How come all the righties who drop by here and tell me to “read the bill” — very obviously haven’t read “the bill”?

For that matter, they seem unaware that there isn’t any one “bill” but several versions of bills floating around in Congress at the moment. However, the one being referred to as “the bill” is H.R. 3200, which I believe is the only version that’s advanced enough to have been published. It’s on the Thomas Library of Congress website.

The charge was that President Obama was lying about illegal immigrants not getting free health care. Rep. Wilson heckled the President on this point, and today a number of rightiebots are marching around saying “Obama lied read the bill … Obama lied read the bill… Obama lied read the bill.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you this bit from H.R. 3200:

SEC. 246. NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.

Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

So if H.R. 3200 is “the bill,” then it was Wilson who lied, not Obama.

Recently the Annenberg “Fact Check” site published “Twenty-six Lies About H.R. 3200,” which answers a viral email being spread by health care reform opponents. It’s a good resource. Of course, there’s nothing better than finding the precise wording in “the bill” itself to show the “read the bill” crowd that they ought to read the bill.

I watched on MSNBC and didn’t see what Dana Milbank saw:

Wilson was only the most flagrant. There was booing from House Republicans when the president caricatured a conservative argument by saying they would “leave individuals to buy health insurance on their own.” They hissed when he protested their “scare tactics.” They grumbled as they do in Britain’s House of Commons when Obama spoke of the “blizzard of charges and countercharges.”

When he asserted that “nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have,” there was scoffing and outright laughter on the GOP side. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) shook his head in disbelief. Several Republicans shouted “What plan?” and Rep. Louis Gohmert (Tex.) waved at Obama a handwritten poster he made on a letter-size piece of paper: “WHAT PLAN?” Gohmert then took that down and replaced it with another handmade poster that said “WHAT BILL?”

The only part of this bad behavior that came across on MSNBC was Rep. Joe Wilson yelling “You lie!” (video below)

But while the majority of both parties’ lawmakers behaved as adults, the insolence by House Republicans stole the show. There was derisive laughter on that side of the chamber when Obama noted that “there remain some significant details to be ironed out.” They applauded as he spoke of “all the misinformation that’s been spread over the past few months.” They laughed again when he said that “many Americans have grown nervous about reform.”

When Obama addressed the charge that he plans “panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens,” someone on the GOP side shouted out “shame!” The president went on: “Such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical.” “Read the bill!” someone shouted back. Obama mentioned those who accuse him of a government takeover of health care. “It’s true,” someone shouted back.

Anyone else see this?

The antics continued when Obama urged opponents to “come to me with a serious set of proposals.” About 20 Republican members raised copies of the GOP health-reform proposal over their heads. They raised their props again when Obama criticized those who think “it’s better politics to kill this plan than improve it.”

Some GOP congresspersons were observed to be texting during crucial parts of the speech.