Big. Damn. Hero.

[tzikeh]

Two short YouTube videos:

Congressman Alan Grayson [(D) Florida] calls out the Republicans on their "Health Care Plan"

Republicans (both in politics and on Fox "News") all over start demanding an apology.

He responds, but first he takes Dems to task for not doing their jobs.

Go Go Gadget Congressman!

Comments

[magdalene1.livejournal.com]

I saw that yesterday and did a dance of joy! Especially the line about Olympia Snowe, which, god bless her, but just GET IT DONE.

I want to make Congress a motivational mix CD. It will start with the song "Taking Care of Business."

[xebgoc.livejournal.com]

he's spectacular ! Rachel had him on last night. we need more like him. ::nods::

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

OMG YES CONGRESSIONAL DANCE MIX FTW!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

This is what we elect Dems FOR, dammit.

[xebgoc.livejournal.com]

actually it's what we elect people for regardless of whether they are dem or repug - to look out for the people that voted them in - i originally said 'elected them' but it is big business who elects most of them through their $$ even though they don't get a vote. the repugs have decided that their constituency is those businesses whereas the dems have, ostensibly, not... but they've been so spineless that they haven't managed to actually get anything done.

[magdalene1.livejournal.com]

Srsly, he's like Michael Moore if Michael Moore checked his facts.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I can't get audio on my computer right now (yes, I'm trying to get it fixed). I'm pretty sure I already know the substance of the first clip, but could I pretty please get a brief summary of the second?

I realise it's not even my country, so I realy shouldn't have a stake in Alan Grayson's career, but I'm so, so VERY hoping he doesn't turn out to be corrupt or on drugs or a wifebeater or what have you. Because right now he just seems ridiculously PERFECT to me.

And even if it isn't my country, our neighbours to the south have a great big influence on my little country ("little" economically, not geographically. Besides, most of our land is totally uninhabitable even WITH global warming) so I do have a vested interest in sane people with spines running your country (and standing up to both the crazies and the spineless people).

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

Haha, that's fantastic. I want a t-shirt that says "Dear Republicans, No one cares about your feelings."

[grace-om.livejournal.com]

Yes, he is excellent :-)

It hasn't escaped my notice though that he's gone from some guy nobody outside his district ever heard of to a national figure with one speech. Good for him! Boldness is definitely called for, it's great to see it rewarded with air time and campaign donations -- from real people!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Looking back through his (short) Congressional history, he has been impressive on *everything* he's touched. Those YouTube links are from his own YouTube channel, which is exactly the kind of thing Congresscritters need to do in order to truly have their messages heard, because the young don't watch C-Span or read newspapers.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

LOL yes. Seriously, ever since the election (and kind of before), the two main messages coming from the GOP have been "SOCIALIST!" and "WAAAAAAAH! MOOOOOOMM, HE BEAT US!"

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

True enough, but forgive me for thinking that the Dems are the ones who need to *learn this lesson*. Repugs seem to have the "hey, assholes, here's what we want" thing down pat.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Transcript here.

[frakup.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying this guy since the first speech was featured on Maddow. He's impressive for a frosh congressman. I like his style.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

This guy fucking ROCKS.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I'm so in love right now. I also love that I can donate (what little I can afford) to his campaign. WOOT.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I like him too. I *hope* that now that someone has spoken frankly, more than once, Dems will line up behind him to speak out or at least confirm that they'll vote for health care reform.

I realized that all my USA icons are hating on the USA, because that's all I've needed for all the time I've been on lj. I need some lovin' on the USA icons.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

godDAMN

Between him and Al Franken, I think I have some new political crushes.

*reads transcript again*

Where has this man BEEN all my l;ife, and why had I never heard of him before last week?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

He's a Dem. freshman congressman from Florida, so he's only been in Congress since Jan. 3rd.

And yes, between him and Franken, maybe the Dems might finally SUIT UP!

