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Sunday, October 11, 2009

This guy is going to scare the Democratic establishment to death
Posted by Jill | 6:41 AM




My Deany-sense is going off big-time. Alan Grayson is a star -- a real progressive star. He doesn't give a shit about whether the Republicans' feelings are hurt or whether the insurance industry will start donating. $31 million of your own money will do that. Of course the usual reactionary wingnut churls will call him a hypocrite and ask why he doesn't use his own money to buy health insurance for others. After all, their hero, Eric Cantor, told a woman to have her cancer-stricken friend beg for charity. It's how Republicans think: I Got Mine and Fuck You. Alan Grayson should pay for health care. He should pay more than we do, because he has more than we do. It's called taxes. They're supposed to work FOR people, instead of for waging pointless wars in countries that did nothing to us.

Grayson is dangerous to the established order. He's dangerous because he's not a pretty, slick lawyer with a big toothy smile like John Edwards. He's dangerous because he's a smart Jewish guy from the Bronx; a zhlubby, stocky guy with bad taste in suits and an unrepaired gap in his teeth who looks like a Mob enforcer and sounds like the class wag. He appropriates Republican terms like "nattering nabobs of negativism" and turns them back on the obstructionists like a flaming turd. He's a master of the sound bite, but he's rough around the edges. The helmet-heads of the mainstream media; the Tweetys and the Stephanopouli, the Noonans and the Buchanans, the Scarboroughs and the Frums, will all have the vapors at his unpolished exterior, his sometimes duh-sounding voice that belies a mind like a steel trap, and his unabashed liberalism. And Grayson won't care. He doesn't have to. Grayson can go back to the Aliance for Aging Research (which he founded). He can go back to the practice of government contracts law and represent whistleblowers. But for our sake, we hope he doesn't have to. Because forget about the Republicans for a minute. We need Grayson to try to keep his own party honest -- a party populated by corporatist whores like Max Baucus and Blanche Lincoln and Evan Bayh -- and Rahm Emanuel. We need Grayson to stay there and MAKE them honest brokers. And I hope he learned from Howard Dean's experience in dealing with the hackocracy that when you are the embodiment of the party's conscience, you have to watch your back every stinkin' minute.

(Update for "Grayheads": Video from Grayson's Town Hall meeting, 10/12/09.)

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11 Comments:
Blogger Toby said...
I like Grayson for every reason you mentioned... he's spunky and throws it back at the republicans and I am glad that somebody is. Frankly the hackocracy is wearing thin very thin.

Blogger D. said...
I hope he's got the stamina for it. Not to mention the squeaky-clean private life and the Teflon.

Blogger Harold Fowler said...
Wow this dude is clearly a MAJOR egg head!

RT
www.true-privacy.net.tc

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Did he say anything aside from how Democrats are great caring people and Republicans and selfish and inhuman? I'd like to see something other than a feel-good session and pat on the back.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Ladies and Gentlemen: 2010's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Bravo to Rep. Grayson. It's about time someone had enough spine to stand up to the lying Republicans and call them on their lies, misinformation, manipulation, fear-mongering, hate-mongering and incompetence. Keep up the great work, sir!

Anonymous Anonymous said...
We need more of his ilk... Many many more.

Blogger viskarenvisla said...
Alan Grayson is a golden, shining god.

Blogger Batocchio said...
Thanks, Jill. It's so refreshing to hear a guy speak this candidly and accurately, and take pride in a great tradition.

Blogger Cirze said...
Wonderful reporting, Jill.

I only hope everyone learns from this.

S

And I hope he learned from Howard Dean's experience in dealing with the hackocracy

Blogger Unknown said...
I've heard Grayson speak a number of times, in interviews on various programs and tapes of his House speeches and have to say that he is the 'real deal' - he is genuine, honest, and truly believes what he is saying. His views on the passing of the Health Care Reforms are quite interesting and I hope Speaker Pelosi takes him seriously (read: I hope she bothers to listen to him).

Given the USSC decision that gives the corporations of the United States the power to purchase politicians, I pray that Congressman Grayson will be able to win re-election, but - when it comes time for the Obama run for 2012, if Joe is feeling a bit old (and it isn't uncommon to change the VP after the first term), Grayson wouldn't be such a bad choice - after all, a Florida Democrat could go a long way in delivering several EC votes ... that would open the door for Grayson in 2016 ... I'm just thinking .... ;-)