Yelling "Liar" In A Crowded Chamber

Tonight's focus was supposed to be the scheduled speech by President Obama on Health Care reform in front of Congress. And yes, President Obama did address the critics, answer many of the fears and misinformation that had been floating around and summon the ghost of Sen. Ted Kennedy and all of the other politicians (including Repub favorite Teddy Rosevelt) who have tried to reform health care and failed. Tonight we were able to see the President challenge and call out those who would rather kill the bill than improve it. This was supposed to be the signs of leadership on this issue that we desperately need.

Instead what many will be talking about for days to come is the continued signs of hostility displayed tonight by many on the conservative side of the isle. For weeks we've seen hostile town hall meetings, television debates that center mainly on fear and misinformation, rather than intelligent discourse. Buzzwords have been more important than the actual wording of the bills itself.

Nothing has been more evident of the viciousness than at tonight's Congressional address than the interruptions and sheer childishness of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) who yelled "liar" at President Obama during his explanation of what the bill will have and what it won't.

We need to have more respect for the office of the President regardless of who is in the position. Period.

I am all for health care reform and an inclusion of a public option to provide health care to those who can't afford it and do not have it. But if you aren't, that's fine with me; we can agree to disagree. We have to fix the system and we have to respect the politicians who we elected to do so. We can disagree with them. We can organize for and against them, but we can't and shouldn't smear and degrade them. Calling President Obama Hitler is horrible, just as calling President Bush a terrorist is (regardless of what you feel about his actions). No one runs for President to make the country worse. Even if their focus is mainly career and self aggrandizing, no one wants the country to be worse.

Our bipartisanship isn't creating a healthy discourse. We aren't solving the problems that have ailed the nation by bickering. Nor are we saving lives and improving the lives the middle class and working poor by skirting around the real issues of health care. Working together and challenging each other in shaping our future is what's important and we as leaders and citizens must take on this endeavor.