Joe Wilson's Dirty Health-Care Secret

[Barack_America]

Joe Wilson's Dirty Health-Care Secret

Newsweek

By Adam Weinstein

Poor Joe Wilson. The conservative Republican representative from South Carolina stepped in it Wednesday night when he broke with centuries of decorum by screaming, "You lie!" at President Obama during his health-care speech to a joint session of Congress.

Cut the man some slack. He's passionate! I know this because he told me, in the sole message that blazes across his campaign Web site: JOE WILSON IS PASSIONATE ABOUT STOPPING GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE!

Except that he's not;at least not when it comes to his, and his family's, government-run health care. As a retired Army National Guard colonel, Wilson gets a lot of benefits (one of which, apparently, was not a full appreciation of the customs, traditions, and courtesies that mandate respect for one's commander in chief). And with four sons in the armed services, the entire Wilson brood has enjoyed multiple generations of free military medical coverage, known as TRICARE.

<snip>

To be fair, Wilson has been consistent in his policymaking if not his personal life: according to his last congressional opponent, Wilson voted 11 times against health care for veterans in eight years, even as he voted "aye" for the Iraq War (during the debate on the war vote, he even called one Democrat "viscerally anti-American"─several times). He voted to cut veterans' benefits─not his own─to make room for President George W. Bush's tax cuts. He repeatedly voted for budgets that slashed funding to the Veterans Administration and TRICARE. And perhaps most bizarrely, he refused─repeatedly─to approve Democratic-led initiatives that would have extended TRICARE coverage to all reservists and National Guard members, even though a disproportionate number of them have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan─and many lost access to their civilian work benefits when they did so.

<snip>

"As a 31-year Army Guard and Reserve veteran, I know the importance of TRICARE," he said in a press release. "The number of individuals who choose to enroll in TRICARE continues to rise because TRICARE is a low cost, comprehensive health plan that is portable and available in some form world-wide." He went on to call TRICARE "world class health care," concluding on a personal note. "I am grateful to have four sons now serving in the military, and I know that their families appreciate the availability of TRICARE," he said.

What does that mean? Nothing─except that Joe Wilson was against government-run health care before he was for it. And now he's against it again. Just not when it comes to his own flesh and blood.

Adam Weinstein, an Iraq veteran, is a freelance journalist. He is uninsured.

Read more about Wilson's willingness to cut benefits for other veterans:
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thegaggle/archive/2009/09/10/joe-wilson-s-dirty-health-care-secret.aspx

Calling the President a liar makes me angry, but voting to send our troops to war, while denying them benefits makes me :grr:

If you would be so kind as to keep this kicked, to expose this fraud, I'd be greatly obliged.

Edited: To quote different portions of the article.

[newfie11]

1. Kicked

[Parker CA]

2. K&R

[Betsy Ross]

3. Kick n/t

[tosh]

4. Kick.

[Barack_America]

5. Edited to add the paragraphs that make me explode with anger.

Joe Wilson is a liar and a fraud. In short, he is the perfect Republican.

[PearliePoo2]

6. Sleazy hypocrite redneck racist scumbag

Bastard has no problem gorging at the government trough but he makes sure everyone else gets elbowed out.
And...he's a whore for insurance companies too. Hope this sinks his political career forever.
asshole
$448,214 for Rob Miller so far!

[Barack_America]

9. Yes, what you said.

All of it.

[alstephenson]

7. K & R

[mitchum]

8. So, feeding at the public trough is a Wilson family tradition?

[Barack_America]

20. Apparently so. nt

[Bluerthanblue]

10. what a sad, lost man-.... can you imagine being him??

what must be so twisted in him, that he feels ok with himself, and acts like this?

No healthcare for Vets????? but send em off to war.

I'm happy to K&R this thread.

I really do pity mr. Wilson. Beyond the anger, and frustration i feel about him, there is a messed up fool living somewhere inside his skin- and no amount of health care can fix what ails him.

:grouphug:

[snake in the grass]

44. That's the GOP.

They live in an alternate universe.

[Greyskye]

11. K&R for visibility

Shameless :puke:

[Riverman]

12. Kick: Lost a brother serving in the military, who left four small children!

I despise these hypocrites!

[Barack_America]

13. I'm so sorry for your loss.

And I share your anger.

:hug:

[redqueen]

14. How utterly unsurprising.

They are such hypocrites.

[librechik]

15. Which army is this again? The Confederate Army? No?

Hesus.

[Joe Fields]

16. a kick against hypcrisy

[Barack_America]

17. This link describes the votes in detail.

http://www.indigojournal.com/diary/160/

[Bichonpups]

18. kicked ..... visibility on this is necessary n/t

[nilram]

41. ditto.

[Barack_America]

19. Please digg this also.

http://digg.com/politics/Joe_Wilson_s_Dirty_Health_Care_Secret

Thanks very much.

[Maru Kitteh]

21. Now all he needs is a couple of mistresses to be a REALLY typical Republican

[Barack_America]

22. They've been digging for less than 24 hours, give it time.

I'm sure that's where this is going.

Just what we need, more mistresses and "sparking" from a SC Republican.

;)

[Barack_America]

23. I'm hoping Rachel mentions this.

She's so great featuring veteran's issues.

:kick:

[goclark]

24. Keep kicked

[Barack_America]

25. Thank you.

This really infuriates me.

[sagetea]

26. That little fucker!

KnR

[Jakes Progress]

27. That would be Jack Ass Joe Wilson - republican of South Carolina.

Poster boy for the hypocrisy that is the republican party.

