Rucker and Gerhart turned to the husband-wife couple -- he was a Clinton era DNC chairman and she is the current South Carolina state Democratic chairwoman -- to practically tag-team in slamming Wilson. Rucker and Gerhart also acknowledged some Palmetto Democrats' brushes with political infamy before cuing up Don Fowler to quip that he thinks "it is something in the water."
Yet nowhere in their story did Rucker and Gerhart note Don Fowler's gaffe from August 2008, when, on a flight from the Democratic Convention, he made an inappropriate joke involving hurricane victims in New Orleans (video embedded above at right):
The hurricane’s going to hit New Orleans about the time they start. [Chuckle] The timing is — at least it appears now that it’ll be there Monday. That just demonstrates God’s on our side. [Laughter] Everything’s cool.
The Republicans, you may recall, did cancel the first day of the 2008 convention. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) urged delegates at the convention to put their energies into raising money to aid Hurricane Gustav victims.
What's more, the Rucker/Gerhart piece's front-page placement knocked back to page A11 a substantive story about how Rep. Wilson's concerns about ObamaCare covering illegal immigrants has some validity (emphasis mine):
Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's shout of "You lie!" during President Obama's speech Wednesday night brought renewed attention to swirling questions about whether Democratic health-care legislation would extend coverage to illegal immigrants. Although the answer is more complicated than reform proponents acknowledge, it also does not square with the dark warnings of opponents who say the proposals would bring waves of undocumented immigrants into taxpayer-funded plans.
To counter claims that universal health care would cover illegal immigrants, Democrats and independent arbiters have pointed to language in the House legislation that says the federal subsidies, or "affordability credits," that would be the main avenue to expanding coverage would not be available to illegal immigrants.
This language does not assuage the bill's critics, who say the proposals lack the verification tools needed to assure that illegal immigrants do not gain coverage either through federal credits or expanded Medicaid eligibility for the poorest of the uninsured.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters




















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Guess what, they believe in God when it suits them
September 11, 2009 - 10:49 ET by legacyrepublicanNice little comment about God being on their side and directing a huricane to hit New Orleans.
Fowler is a mean little individual who does not care who gets killed so long as it advances his and the Democrat's agenda.
Let's don't be small now.
September 11, 2009 - 11:21 ET by FranksamLet's don't be small now. It was only a month ago that we were speculating as to whether Mary Jo would consider drowning at Chappaquidick to have been 'worth it', considering all the good that Teddy accomplished afterwords. Certainly a thousand or more poor black New Orleans residents would have been willing to jump to death if they knew it would help elect the first 'kind of black' President.
Wilson Helped by Comment
September 11, 2009 - 10:52 ET by MAS1916Well...it wasn't really a comment - just a blast of outrage over a lie that has been continually repeated - 23 times to be exact - by the President who has denied the legislation will accomodate illegal aliens. Even though the number of uninsured that He throws out to illustrate the need for taking over US Health Care (43 million) includes illegal aliens. In short, Wilson was right. Obama's statement was a lie.
People like Wilson are tired of hearing the same lies repeated over and over as if doing this with enough frequency will somehow create truth from fiction. Obama is starting to look silly to voters though, as he just will not move from his insistence on covering aliens, restricting delivery of health care to seniors based on government controlled decision boards and the incredibly inaccurate statement that there are $500 billion in savings that can be found in Medicare.
Obama is really starting to help the GOP with is arrogant and unbending insistence that His is the right and only way to solve the problem of too many uninsured Americans. ( for more on three ways Obama is helping the GOP, you can view: http://www.conservat... )
Perhaps Obama should just keep up the same tactics that have driven his approval ratings below the 50% mark.
New Strategy
September 11, 2009 - 10:53 ET by mattmWhat the GOP should do is have a different person, each day, make some outrageous and TRUE statement about Oboy and his band of facsists, so that the media will have so many targets for attack that they won't know which way to turn.
September 11, 2009 - 11:09 ET by jessieHWaPo, listen closely. I'll type slowly so you can keep up. Wilson is a patriot. Fowler is an idiot. See the difference in the spelling? They rhyme, but they mean two different things.
Well according to this fact checking site
September 11, 2009 - 12:28 ET by nwahsWilson's contention is a lie. Its an interesting look from another point of view.
Politics is showbiz for ugly people
interesting
September 11, 2009 - 12:35 ET by katainkentare you advocating or just sharing.
___________________________________________
We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. ~Thomas Jefferson
sorry
September 11, 2009 - 12:48 ET by Kekela WardThe masthead says "2009 Pulitzer Prize winner".
That's enough for me to ignore it.
Now if it were a year (say, prior to 1960) when they were not a politized, for "profit" organization, I might have paid some attention to them.
Sam: "I hurt somebody's feelings once"
politifact.com is Kengie's favorite 'fact checking' site, too!
September 11, 2009 - 12:48 ET by SickofLibsThey print baloney like the Fed prints money.
One of my favorite 'facts' that they truth-tested was Palin's OPINION that Obama would 'experiment with socialism.' Of course, after analyzing the 'facts', their conclusion was that Palin was a 'Pants-On-Fire Liar' and the truth was 'The McCain campaign experiments with dishonesty'.
Coincidentally, 90% of their featured 'Pants-On-Fire Liars' are conservatives.
(ps: Hey Kengie, still hiding under that log after yesterday?)
The Fowlers are and always
September 11, 2009 - 12:55 ET by bigtimerThe Fowlers are and always have been nothing but fowl political operatives....
All of this screeching the dems are doing is going to backfire on them.
I wished midterms were this fall.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
X
September 11, 2009 - 13:28 ET by serfer62I was so upset about Joe Wilsons comments that I sent him money.
.
Then when cross-the-isle McNasty (to GOP only never to a Kommiecrat)critized Joe I sent McNastys GOP Primary opponent Chris Simcox money too...
Need for Fact Checking
September 11, 2009 - 14:08 ET by slickwillie2001Fox News should put together a fact-checking website, with a target of being as fair and balanced as their newscasts are. There is none at present that I am aware of that isn't run by the liberals.
Don't forget Mrs. Fowler's remark
September 11, 2009 - 15:48 ET by carolina09She said the only reason Palin was nominated was because "she didn't have an abortion."
The pair of them are as dumb as mud and are a disgrace to South Carolina.