Alan Grayson: Enough with Mister Milquetoast Liberal Nice Guys, we need more like him
By David Neiwert Friday Oct 23, 2009 10:00am
There really wasn't a lot of substance to Alan Grayson's appearance on Hardball yesterday, but it is always pretty delightful to watch Grayson in action anyway. He just says what he thinks and lets the chips fall where they may.
The end got a little over the top, in fact:
Matthews: Dick Cheney—and that‘s how you pronounce his name—was out last night in black tie, along with his—well, his felon former chief of staff, who I think took the bullet for him in that whole matter, perjury and obstruction of justice.
And he wasn‘t out robbing gas stations. His behavior was right there in the office under Cheney‘s leadership. Anyway, the prosecutor in that case said there was a cloud over Cheney‘s head. The—the prosecutor obviously brought the justice to that guy Scooter Libby. He got convicted of a number of counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.
The president even held his nose and would not pardon these guys, wouldn‘t pardon Scooter Libby. Here‘s this guy, with all his inglorious background, out trashing the president of the United States for dithering.
Your response?
GRAYSON: Well, my response is—and, by the way, I have trouble listening to what he says sometimes because of the blood that drips from his teeth while he‘s talking.
But—but my response is this. He's just angry because the president doesn't shoot old men in the face. Oh, by the way, when he was done speaking, did he just then turn into a bat and fly away?
MATTHEWS: Oh, God. We have got to keep a level here.
Even if this kind of talk horrifies you, the fact that it's coming from a Democrat is actually a relief for those of us who've watched the party perfect its Village-approved Harvey Milquetoast routine the past couple of decades.
It's one of the traits that has really harmed the Democratic brand over that time, because it's led people to believe that they don't really have the courage of their convictions, that they won't stand up and fight for anything, that they don't really believe in anything.
Alan Grayson leaves no such impression. Even if other Democrats go fleeing in horror, he's doing them -- and us -- a real service.
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Grayson on Cheney:
That isn't over the top, it is just about right. Alan Grayson understands the nature of the theater he is in and the stage he is on, better than almost anyone I can think of.
On being milquetoast:
Some believe deeply but the system is broken.
We should have only public financing.
"There really wasn't a lot of substance to Alan Grayson's appearance on Hardball yesterday"
LOL! Neiwert, he has more substance in his grocery list than your book does!
What a well thought out critique of David's book. Do you review books for a living?
What a well thought out Republican reply.
I have to be a professional critic to denounce Neiwert's silly comment?
No. I don't. Maybe if Neiwert puts up another video ad for the book, labeled as a C&L post, I might like it more. Doubt it.
"Even if this kind of talk horrifies you"
Who is horrified? Sounds MsM to me. Or maybe jealousy!
"It's one of the traits that has really harmed the Democratic brand over that time, because it's led people to believe that they don't really have the courage of their convictions, that they won't stand up and fight for anything, that they don't really believe in anything."
Filler. Ever heard of the "Elements of Style" or proper usage?
Forty five or so words to say, "Grayson projects strength few Democrats dare to show."
It's and that over and over. Poor usage. Maybe two concrete verbs.
"It's and that over and over. Poor usage. Maybe two concrete verbs."
I find it amusing that you criticize Mr Neiwert's writing, yet you yourself cannot construct a simple sentence. To make your gibberish even more confusing, you posted it as a reply to Alice.
You don't help your credibility when you do stuff like that, jhunter99844.
I don't think Mr. Grayson is the odd man out of the democrat party - actually the entire party is replete with no class, loud mouth idiots. There really doesn't seem to be a shortage. When facts fail, personal attacks Chicago style is all they know. Let's see how the I-4 corridor treats Mr. Grayson next election cycle. There is a difference between showing your teeth and showing your posterior end - seems Mr. Grayson is better at posteriors especially since he has no facts and no cogent message. He sounds more like a rabid dog, but then he is a democrat.
You're new around here aren't you?
I don't recall seeing you say anything against the Cheney Admin.. You know, when he had Scooter Libby out a covert agent. No, wait, it was the other toothless twit who did it. But they got their marching orders from Dick.
