Quote of the Day

"Well, on the state level, it's clearly a one-party system, and the Republican Party in Florida is hopelessly corrupt. They handed out [Republican Party] credit cards to all of their top officials. Corporate contributions to the Republican Party of Florida ended up paying for their personal expenses – including, for instance, a back waxing for Senator Rubio [R-FL]."

Rep. Alan Grayson, on the Republican Party of Florida.

Alan Grayson Speaks On NSA Spying

Rep. Alan Grayson is unsatified with the assurances provided by President Barack Obama on NSA spying. Grayson feels that the Obama administration is going to extreme measures in the name of national security.

Alan Grayson Petition For No Cuts to Entitlements

Rep. Alan Grayson is running a petition for no cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

Petition: "We Are Against Any and Every Cut to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Not today, not tomorrow, and not ever. No way, no how. Not on your life, and certainly not on mine. N-E-V-E-R. Sincerely, The American People"

Grayson has been quite vocal about not cutting Social Security and Medicare.

Alan Grayson & Luis Gutierrez Immigration Rally

Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, and Luis Gutierrez will hold a rally together for immigration reform.

“The time for commonsense immigration reform is now. We must set forth a straightforward route to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants who already live in our communities, work for our businesses, and want to give back to the country that they call home,” said Grayson.

Information on the rally.

Grayson and Gutierrez will appear at 11 a.m. Friday at Asociación Borinqueña in Orlando. At 3 p.m., they’ll move to an appearance at the Zocalo Square Supermarket in Haines City. In addition to remarks by Reps. Grayson and Gutierrez, attendees can expect to hear first-hand accounts of the many individuals impacted by this complex issue.

Don't Like Crist, Draft Alan Grayson

Florida progressive activist Susan Smith was quoted in the National Journal. Smith has been all over Facebook and Twitter voicing her displeasure at the possibility of Charlie Crist running for governor as a Democrat.

Now, some Democratic activists are getting anxious as they perceive the national party’s heavy hand on Crist’s political conversion. “They’re trying to clear the field, and I resent that,” said Susan Smith, president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. “Charlie Crist is not a Democrat, no matter what that piece of paper says.”

I have read other negative comments from progressives about Crist's party switch on the internet. I understand how progressives feel. I have been against many of Christ's past policy positions. I am also convinced that Alex Sink would lose again. Nan Rich has announced her candidacy and has generated zero excitement. The only candidate Team Obama will back is Crist.

There is another option. Progressives could throw a hail Mary and start an online Draft Alan Grayson campaign. Grayson can get the same kind of national grassroots support that Elizabeth Warren received. Grayson is a good fundraiser. That will be important when going against Rick Scott's deep pockets. Plus, a Grayson/Crist race would be the most exciting primary in 2014.

Alan Grayson First Quarter Fundraising

Democratic congressional candidate Alan Grayson raised $567,872 in the first quarter. That is more money than Bill Posey ($181,161), Dan Webster ($142,313), Sandy Adams ($120,978) and Cliff Stearns ($95,260) combined.

Alan Grayson's Fundraising

Congressional candidate Alan Grayson raised $150,000 in January. To put how successful Grayson's fundraising has been, Republican Mark Sharpe raised only $89,708 in the past year. Grayson raised most of his campaign money through the small donations. Grayson has been the darling of the netroots.

Grayson's statement on his past month of fundraising.

"We call it 'People Power.' We are creating a new model for campaigns, and it is working. Meanwhile, the Republican incumbents keep stepping up to the trough of sewer money provided by the lobbyists and special interests," Grayson said in a statement.

The model Grayson speaks of is not new. Howard Dean in 2004, and Barack Obama in 2008 raised money through the internet and through communicating with activists online. The netroots fundraising model only works if progressives believe in the candidate. Kendrick Meek went around calling himself a "moderate progressive." (whatever the hell that is) Meek thought if he hired a progressive blogger, he could get progressive money without having to have progressive positions. Grayson may be controversal. But no one doubts he is to the Left of the Democratic establishment.

