Alan Grayson: People Like a Democrat with Guts

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Congress

(grayson.house.gov)

Democratic Representative Alan Grayson of Florida, who has come under fire from Republicans for suggesting on the House floor Tuesday night that "Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick," said in an interview with CBSNews.com Wednesday that the response to his comments has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"People are calling us from all over the country to congratulate us for telling the truth," he said. "People are happy to see a Democrat with guts."

Asked if he expected Republicans to put forward a resolution of disapproval criticizing him for his comments, Grayson said he expected that it would happen, though he is "quite sure it won't pass." Rep. Tom Price of Georgia has drafted a resolution rapping Grayson for "a breach of decorum and degraded the integrity and proceedings of the House," though he has not yet introduced it.

"A resolution like that doesn't save one human being's life," Grayson said, arguing that it instead will give people reason to focus "yet again on the fact that the other side is incapable of even coming up with an alternative" to Democrats' health care reform efforts.

A similar resolution of disapproval criticizing Republican Rep. Joe Wilson for yelling "you lie!" during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress was passed earlier this month.

Asked his position on that resolution, Grayson said the two situations are "not the same thing."
"I don't know how anybody can equate what I said on the floor…with rudely interrupting the president," he said.

In response to Republican calls for him to apologize for his initial comments, Grayson was defiant on the House floor Wednesday afternoon, offering an apology not to Republicans but "to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America," a reference to Congress' inability to pass a health care reform bill.

Grayson said in the interview Wednesday that "no one, other that these Republicans who are desperate to change the subject, has asked me to apologize."

The freshman Orlando-area representative, who hails from a swing district and is reportedly being targeted by Republicans in the 2010 election, said he is not worried that his opponents will use the controversy against him.

"No one's drumming me out of office. I beat a forth-term Republican incumbent [in 2008]," he said.

"I'm not going anywhere," Grayson added. "I don't even have an opponent yet."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by SD92040 October 23, 2009 1:34 PM EDT: Good move! Grayson was elected on Obama's coattails in a Republican leaning district. With his progressive ideology I'm sure the voters will embrace him next election.....

NOT! He will be soooo out on his a$$......

Enjoy!; Reply to this comment


by now1informed October 9, 2009 6:58 PM EDT: Stand firm "Super Gray" - bravo!!! it is about time someone stood up for his beliefs.; Reply to this comment

by mcbeims October 1, 2009 11:55 PM EDT

Thousands of people die every day, not because they lack affordable health insurance, but because all people eventually die. If he really believes that Republicans want sick Americans to die, then the people of Florida should vote this guy out. A government run health system will force the ill to die with their trillion dollar bureaucracy that will try to "save" taxpayer money by discontinuing service to them. This takeover of healthcare will be a momentous step of the US govt towards tyranny. Who is John Galt?

Reply to this comment


by KPeters_from_UK October 2, 2009 2:29 AM EDT: The numbers ARE NOT FOR NATURAL CAUSES.

The death rate of 40,000 was due to lack of medical care not because old granny at the age of 92 decided it was time to go NNNOOOOOO it was because someone with a history of heart failure couldn't visit the doctor regularly and didn't have the money for his heart meds or the young woman who couldn't afford her diabetes insulin.

Your statement: If he really believes that Republicans want sick Americans to die, then the people of Florida should vote this guy out.

And yet are you saying that it would be more believable that Democrats want people to die with the DEATH PANELS"? Sarah Palin believes Democrats want old people to die or she would never have repeated it over and over again.

Why does the French and German health sustem work so well?

Why do the Scandinavian countries have higher index levels such as quality of like and longer life expectancy?

I ask these type of questions before but not one Republican has bothered to answer.


by KPeters_from_UK October 1, 2009 1:01 PM EDT: by aggitta October 1, 2009 10:55 AM EDT
45% Of Doctors Would Consider Quitting If Congress Passes Health Care Overhaul

I found an excellent site belittling the IBD "article". This "poll" they took once again proves how inaccurate these "IBD writers" are. Just shows how one must be careful what one reads or listens to.

Just one quote from the site:

At least one of the questions is blatantly biased: "Do you believe the government can cover 47 million more people and it will cost less money and th quality of care will be better?". Holy run-on-sentence, Batman? A pollster who asks a question like this one is not intending to be objective.

www.fivethirtyeight.com/.../ibdtipp-doctors-poll-is-not-trustworthy.html; Reply to this comment

by radicalc-2009 October 1, 2009 11:59 AM EDT

"People Like a Democrat With Guts"?! You gotta be kidding me...

Couldn't he come up with something better than that. Think about the the logic... Let's go to a Republican think tank and listen in... "Oh I got it - we can win this debate if we will just let all of the sick people die... Hey great idea, why not just pass a law that nobody can have health insurance, then people will die everywhere and - uh - well... Yea - that'll save a lot of money"

Wonder how long it took him to put that presentation together? Bet he was up all night... I'll bet his family is real proud for that masterpiece he actually concieved, designed and brought to the American people.

Reply to this comment


by doc_holliday76 October 1, 2009 12:44 PM EDT: by radicalc-2009:
"Let's go to a Republican think tank and listen in..."
-------------------------------------

Nah.....more like this in a conservitard stink tank:

"Let's just fight all health care reform today by voting against all of it, since it will make President Obama fail, and the GOP can regain POWER by America's failure under the Dems."

Yep....that's the rushbo logic of making America fail.


by lacmarch5 October 1, 2009 11:58 AM EDT: I'll be using actblue to send Rep. Grayson money for his campaign. Won't send it to the DCCC, don't want those mangy blue dawgs getting any of my support. Republicans aren't the problem with insurance reform; it's the pols getting tons of money from insurance companies donated to their campaigns AND their private charities.; Reply to this comment


by doc_holliday76 October 1, 2009 11:58 AM EDT: by alanrobisch:
"...changing rules in mid stream to pass an unpopular law. I.E they have decided that filibusters do not apply to this bill."
--------------------------------------

Sorry, but you should check out the history of the Senate, to find out exactly how the number of fillibusters by the republican'ts increased dramatically when they lost power in 2007, and exactly how GOP bills like bush's tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with only republican't votes through reconcilliation!

You're just showing your highly-partisan side without regard of any facts whatsoever!; Reply to this comment


by markj2 October 1, 2009 11:41 AM EDT: Well for all you liberal left lonnies who keep believing the smoke the Dem's are blowing up your backside, try doing a search for HR3400,which is the Republican Health Care Bill that is being blocked by Polosi. Compare the two in an honest way and they see which is better and which will cost ALL of us the least. If you still side with the Dem's side, then theres no help for you because you are a Dem first and an American second,not the other way around. Nothing in life is FREE, everybody pays in one way or another.; Reply to this comment


by bmirarck2 October 1, 2009 11:40 AM EDT: Finally! All the man did was speak what we all know to be true. The Repubs are the party of no. I have yet to hear detailed info on ANY plan from them. Grayson is "Da Man"!!; Reply to this comment


by babooph October 1, 2009 11:37 AM EDT: This guy held back-only the poor & middle class are to die fast for the republicans-the rich still get all they want -DEDUCTABLE of course.; Reply to this comment