Barack Obama's political opponents have no trouble challenging the President but they generally don't shout at him as he addresses Congress. Representative Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, didn't let decorum get in his way on Sept. 9, when he called out "You lie!" as Obama delivered a speech about health care reform to a joint session of Congress. Wilson called the White House that night and apologized to chief of staff Rahm Emanuel for the outburst; he also released a statement conceding, "I let my emotions get the best of me." But the breach of protocol was neither forgiven nor forgotten by Democrats, who clamored for Wilson to apologize on the House floor, which he refused to do. In fact, Wilson refused to make any further apologies after the night of the outburst. Days later, colleagues voted mostly along party lines to formally reprimand Wilson; donations poured into his likely Democratic challenger, Rob Miller, who raised $1 million within 48 hours of the infamous heckle. However, demonstrating that even rudeness can be profitable in Washington, Wilson went on to raise $2.7 million in donations that quarter, more than anyone else running for the House.
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists