8:32 PM: Who’s in the presidential box up there with Michelle. See here.
8:36 PM: Special McCain props moment.
8:37 PM: The people who want to spread lies to kill reform at any cost? Does he mean Eric Cantor?
8:38 PM: Special Palin shout-out moment …
Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.
8:42 PM: Anyone catch who that heckler was 10 or so minutes ago?
8:48 PM: Such a key point. Why does Medicare pay subsidies to private carriers to compete against it? Is it Medicare’s fault that it’s too efficient and private carriers can’t compete?
8:50 PM: What were these GOPers waving in Obama’s face?
8:53 PM: Eric Cantor caught blackberrying during the speech. That’s getting Twitter! Or something like that.
8:55 PM: Key passage …
But know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what’s in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now.
8:56 PM: Jon Cohn’s take on what the news is in the speech.
8:57 PM: “The character of our country” … speech picking up a cadence at this point. “When fortune turns against one of us …”
9:00 PM: Another key passage …
That large-heartedness – that concern and regard for the plight of others – is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people’s shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand. A belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgement that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise.
9:02 PM: “We did not come here to fear the future.”
9:03 PM: I keep thinking he’s going to say he still believes in a place called Hope. Showing my age.
9:05 PM: I’ll have some reactions to the speech in a moment. Right now we’re trying to confirm the identity of the member of Congress who stood up during the speech and called the president a liar. Pelosi was visibly shocked by it. Not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that.
9:06 PM: Why are all responses given by dudes from Louisiana?
The member of Congress who yelled that the president was a liar during the speech was Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina. Here’s his official website.
I can’t think of anything like it in recent history. Here’s the video (particularly note Pelosi’s reaction.)
Here’s the text of the letter Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) sent to President Obama to be read after his death — the one Obama referenced in the speech.
I found this a difficult speech to judge. Especially at the beginning, to the extent I could judge it from New York, there was a tense, brittle atmosphere in the room which seemed in evidence, albeit in different ways, on both sides of the aisle. It went beyond the tension I’ve seen in other such speeches — something typified by the Wilson outburst. And the uneven atmosphere was accentuated by the rather detailed and compartmentalized structure of the early parts of the speech.
It was only in the latter stages that it really began to build a cadence and rhetorical power that carried and elevated the moment, that the line items and hitting of particular points for different groups gave way to something broader and richer. Read More
CNN says support for Obama’s plans jumped 14% among those who watched the speech.
Sen. Brown (D-OH) says Obama implicitly demanded a public option.
See his answer to TPMDC’s Brian Beutler in a conference call just after the speech.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) screaming “You Lie!” at President Obama after Obama said his plan would not cover illegal immigrants. (Click on the picture to see the full size image.) It was in a way an inevitable moment — when they brought the town hall freak show into the House chamber itself.
Click here to see the video of Wilson’s outburst and reactions from Obama, Biden and Pelosi.
Late Update: Even too much for the haters? Rep. Wilson has reportedly now apologized for his outburst. His statement: “This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility.”
Latter Update: Walk Call of Shame? We’re now hearing that Rep. Wilson called the White House after the speech to apologize. We’ll try to run the details to ground.
Longtime Congress watcher TPM Reader JB chimes in …
A couple of things for you to consider in the wake of the President’s speech to Congress tonight:
First, though I worked in the House of Representatives only briefly and a long time ago, I’m pretty sure Rep. Wilson exposed himself to a motion of censure tonight. But judge for yourself: House Decorum