Alan Grayson Fundraising Quarter

Congressional candidate Alan Grayson raised $416,270.77 from 11,031 individuals.

“The success in the 3rd quarter proves that Grayson is virtually the only candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives who has consistently shown the ability to raise money from small contributors who want nothing in exchange for their money but good government,” the release said.

Grayson will not know what district he is running for until the Florida legislature has finalized the redistricting map. Grayson was recently on Bill Maher's show and spoke out in support of Occupy Wall Street.

Emily's List Candidate: Val Demings

Val Demings has made Emily's List.

Val regularly appears on “Who’s Who” lists like “Central Florida’s Top Power Players,” and “Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful People.” Today I’m thrilled to announce she’s “On the List” -- as one of the pro-choice Democratic women candidates we’ve singled out for early and enthusiastic support -- as well! Val has been called a “trailblazer” for her successful efforts to target illegal guns and drugs, crack down on domestic violence and step up community policing, all of which resulted in a 10.1% drop in crime -- which the city’s mayor called the “most dramatic… in the history of the city of Orlando.”

Demings was Orlando's Orlando’s first female chief of police. She retired in June. Demings announced her candidacy shortly after her retirement. It is obvious that Demings has been planning on running for quite some time. Mayor Buddy Dyer supported her as police chief. It will be interesting to see if Dyer is involved with Demings campaign.

Demings will run for Congress against District 8 incumbent Daniel Webster. Demings may face Alan Grayson in the primary. Grayson hasn't announced what seat he is running for because of redistricting. Demings will have a hard time fundraising if Grayson runs in the same district.

Tina Dupuy Interviews Alan Grayson

One of my favorite people Tina Dupuy interviews Congressional candidate Alan Grayson.

Side note: Tina Dupuy reminds me to stop misspelling her name as "Tiny."

Will Alan Grayson Run?

The blogger who shall not be named thinks Alan Grayson is running again. Grayson hasn't done anything to make people think otherwise. Garyson was asked by Politico if he was thinking of running again. "Yes," Grayson answered.

Kyle Munzenrieder floats the idea of Grayson running against Sen. Marco Rubio in 2016. That race would give me a year's worth of blogging material. The media would have a collective orgasm if the race came to fruition.

Grayson must be more disciplined if he wishes to run again. Grayson made the bad mistake of calling lobbyist Linda Robertson a "K Street whore." I don't believe that Grayson meant to imply that Robertson was a professional escort. The comment was in poor taste.

I have covered the issue of Grayson's ad against Dan Webster. I find Webster's form of Christianity of frightening. The fact remains that Grayson misquoted Webster in the ad. What wasn't mentioned as much is the infamous "Taliban Dan Ad" and the Grayson ad below was the worst kind of fear-mongering aimed at Muslims. This kind of xenophobic is uncalled for from a progressive Democrat.

 

Rep. Grayson on the Limbaugh/Beck/Palin Tax Cuts

Alan Grayson is excellent at framing a progressive argument. Democrats need to learn how to point out the hypocrisy of the Republican Party.

Why Alan Grayson is Right on a Federal Jobs Program

Alan Grayson will not go quietly into the night. Grayson makes an argument that instead of the federal governmenmt losing $100 billion-a-year by extending the Bush tax cuts for top earners. The $100 billion could be used for a jobs program. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's jobs program was able to put 4 million people to work in two months. Obama's stimulus idea of throwing money at the private sector was the economic equivalent. Obama is a neoliberal. He wanted money thrown at private contractors for the same reason public dollars is thrown at the health insurance industry. Obama and other neoliberals eject the achievements of the New Deal and Great Society.

If Obama studied history he would have understood FDR through the Public Works Administration.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) was a New Deal agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression. It concentrated on the construction of large-scale public works such as dams and bridges, with the goal of providing employment, stabilizing purchasing power, and contributing to a revival of American industry. Most of the spending came in two waves in 1933-35, and again in 1938. The PWA was closed down in 1939.

