Alan Grayson Responds To George Will's 'Worst Politician' Column

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who will not return to Washington in January after losing his midterm contest to Republican Dan Webster, has responded to conservative columnist George Will's branding of him as "America's Worst Politician" in a pre-election piece.

"I wonder if [George Will] ever comes out of the small dark room he works out of?" Grayson told The Hill in a recent interview.

Following up, The Hill asked Will if his workspace could actually be considered a "dark room," to which the columnist responded that he worked "out of a building that's one of the older townhouses in Georgetown, 1811 or 1812. It's very light and pretty."

In his column, Will attacked Grayson for a number of his political ads and called his political rhetoric "schoolyard crude."

While the tone of his piece would suggest that Will likely took pleasure in Grayson's defeat, news Tuesday is propping up reports that the fiery progressive congressman is unlikely to fade away into obscurity after he is replaced early next year.

According to Roll Call, Grayson blasted out a message to supporters Tuesday reminding people that the progressive cause will be championed after he departs Congress, and perhaps hoping to ensure that his own profile isn't forgotten:

"I'd like you to get to know Reps. Ellison and Grijalva, and for them to get to know you," Grayson wrote. "So I've set up a webpage -- RIGHT HERE -- where you can offer a comment, an idea, a suggestion, a hope, or a prayer to these two leaders." The e-mail takes supporters to a Web spreadsheet where they can give "ideas and advice" to Ellison and Grijalva.

"In January, I will no longer be in Congress. But the truth is that whatever power I have had always came from you. From people with a conscience. Reps. Ellison and Grijalva recognize that, too," Grayson wrote. "Let them hear from you."

Some have posited that Grayson, with his often heated language and speaking style, is warming the airwaves for a potential foray into the cable news circuit while he mulls a possible return to electoral politics.

Comments

[Eileenla]

02:13 AM on 12/10/2010

George Will's columns have confounded me for years. I've never understood how someone of his apparent intellect could take perfectly sound information, contextualize it in an incredibly stupid way and not realize how ridiculous his conclusions wound up sounding. The level of cognitive dissonance in the man is truly astounding. The only thing more astounding is that he continues to be published in national magazines.

[throwcautiontothewind]

10:54 AM on 01/05/2011

Years ago he argued against "Motor Voter" opportunities for people to sign up to vote when they re/registered their cars. He used spurious logic to cover the fact that he didn't want the "masses" to vote.

[Steelsil]

12:08 AM on 12/10/2010

George Wills - American's worst pundit who isn't actually working for Faux 'News.'

[bannorhill]

05:46 PM on 12/11/2010

No he is worse than anyone on Fox.

[Twinz48]

08:59 PM on 12/09/2010

Is George Will still alive?

[Steelsil]

12:09 AM on 12/10/2010

I have to admit it's hard to tell.

[throwcautiontothewind]

10:55 AM on 01/05/2011

Ha!!

[Betrayed]

08:34 PM on 12/09/2010

Grayson, you're a sore LOSER.

[odinfellow]

04:10 PM on 12/15/2010

While you are just a LOSER. Classy.

[hobo62]

07:48 PM on 12/09/2010

Actually Grayson should take Will's statement as an endorsement.

[CalRic]

07:25 PM on 12/09/2010

Does George Will realize that when he talks about "Worsts," that he has the Worst Toupe" on television?

[throwcautiontothewind]

10:55 AM on 01/05/2011

True--even worse than Donald Trump's real hair.

[HST]

07:13 PM on 12/09/2010

The republicants have denied benefits for the unemployed, voted down a bill that would give healthcare to 9/11 first responders and attacked a little boy who testified in favor of the SCIP program, but Grayson is a "schoolyard bully".

Yeah, right!

