Articles Tagged ‘Joe Wilson’

Rep. Joe Wilson: Democrats spin health care bill

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

A letter written by U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson to Republicans:

Dear Fellow Republican,


There has been a lot of debate on what is true in the debate over government-run health care. But Democrats continue to spin and mislead the public in an attempt to stifle honest and open debate about what this bill will do, what it will cost and how it will change your healthcare.


To remedy this, my Republican colleagues have introduced legislation requiring Nancy Pelosi to post all major legislation online for a minimum of 72 hours before it can be brought to a vote. While this seems like common sense, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats have continually rushed major legislation to a vote to ensure little to no public scrutiny. This means, you as a taxpaying citizen, cannot read the legislation before your representatives vote on it.


Posting major legislation online for all to read seems like a no-brainer, but with Nancy Pelosi in charge the odds of this bill reaching the House floor for debate and consideration are slim to none. But, my Republican colleagues are fighting back and we need your support. Will you follow this link immediately to support the NRCC as we work to retire Nancy Pelosi and return the people’s House to you?


Imagine what would happen if Nancy Pelosi is required to post the Democrats’ healthcare bill online for public scrutiny. If we succeed, Americans can finally separate fact from fiction. The level of discourse would most certainly rise due to such transparency — a concept promised by Democrats on the 2008 campaign trail.


It’s up to us to hold the Democrats accountable and that’s why I’m turning to you for your immediate help. We have an important fundraising deadline approaching at the end of the month where the money raised by the Republicans will be compared to the money raised by the Democrats to determine our strength going into next fall’s elections.


If we can raise more money than the Democrats, we’ll send a message to Pelosi, Obama, and their friends that the American people are firmly behind the Republicans in opposition to government-run healthcare. Please follow this link to make an immediate contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more to our efforts.


Democrats don’t want you reading their healthcare bill — or any other bill for that matter. Their legislative agendas will do nothing more than grow the government, raise you taxes and squash individual freedom. That is why they have cloaked their legislation in mystery and rushed it to vote. Democrats cannot win the battle of ideas and they know this.


Please support the NRCC before our deadline next Wednesday, and together we can bring real transparency to the House.
Thank You,


Joe Wilson (SC-02)


P.S. The truth is a powerful thing. Democrats know their legislation cannot withstand public scrutiny. Together we can throw a monkey wrench into the Democrat spin machine. Congress should answer to you, but with Nancy Pelosi in charge that will not happen. Please support the NRCC with a generous donation of any amount in advance of our deadline and send a message to Democrats that secrecy and misinformation will no longer be tolerated. Thank you.

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Posted in Miscellaneous, The Players | Start the Discussion

Joe Wilson: Petition to Put Bills On Line for 72 Hours Before House Vote

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Representative Joe Wilson’s office invited me to a call last week that directly affects the healthcare legislation as well as any other legislation that goes through the House of Representatives.

I was part of a small number of bloggers and Internet writers invited to speak with Representative Joe Wilson (R, SC) Friday afternoon. Rep. Wilson wanted to alert us all to a resolution that would provide that all bills that go through the House of Representatives would be posted on the Internet for 72 hours prior to any possibility of a floor vote.

The Resolution is House Res. 554, amending the Rules of the House to require legislation and conference reports to be available on the Internet 72 hours before consideration. If this resolution is approved by the members of the House, all bills — including H.R. 3200, the House Healthcare bill — will be placed on the Internet for all to see for three days before the bill can be voted on.

In an email on this issue Wilson said, “Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats have continually rushed major legislation to a vote to ensure little to no public scrutiny. If we succeed, Americans can finally separate fact from fiction.”

Under normal procedures, a resolution introduced must first go to a conference committee of one sort or another. But the House has a way to force a bill to skip the committee process and go right to the floor for a vote. As Representative Wilson explained the process is called a “discharge petition.”

What’s really important is the discharge petition. At the front of the House you’ll see every now and then we’ll be up there signing a little book and that’s a discharge petition. If 218 people (Representatives) sign the petition, this is a way to skip the committee process and bring the bill to the floor. With 218 signatures, this would force the speaker to bring the resolution to the floor.

“This is a great opportunity,” Wilson told me, “for the blogging community to contact all Democrats, all Republicans and urge them to sign the discharge petition.”

This particular petition is known as the Greg Walden discharge petition named after Representative Greg Walden (R, Oregon) who is sponsoring the petition.

Currently, 178 members of the House have already signed the petition and we all need to contact our Representatives to have them sign that petition. (The Clerk of the House has a webpage with all the signatories to the petition at http://clerk.house.gov/111/lrc/pd/petitions/Dis6.htm currently posted.)

CNSNews’ Fred Lucas asked Rep. Wilson if he were the “right person” to become the face of this petition drive due to the recent “animosity” that Democrats have for Wilson. Wilson reminded us all that “a few years ago” he was voted the second friendliest member of Congress. Wilson was also gratified that even recently he has been characterized as a good friend by some members of Congress even after his actions at Obama’s speech.

I have in the past two weeks had a number of members of Congress and even at press conferences introduced me — and I think they meant it — as my good friend. Sometimes, you know, they don’t mean it.

Thus far it looks like five Democrats have signed the Walden discharge petition. Democratic Reps. Walt Minnick (Idaho), Brian Baird (Wash), Dan Boren (Okla.), Parker Griffith (Ala.) and Gene Taylor (Miss.) have signed.

This is certainly a non-partisan issue. Who could be against all bills being placed on line for 72 hours before a vote? “We’re also backing up what President Obama said during the campaign last year,” Wilson said.

Wilson also reminded us all that the president himself advocated for such an idea.”President Obama indicated that he would not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.”

“So what we’re doing should not be considered as partisan, it shouldn’t be considered as a slap to the president because it’s not, it’s actually less than even what he campaign on,” Wilson said.

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Posted in The Players | Start the Discussion

Congressional Liberals Demand Health Insurance for Illegal Immigrants

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Congressman Michael M. Honda (D-CA) and more than 20 of his progressive colleagues in the House of Representatives issued two letters that demanded health care coverage for immigrants illegally residing in the U.S. Analysts believe that this move suggests that liberal Democrats are “fearful that they’re losing ground on immigration and health care.” 

“Legal permanent residents should be able to purchase their plans, and they should also be eligible for subsidies if they need it. Undocumented, if they can afford it, should be able to buy their own private plans. It keeps them out of the emergency room,” said Rep. Michael M. Honda, California Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

As the bill reads now, legal immigrants can take part in the health care exchange proposed by President Obama after five years of lawful residency. Still, many Democrats assert that it is “unfair” to prevent those here illegally from “paying their own way in a government-sponsored exchange.” They also believe that immigrants living in the U.S. legally should be allowed to participate, and even receive government-subsidized health care, regardless of their length of lawful residency.

It is apparent that the issue of covering illegal immigrants has been an especially explosive component of the health care reform debate. With many citizens vocalizing their disapproval at town halls across the country and the outburst of  Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) during the President’s most recent prime-time health care appeal, it is evident that many Americans vehemently resist the notion of their taxpayer dollars funding the coverage for those who choose to enter the country by circumventing the law.

And the poll numbers indicate this to be the case:

Despite the apparent unpopularity of such a measure, progressives in Congress push on. Immigrant rights groups have firmly pressured liberal lawmakers to instate provisions that would be sympathetic to a growing number of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. Whether or not their prying works to sway the votes of the majority of 435 members of the House away from the desires of their constituents, who likely disapprove of this attempt, will be known in the weeks to come. 

Regardless of the outcome, one could expect the U.S. Supreme Court would examine any piece of legislation regarding the interests of illegal immigrants in health care legislation.

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Posted in Policy Alternative | 2 Comments »

Side bets at the track - Joe Wilson

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Aaand they’re neck and neck!

Joe Wilson’s re-election campaign (R-NC) raised more than $1 million in three days since he yelled “You lie!” during president Barack Obama’s address to Congress Wednesday.
“Conservatives who wanted a champion not afraid to take the fight to Obama have found a hero in Joe Wilson, my congressman,” said blogger Mike’s America, “who catapulted to fame by shouting “You LIE” at President Obama when he falsely claimed that WE were the ones lying about illegal immigrants qualifying for benefits under Democrat health care takeover plans!”

