Parting Shots: A Verbal Gunslinger Exits The House:ALAN GRAYSON interview on NPR

[Mira]

Heard on All Things Considered

November 20, 2010 - GUY RAZ, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Guy Raz.

There are big issues for our government to consider before the year's up: whether to extend tax cuts to millions of people, whether to ratify an updated arms treaty with Russia, whether to extend benefits to the 9.5 percent of Americans out of work. None of these things were dealt with this week and none may be dealt with for months.

Now, whether this week is a window into the kind of gridlock that may take place in January is still unclear. We'll talk more about this with Jim Fallows later in the program.

But first, to the casualties of the Republican wave. That's our cover story today. We'll hear reflections on service from a Democrat Alan Grayson from Florida and a Republican Bob Inglis from South Carolina. Both lost their re-election bids.

In his short time in office, Alan Grayson made a big name for himself. He became a lightning rod for conservatives and a hero to many liberals for his brash, unapologetic style. During the debate over the bill to overhaul health care, he famously said this.

Representative ALAN GRAYSON (Democrat, Florida): The Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That's right, the Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.

RAZ: When I sat down with him this week, I asked Alan Grayson if he had any regrets. And not surprisingly, the answer was no.

Rep. GRAYSON: What I was exposing is something that is sort of a deep truth. The Republicans, A, don't have a way to help people and, B, aren't interested in doing it. And that's true whether you're talking about health care or virtually any other important issue.

RAZ: You know this that a lot of people have seem to lament the lack of civility in Congress and some of them point to you, point to Michele Bachmann say, you know, this is the problem. Do you think it's a fair criticism in your case?

Rep. GRAYSON: No.

RAZ: Not at all?

Rep. GRAYSON: No. I simply tell the truth. I'm not trying to be uncivil. What I do is I tell the truth and sometimes it's a hard truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.

RAZ: Did you ever get hassled or, I mean, on your way to work or...

Rep. GRAYSON: Of course. I mean, I've gotten death threats.

RAZ: And how did you...

Rep. GRAYSON: My 5-year-old got a death threat.

RAZ: How did you deal with that?

Rep. GRAYSON: It's difficult when you're, you know, a father. It's a very difficult thing.

RAZ: And when that happens, do you ever have paused and say, I don't know if this is worth it.

Rep. GRAYSON: No. Of course, it's worth it. I mean, we have saved countless lives. There are 100,000 people in my district alone who will get health coverage because we passed health care for all Americans. Those people will now live. How can anybody say it's not worth it?

RAZ: Did you make any friends or many friends on the other side of the aisle? Did you have any opportunities to even interact with them socially?

Rep. GRAYSON: No. I mean, we run into members who are from the other party on social occasions. We, of course, see them in the committees. But generally speaking, you end up with a party-line vote. So unless you make an effort to do this, which I'd done occasionally from time to time, the result is that you end up with only a casual acquaintance with most of the members on the other side.

RAZ: What did you not know about this place and the way it works that you discovered only after you arrived or were here for a while?

Rep. GRAYSON: Everything. There's not any doubt about it. The people's business is not being done.

RAZ: (Unintelligible).

Rep. GRAYSON: There's enormous influence by lobbyists and by special interests. And the other side has completely sold out to them.

RAZ: You don't think Democrats have done the same?

Rep. GRAYSON: In some cases, they have. But it's not as universal and chronic as it is on the other side. I mean, honestly, a good description of what happened in my case is that they couldn't buy me, so they decided to destroy me with negative ads that people in my district saw an average of 70 times.

RAZ: You talk about negative ads, but you played the game, famously played the game as well on this campaign. I mean, you ran an ad against your opponent, calling him Taliban Dan. Do you think that was a bit over the top or did you feel like you had to do that? You were pushed into a corner.

Rep. GRAYSON: No. We had to do it because, in my case, he ducked every debate that we were scheduled to have. And the result of that is that we had no way to communicate his record except for the fact that we could run ads that people called negative ads. And it's unfortunate that the system leaves no other possibility.

RAZ: But do you think that - I mean, a lot of voters say that they're, you know, they don't like the mudslinging politics.

Rep. GRAYSON: Oh, please. You know, the average voter in Orlando saw that ad twice. The average voter in Orlando saw 70 ads calling me an incumbent congressman, a liar, a national embarrassment, a loudmouth, a dog and an evil clown. So I don't think that my opponents or anyone in the media for that matter - none of whom ever came to my defense - can lecture me on civility in politics. It was after the 70 ads ran that we started to hit back the way that we did.

RAZ: Are you leaving with any bitterness?

Rep. GRAYSON: No, not at all. Life is beautiful. It is hard for me to believe that someone like me - who worked my way through college at Harvard by, among other things, cleaning toilets and by working as a night watchman on the midnight shift - somehow, someone like me could end up in Congress.

RAZ: Well, Alan Grayson, thank you so much.

Rep. GRAYSON: My pleasure. Thank you too.

RAZ: That's Democrat Alan Grayson, the outgoing congressman from Florida.

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Note from the poster of this thread:

Don't miss that at no time is there any mention or notice that Alan Grayson had to choke back tears when talking about scrubbing toilets or working as a night watchman when in college.
That behavior is reserved for the orange colored sociopath coming into the speaker ship in the house.
A most common character trait for the conscience less sociopaths is their craving for sympathy. (Martha Stout "The Sociopath next door")

[bluedigger]

1. If Alan runs for dogcatcher, he will always have my vote!

Thanks for posting that, Mira!

[mdmc]

2. ..

[dogknob]

3. Too bad he can't be our Lt. Gov. out here in CA...

...because Gavin Newsom is a scumbag. I had quite enough of him as Mayor of San Francisco.