By: John Bresnahan
September 14, 2009 08:33 PM EST
House Democratic leaders will move ahead with a "resolution of disapproval" against Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) on Tuesday afternoon, following through on their threat to sanction the conservative lawmaker for heckling President Obama during his speech to Congress last week.
Democratic leaders will formally introduce the resolution Tuesday afternoon, according to House insiders, and the vast majority of Democrats - as well as some Republicans - are expected to vote for it.
No decision had been made at press time as to which Democrat would be offering the resolution.
A number of Democrats, led by Majority Whip James Clyburn (S.C.) and other black lawmakers, were outraged when Wilson yelled out “You lie!” during Obama’s address, and they have pressed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats to sanction Wilson.
Pelosi initially downplayed the Wilson episode as a distraction from thelarger issue of health care reform, but she has come around now to the position held by Clyburn and the other Democrats – if Wilson didn’t apologize on his own, on the House floor, then Democrats must take action.
Wilson issued an apology on Wednesday night following his outburst, and he called White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to apologize personally, but he has refused to go to the floor and offer contrition for his comments. Obama said he accepted Wilson’s apology.
Clyburn personally asked Wilson three times to offer a full apology to the House during a confrontation the two had on the floor the day after Obama’s speech. Since that exchange, Clyburn has led the charge to punish Wilson.
“Not addressing this issue sets a precedent for bad behavior,” said a senior House Democratic aide following Monday’s leadership meeting. “We’re not the British Parliament, for a reason.”
Democrats say they will craft the resolution very narrowly, so that it simply addresses Wilson’s behavior while avoiding larger fights over Wilson’ claim that the Obama-backed health care bill will give health insurance to illegal immigrants.
“It goes directly to the issue of conduct on the House floor,” said the Democratic aide. “It was a breach of decorum and it can’t be accepted.”
In public appearances over the last several days, including a brief discussion with reporters on Monday, Wilson has remained adamant that he will not offer any further apology to the chamber.
“I won’t be offering any more apologies,” Wilson said as he strode into the chamber.
He also received the backing of Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Monday. While Boehner too had implored Wilson to say he’s sorry for his outburst, he is backing his colleague from being singled out by the Democratic majority over his bad behavior.
“Rep. Wilson has apologized to the President, and the President accepted his apology,” said Boehner in a statement released by his office. “Last Thursday, Speaker Pelosi said that she believed it was time to move on and discuss health care. I couldn’t agree more, and that’s why I plan to vote ‘no’ on this resolution. Instead of pursuing this type of petty partisanship, we should be working together to lower costs and expand access to affordable, high-quality health coverage on behalf of the American people.”
There is also some uneasiness among rank-and-file Democrats, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, that by singling out Wilson, party leaders will make him a martyr or cause célèbre for the right.
“I would not make Joe Wilson the martyr he is not," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) told POLITICO. “If the House proceeds, they can make the mistake of appearing to want to humiliate a member who has indeed apologized to the president...We ought to think strategically about what there is to gain... I would not want to vote to humiliate him, rubbing it in.”
But senior party officials said that it’s too late, that Wilson is already an icon among “tea baggers” and other Obama critics for what he did. By sanctioning Wilson, Democrats then demonstrates that it won’t tolerate such disrespect from other GOP lawmakers for Obama.
“We can’t make him a martyr,” noted on top Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “He already is one. We just don’t want there to be any more Joe Wilsons.”
This aide also notes that Wilson’s 2010 Democratic opponent, Rob Miller, has seen more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions pour in since last Wednesday from Democrats across the country outraged by Wilson’s conduct, meaning he is likely to be a very well-funded challenge to the five-term Wilson.
But Wilson himself said he has gotten $1 million from his own side, and conservatives at this weekend’s big “Tea Bag” rally in Washington, D.C., were wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “You lie!” and Wilson’s face, showing that his race will attract national interest.
-- Glenn Thrush contributed to this report.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
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