I posted on my political blog about the shout heard around the nation last night.
Here’s the issue from a media angle: The Democrats were starting to turn on each other after a pretty ugly recess. Many were starting to pull away from a Public Options and there as some signs of splintering.
With two disrespectful words Joe Wilson shifted the focus from the actual debate about the bill, and colored the entire opposition as disrespectful jerks. So instead of talking about a major piece of legislation, we are talking about whether Wilson has apologized enough, or whether Republicans can engage in civil debate.
From a public relations standpoint, this was huge. From a public opinion standpoint it was bigger. With two words Wilson may have engendered more sympathy for the healthcare bill than anything the President said.
Scott Link Media 