House votes to rebuke Rep. Wilson

ad·mon·ish
* Pronunciation: \ad-ˈmä-nish\
* Function: transitive verb
* Etymology: Middle English admonesten, from Anglo-French amonester, from Vulgar Latin *admonestare, alteration of Latin admonēre to warn, from ad- + monēre to warn — more at mind
* Date: 14th century

1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner
2 : to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to

Vote is 240-179 in the wake of ‘You lie’ outburst by S.C. Republican
The Associated Press
updated 6:28 p.m. ET Sept. 15, 2009

WASHINGTON - Bitterly divided over an accusatory outburst — "You lie" — lawmakers voted Tuesday to admonish one of their own for his jarring interruption of President Barack Obama.

The resolution of disapproval against Republican Rep. Joe Wilson 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, which passed 240-179, marks the first time in the 220-year history of the House that a member has 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.

The resolution said Wilson's conduct was a "breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House."

Wilson's "You lie" outburst came as Obama, during a joint session speech on health care legislation, said that illegal immigrants would not be eligible for federal subsidies to purchase health insurance.

The shout drew gasps from other members, and Wilson, at the urging of Republican leaders, called White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize. But he has resisted later suggestions that he go to the House floor to express further remorse.

"I think that Mr. Wilson could have resolved this himself" by speaking directly to his House colleagues, Hoyer said.

House Republican leader John Boehner dismissed the resolution as a "witchhunt" and a distraction from the health care debate. "My goodness, we could be doing this every day of the week," he said.

The leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, initially said it was time to move on to health care and other substantive issues. Republicans agreed. But other Democratic leaders, including third-ranked James Clyburn of South Carolina, pushed for a House vote.

Clyburn, in an interview last week, said Wilson's behavior was "indicative of the combativeness he displays all the time when it comes to politics."

A leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Clyburn perceived it as a snub that Wilson held a town hall meeting on health care this summer at a school in Clyburn's South Carolina district — where Clyburn's children attended — without telling Clyburn.

There also have been suggestions that recent harsh criticism of Obama has been at least partly motivated by race. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat and current head of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that "today is about the civility and decorum of the House." But she added that we "can't sweep race under the rug — racism is still a factor and must be addressed."

A House Rules Committee summary of guidelines for members states that while it is permissible to challenge the president on matters of policy during debate, personal attacks are off limits. House rules note that a member could refer to a presidential message as a "disgrace to the nation" but it would be impermissible to call the president a "liar," a "hypocrite" or say he was "giving aid and comfort to the enemy."

Financial bonanza

Treatment of Wilson's shout was complicated by the fact that it occurred not during floor debate but during a televised presidential address to Congress.

In 2007 Republicans unsuccessfully introduced a censure resolution against Rep. Pete Stark, a Democrat, for saying during debate that U.S. troops were being sent to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." Stark later apologized to his colleagues.

The dispute, by capturing the attention of Republican and Democratic loyalists, has been a financial bonanza for both Wilson and his expected challenger in next year's election, Rob Miller. Each has raised some $1.5 million in contributions since the speech last week.