Politico blogger Ben Smith said “Wilson’s sucess– despite having been criticized by Republican leaders — represents the power of the conservative grassroots to reward politicians who confront the White House in the sharpest terms.”

He updated his post to add that Democrat challenger Rob Miller broke $1 million Friday.

The Sunlight Foundation writes that real-time fund-raising disclosure, like that provided by liberal Rob Miller-fanclub ActBlue can inject energy into an underdog candidate’s campaign that quarterly paper reports would be slow to close on.

It’s interesting then, that Sunlight blogger Paul Blumenthal did not report Joe Wilson’s real-time disclosure.


Democrats are still trying to make hay off the outburst, with Pelosi speaking sanctions, according to the New York Times.

House rules and precedents provide substantial guidance on how a House member can and cannot refer to the president while speaking on the floor, and the guidelines state that it has been found impermissible to call the president a liar. The House was in formal session at the time of the speech.

However there is a substantial difference between calling someone a liar and confronting a lie.

One is despicable. Not doing the other is also despicable.

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Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Harder edge, still vague

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

President Barack Obama pleased supporters with more of what he’s good at, fiery campaign rhetoric and a firmer-than-usual stance on health care reform.

However, he’s sure to disappoint with little direction or clarity on the biggest stumbling block for the Democratic caucus: the public option.

How did the blogosphere react?

“Barack Obama is a terrific salesman with a bad product,” said HotAir’s Ed Morrissey in his post-speech broadcast. “I think in the end, the Kennedy thing is really going to not work for him. I think that whole sad story at the end of the speech was a downer.”

Blogger DDay reacted positively to the “Spark of Life” in his speech, “I will say that there’s a bit of a harder edge in these remarks, particularly toward out-and-out opponents of reform, the likes of which have disrupted town halls all last month. This follows the fiestiness of Obama’s Labor Day speech to the AFL-CIO.”

Jonathan Cohn, blogging for The New Republic says, “Looks like there’s some news in the speech after all.  Quite a bit.

“On the policy front, President Obama tonight endorses, clearly and unambiguously, a requirement that everybody obtain insurance–that is, an individual mandate. He has not done that before, not this explicitly.”

The newsworthiness of Obama’s noncommittal defense of the public option is questionable, but Cohn also points out, “he also comes down hard–very hard–on opponents who are merely out to defeat reform.”

The Neo Neocon, who might fall under that category, points out some serious flaws in Obama’s tough-guy stance:

(3) He offers still another reiteration of the fact that if you have private health insurance now, you won’t lose it. It will only get better. But he doesn’t answer critics who offer reasons why this is unlikely to be so.

(4) For the uninsured, there will be an insurance exchange. This particular exchange is a nebulous, poorly-explained, and poorly understood entity in terms of how it would actually work. But I am willing to bet that it won’t work … the way it works for members of Congress.

And as for the deficit neutrality? She has this to say: “Of course, it’s technically true that “our deficit will grow” if we do nothing—thanks to Obama. But even the CBO has said that, if the present health care plan is passed, it will make the deficit grow even more.”

Leftie blogger Mahablog shows the danger in blind following: “Not one dime to deficit. OK.”

Because Obama says it’s so, it must be.  many of the blogger’s comments follow a similar strain.

And the Bhuddist’s take on the Boustany rebuttal? “No insurance across state lines. It’s a scam.”

Thanks for all that backing logic.

And the usually loquacious leftie blog Hullabaloo has one quick post-speech post, by tristero - The Whole Point.

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The right, on the other hand, picked up on South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson shouted “LIAR!” on Obama’s assertion that illegal immigrants won’t be covered.

Biden shakes his head, Pelosi stares gape-mouthed and Obama stops mid-stride.

Biden shakes his head, Pelosi stares gape-mouthed and Obama stops mid-stride.

Within minutes, the footage excerpt was up on Allahpundit and Gateway Pundit, who also pointed out the back and forth between the president and Sarah Palin on “death panels”.

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