Rep. Wilson Plays Victim In Fund-Raising Letter For Virginia GOP

Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst may have landed him in political hot water for a few weeks but the South Carolina Republican is now using his experience to raise money for fellow GOP lawmakers.

In an email forwarded to the Huffington Post, Wilson plays the role of political victim as a means of soliciting campaign contributions for the Virginia Republican Party and the state's House Speaker Bill Howell.

"In the last two weeks, I have learned what it's like to be the No. 1 target of liberal Democrats across the nation," Wilson writes. "After the President's address to Congress, liberal activists and bloggers raised over one million dollars for my opponent--in an election that's over a year away."

The email uses the specter of ACORN and labor unions getting involved in the state elections to rally recipients into writing checks.

"Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell knows what it's like to be a target too. Virginia is one of only two states with an election this year--in just a month and a half--so he and his House Republican colleagues need your help today," the letter reads.

"Big liberal money from outside Virginia has flowed into House Democrat coffers because the Republican majority in the Virginia House has been the only firewall between Virginia citizens and the tax-and-spend agenda of a Democratic Governor and state Senate."

"Governor Tim Kaine, who spends half his time pushing a liberal agenda in Richmond and the other half as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has already committed one million dollars from the DNC treasury to House Democrats (that's on top of the $5 million he's already committed to statewide candidates)."

The evolution of Wilson from a relatively obscure southern Republican to a semi-prominent fundraiser within the party is one of the more interesting consequences of his outburst during the president's health care address before Congress. While the congressman has been widely condemned for his antics and watched as his electoral opponent raised campaign funds, being thrust to the fringe of the party hasn't been all that bad. Wilson certainly is better-known and more in demand within the conservative community today than he was three weeks ago.

Comments

[VaIndependent]

02:55 PM on 09/23/2009

I am shocked the Virginia Republican Speaker of the House would have Joe the "Liar" raising money for them! For every donation they receive they will lose an Independent vote.

[PWM]

12:51 PM on 09/23/2009

Washington Post: "Reagan, during his 1980 campaign, blamed trees for emitting 93 percent of the nation's nitrogen oxide pollution -- giving rise to jokes about 'killer trees.'"

Reality is not something the GOP can handle.


http://www.prorev.com/reagan.htm

[Budokan]

12:21 PM on 09/23/2009

Self-victimization and self-pity is what the GOOP does best. For a party that jabbers 24/7 about personal responsibility I have yet to see one of these Hate America First RepubliKans actually practice what they preach. They ALWAYS blame someone else for their limitations...and more often than not they blame a person of color.

[Imzadi]

11:24 AM on 09/23/2009

Joe, call the waaaaaaahbulance.

His apology: I'm sorry I got caught. I'm not sorry what I said.

[WhiteHat]

10:10 AM on 09/23/2009

The impromptu blurt that made this guy famous was not just rude and arrogant, but incorrect. With one childish outburst he demonstrated that he doesn't do his basic homework. Now he follows up with more proof that he doesn't care about truth or accuracy.

His half-assed apology was accepted by Obama, but he should really apologize to his voters for his sloppy and deceitful job performance. How sad to see him benefit in any way.

[bujudude]

10:02 AM on 09/23/2009

The Republicans have an odd but apparently effective method of squeezing lemonaide out of lemons: Screw up big time, blame everyone else (especially those nasty, godless liberal democrats), go on a fund-raising spree, appear on FOX and pretend (yet again) to be the defender of peace, freedom and family vaules which ONLY conservative Republicans are capable of defending.

God, I hope I live long enough to see crap end once and for all.

[fireW]

11:24 AM on 09/23/2009

Methuselah wouldn't live long enough for that. As long as there is even one single jerk on this earth who subscribes to the politics of mindless bigotry, selfishness, & ignorance, a market for the GOP will exist. This has always been true regardless of the place or historical era.

[den1953]

09:37 AM on 09/23/2009

I feel bad for the good people of Virginia that they have to see this phony act it is a insult to there intelligence! I hope the good people of South Carolina are watching this guy closely and catch his act!

[Imzadi]

11:22 AM on 09/23/2009

Virginia? He's from South Carolina.

[Imzadi]

11:25 AM on 09/23/2009

Never mind...

[fireW]

07:38 AM on 09/23/2009

This pathetic clown now claims to be a victim. If anything, he's a victim of his own arrogance & hypocrisy.

[dimplesmile7]

06:48 AM on 09/23/2009

You are no victim Joe Wilson. You Lie!

[Terypat]

05:06 AM on 09/23/2009

When a Republican yells out "you lie" to the President of the United States, then his colleagues know for sure he is not having any affairs with anyone, so he is considered a safe bet to do some fundraising. It's called Republican logic.

[onegandolf1]

09:39 AM on 09/23/2009

How do they "know for sure"? He's a republican.

Has he joined a monastery?

[kid5rivers2]

02:27 AM on 09/23/2009

At risk of sounding inconsiderate to those who truly have it ---so, one time, let me apologize--- Joe Wilson seems to be afflicted by the ailment which his parents, in their premonitory wisdom, bestowed on him as his real first name:
* Nausea, diarrhea (in his case, "verbal diarrhea") or vomiting
* Irritability
* Depression

[blood1]

12:32 AM on 09/23/2009

Now follow the facts:
1. HE called the President of the United States a liar on national television (sans F-x).
2. HE apologized for the outburst...and said it was due to all the heated rhetoric...and he just lost it, blah blah blah.
3. Then campaign donations came in for his opponent.
4. As that looked bad, then came the annoucement that he had raised as much money as his opponent, but soon, Wilson's campaign donors will be on line, so we can see who exactly gave what...and how much of HIS money was from Virginians.
5. Then he got a hand slap from his fellow congressmen and congress women.
6. Then the GOP floated the idea that all of this was President Obama's fault
7. Now Wilson is saying "he is the victim".

So you say something, you apologize and get censured....and then you are trying to blame someone else.....PLEASE, no one is stupid enough to believe that tall tale.

[alguien]

12:52 AM on 09/23/2009

i'm sure there are plenty of republicans who'd fit the bill.

[One more Thing]

09:37 PM on 09/22/2009

"Virginia is for Liars" ??

I don't think so!

[Dhammi]

09:13 PM on 09/22/2009

Poor Wilson - he might consider having his mouth wired shut before he puts his foot in it again. If he can't stand the consequences he might think long and hard about the act (before he speaks)!

[fireW]

07:46 AM on 09/23/2009

If he were actually capable of thinking before speaking, there would not be an issue involving this turkey in the first place.

[bohite]

08:45 PM on 09/22/2009

In the Republican party the label of " Anus Equinus" makes you a member of the elite club. Mr Wilson earned that title with honors with his classless performance during the President visit to congress.