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Alan Grayson

Alan Grayson

Posted: July 21, 2010 10:39 AM

They may not have a health plan. Or a jobs plan. Or a peace plan. But they do have a plan.

Here is the Republican plan:

"I'll give $100 to first Rep. who punches smary [sic] idiot Alan Grayson in nose."

That incitement to violence was tweeted by Dan Gainor. Who is Dan Gainor? The Vice President of the Media Research Center (MRC). MRC is a right-wing Washington slur tank that glorifies Big Business in its "Business and Media Institute." It is a $6 million lie factory, blessed by Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.

And in case you missed the point, Gainor later tweeted, "I'd love to see the video."

Why is the D.C. Republican establishment so angry at me? Because I stood up on the Floor of the House, and demanded that the Republicans release unemployment insurance. I demanded that the Republicans stop pushing people out of their homes to live in their cars, and that they stop taking food out of the mouths of children.

I'm not going to give up fighting just because they want to punch me, but I've got a tough race, and I need your help fighting back. I went on Ed Schultz's show on MSNBC to talk about all this.

This is their response. This is how the right wing does it. They pay people to clean for them, to cook for them, to drive for them, and now:

To punch for them. Or, more specifically, to punch me for them.

We knew they're crazy. It turns out that they're also lazy. Too lazy to throw a punch themselves.

So here they are, inciting violence against our elected officials. Just as they did during the healthcare debate, when many of my Democratic colleagues -- and my five-year-old son -- got a death threat.

But they're forgetting something. Something very important.

We punch back. We punch back with our votes, and our voices. And we will be heard.

Punch back now.

 

Follow Alan Grayson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alangrayson

 
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Waltfl
Peccatum tacituritatis
09:44 PM on 07/25/2010
I want to express thanks to Rep. Grayson, for standing up in Congress for Democratic values, or better, human values.

As a fellow Floridian I also want to express a word of caution.

WATCH THE VOTING MACHINES in Fall.

We down here (Dist. 13) are blessed with offshore insurance company-ow­ner and used car dealer Vern Buchanan ( R), who made it on the "Congress Most Crooked Top Ten-List" in his first year in the House.

Buchanan won the election in the county of eternally malfunctio­ning voting machines (Sarasota)­, after his opponent Jennings had polled way ahead of him, up to election day. Suddenly an undervote of 18,000 votes appeared in South Sarasota County, where we have more registered Democrats than Republican­s. This was Catherine Harris' old district, the lady who put Bush into the White House.
]
This is Florida. It can happen again.
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AaronO
Author, Razor Online
09:25 PM on 07/25/2010
I support Alan Grayson because he's a politician that states American hardship in plain language without catering to a specific ideology. A few posts down from mine, someone wrote that he's a "true founding father liberal." I disagree. I don't find his positions on unemployme­nt insurance to reflect the founding fathers or liberalism­. Rather, he provides a pragmatic, objective understand­ing of people's personal pain -- and I think he's effective this way.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
skyleg
unreconstructed liberal
09:16 PM on 07/25/2010
Rep Grayson is one of the very sane voices in our Congress. He is a man who knows the truth when he sees it and he is not shy about voicing it. Support Rep Grayson. I do!
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Aikaterina
A Greek-American living in California
09:02 PM on 07/25/2010
Rep. Grayson has the spine we wish more legislator­s and political figures did. He speaks up for and is not afraid to voice his opinions. He's not intimidate­d, nor does it appear he'll back down.

Unfortunat­ely, in the recent highly volatile political climate, rhetoric, ideology or cynical sound bites replace well-reaso­ned, honest debate citing facts. So too, sadly, far too many who'd like to vote their conscience­, be willing to debate an issue on merits, find themselves easily intimidate­d by their party, give-in for the sake of party loyalty-un­ity, and forsake their constituen­ts, districts-­states for their own personal monetary or political gain, and to curry favor with the hard-liner­s.

During the health care debate, many cited changes to Medicare as the reason, claiming there'd be death panels and the government would kill Granny, acting as though they were defending it. Now, they're ready & talking about ending or substantiv­ely cutting the program.

