Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina is a Complete Ass

There is much that could be and probably will be said about Obama's speech tonight. But first, let us hail Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, for, I can only assume, acting upon a deep-seated desire to turn our Congress, and the relationship between Congress and the President, in a more parliamentary and participatory direction. That is, in the best tradition of the British PM's question time with the House of Commons, Wilson shouted out that Obama was a liar during his speech. Too bad that, while expressing himself in this way, he made a demonstrably false claim, apparently asserting that the Democrats' reform proposals will guarantee health coverage to illegal immigrants...but hey, those of us who want to jazz up our elected bodies can't be too choosy.



Picking up on this same approach--an approach, mind you, that I find very admirable; I tend to think democracy works better in a parliamentary framework than a separation of powers one--let me respond in kind: Representative Wilson, I think you're an ass. Probably a perfectly nice person, and wonderful family man as well, but an idiot, and also an ass.

Boy, that makes me feel better.

Update: Wilson has apologized. Good for him, and I hereby retract, or at least modify my above statement: Representative Wilson, last night you were a bit of an ass. That being said, I really kind of wish that, rather than apologize, Wilson had come out with a full-bore defense of shouting out disagreements--not simply boos, mind you, but accusations--during presidential addresses...with the necessary follow-up, of course, that we would have a much healthier politics if the executive and legislative branches weren't separated by the sort of walls of decorum which our system gives us. But I suppose we can't expect to turn into a participatory democracy overnight, can we? Baby steps.