Joe Wilson’s outburst during Barack Obama’s address to the nation over the healthcare debate is the partisan gift that keeps on giving, as Jimmy Carter’s gone stirring the pot again.

Carter, in an interview with NBC, drew on his decades of experience as a southerner and said while the south and the country in general have made great strides regarding race relations, that a lot of the criticism lobbed at President Obama is based in the inability to accept a black man as Commander in Chief. Carter said:

“That racism inclination still exists, and I think it’s bubbled up to the surface because of belief among many white people — not just in the South but around the country — that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It’s an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”

Not everyone agrees, though- Michael Steele, first black chair of the RNC, expressed his displeasure at Carter’s POV in a statement:

“President Carter is flat out wrong. This isn’t about race. It is about policy. This is a pathetic distraction by Democrats to shift attention away from the president’s wildly unpopular government-run health care plan that the American people simply oppose. Injecting race into the debate over critical issues facing American families doesn’t create jobs, reform our health care system or reduce the growing deficit. It only divides Americans rather than uniting us to find solutions to challenges facing our nation.”

Unfortunately for Carter, the remarks seemed to polarize people even further. While the left nodded in agreement about what they perceive as an ongoing effort to delegitimize our first black president, the right bristled at what they see as attempts to silence their opinions with accusations of racism. What do you think? Below is a video of Carter discussing his view of the controversy surrounding President Obama and the healthcare debate.

Jimmy Carter says attacks on Obama partially based on race is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nancy Pelosi: clearly not a Single Ladies fan. Video:

Video: Kanye West interrupts Obama’s speech is a post from: The Inquisitr

There has been a lot of furor over the insult shown to President Obama during his speech to Congress by Rep Joe Wilson’s outburst calling the president a liar during the speech.

However he wasn’t the only Republican to show disrespect to the president during the speech. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) walked out while Obama was giving his speech.

"Congressman Shimkus was frustrated that the president was not offering any new ground and left with just minutes remaining in the speech," spokesman Steven Tomaszewski said Thursday in response to a query from the Tribune.

I guess he’s kind of lucky that Wilson decided to open his mouth the way he did or people might be talking about Shimkus the same way.

Wilson wasn’t the only one to diss the President during his speech is a post from: The Inquisitr

In just two words, Rep. Joe Wilson directed a decent amount of cheddar to fight his re-election.

Democrat Rob Miller is challenging Wilson for his seat in 2010, and not long after Rep. Wilson made headlines by shouting “you lie!” at Barack Obama as he spoke before Congress and the country, money began pouring into Miller’s campaign coffers by the thousands. In less than a day, the DNC reported that $100,000 has been raised so far to defeat Wilson. (Miller lost to Wilson in 2008 by eight points.)

While Wilson released a statement about an hour and a half after the speech claiming his “emotions got the better of (him)” (right, because he was the only dude in the room with strong feelings on the subject), it appears the damage to his campaign may already be done. Republicans and Democrats alike have condemned the outburst, and while many may agree with the sentiment, his method of conveying it was certainly embarrassing and disrespectful.

As of this posting, both Miller and Wilson’s sites remain down due to high traffic. In the meantime, you can visit “Joe Wilson is Your Pre-Existing Condition,” which is still online.

Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” drums up $100K for opponent Rob Miller is a post from: The Inquisitr