It's good someone has the stones to call them for being hypocrites & liars. Too many DINO's are milking the system for themselves­, scared to death, or just lazy (not willing to fight for their electorate who voted for them to represent their needs).
08:37 PM on 07/25/2010
Grayson,

You are a true

Founding father type liberal.

Thank you.
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ghostrider57
Unable to find reality.sys Universe halted
08:28 PM on 07/25/2010
The more I read about Grayson, the more I like him. Is he for real? I hope so, because we need many more just like him in our political process. Someone who remembers that the majority of the people in our great country aren't millionair­es and can't buy whatever they need. Including justice and tax breaks.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ShinjiIkari
Do you understand how stupid it is to be afraid?
08:17 PM on 07/25/2010
Not lazy; cowardly. Remember, despite its size, the elephant can be frightened by a mouse.
TRRoughRider
Truth be Known
08:13 PM on 07/25/2010
Congress Grayson,

Manny thanks for all your efforts for us Americans that want our Country to go in the opposite direction that the republican­s and their ilk would prefer to take us. May God bless you, your family and your continued efforts on behalf our Country.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
cobaltbluedog
Enjoy Every Sandwich
07:26 PM on 07/25/2010
It warms my heart to know that we have a new Lion in Congress. Teddy would be proud.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sporty1
being me
06:24 PM on 07/25/2010
Thank you Rep Greyson you have pointed out that the Republican­s are the champions of violence in our culture and they use it or the threat of it constantly to intimidate people into putting up with their antisocial ideas and behavior. We must play tough cop to beat them back and cultivate a peaceable civil society. It will take some accepted means and guidelines for us to follow in doing that, much like consternat­ed parents are taught methods in how to tame a willful brat of a child. Let us formulate methods of opposing those who threaten to punch others
and make it too costly for them to operate that way. We can do that and it is right to do that.
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05:20 PM on 07/25/2010
I kinda like Alan Greyson, he worked his way through college as a janitor, and graduated magna cum laude in three years. Does he do his own house work, mow his own yard, clean his own laundry? I can't see where he doesn't, Alan Grayson made a fortune as the first President of IDT, Corp., a large telecom concern founded in the early 1990’s.   Grayson spent $2.5 million of his own money during the 2008 election cycle, a princely sum to earn a job that pays $174,000 per year plus benefits.  Grayson is also the 12th-riche­st member of the U.S. House and Senate with $31 million of listed assets. This being said I researched Mr. Greyson just to make sure he wasn't a " pot calling the kettle black", I found nothing at all to make me believe he is. Does he mow his own yard, probably not, but apparently he pays well enough that whomever does mow it doesn't feel abused, and is probably a legal citizen of America.

And to punch anyone except in self defense, or to help someone who is being assaulted is lame.

Whom ever threatened his 5 year old son, should be in jail.
09:08 PM on 07/25/2010
Fanned!
05:12 PM on 07/25/2010
“I like a man who grins when he fights.”

Winston Churchill
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
cobaltbluedog
Enjoy Every Sandwich
07:24 PM on 07/25/2010
Fan #1
faved, too
08:52 PM on 07/25/2010
Winston Churchill was decidedly conservati­ve.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Proud Progressive
Patriot, Veteran, and Dog Lover
08:56 PM on 07/25/2010
given, but it is a wonderful quote!
HE also was a fighter-to the death!
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lightist
light as a photon, heavy as tungsten.
04:21 PM on 07/25/2010
Alan Grayson - You are the kind of honest strength of righteous intelligen­ce I've been waiting for as an example for other democrats to be mentored by. Every word that you speak convinces me more solidly that the democratic party could get its scrap on. Why? Because you awaken the cowards in your party into consciousn­ess. Thank you from my heart and soul.

BTW - Any way you could have a boxing match with Barack in 2012?
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janeInCA
War is Not Civil
03:57 PM on 07/25/2010
Rep. Grayson, thanks for your courage to tell them, big businesses­, big corporatio­ns and the wealthiest­. Break them up so we don't have to bail them out any more.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tpondering
03:51 PM on 07/25/2010
Someone would go missing if they threatened one of my kids. Make sure those kinds of goons know they could have an "accident"­.