[retired-engineer]

07:03 PM on 12/09/2010

Alan Grayson is not without talent. He spent time working for the Supreme Court. His style of being frank and to the point irritates some. Perhaps some how the Obama team can utilize his talents as a speaker in confronting non-sensical arguments raised by opponents of the administration. He would seem to make an excellent aide for the Democratic leadership team in either the House or Senate. This man has prosecutorial talents that command respect. Just because someone can embarrass the opposition with powerful rhetoric does not make him undesirable. The Nation can benefit from hearing arguments pro and con on issues. He tenaciously went after possible accounting abuses by the Federal Reserve. He is most effective in debate but irritates the opposition whom I think might be just jealous of his oratorical skills and cleverness. He is certainly entertaining but not to the opposition. That he was so effective in his presentations in the House has been underscored by the Nation-wide campaign of Republicans to topple him. After all he was one of their top targets for this past election. We need to recognize that just as there are two sides to a coin so there are two sides to issues raised in the House, Senate, and news media. No one should be allowed to put a "muzzle" on those representing views on either side of an issue. The money poured in to defeat Grayson was likely gigantic - attesting to his intellectual and effective ways of debate.

[bannorhill]

09:51 PM on 12/09/2010

You would think with his experiance he would have learned to tell the truth.

[Steelsil]

12:10 AM on 12/10/2010

The Republicans are going to be sorry they opposed him, because he will find a more influential role to play than Congressman.  :)

[bannorhill]

08:41 AM on 12/10/2010

Like dog catcher?

[bg66astoria]

06:42 PM on 12/09/2010

Dear Rachel & Keith & Sen. Sanders.

Please have Alan Grayson on as much as possible.

We have to start building TDS, TRMS, CD, etc. into a progressive circuit & press the FCC/DOJ for Sherman Anti-trust & FCC strongly limiting the number of broadcast stations that can be owned/affiliated with a network. We also have to re-split program 'casters/cablers/websites up so that they are horizontally & vertically integrated.

We need more real discussion in every US market.

What we have is too few owners & too few opinions & opinions that are really different as opposed to right-center right, further right center right, wingnut center right & milquetoast center right.The only truth telling progressives let on the pundit shows, etc. are The Nation & David Corn (Mother Jones).

[dbawden]

07:33 PM on 12/09/2010

ditto and get this guy in the national democratic party leadership with Dean and Feingold to figure out the game plan for 2012.

[stoptalkingdosomething]

12:25 AM on 12/10/2010

Very good, also, do you think we can help Alan get a radio show to rival Limbaugh/Beck and the rest of the rightwing nuts.

[AllAboutNothing]

02:33 PM on 01/05/2011

Good idea. Both RL & Becky would be near stroke time when eh gets through with them.

[j0hnwi11iams]

06:35 PM on 12/09/2010

Conservatives have absolutely no ability to self reflect. This is a necessary prerequisite for pathological liars.

[bannorhill]

08:43 AM on 12/10/2010

Grayson is the documented liar not the conservatives.

[RosanneofTennessee]

11:11 PM on 12/11/2010

No, the documented liar told us there were WMD and nobody was being tortured when Abu Grahib was going on under his very nose.

[Allan Dale Gagnon]

04:40 PM on 12/09/2010

Some damn fine suggestions here, especially getting Grayson into the White House. WE need a guy with a backbone that isn't afraid to tell the truth even if it hurts.

[pennlady]

10:09 PM on 12/09/2010

Fanned

[Cookieman62]

09:54 AM on 12/10/2010

Grayson proved in the last campaign that he is not capable of telling the truth. Why would anyone want to hear from someone who got himself FIRED because he couldn't run a truthful campaign?

[TomJoad1965]

04:16 PM on 12/09/2010

George Will throws like a girl!

[deweydecimal]

02:49 PM on 12/09/2010

George Will has never uttered or written anything remotely insightful or approaching the truth. He is the perfect example of failing upwards.

[loudneighbor]

03:20 PM on 12/09/2010

He's pretty good on the topic of baseball.

[UberdanSounds]

04:17 PM on 12/09/2010

I know, I used to try & read his column just to see what he was saying...BIG MISTAKE! The guy is a major disappointment for the English language. He's one of those people that rambles on & on & says absolutely nothing.

[quorthon]

05:26 PM on 12/09/2010

Recalling my college philosophy classes from way back when, it was called "sophistry."

[Emmy Woodhouse]

06:26 PM on 12/09/2010

Isn't he paid by the word?

[tacevad]

02:43 PM on 12/09/2010

In my more perfect world of the future Rep Grayson would at least replace Pat Buchannon as a fixture on my teevee .

[repugnicansfearme]

02:36 PM on 12/09/2010

Is George Will the real Mark Trail? Or is he some other comic strip or cartoon character from the 1950's? Oh, he likes baseball, so he has to be cool.