Friday, September 11, 2009
Joe Wilson's Come and Gone
Posted by Bruce VanWyngarden on Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 10:02 AM
The saga of Representative Joe Wilson and "the shout" provides an instructive primer for how social networking and the Internet have utterly transformed not just the coverage of the news, but the very making of it.
I was watching the president's healthcare speech from home and Tweeting casually about it, along with a number of other local Twits, some in journalism, some not.
- Joe Wilson
When Wilson shouted "You lie," several people tweeted, "Did someone just call the president a liar?" Who was it? Everyone wanted to know. Within seconds, we did know. The culprit had been identified on CNN and his identity tweeted to millions. Within minutes, Wilson's Wikipedia entry had been updated to include the shout in his bio. Wilson's Twitter and email addresses were sent out and thousands of people began sending him messages demanding he apologize. Within 15 minutes, the name, address, website, and phone number of Wilson's opponent in the 2010 Congressional election had been spread around the blogosphere. Within 8 hours, more than $400,000 had been pledged to him.
So many website URLs about Wilson's background were sent out via email and Twitter, that within a half hour I'd learned more about an obscure South Carolina congressman's history and record than I know about my own representative's. And this was a man I'd never heard of a half-hour earlier.
Wilson had to change his Twitter account. He quickly apologized, more or less, for his actions. The next day, he appeared on Fox News, where he received sympathy and understanding as only Sean Hannity can deliver it. Rush Limbaugh, predictably, offered his support. On the opposite side of the spectrum, on MSNBC, Keith Olbermann did a typically histrionic "special comment" on Wilson, elevating the man and his moment of stupidity to even higher planes of outrage.
Let's review: Within 24 hours, South Carolina representative Joe Wilson went from an absolute nonentity on the national radar to a household name. His opponent now has twice as much as money to campaign with as Wilson does. A national campaign to unseat him has been put into motion. Millions of people think he's an ungracious ass.
Fifty years ago, Wilson's outburst might have been reported in the morning paper. A few of his colleagues might have insisted he apologize, which would have been duly reported over the next day or so. Most people would never have heard about it or cared, if they had. Now, we're all connected, like bees in a cyber-hive. Consequences come quick and hard. Public — and even private — stupidity is much more difficult to get away with.
That's a good thing, right?
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Fifty years ago, it probably would not have happened, and if it had, he probably would have been brought up on charges of violating House rules. They probably took the rules more seriously back then.
He's caught heat for saying stupid things before... supposedly he may be addicted to no doz, if The Hill is to be believed.
Here's a good read on why the current incivility toward the president is not a good thing.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/…
the democrats should be thanking joe wilson for thrusting himself into the spotlight. a 60-something year old southern white guy/strom thurmon hero-worshipper becoming the posterboy for the GOP is the last thing the party needs to improve it's image. especially when the one thing that outrages him to the point of "you lie!" is the thought of brown people getting health care coverage. the democrats couldn't design a better stereotype for republicans. they would be wise to use him as the face of anti health reform.
fifty years ago, members of congress, maily southerners, routinely dropped the n-bomb in reference to black people ON THE RECORD, in both houses of congress. How's that for historical civility in politics? Maybe it wasn't so great back then, all I'm sayin.
The bees are dying in droves - Colony Collapse Disorder - and they still don't know why.
What the hell is going on in South Carolina? It's like everybody smoked opium and decided to become a Wiccan.
I don't have a twit to twat in.
Zip, you need to get wit' da twit. You'd dig it. So would everybody else who comments on here. Every big televised event is like a smack-talk festival.
packy, my comment was more in reference to how they talked to each other and showed at least a little respect for the office of the president, and not about how they treated/referred to your average citizen.
although in terms of civil rights, i'd have to say that just because the racism is now in code instead of overt and on the record doesn't mean the situation's any better.
This man has received over $240,000 in contributions from the insurance and other healthcare related industries. I guess this is how he pays them back.
@clint:
Yeah, I'd probably start panicking and shouting if I saw my revenue stream drying up before my eyes....
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