Another 'Say It Ain't So, Joe' Moment: Joe Wilson

Joe Wilson...

Joe the Plumber...

Joe Lieberman...

Joe Blow...

G.I. Joe...

Okay, so except for the last two "Joe's", in all seriousness...if your first name is Joe, you might just be the next invigorating chapter in the Republican parties efforts to give itself cosmetic surgery. I say cosmetic surgery, because that is all it is right now - I see no revamping that centers around substance - other than the substance of negativity and nay-saying.

Anyhow, we had Joe LiebermanJoe Lieberman jump ship from the Democrats after losing his Senate primary, become and independent, and then moved on to endorse John McCain religiously during the Presidential campaign season.

We had Joe the Plumber start out as a simple guy who was concerned about taxes. He became the center of a Presidential debate between McCain and Barack Obama. And then he realizes somehow that he has a future in speaking out for conservatism everywhere, looking at every occupation but plumbing as a means to maintain his 15 minutes of fame.

And thanks to Sarah Palin, we can now bring back prolific usage of "Say It Ain't So Joe!" followed by a wink, after she delivered this "witty" remark during the Vice-Presidential Debate, directed at Joe Biden.

This Joe WilsonJoe Wilson "you lie" situation is being used as another empty attempt to reinvigorate that Republican ideal of conservatism and "protecting the American people" from an overzealous government. News reports today mention that Democrats are asking Wilson to apologize in Congress, and he is refusing.

While I respect the fact that he has already apologized to the President directly and it has been accepted, he outburst was not only a disrespect to the speaker who had the floor, which was Obama, it was a disrespect of the procedures and decorum of that chamber. He made Congressmen/women and senators look like a bunch of rowdy kids rather than a chamber of distinguished officials that respect the sharing of ideas, even those you do not understand or agree with.

I know how some other countries' legislative bodies may get down...and I honestly have heard of some state legislatures getting a bit out of hand...but Congress has not had the shouting, throwing punches type of proceedings of some other countries. How do you expect respect, when it is not given in an atmosphere that should have been very formal?

And he honestly is a scapegoat, for the overall attitude and sentiment of the Republican party during the speech that night. Yeah, no one else had the audacity to shameless shout out as though they had dugout seats at a Major League Baseball game, BUT the image was clear on the faces of these "distinguished" politicians - some were on Blackberrys, others looked lackadaisical, and still other tried their hardest to maintain the meanest "I am not listening to you scowl" in their row. You would have thought Rep. John Boehner told his Republicans that the person with the best face gets an office upgrade or something. It was frustrating to even listen to Obama's speech knowing that the majority of the Republicans in the room, whom he was trying to appeal to, already looked as though they had no intention of being swayed by facts, reason, or sensible appeal and compromise.

I know my conservative counterparts would say that Dems are taking this too far, and that Wilson has already done more apologizing than he should. But as I said before, he needs to apologize to Congress, because he was out of line with their procedures. I think that is just good business. If a member of a board of directors steps out of line with a client, they would probably apologize to the client for the poor treatment and less than business-like decorum, and then would apologize to her other board members so as to 1) show some remorse and 2) if nothing else, to keep that position or risk getting voted out for being a poor representation of the company.

He disrespected Obama's time to speak, and also the way that Congress does business. Yet sadly, Wilson will hold on to this as his battle-cry into the Congressional election season, and will stubbornly believe that his apology means that he has changed his stance on what he believes. But really, his apology is about respecting the process and the free exchange of ideas as it was described by Robert's Rules of Order and the rules set forward by the committees of the House and Senate.

O Joe! Did you shout "you lie" at a Joint Session of Congress as though we were in Booneyville, USA at a townhall meeting? SAY IT AIN'T SO, JOE! And you won't apologize to ALL offended parties?! WELL GOOOOOLLLLLY!



Contributor, Young Writer's Block
Contributor, The Carmon Report