If you haven't noticed. Your party got their ass's handed to them last year.
And with the way things are going, you'll get your ass handed to you again. You must be a follower of Beck. Am I right? And to think, Libby was awarded some bullshit award. For what? Treason?
If that had happened during the Clinton admin, your head would have exploded. We've been seeing the ass end of the GOP for wayyy too long.
Have a nice trip into obscurity. And don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKz5ZHM8kFM
Democrats: your job is not to make nice to the Repugs in the house, your job is to represent the interests of your constituents, even if it means you have to show your teeth when necessary.
BTW, Boehner's projection was just too much for words. Unf*ckingbelieveable...
..it was outright fantasy! I wonder if boehner will star in Disney's next Fantasia movie with that spiel. Nah, Fantasia is too classy for the gop.
Goober was projecting in IMAX!
and he has the appropriate sardionic sense of hunmor while aptly describing chainey in both guilt and demeanor.
and most of all, Grayson openly refutes the 'common practice' of being a quiet reticent Democrat, especialy when the press tries to cow him.
I think that Grayson and Weiner have actually energized Pelosi.
I think you are right...
to light a fire under Reid!
The Republican Party is not really a party but a state of mind. There is no winning with these people because compromise is not part of their mindset. Ignoring them doesn't make them go away either.
Take the fight to them and stop letting them get away with lying.
And this part is key, HAVE FUN DOING IT!
I am yet to see any indication that republicans have a mind, even collectively among them.
Maybe that's why we want to be a Republic instead.
a state. A change of mind I guess?
sister states diluted the strong minded native stock and reduced it to mere nativist.
why you guys became a republic to begin with.
with the Indians, although I am sure there was rape involved with some of the slaves who were brought in.
Were you referring to the Mexicans? They weren't here in the 1830's. That is why they let the Anglos in. Seems they wanted some folks stupid enough to get between them and those pesky Comanches that kept raiding Mexico from the north. Bad idea, that.
... so that is how you guys rewrote history to make it more palatable the whole concept of taking over other people's land to make it "free?"
I take in a couple hundred years we'll be reading how there were no eye-raquis in Iraq before the establishment of the new "Iraqui republic" and we had to send all those anglo defense contractors to fill the void between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
and his Anglo colonists into Texas, Tyler? Because they were lonely up on the Brazos?
Mexicans use the word "invasion" which in Spanish does not mean "let into."
Spain had ruled the region, but lost Texas in the Mexican War of Independence in 1821. This was in part because Spain had a difficult time convincing its people to settle there. Soon Mexico granted permission for Anglo settlers to buy land.
And the US did not just annex Texas, literally we took 50% of Mexican territory. Which is why some of our states have silly names like Colorado, Nuevo Mexico, Tejas, California, Arizona, Nevada... you know totally anglo sounding places.
following that logic, we could just annex Australia too, since they are having trouble convincing people to live in the middle of the outback.
Mindlessness in your Texas.
Now the dawn.
Time for Cheney to go back into the crypt.
one of the best lines of the video
Don't know why anyone would be horrified by this. The language sounds kind of scary, but its is in fact couched in Halloween imagery which I must say is a pretty timely and funny technique. Too bad it ain't an election year.
" ... the blood that drips from his teeth while he's talking ... "
Classic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZUlClqrTjA
that was perfectly fitting as well.
Grayson is emboldening the GOP's enemies. KKKarl probably has his stooges sifting through Grayson's background 24/7.
Grayson has his own moneys and does not need to shill for his warchest.
This is one of the reasons why the GOP is finding out almost impossible to neutralize a player like Grayson. I frankly think his style is going to awaken the left in this country, finally.
With the rethugs anyone who is not in lockstep 100% of the time gets slimed. They are the party of smear and fear.
Too damn many Dem pols sit around wringing their hands worrying about what will happen if they speak up. "Oh please don't hurt me Mister Rove I'm a good mild mannered milquetoast centerist, really I am." F**k that, you see what it did for Tom Daschle and Max Cleland. Take the fight to these SOB 24/7-365
watch out,... he may have quoted Bugs Bunny in a High School commencement speech ... paging Der Beckster ...
People like what he's saying.
He's the only one with the guts to call these fucking assholes out.
Fuck Cheney. He's nothing but a piece of garbage and should be treated as such.
Screw the KKKarl smear machine? He's over and done with. Grayson is no dummy and he's from NY. We NYers know how to handle bullies. Punch em in the nose. They'll back down once they see you're willing to stand up to them. Deep down, every bully is a coward.
With Grayson Being so bold, it might give others the courage to be bold as well. May he continue to speak out for the people.
Do you think we could replace Obama with him next time around?
Yes if we come up with $500 million and he runs as an independent.
So Ralphie can turn it down.
The discussion is about Alan Grayson, any of Nader's many ideas of substance would and should be welcome.
That is the way support for Ralph Nader works, it comes from matters of substance.
We have a massive Corporate crime wave in this country and the Democrats are doing nothing but covering it up.
Grayson gives me a glimmer of hope. Unlike the Pope of Hope who is a complete flop.
Most of the time you accuse Democrats of participating in the Corporate crime wave. Now we are just guilty of the cover up.
Incomplete phrasing on my part.
I should have written that differently with you in mind.
The Democrats are for the most part, thoroughly complicit in the corporate crime wave, which not surprisingly means they are doing nothing about it.
But we have a new Pope of Hope, and he is a flop.
Concern yourself with the substance of the matters at hand!
Obama has been called everyting else under the sun, why not a papist dig at him too.
I am turning you in to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. I am sure you can expect your Inquisition to begin as soon as they finish answering my call for them to save the soul of Sean Hannity for having a Pope attacking guest on his show.
You are impossible.
No wonder you live in Texas.
We would be so much better off if you would secede and we left it at that.
real Texans like myself admire Sam Houston and Sam Rayburn. We love America and Texas in that order. Then we are Democrats.
I don't profess an unquestioning love of anything or anyone.
Sam Houston is a complex figure, Sam Rayburn wouldn't sign the Southern Manifesto and that is something.
I am not a Democrat, I am socialist, lower case s.
I want justice and fair play for the people of the commons, let the corporations be damned.
Let them be ended.
I want to replace this capitalist system that is destroying the Earth and the people on it.
Monty Python youtube coming in 3...2...1..
but I only have time for short breaks to pray for sinners while painting trim on the house.
I would have done
Mel BrooksMadeline Kahn ;)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVtT8it5E0U&NR=1
..yet following being elected after the worst administration in history. As his term matures, he'll either lead, follow or we'll vote him out of the way. Yeah, I want Single Payer and yeah, I want war crimes trials for w and band of criminals as well as a host of other things but I'm not about to give up on the man 9 months into his Presidency after 8 years of w's.
Exactly! I do not want to go back to the dark side again.
Spoken like a true duopolist.
I gave up on Obama with his FISA treachery and never looked back.
If you are happy with someone pledging to do one thing, and then doing the exact opposite, suit yourself.
I'm not.
Despite the high minded rhetoric we have:
Perpetual war - check.
Surveillance state - check
Trillions to the Banksters - check
Billions to the Medical Industrial Complex - pending legislation
And so on and so forth.
I would be perfectly happy for Obama to follow through on his high minded rhetoric.
So far I don't see it.
Alice, hope you saw the interview with Nader on Truthout. I too am a Nader supporter. Oh, and also a Texan. The pope of hope is indeed an astounding disappointment.
Thank you, I watched it, it is a very good interview.
For anyone else it is here
While I truly admire your staunch liberal viewpoint, I have to say that I doubt Canada could elect your 'ideal' President, much less our dumbed-down, redneck-infested, pop-culture-obsessed nation.
Frankly, as ignorant as the American people are when viewed as one huge mob, Obama is about the best one can hope for right now. If *somehow* a real progressive were elected, the right-wing loons and the corporate scum that feed their fear would burn this country to the ground. Think 1960's civil rights backlash, only not as pleasant.
JMHO
Spain, Portugal, Chile and Venezuela all have socialist governments.
They also have zero personal bankruptcies from health care issues.
I don't know what it will take for us. The repeal of corporate person-hood would be a start.
Without that, the corporations are taking us down a road from which there may be no return.
Good one, Alice.
Yours in clever word play,
BID
and the "Reverend of Rhetoric." Not that I am complaining because I don't want to be the nabob nattering at Naderites.
Nabob or not, the "Reverend of Rhetoric" could prove useful.
If I use it I will be sure to tip your way, nattering or nay.
.
Grayson is campaigning now.
Yes, but is he a teabagger?
Milquetoast post coming up in 1...2...
NASA's dyslexic.
His comments on the Republican Health Plan were perfect refutation for the lying horse manure being belched out by Republican members of Congress. They sounded just as outrageuos but had the benefit of basic truth.
The Cheney comments are on the order of Ann Coulter. Shall we say, for want of a better word, batty.
Comments like this undermine his otherwise stark, stellar, and overdue truth telling.
.
Flighty would have been better.
What was so "flighty" about Mr. Grayson's comments on Cheney?
I see.
hearing.
You have often reviled my sense of humor so when you don't get it repeatedly I often tire of playing and seek out other children in the nursery.
that you could not answer the question... thanks.
angry, as well he should be. I'm angry too and I welcome any sign that someone in congress "feels" me.
Richard Cheney is a killer. A thief. A liar. A man who voted to keep Nelson Mandela imprisoned.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
BID
And Grayson missed an opportunity to make that point seriously.
It is all in the spirit of Halloween.
I don't have any tolerance for comments such as this from Grayson. It really wrecked my image of him. Hit 'em where it hurts, but don't talk like a 3rd grader on the playground.
I think you probably mean, "Caspar Milquetoast."
McSpanky, you beat me to it. See wikipedia reference for Caspar Milquetoast at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Milquetoast
I want them to break out in a cold sweat...
I want them megadosing on Tums and anxiety meds...
...and I want this Every Single Time he speaks publicly because they fear what he may say and they know he's probably coming after one or more of them.
They've pushed for it. They've been begging for it. Now, when we have someone who's ready, willing, and eminently able to give it to them right between the eyes like they deserve, I damn well don't want Dems to start trashing him (as some have already done). He's smarter than they are, can run circles around them in debates on any number of issues, he's got more dough than a helluva lot of them, and he's PISSED.
He reminds me a bit of a bumper sticker a friend of mine has: "I'm out of estrogen and I'VE GOT A GUN!"
I just love it when good trial lawyers speak for the people instead of the corporations and the system like other democrats sell out too.
This guy is smart. How did he ever get to be a politician?
.
I like him!!!
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvgMIerTXl4
I like Grayson's willingness to speak out, but unless you prefer entertainment to actual news, that piece was shite.
between an editorial talk show and a news segment?
seems to know news from mindless batty flights of televised chatter.
some of you are all too eager to drive the proverbial bus over the liberal d'jour who has the gall of acting too uppity.
and i think that's an indictment on GOP hate speech.
If he ever leaves politics he could have a career in standup
Then lets hear what he has to say on the DrugWar, as this is when many supposed fire-breathers suddenly change into mewling kittens. There's a real litmus test for legislative bravery.
I frankly don't see any comparison between making obvious jokes about Dick Cheney being a vampire and the constant serious-sounding attacks that Republicans make where they accuse Democrats and liberals of hating America and wanting to "take away all our freedoms and DESTROY AMERICA!"
Accusing someone of treason and insulting them with a silly cartoonish exaggeration are apples and oranges.
Many bats like fruit.
They're called fruit bats.
EOM
"In danger of becoming the party of nobody." I'd say that's a plus not a danger. We need a real left wing in this country. Dems are right wing enough for my taste, the R's are extremists and should go the way of the Whigs.
Yeah, he got a bit sarcastic, but hell, ya gotta admit it was fun.
The thing is, unlike those on the right, he has smarts to backup his sarcasm. I kinda like it that way. A smart wise guy can be fun.
Ricky's post is right , Cheney and the Repugs have given us ( Alan ) plenty of ammunition to use against them , no need to do the liberal version of Coulter and turn people off just when you have an audience and are gaining traction .
to go after Cheney. His spent millions of his own money and hours and hours of his own time trying to get the DOJ to investigate Halliburton and KBR for war profiteering. See this article:
That cast an even better light on Grayson from my point of view. Maybe like so many of us, he uses humor to keep from going insane with frustration.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2...
Thanks, I was hoping a link was on the way. :)
If so... it's good to see a fellow Arkansas (transplant or otherwise) here. It does get lonely at times.
I do live in Arkansas. And yes, it sure does get lonely at times.
My mother's parents lived in Arkansas, although they were originally from Missouri, and we vacationed there every year.
They lived in a small house, my granddad built himself back in the Depression, in the countryside outside of DeQueen. I remember watching him in the morning loading up the pot bellied stove for the day's heat, and then loading up his pipe. They had electric lighting, but it was clear from the old oil lamps and sooty areas on the ceiling that at one time that was their source of light. They didn't have running water until after I was ten, so I remember having to go out in the middle of the night to the outhouse, and on one occasion this big bug crawling up between my thighs.
On Saturday nights, we had baths in a small alcove off the kitchen, where the door had a tendency to swing open, but would be shut with one of my grandma's Christmas fruitcakes that no one wanted. We took our baths in a big metal tub, and grandma would bring in hot water off the stove in a tea kettle and pour it in. My sister being eldest got the hottest water by having to go in first, but it was more comfortable for my older brother and then me, but my younger brother would be screaming as grandma poured more hot water in.
People in the 21st century shouldn't have memories like this.
Thats crazy. We had to bath with water off the stove in the late 70's, me and my little sis. I got so sick there my eyes where pasted shut 1 christmas and my mom had to wet a rag so I could open my eyes to see the presents we got.
Oh the wonderfull memorys continue.For all us socialized citizens.
My back is done.good night.
Thanks for the info. I did not know he was doing this - makes him that much more of a hero to me.
...over analyzing, but I would argue that Grayson's comment was also a dig at how he views Matthew's (and perhaps most others) show and that he doesn't really take him seriously (as he shouldn't). Seems like when he is on Rachel's show, he is a bit more serious.
Perhaps he has respect for Rachel because she behaves as an adult with her guest. Chris behaving like an adult? Not so much.
thigh-roid condition.
Yeah, his thigh gets stuck in his mouth every time he inserts his foot there.
Yeah I basically took his comments to mean: "I don't care what Dick Cheney says or does, and I don't think he's worth serious discussion." He'd said what he wanted to say about health care and he wasn't terribly interested in the Cheney question.
Chris is like an old woman sometimes. He finds someone who is willing to talk to him so Chris wants to talk about neighborhood gossip that no one else is possibly interested in, and his listener immediately tries to find a way to end the conversation.
The expression is...Matthews is a washwoman.
Gotta love it when that jackass (or any of his buddies) talk about "Chicago-style politics"...
This IS NOT "chicago-style politics".
Having lived in Chicago for more than 30 years (50s, 60s and 70s) I can guarantee you that THIS CLOWN WOULDN'T HAVE LASTED 15 SECONDS in Chicago....
it's all about dividing the country with Bronzer Boehner and the GOP. That''s all they have to offer.
What a breath of fresh air. The last comments that Grayson made about Cheney were well deserving. The media allows Beck and Limbaugh to say whatever they want to say without being chastised. Good for Grayson. He speaks his mind and if your don't like it, take a hike.
It doesn't horrify me at all. It's about fucking time somebody pointed out that Cheney got his power by the deaths of untold thousands. I admit it's a metaphor, but he IS a vampire. And so are all his cohorts. Anyone who lives off the blood of others is a vampire.
outrageous and blunt in front of the media or subtle and cleverly dangerous when he pursue a line questioning while sitting on a Committee.
Moreover, he doesn't need corporate money to be a Congressman.
That makes him a fearsome opponent to the republiscums and the protectors of financial crimes.
Anyone saw the lesson in Constitutional matters Grayson delivered to Broun yesterday? *evil grin*
It was a thing of beauty indeed.
Yes, it's Caspar Milquetoast, but Harvey Milk! He was no milquetoast.
That's hysterical.
Should've thrown in War Criminal.
