Local Reaction To Congressman Wilson's Outburst

As you might imagine - the reaction to Congressman Wilson's outburst has been wide-ranging...especially in his home state. Reaction from those both for and against President Obama’s proposed healthcare reform bill isn't that much different. Whether in favor of or opposed to President Obama’s proposals...people on both sides of the issue seem to agree that Congressman Wilson acted inappropriately and it remains to be seen what kind of effect the outburst will have on his political career.

Calling President Obama a liar in the midst of a speech to Congress on health reform - South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson stepped over the bounds of etiquette - an embarrassing outburst according to State Senator Tom Davis, “Decorum dictates that you show respect - you may not agree with what the president has to say but there's a certain level of respect that's due to our elected president.” Bruce Doneff - who spoke out against Wilson's opposition to proposed health care reform at a recent town hall meeting - says South Carolina congressman James Clyburn may have summed up his feelings on the outburst best, “The Joe Wilson’s of the world are contributing to a poisonous environment around this discussion, such that it's becoming very, very difficult for reasonable people to discuss the facts so that we as a country can make a good decision. Last night was just a case in point - what is Representative Wilson thinking?”

Members of his own party say the outburst was unfortunate for more reasons than simple lack of decorum. According to Senator Davis, “I think it's kind of taken the debate away from what I think are some real problems with what President Obama is proposing and unfortunately - instead of spending today talking about what some of those problems are - we are more focused in on Representative Wilson's you know, outburst on the floor.” As far as the affect the outburst will have on his career - opinions are divided. “One has to wonder - does this you know, is this representative of the extremist view of this congressman? Or is he the more reasonable person that he wants some of us to believe? I tend to think last night show his true colors,” says Doneff. Senator Davis disagrees, “He's been a good representative you know, so I think that he can bounce back from this.”