In response to reports that the Democratic challenger to South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson had received $100,000 in contributions overnight from 3,000 individuals, nationally syndicated conservative talk show host Mike Gallagher took to the airwaves this morning to raise money for the now controversial 5-term Representative.
Wilson became a lightning rod for the Democratic Party after his outburst during President Barack Obama's speech on health insurance before a joint session of Congress last night. Wilson could be heard shouting "You lie!" after President Obama stated his health insurance plan would not cover illegal immigrants.
Gallagher called Representative Wilson a "hero" in standing up to the President and vowed he could raise in 30 minutes from listeners to his program the $100,000 opponents of Wilson raised overnight for 2008 (and 2010) Democratic challenger Rob Miller.
Gallagher was one of the early proponents of the on-line "Free Our Health Care Now" petition - whose 1.3 million signatures against the Democratic health care plan were delivered to lawmakers yesterday in D.C. before Obama's speech.
After a self-identified Republican called into Gallagher's program to criticize Rep. Wilson for his outburst - behavior the caller said conservatives criticized of liberals in their treatment of President George W. Bush during the past eight years - Gallagher told his listeners they needed to stand up for Wilson. Gallagher stated if Republicans did not stand with Wilson now, and "chickened out," they were the cause of the problems of the Republican Party today.
Gallagher then opened up his phone lines for phone contributions to Rep. Wilson's campaign.
After a five minute commercial break, Gallagher claimed his phone lines had crashed due to the overwhelming response from his listeners, and subsequently directed his audience to go to the Congressman's campaign website to contribute.
Gallagher said he would be making an on-line contribution after his show today.
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Joe Wilson from South Carolina, is just another good old boy where in the morning these married men preach to you that there should be prayer in our schools and in the evening they are on their cell phones setting up a date with their other women on the side, hypocrisy has been bred in. I am not surprised that he felt compel to yell like he was at some Friday night game. He is a hater not a debater like most of his side of the isle.
Phone lines crashed? Riiiight...
"In my opinion, conservative activists, who seem to believe that the louder they shout the more correct their beliefs must be, are less angry about Obama’s policies than they are about having lost the White House in 2008. They are primarily Republican Party hacks trying to overturn the election results, not representatives of a true grassroots revolt against liberal policies. If that were the case they would have been out demonstrating against the Medicare drug benefit, the Sarbanes-Oxley bill, and all the pork-barrel spending that Bush refused to veto".
"Until conservatives once again hold Republicans to the same standard they hold Democrats, they will have no credibility and deserve no respect. They can start building some by admitting to themselves that Bush caused many of the problems they are protesting. Conservatives have an absurdly unjustified view that Republicans have a better record on federal finances." conservative economist Bruce Bartlett
THREE CHEERS FOR REP. JOE WILSON!!!
He chose truth over "proper protocol" and called Obama's sales pitch what it was: A LIE!!!
Joe Wilson had the courage to tell this pseudo emperor that he was standing there before the voters Stark Naked!
Thank you Rep. Wilson. I pray there are many more in our Congress and Senate who will stiffen their back bones and do just what you did. Otherwise, there will be new representatives and senators in their place in 2010.
You and Sara Palin can help get this country back on the right track.
Roselie Day