It is much easier to have the federal government directly hire people for federal projects. Obama could have politically and factually said that Roosevelt's jobs program was successful. Obama's neoliberal ideology could not support a federal jobs program; in the same manner Obama refused to back universal health care. Obama believes in a hybrid of government and private partnerships. Obama in closer to Jeb Bush than Alan Grayson. Personally, I think Obama is politically cautious and never gave the merits of the stimulus v. a jobs program any thought.

Alan Grayson Concedes

Alan Grayson for all intents and purposes has lost JT Orlando (the blogger formerly known as Sinfonian) tweeted this concession speech quote from Alan Grayson.

"This district was gerrymandered for Republicans & we only won by 4 pts in 2008, so this result isn't a surprise."

Grayson was ahead in the polls. That changed after Grayson ran the horrible "Taliban Dan" ad. Some other progressives disagreed with my assessment of the ad. The fact is Grayson's poll numbers dipped after the "Taliban Dan" ad ran. The ad was anti-religious towards Christians and Muslims. Advocating a separation of church and state is a winnable argument. Attacking a person's faith is a sure way to lose a campaign.

Alan Grayson Interview

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board interviews Congressman Alan Grayson.

Cook Reports Rates Grayson Race As Leans Republican

The Cook Report rates the Alan Grayson/Daniel Webster race as leans Republican.

Lean Republican. Like a bad disease, this race is so toxic thanks to Grayson that both parties wish they could quarantine it. And House Democrats, who point to Grayson’s self-funding capabilities as an excuse not to get involved, basically can. But for now, the preponderance of evidence suggests that Grayson’s scorched earth “Taliban Dan” attacks against GOP state Sen. Dan Webster are backfiring. Editorial boards have excoriated Grayson for taking Webster’s words grossly out of context by rolling footage of Webster saying “she should submit to me,” when Webster had actually warned husbands against that advice. As one Republican noted, painting Webster as anti-woman is a curious line of attack considering Grayson referred to a lobbyist as a “K Street whore” just last year.

Webster has wisely avoided being dragged into a brawl with Grayson, almost avoiding the incumbent like he is a rabid creature, while the NRCC is up with ads calling Grayson a “national embarrassment.” Although Grayson backers say the Democrat’s off-script antics win over angry independents, boring may be better in this case. While Grayson-commissioned polling over the summer showed him in the lead while multiple third party candidates were taking a sizable double digit share of the vote, more recent internal GOP polling shows Grayson’s numbers have tanked. The antagonist Grayson is to Republicans what Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is to many Democrats. The difference is that Grayson is running for reelection in a district and political environment tilted against his party.

As I said before, the "Taliban Dan" ad is a disaster. Grayson quoted Webster out of context. The ad quoted Webster saying, "Wives submit yourself to your own husband." Another Webster quote was: "Submit to me." Webster made the quotes at the Christian conservative Institute in Basic Life Principles.

Here is what Webster actually said.

"Have verses for (your) wife. I have verses for my wife," Webster said in an unedited excerpt provided by the Institute. "Don't pick the ones that say, 'she should submit to me.' That's in the Bible, but pick the ones you're supposed to do (laughs). So instead (laughs) that you'd love your wife -- even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it ... and, as opposed to wives submit yourself to your own husband. She can pray that if she wants to, but don't you pray it."

Another part of the ad that hasn't been mentioned is the blatant Islamophobia. The images of Muslims and burning of the American flag is not about to promote greater tolerance. The ad is pure fearmongering. This is coming from someone who doesn't want Dan Webster anywhere near Congress.

Why Alan Grayson Went Too Far

Alan Grayson would have probably had an easy win over Republican Daniel Webster. Alan Grayson then decided to run the distasteful ad "Taliban Dan Webster."



It is one thing to hit your opponent hard. It is another to come off as a nutty Tea Partier. I can't stand Daniel Webster. I have no problem with Grayson attacking Webster's social positions. Comparing him to the Taliban is way over the top. Peter Schorsch has a post how the ad has galvanized Republicans. GOP media strategist Rick Wilson claims the Webster campaign has raised $300,000 from the right-wing push back against Grayson. Wilson makes a statement I absolutely agreee with.

