House votes to “formally rebuke” Joe Wilson

The petty nonsense continues:

House Democrats dealt South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson a formal rebuke Wednesday, taking the rare step of passing a resolution of disapproval for his famous β€œyou lie!” outburst last week in the House chamber.

The vote was 240-179, falling almost exclusively along party lines.

While Democrats said they were defending the rules of the House and enforcing the traditional decorum of the chamber, Republicans mounted a fierce attack on the resolution, saying it was a waste of time after Wilson had duly apologized to President Barack Obama for his outburst during a joint address to Congress. While a resolution of disapproval is little more than a slap on the wrist, a formal roll call vote like this – permanently entered into the Congressional Record – is extremely rare.

β€œWhat’s at issue here is of importance to the House and of importance to the country,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer proclaimed during the hour-long debate preceding the vote. β€œThis House cannot stay silent.”

Except when it comes to much worse behavior from a House Democrat, of course.

I gotta tell ya, this makes me feel so much better – I mean, now we can rest assured that the masses of racist Rethuglicans will get the message that their “white hood“-type behavior of opposing Obama’s agenda based on the merits – or lack thereof – will not be tolerated. 8-|

In the end, this issue will blow over for most of America and will help Wilson rake in thousands more in campaign donations, but as another Congressman whose name I can’t recall at the moment stated on the floor earlier today, this sets a bad precedent. Wilson was essentially rebuked for “bad behavior.” If that’s grounds for a rebuke, they better set up a “Rebuke Desk” because there’s not a week, heck, a day that goes by in the House where someone doesn’t step over the line with “bad behavior” – some real, and some imagined.

To stand behind Joe Wilson and support his re-election bid, click here.

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