[luminosity]

I saw that on MSNBC yesterday, and all I could think was "Please, President Obama, don't eat a BLT tomorrow! Not yet!"

Seriously. YES. JUST YES.

[klia.livejournal.com]

Wow, excellent!! High time some Dems found they actually HAD SPINES and started speaking up. Franken/Grayson 2016!

Every time I see them backing down on something (like a public option -- OMGWTFF, people??!?), I want to scream. Now if they'd just put their fucking heads down and get some sort of health care reform bill pushed through!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Srsly - they need to get in touch with their inner spines. and Franken/Grayson for sure!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

LOL!!!! I can see the march on Washington now - "Save Our Bacon!"

[gritkitty.livejournal.com]

Regarding the above comment -- any bets on how quickly those teeshirts show up on cafepress?

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I wonder if part of it is because both Franken and Grayson are new to Washington, and haven't had a chance to get inculcated with the Republican-lite triangulation bullshit the rest of their party's national elected officials seem to be infected with.

I mean, speaking as a keen observer of your country from slightly to the north, I was extremely familiar already with the spinelessness of the Democratic leadership, plus the whole "maybe if we give the Republicans everything they want yet again, then THIS time they won't scream at us." But after the 2008 elections, I naively thought that things would change. I mean, they had a supermajority now, in both the House and the Senate. I thought they'd be charging through actually DOING shit (you know, like the Republicans did when they had a bare majority rather than supermajority) instead of still being afraid of their own shadows.

Part of it, of course, is that being in Canada, with a parliamentary system, I'm accustomed to STRICT party discipline. The likes of Max Baucus (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the insurance lobby, from what I can tell) wouldn't last five minutes on Parliament Hill before their Party Whip got them back in line. Which ain't to say the Canadian system is superior (it's just weak in different places), but still. I'm accustomed to the leaders running roughshod over the cowed backbenchers. I'm not accustomed to brand-new backbenchers having to step out in front and drag their leaders behind them, protesting the whole way! With "friends" like that in their own caucus, what the fuck do they need the Republicans for?

[klia.livejournal.com]

But after the 2008 elections, I naively thought that things would change. I mean, they had a supermajority now, in both the House and the Senate. I thought they'd be charging through actually DOING shit (you know, like the Republicans did when they had a bare majority rather than supermajority) instead of still being afraid of their own shadows.

You and me both -- and half the damn country! So many Dems were voted in because people were tired of all the self-serving, adding-to-their-already-overflowing-coffers bullshit that had been going on with incumbent 'Pubs. And we ALL expected change, dammit, like, pronto, so to say I've been massively disappointed by the way they've backed down on practically everything would be the understatement of the decade. I know change can be difficult, but COME ON, they had the numbers, so WTF was the hold up? It's SO frustrating!

(a wholly-owned subsidiary of the insurance lobby, from what I can tell)

Gah, that's a huge hot button for me. One of the many reasons I supported Obama was because I thought he was going to be WAY tougher on lobbying (I've wanted the whole concept done away with entirely since I was about 12, when my dad explained it to me, and I asked how paying for or otherwise influencing votes could possibly be legal or ethical); yeah, he addressed the issue, but there's still way too much conflict of interest happening, especially WRT campaign funding. It makes me totally nuts.

[(Anonymous)]

"I wonder if part of it is because both Franken and Grayson are new to Washington, and haven't had a chance to get inculcated with the Republican-lite triangulation bullshit the rest of their party's national elected officials seem to be infected with."

Grayson was interviewed on the Keith Olbermann show last night and had some delightful things to say about these issues. He said (and I paraphrase)that he just didn't get the memo that freshmen reps. were to be seen, but not heard. And on the Republican-lite issue he said that "You cannot beat a Republican by being one. People deserve a choice, and they like a congressman with guts." He also notes that since his first smack-down speech over 10 thousand people have made individual contributions to his campaign fund. People do indeed like a congressman with guts.

The whole segment from Olbermann (a replay of Grayson's speech and then the interview) is on YouTube as well.

Emily