As for the earned media narrative, it went from: “pugnacious, well-funded Alan Grayson” to “barking lunatic and liar Alan Grayson” in just 24 hours. The Factcheck.org takedowns of Grayson’s two spots here and here are unequivocal: Grayson’s ads are false and misleading. Poltifact feels the same way.

Grayson's own internal poll showed him with a commanding lead over Webster. Grayson could have run a positive ad talking about his family and the things he stands for. Instead, he decides to stoop to Karl Rove-level swift boating. Grayson is like a pitbull that doesn't know when not to attack. The one person that seems to think this ad was a great idea is Kenneth Quinnell. This kind of political savvy explains why Quinnell was such a success on the Meek campaign.

Update: The Buzz reports the negative reaction to the "Taliban Dan Webster" ad is benefitting Webster.

A source close to the campaign told the Buzz that Webster has already received $40,000 from people outraged by the ad. The campaign sent an e-mail to potential donors but has also benefited from media coverage -- from MSNBC to Glenn Beck -- in the past two days.

Alan Grayson Internal Poll

I usually stay away when candidates release internal polls. However, this Alan Grayson internal poll needs to be commented on.

Alan Grayson 40%
Daniel Webster 27%
Others 23%
Undecided 11%[1]

This poll tallies out to 101 percent. That makes no sense. Internal polls should be taken with a grain of salt.

Webster is in trouble if independent voters are really swinging towards Grayson.

Other revelations from the poll include the facts that Grayson has a dramatic lead of 41% to 9% among Independent voters, a striking margin of 60% to 13% among voters under 35, and an enormous advantage of 84% to 5% among African-Americans. “Webster is toast,” said Drzymala.

Grayson seves as an example of a progressive winning a traditionally conservative district. Blue Dogs and New Democrats are good at losing elections. That doesn't mean I expect progressives to win big overnight in Texas or Alaska. Voters don't like politicians that constantly flip flop. Can anyone tell me what Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln truly care about. (Besides getting elected.) Grayson's victory will refute the Rahm Emanuel argument that progressive candidates can't win and get re-elected to Republican districts in the South.

Inside Alan Grayson's Campaign

CNN's Randi Kaye interviews Alan Grayson and his campaign staff. A surprising side of Grayson is when he mellows out and lovingly talks about his children.

Gibbs Rant the Public Face of New Democrat Neoliberalism

Via Litbrit: Alan Grayson urges the Obama administration to fire Robert Gibbs. Grayson says Gibbs does a horrible job conveying the President's message.

GRAYSON: No, I don't think (Gibbs) should resign. I think he should be fired. He's done a miserable job. People I know refer to him as Bozo the Spokesman. He is not conveying the value of the President's strategies or his plans or his programs. He's doing a miserable job. It's that simple. He's so far in over his head he would have to reach up to touch his shoes.

Grayson ducks the question about David Frum's tweet on how Democrats and Republicans react to their respective bases.

More proof of my longtime thesis, Repub pols fear the GOP base; Dem pols hate the Dem base.

The Obama White House has political views closer to the neoliberal rantings of Mickey Kaus than the progressive base. Obama fought against the health care public option he campaigned for. Teachers are angry at Sec. of Education Arne Duncan for supporting stripping tenure from teachers. Obama is losing Hispanic support by caving to Republicans on immigration reform. When Obama bowed to Republican demands to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, the newspaper El Diario La Prensa of New York asked, "Who’s in charge in Washington?"

Obama's policy positions make sense if you understand he is a neoliberal that feels more comfortable with pro-business and hawkish military policies. Rahm Emanuel has made a career bashing progressives and supporting conservative Democrats. Lawrence Summers urged President Bill Clinton to sign the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The Gibbs outburst was just a public display of how the White House feels about the progressives that helped put them in power. That is why I firmly support progressive Democrats running against Obama in 2012. I would support Grayson or Howard Dean over Obama in a heart beat.