Joe Wilson

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., got an enthusiastic welcome from about 250 supporters in Aiken on Saturday, while about seven protestors held up signs in protest – mostly on his opposition to the White House’s plan on health care reform.

In a 15-minute speech at Aiken County Republican Party headquarters, Wilson spoke in part about the Republican option on reform and his gratitude for the large crowds of 1,500 people or more at four town hall meetings within his Second Congressional District.

Wilson made no mention during his speech of the controversy at a joint session of Congress earlier this month, in which he blurted out, “You lie,” to President Barack Obama during the president’s address on his own reform measure. After Wilson’s speech Saturday, he said in an interview that he had apologized for his remark an hour after it occurred and that Obama had accepted it twice, the second time during a “60 Minutes” interview.

“The book has been closed on that,” Wilson said. “The key thing is that we should be talking about the issues, especially the cost. I support the president’s view that we should be discussing the issues.”

Before Wilson’s arrival, protestor DeRena Boose loudly expressed her opinion that Wilson’s actions at

Obama’s speech were wrong and uncalled for. During Wilson’s own remarks Saturday, she made her way into the crowd and at times knelt and stood on the front row to listen to his address. Wilson supporters near her thrust out small signs toward her. Boose made no comments while Wilson spoke, although other protestors briefly raised vocal objections about 50 feet away on the other side of Greenville Street.

In a telephone interview later Saturday, Boose was conciliatory, saying that most of the people were very nice. She was surprised when GOP executive committeeman Diane Giddings offered her and other protestors something to eat. Boose called that “the kindest act of anybody there.”

She said the Wilson supporters are good people, and, while she credits them for showing up to support the congressman, she thinks they were attending the rally for the wrong reasons.

“There is no argument,” Boose said. “What he did was wrong, and he shouldn’t be doing it again. Nobody should be rallying around him and lifting him up.”

Several people engaged in conversations with the protestors before Wilson arrived, among them Pat Kirk. During her discussion with Boose, a man came up to Kirk and said, “Just get away from these clowns.”

“Oh, quit,” Kirk responded. “These are fine people.”

Kirk agrees that Wilson’s outburst during Obama’s speech was a mistake on his part.

“He is a decent person who did something inappropriate,” she said. “This is a distraction on health care concerns, and the Democrats are happy about that. They’re going about this all wrong. Our health care is some of the best of the world and just needs some tweaking. … Yet they’re creating unrealistic plans that they say won’t cost us anything. If you believe that, I have some swamp land to sell.”

Another protestor, Melissa Sherwood, disagreed. She had good insurance before she developed a life-threatening illness. Her physician prescribed some expensive medication, but the insurance company wouldn’t pay for it, she said.

“I lost my job and my insurance and had to move to Aiken to live with my retired mom,” Sherwood said. “Now I have a new job and insurance, but the new insurance company won’t pay for gall bladder surgery because they say it’s a pre-existing condition.”

It’s immoral, Sherwood said, that people “are dying every day because they don’t have health insurance. These are good Christians here, and I’m sure they are good people. But hatred is taking over our country. I don’t understand why people don’t care more about their neighbors. I can pay for health insurance, but I need it to be affordable.”

But the Republican Party has a viable option that should be getting more attention from the media, said Wilson during his address. He introduced an amendment to the majority plan that would protect TRICARE, the military’s own health care program, from being a part of the White House health care measure. Wilson also proposed another amendment that would make supporters of the Democratic plan to enroll under the public option.

Supporters handed out a two-page document furnished by Wilson in which he described his concerns with the majority plan and the public option. He contends the plan would raise health care costs, cause 100 million Americans to be forced into a government-run plan, raise $818 million in taxes on individuals and small businesses, lead to 1.6 million job losses and provide few choices for patients.

The people in San Diego, Calif., are happy with him, Wilson said. He believes the majority plan will benefit illegal aliens and currently those undocumented people are costing San Diego $600 million in health care costs, Wilson sad.

Stan and Karen Massingill said that Wilson got it right at the joint session, although not necessarily by hollering in that setting.

“But it needed to be said,” Stan Massingill said. “There’s no disrespect in saying what you believe. … Joe called the president a liar. Well, maybe he is.”

Wilson said again he appreciates the support from Aiken County residents, acknowledging that many of them are in Gresham Barrett’s Third Congressional District. Some came to Aiken from Georgia on Saturday and he appreciates that, too.

“I’ve gotten wonderful messages of support,” he said. “Not everybody feels that way. I understand that.”

Aiken Standard