[proReality]

28. You've got it!

K&R and spreading this via email to everyone I know in the military, past and present.

[TomCADem]

29. BOOM! Goes the dynamite! Great article.

[quiet.american]

30. How Republican of Wilson. What a disgrace. nt

[goclark]

31. Amazing ~

[merh]

32. K&R&B

need to have this handy when they praise this idiot.

[harmonicon]

33. it's the hypocrisy, stupid! (nt)

[LSK]

34. what a disgusting horrible selfish monster

Wow!

:wow:

[Vinnie From Indy]

35. What a dick!

I wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire.

[kristopher]

36. He's a quivering bucket of spit. nt

[Confusious]

37. Well, at least he's a consistant asshole

He'll put the dagger in your front for no reason, not in your back when he turns on you.

[mzmolly]

38. WTG Newsweek!

:toast:

[Blue_Tires]

39. I hope someone has the stones to ask Wilson about this

while he capitalizes on his 15 mins and does the little news show circuit next week...

[beac]

40. The GOP punchbowl sure is filling up with turds! What a party, eh?

Wilson is scum. Alas, this is no surprise.

[sabrina 1]

42. Are these people a different species?

They have no shame, no sense of right and wrong at all. I don't know people this. Maybe we've been invaded??

Great article, I hope it gets lots of exposure. And to think there are people who allow this lizard person to speak for them, who trust him with their families' lives.

[Pooka Fey]

43. KnR

[Historic NY]

45. K&R.....n/t.

[JNelson6563]

46. Hypocrite, thy name is Republican.

This post should be in every flyer Wilson's opponent sends out.

Julie

[Barack_America]

+1

[tomm2thumbs]

47. i got mine, screw everyone else

sounds like his mantra

i'm guessing he has a long history of this sh*t and anyone from the newspapers in the area who has half a brain could find dozens of cases where this guy votes against the ideas he has pretended to support

[Politicub]

48. Despicable and a sleazebag

How evil to vote against veterans' benefits to line the pockets of the rich.

He is lower than gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe.

On edit - I'm sure there is a gig lined up for him at Fox News.

[Captain Hilts]

49. I'm sick of millionaires on TV and folks with govt-sponsored healthcare dominating this debate. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

54. +1 nt

[ScottLand]

50. He is truly sleazy.

The next time he makes a speech about anything, there should be a chorus echoing the phrase "You lie"! More than likely, they will be correct.

[OneTwentyoNine]

51. Bump

Hypocrite BASTARD..........

[1776Forever]

52. Why would anyone want to be one of "these" inhuman robots? Sicko's!

Weird little minded people who epitomize the lowest of the low when it comes to the "new" Republican poster "boys and girls". Sick little minded "humans" that only think of their interests. While the money could be going to our own citizens for their health care it goes to those who determine who gets care and who does not by the $$$$ signs. They care not for this country by their actions but only that they themselves are taken care of. I bet he calls himself a Christian too. Shameful actions from a man who I am sure is passing his hate filled thoughts and actions down to his children.

[Barack_America]

53. Thank you to everyone helping to keep this visible.

We all know that this is the Republican MO (sending troops to war, but cutting their benefits).

Hopefully we as a nation can start discussing this despicable behavior.

[wicket]

55. K & R

[Stargazer09]

56. I'm a veteran and a military spouse

Tricare isn't perfect, but it's better than nothing, and this jerk is like so many republicans.

"I have health insurance, so I don't care if you don't have it."

The man is a complete and utter asshole.

[2Design]

57. I find the ones most against are similarly covered by gov't health care n/t

[Union Yes]

58. Let's make Joe infamous. Start with censure.

[LibDemAlways]

59. This doesn't surprise me at all. In fact it's what I would expect. Another

repuke sleazebag feeding at the public trough while fighting mightily to make sure no one else gets a seat at the table. That's the repuke party in a nutshell.

[Quasimodem]

60. K & R this post.

Kick to the Curb Joe Wilson.

[WheelWalker]

61. : - )

:kick:

[texastoast]

62. K&R n/t

[sallyseven]

63. K&R

Send a copy to Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan. MSNBC's Top racists

[SemperEadem]

64. kick

[BlancheSplanchnik]

65. Maybe this is finally the hypocrisy that breaks through the blinders

Well, more like the Big Lies are crumbling bit by bit... and here's another demolition ball! Good!

[Barack_America]

69. From your keyboard to God's ears...

This notion that Republicans are the great champion of our troops has got to end. It is completely ridiculous. They screw over our service men and women every chance they get.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

71. yeah, you're not kidding!!

There is something so infuriating about lies continuing to thrive... but all the chaos now IS proof of change. Just difficult to have patience, especially since most DUers/progressives/liberals could see the lies ages ago.

love your sig line, btw :)

[abq e streeter]

66. trying to stop swearing so much, but 1st; FUCK YOU Joe, you hypocritical asshole

OK, now I'll start working on that swearing thing. Oops, not yet. One more thing. An even bigger fuck you to the ignorant racist assholes in S.C. who continue to vote for him to be their voice in our government, and an equally big fuck you to the millions of citizens scattered around the country who revel in their hate and ignorance, to whom Joe Wilson is no doubt being transformed into a folk hero.

[Mithreal]

67. We are losing our focus, diverting our attention. nt

[TheCoxwain]

68. To call him a " Stinking Piece of Rotten Shit" would be doing him a favor.

[ThomWV]

70. Let's kick this right back up to the top.

[JNelson6563]

72. Amen!

:kick: