Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Joe Wilson's War

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Since South Carolina secessionist and radical right Senator Jim DeMint is the Senate's most ardent obstructionist and votes "no" on virtually everything, it's sometimes difficult to tell when he really means it. When the Senate got back from their long summer vacation, they immediately took up S.1023, the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 and it passed with a huge bipartisan majority, 79-19. DeMint, as usual, was one of the 19. What's he got against promoting travel? Charleston, Hilton Head Island, Drayton Hall, Fort Sumter, Magnolia Plantation, Myrtle Beach, the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden in Columbia, Murrells Inlet, Mount Pleasant... and all being heavily promoted by South Carolina's burgeoning tourism sector. Now DeMint is still freaked out and hysterical that one year ago his state's tourist industry was catering to gays with an international campaign "South Carolina Is So Gay," a campaign not directly related to the gargantuan number of closet cases dominating the Republican Party hierarchy in the state, from Lindsey Graham and Lt. Gov Andre Bauer to the state Senate President.


But DeMint may not have to worry about gay tourists-- or any other tourists-- coming to his state. Even without any help from Arthur Frommer, it looks like a spontaneous boycott of South Carolina tourism is shaping up.
State and local tourism officials are being flooded by emails and calls from people across the country, saying they won't vacation in South Carolina because they're upset by GOP Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst at President Barack Obama.

The officials said that a number of the out-of-state e-mailers have said they've taken beach trips for years in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head and other South Carolina resort areas, but don't plan to return.

...In a new USA Today/Gallup poll, 68 percent of Americans said they "oppose what Joe Wilson did during the speech." Twenty-one percent said they support Wilson's behavior.

South Carolina's $1 billion-plus tourism industry, centered around its beaches, had already been hit by the recession as Americans postpone vacations or cancel travel altogether. The state's 11.8 percent unemployment rate is among the highest in the country.

Marion Edmonds, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, said his agency had received 147 emails from people who cited Wilson by name and expressed displeasure with his remark.

"Some of them have been specific and said they won't be coming to the beach this summer for their family vacation," Edmonds said.

Both Columbia and Hilton Head are major tourist attractions in Wilson's district. His wife, Roxanne, of course, won't be joining the boycott, although she did ask her husband, "Joe, who's the nut who hollered out, 'You lie'?"

At 4pm (EST) House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn introduced a Resolution of Disapproval on the floor:
Whereas on September 9, 2009, during the joint session of Congress convened pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 179, the President of the United States, speaking at the invitation of the House and Senate, had his remarks interrupted by the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson; and
 
Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it
 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on September 9, 2009.

At a strategy session for the Republican Conference, South Carolina Republican Bob Inglis suggested Wilson apologize to the House. Wilson, who now sees himself as a teabagger/KKK hero, flat out refused and instead launched into a typically Republican victimization act. The House voted 240-179 (with 5 Democrats voting "present") against Wilson, John Boehner demanding a time-wasting recorded on-the-record vote. Conservative extremist Mike Pence's childish "I'm with Joe/vote no" didn't prevent 7 Republicans from crossing the aisle and standing up for the rules and for decency. On the other hand, a dozen Democrats were on the Joe Wilson/Mike Pence team today. In fact 5 of the Democrats who crossed the aisle, also voted with the GOP to censure MoveOn.org in 2007: Mike Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY), Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Gabby Giffords (Blue Dog-AZ), Paul Hodes (D-NH), and Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS).

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9 Comments:

At 7:03 PM, Blogger Jimmy the Saint said...

The one I am most disappointed in is Paul Hodes.

 
At 7:09 PM, Anonymous Balakirev said...

"Wilson, who now sees himself as a teabagger/KKK hero..."

Which is how I noted he would cast himself. The whole thing seemed well planned out, as though Wilson wanted to portray himself as the "hero who spoke up for the little guy to the Big Bad president" for the next election. Wait to see if he doesn't use the bit from Obama's address in his commercials.

 
At 7:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's with Hodes?

 
At 11:19 AM, Blogger Cheryll Woods-Flowers said...

