Twenty-Four Hours Later: More From Wilson, For Miller

Rob Miller

Last night, at a little past 12:15 a.m., I wrote about “one important way in which the power of communication has changed hands from the few in Washington to the multitudes across the country.”

This was based on the $50,500 that Rob Miller had raised, completely as a result of being the named opponent of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, whose outburst to the entire chamber of Congress of “You lie!” directed at President Obama was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in about 15 years of active engagement with politics.

It was a complete debasement of the political process and also of basic human propriety.

The Internet noticed.

I concluded last night’s post — after acknowledging Rep. Wilson’s apology — by writing:

By both public shaming and by campaign dollars, Representative Joe Wilson — and hopefully all politicians of all stripes — realized tonight that people can spread messages nearly as quick as you can say them. People who abhor the things you say can respond to — and counteract — your message just as quickly

I based that, of course, off of Wilson’s written apology and news of his phone call to the President, which was taken by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Then, today happened.

Twenty-four hours later, two things are clear: Wilson’s learned nothing and I had dramatically underestimated how many people agreed with me about how destructive Wilson’s outburst was.

Rob Miller — a person very, very few of us had even heard of 28 hours ago running for a seat very few of us had ever thought about — had raised more than $675,000 from 18,494 people on ActBlue alone for his race.

It has been reported that he spent $700,000 on his entire congressional race against Wilson in 2008.  Counting all his fund-raising — including by methods outside of ActBlue — Miller raised as much in 27 hours as he raised in his entire run last time.

Astounding.

And yet, it’s not done yet.

Far from remaining quiet and apologetic, Rep. Wilson, realizing no doubt as Miller’s money expanded exponentially throughout the day that his congressional future hangs in the balance, decided to justify his behavior — and ask folks for money.  He explained that his outburst happened because of emotional conversations he had with constituents — as passionate as he is on this issue — during the recess.  He told them: “I will not be muzzled.  I will speak up and speak loudly against this risky plan.”

His crescendo climaxes with a Rovian miracle.  He twists the very understandable, common-sense opposition to his Joint Session of Congress Temper Tantrum into: “They want to silence anyone who speaks out against it.”

No, this did not happen to any of the many — even extreme — opponents of Obama’s goals for health care reform.  Just you.  Just the guy who showed no sense of propriety or common decency toward the President or Congress — despite being an elected member (for now) of the latter.

Decide for yourself below the jump whether Wilson’s “apology” of last night was genuine, and then decide if you want to visit Rob Miller’s ActBlue page one more time.

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