House to vote Tuesday on scolding Rep. Wilson
WASHINGTON -- Bitterly divided over an accusatory outburst — "You lie" — lawmakers on Tuesday prepared to admonish one of their own for his jarring interruption of President Obama.
The proposed resolution of disapproval against Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina added to the already-toxic atmosphere of partisanship in the House. Democrats said Wilson's behavior during Obama's speech to Congress last week was an egregious display of disrespect that could not be ignored. Republicans accused the majority party of hypocrisy and wasting the taxpayers' time.
"At issue," declared House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, "is whether we are able to proceed with a degree of civility and decorum that our rules and our democracy contemplate and require."
Wilson, speaking after Democrat Hoyer, refused to back down. "I think it is clear to the American people that there are far more important issues facing this nation than what we're addressing right now." He said Obama had "graciously accepted my apology and the issue is over."
The Office of the House Historian said the resolution, if approved, would mark the first time in the 220-year history of the House that a member had been admonished for speaking out while the president was giving an address. A resolution of disapproval is less severe than other disciplinary action available to the House, including censure or expulsion.
Wilson has apologized to the White House for his outburst last week during Obama's speech to Congress. But Democrats say Wilson also should apologize to Congress for what they call an unprecedented breach of decorum.
Wilson has refused to do so, saying his initial apology was sufficient.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Wilson reiterated his regrets for shouting "You lie!" in the middle of Obama's health care speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. "I would never do that again," Wilson said. But he rejected demands from some of his colleagues, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., that he deliver a formal apology on the House floor.
"I have apologized to the president," Wilson said. "I believe that is sufficient."
There are precedents for considering action against Wilson.
In 2003, House Republican leaders forced then-House Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., to apologize for calling the U.S. Capitol Police to evict Democrats from a meeting room.
Two years ago, the House voted 196-173 to table House Republican leader John Boehner's resolution to censure Rep. Pete Stark after the California Democrat suggested that then-president George W. Bush enjoyed U.S. casualties in Iraq.
A reprimand vote on Wilson presents Republicans with a difficult choice: A "no" vote could condone conduct that many in the party, including 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, have condemned, while a "yes" vote could irk newly energized conservatives, such as the tens of thousands who packed Washington for an anti-Obama rally Saturday — some carrying "You lie" and "Joe Wilson: My hero" banners.
For Democrats, the choice is to ignore a controversy that has infuriated many of the party's liberal members, particularly those in the Congressional Black Caucus, or proceed with a vote that Obama himself, in an interview Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes, said could turn into a "big circus instead of us focusing on health care."
Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., warned Democrats against "poisoning any possibility of working together" by taking action against Wilson.
Price, who heads the conservative Republican Study Group, told USA TODAY that his party could raise other controversies, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's assertion that the CIA lied to Congress about torturing terrorism suspects.
Yet Price was non-committal when asked how he'd vote on a resolution condemning Wilson's conduct. "I'd have to see what it says," he said.
In a statement Monday, House Minority Leader John Boehner said he will vote against the resolution.
"Last Thursday, Speaker Pelosi said that she believed it was time to move on and discuss health care," Boehner said in a statement Tuesday. "I couldn't agree more, and that's why I plan to vote 'no' on this resolution."
At a news conference Thursday, Pelosi said: "As far as I'm concerned, the episode was unfortunate. It's time for us to talk about health care and not Mr. Wilson."
Contributing: Kathy Kiely and Andrew Seaman