I went on to read your profile after reading your comments and as I suspected, you describe yourself as an unabashed liberal. I would be shocked if you could prove that you have given one tenth of what Joe Wilson has given to his community or his country...2010 is coming...Thank God! Oh no...I hope that it is O.K. to mention God here!

 
At 1:41 PM, Anonymous Balakirev said...

"I would be shocked if you could prove that you have given one tenth of what Joe Wilson has given to his community or his country..."
______________________

Okay, I'll bite. What has Joe Wilson given to his country, other than the image of a self-seeking thug showing disrespect to our President during an address of Congress, which hasn't been done since the 1820s? I mean, granted, that's something fine and noble, but I can't find anything else Joe has accomplished to equal it. Please, enlighten me.

 
At 4:05 PM, Blogger Cheryll Woods-Flowers said...

Straight from his bio...If you do not live in South Carolina, you probably don't have the same appreciation for his service. If you are not a Republican or a Conservative, you probably have disdain for it...

Addison (Joe) Graves Wilson was born on July 31, 1947, in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from the High School of Charleston, he received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and completed his law degree at the University of South Carolina. A real estate attorney by trade, Joe was a founding partner of the West Columbia law firm Kirkland, Wilson, Moore, Taylor & Thomas.

His career in public service officially began when he served on the staffs of South Carolina legends Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence. As part of the visionary Ronald Reagan administration, Joe was Deputy General Counsel to the United States Department of Energy Secretary and former South Carolina Governor, Jim Edwards.

Throughout his life, Joe has also had a tremendous passion to serve his country as a member of the United States Armed Forces. After serving in the United States Army Reserves from 1972-1975, he also served in the South Carolina Army National Guard. In the summer of 2003, Joe retired as a Colonel, having served as a Staff Judge Advocate assigned to the 218th Mechanized Infantry Brigade. At the time, he was the only active Guard member serving in Congress.

Before being elected to the United States Congress in 2001, Joe served seventeen years, with perfect attendance, in the South Carolina State Senate where he was elected Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, the first Republican Chairman since Reconstruction.

Today, Joe serves on the House Armed Services Committee - where he serves as Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Military Personnel - the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was appointed by the Republican Leader to the highly influential Republican Policy Committee and works as an Assistant Republican Whip. He is Co-Chair of the Bulgaria Caucus, the Afghanistan Caucus, the Kurdistan Caucus, the Americans Abroad Caucus, and the Victory in Iraq Caucus.

 
At 4:39 PM, Anonymous Balakirev said...

Cheryl, with respect, I didn't ask for Wilson's bio. I've read it. I asked specifically what Wilson has done for his country. For example:

How much pac money has he turned down, and how much has he accepted, since taking his job in the House?

How many jobs has he created in his district? (Note, not how many jobs have federal checks back to the state created. Louisiana's Jindal has really run that scam of taking credit for federal money into the ground.)

How has he fought to end corruption and increase transparency in government?

These are the ways a person, in my opinion, best serves when in government. I've emailed Wilson on these points, by the way. Twice. I've never heard back. Just in case you were wondering. Though you can always look up his pac "soft money" taking yourself. It's pretty impressive how much he's grabbed from the health insurance industry.

Mind you, how that serves the interests of the ordinary, hard-working person in South Carolina is frankly beyond me.

 
At 6:24 AM, Blogger Cheryll Woods-Flowers said...

Please tell me who you have voted for for congress and answer the same questions about that person that you have asked about Joe Wilson...for the record, Joe Wilson is not my congressman...and by the way, I do feel that serving one's country is very important service to country and community...do you feel the same? Did you serve?

 
At 10:05 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

"After serving in the United States Army Reserves(sic) from 1972-1975, he also served in the South Carolina Army National Guard."

Just one little point. The United States Army Reserve is singular, not plural. My dad, a Captain of Artillery during WWII, and a Colonel in the Army Reserve until retirement, was always adamant about this when anyone made this error. I think it is an important point; putting it in the plural gives credence to the pluralization, or, if you will, the "privatization," of our United States Military, and I hardily disapprove.

 

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