Otherwise it was perfect. I want to see more of it from all areas of politics and media.
Openly attack them. It's the only thing they understand.
The entire conservative movement has collapsed into incivility and this maggot chooses a liberal guest to advocate for a civil debate. I can't watch him for more than a nanosecond.
After watching Republicans spread their garbage non-stop over the airwaves, we need a lecture from Tweety? Give me a f-in break.
Grayson answered those question both appropriately and accurately, and anyone who doesn't like it can GFT.
He is not putting his neck out, he is Putting the foot down. i said this many years ago we need people to talk like that and do the right thing on our side. I wonder why Kucinich didn't get as much attention?
Grayson is getting too full of himself.
He's becoming embarrassing.
Somebody needs to reel him in or he's gonna blow it.
...why is he "embarrassing"?
Because he uses mockery and humor to deflate his (our) enemies?
When he calls someone a traitor or implies that they're not a 'real' American, then I'll start giving a crap about his attacks on GOPers.
The whole point of appearing on Hardball is to get your message out.
The "blood dripping from the mouth" and the "shot in the
face" crack will turn off a lot of people. It's childish.
You need to persuade people.
Most people have no idea what happened in Afghanistan.
Grayson should have quoted what General Eaton said.
The facts are much more effective.
I think he is great! The only thing obscene in this country, is the sociopathic behavior of conservatives.
Did you go to the Harry Reid school of ineffectual incompetence?
Having spent many a happy-hour debating GOPers, I can tell you that a little foul-mouthed anger gets their attention better than soft-spoken, reasoned argument. You have to remember that GOPers are emotional reactionaries. They respond more to volume and sincerity than intellectual reasoning. You want the 'right-leaning' voter to wake up? Yell back at them, just as loud, while stating facts.
My favorite phrase when arguing with GOPers is: "You're so full of shit, and let me tell you why..."
Try it, it works.
I have!
It does!
I also challenge them to a bet: $50 per issue. That really gets them to STFU! Then I badger them: "don't you have the courage of your beliefs. Don't you trust the "facts" you get from Rush and Fox enough to put your money on the line?
I really enjoy fucking with conservatards. They have absolutely no sense of humor.
I want to see more and more Democrats like Alan Grayson. Get in their faces and spout off - that's the only thing Republicans seem to understand.
If I was 16 again, I'd send him a handwritten thank you note with little hearts dotting the i's.
Thank you, Representative Grayson, for having some bolas.
Mr. Grayson is one of the reasons healthcare reform is gaining momentum.He gave the Democratic leaders some much needed Balls.
I could hardly hear him. That's the first time in hundreds of video clips on MSNBC that I ever remember hearing such music.
And was John Boner wearing tons of eye shadow makeup? It sure looked like it in that clip of him.
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_%28Dick_G...
...and that is the word 'holocaust.' He used it in his famous house floor speech. I know he was mocking the anti-abortion movement and pointing to the deaths of uninsured Americans as a more worthy moral issue than abortion. But he really should not use that word. Let's face it - it is off-limits and one of the words that weakens the anti-abort argument.
And I'm sorry (or maybe not) but does anyone detect a little asperger's in him? I mean, he does come across as a little awkward, doesn't he? Saying things publicly that other liberal Democrats only say privately.
he said it was A holocaust, not THE Holocaust. And as a Jewish man, if he'd wanted to offend, he'dve used the the term Shoah. He knows what he meant. It's others who don't, and that's not his fault.
hol·o·caust [ hóllə kàwst, hṓlə kàwst ] (plural hol·o·causts)
1. destruction of human life: wholesale or mass destruction, especially of human life
Uh, it's actually 'Casper' Milquetoast--'Harvey' could be misconstrued to refer to Harvey Milk, who was most definately no milquetoast!
I meant "Caspar"...
The obstructionist are proving they are losers, no alternatives, no compromises, no nothing is this Insane Moron able to read or is he like the rest of the Inbred White Trailer Trash Party. Maybe they should sit down with these IDIOTS give them coloring books with crayons and have the teacher talk them through what their jobs encompass because this jackass doesn't have a clue.
Mr Grayson keep up the good work.
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