?
  • jw456
    Wilson is a loser and has disgraced his party.
  • craighardy
    Joe Wilson is the only one who told the truth in the House Chamber that night. Yes, there is a politician lower than all others. His name is Barach Hussein Obama: the former ACORN trainee who disgraced the Chamber with his lies. He can't even admit that he wants a single payer system. He is single-handedly trying to bankrupt our country with a program we cannot afford and which will necessarily require rationing to force us into socialism. Joe Wilson should be praised and supported for having the courage to speak out.
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