As President Obama rebutted the widely circulated idea that illegal immigrants would benefit under his health care reform plan during his address to Congress last night, Congressman Joe Wilson angrily shouted ‘You lie!’
President Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden were visibly taken aback at the surprise outburst. Many members of the public, as well as Republican and Democratic politicians, were also shocked, embarrassed and upset at Wilson’s actions. Senator John McCain denounced the catcall as “disrespectful,” going on to say that “there is no place for it in that setting, or any other.” Meanwhile, Wilson’s Twitter page received thousands of messages from people expressing their dismay at his behavior.
Although Wilson has apologized and the president has accepted, the incident is still raising eyebrows. It is quite clear that people on both sides of the aisle feel strongly about the reform of America’s health care system and Wilson’s passion about the issue is understandable. His actions yesterday, however, appear to be indicative of a wider, more troubling trend. The trouble is that the manner in which the president is treated by his opposition is becomingly increasingly lowbrow.
WATCH REP. WILSON’S APOLOGY FOR HIS OUTBURST
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Heckling, shouting and name-calling have been seen at the town hall meetings that have taken place across the country, and it has become the norm for right wing media commentators to make disparaging remarks – often highly personal ones – about the president. Now with President Obama being treated with such open disdain by a member of Congress, it seems that the negative tone of the health care debate – and indeed the anti-Obama movement – has gone a step too far.
There is no denying that everyone is entitled to their point of view, and has every right to disagree with the president. Indeed, there are those who believe that Joe Wilson spoke on behalf of many Americans, even though Obama’s statement was factually accurate. Nonetheless, a president should be treated with a level of respect. It is undoubtedly part of political showmanship for opposition members to adopt critical body language or to mutter during points that they disagree with. However, the current displays of behavior towards President Obama have gone much further than mere posturing.
Talking to the New York Times last night about Wilson’s heckling, which Wilson himself described as ‘a lack of civility,’ Rahm Emmanuel said, “No president has ever been treated like that. Ever.” His words point not just to this particular incident, but to the general treatment of the president by those who don’t agree with him.
This of course begs another, more serious, question: why do people feel that it is ok to treat Obama, specifically, in that way? Why does the first African-American president evoke such unprecedented displays and outbursts? Are his policies and plans really considered that bad, or is there something deeper at work here?
Regardless of whether or not one agrees with the president, he is the president. Let’s show him respect where respect is due.