Two days ago, President Obama gave a speech on health care reform. At one point in the speech, he said that there were many misconceptions about his plan out there. He said that there would be no "death panels" for old people to determine whether or not they should receive expensive, life-saving procedures. He also said that this plan would not cover illegal aliens. From the audience, Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina shouted out "You lie!"
I was watching Obama's speech on CNN's website and I had Twitter up on another window. I use Twitter to follow various political pundits and activists. Their reaction to Wilson's remark was instantaneous. Within seconds, someone had identified who he was. Minutes later, his wikipedia page was changed. One hour later, prominent bloggers had identified who his opponent was in the upcoming election and called for donations to his campaign. Two days later, that opponent has received campaign donations for more than $700,000.
As a scholar of Internet politics, I am fascinated by the dialogue that occurs on the Internet, as well as the speed that information flows and the ability to form rapid responses. Some have said that Twitter has been used most effectively by conservatives. The Joe Wilson incident certainly shows that liberals are also using Twitter effectively.
On a morning news show this morning, one pundit said that Joe Wilson's shout demonstrates that the weakening respect for the presidency, which began in the Clinton administration and has only accelerated. I'm not sure if that's true or not. Nixon and the Watergate scandal was a serious blow to the presidency. No president will ever win the awe and respect of the public and the media as the pre-Nixon presidents.
The Wilson incident also brings up the question of how Congress should behave. Traditionally, the Congress in the United States has always been formal. Congressional representatives refer to each other as the "Fine Senior Senator from New York" and decorum is maintained during discussion periods. Legislative bodies in other countries are much more boisterous. There are shouts, heckles, and cheers from the backbenches during speeches and debates. Here's a sample of a debate in England's Parliament:
As a result of a two word shout from Congressman Wilson, he's going to face a tough fight in November and he's had to apologize to the president for his behavior. It was shocking by American standards, but it's commonplace elsewhere.
Do you think that Wilson's comments were disrespectful and disruptive of intellectual debate? Do you think he should receive censure from Congress? Or do you think that Congress should start behaving more like Parliament? Is there something very democratic about those shouts from the backbenches and the questioning of presidents and prime ministers?
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