Money Quote: Grayson, GOP Raising Funds from Health Care “Holocaust”

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by Tommy Christopher | 12:17 pm, October 1st, 2009

» 6 comments

While direct comparisons between Rep. Alan Grayson’s (D-FL) now-infamous “Die Quickly!” screed and Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” don’t hold much water, the two incidents do share one thing in common. They have both given new meaning to the phrase “money quote.”

Grayson wasted no time in putting up a fundraising plea at Daily Kos, one that has raised over $70,000 so far. He has also spent the hours since then doubling, tripling, and googlpling down on his remarks to anyone who will have him on. The phone at Grayson’s office is ringing off the hook, and when I reached them, they declined to give an updated estimate.

You may remember that Joe Wilson started out in the hole against his Democratic opponent immediately following his “You lie!” outburst before a Joint Session of Congress, but soon, Republican satisfaction at his actions surpassed Democratic outrage. In the end, both candidates benefited greatly from the incident.

The Republican National Congressional Campaign Committee is hoping they can surpass the Democrats’ oppo-fundraising feat, and have set up an anti-Grayson website called “AlanDisgrayson.com” to raise money for his eventual opponent. A source within the NRCC ballparks the amount raised from the site at a couple hundred dollars, but says that the site went live late yesterday, and he expects it to get much more promotion today

Despite a resolution to admonish Wilson, and a threat (later dropped) of a resolution against Grayson, fundraising numbers like these provide little impetus for politicians to hold their tongues. To paraphrase an old expression, “Money talks, civility walks.”

Grayson explained his comments on Rachel Maddow last night:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Alan Disgrayson, Alan Grayson, alandisgrayson.com, fundraising, Fundraising Fame, Health Care, Joe Wilson, Knuckle-dragging neanderthals, Rachel Maddow, Tommy Christopher

ImNotBlue

Yet again, the actual text:

Whereas on September 9, 2009, during the joint session of Congress convened pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 179, the President of the United States, speaking at the invitation of the House and Senate, had his remarks interrupted by the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson; and Whereas the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on September 9, 2009.

So the resolution was for “a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House.” Does suggesting that Republicans “want you to die,” or comparing ANYTHING to the Holocaust not qualify as a “breach of decorum,” or “degrading the proceedings,” or bring “discredit to the House”? Really? What he said was insulting, wrong, and disrespectful. If Nancy Pelosi wants to cry about “bad language,” she needs to be able to call it out from her own side too. The Wilson event was a partisan stunt, and this event highlights it’s hypocrisy.
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But more over, the immediate attempt to fund-raise shows the motivation. Wilson more-or-less fell into a fund raising situation… it seems that Grayson, on the other hand, planned this. Big posters almost guarantees that you’re going to get on television, and that was the purpose of his insane rant. Now, it’s even more obvious that this was a fund raising attempt. Wilson used his outburst as a fund raiser, but almost accidentally so… Grayson seems to have planned this out from the start.

Knowing that (or at least, believing that) the Republicans are smart to not push the issue further, and let the matter die out on it’s own. If Grayson want’s to be a lunatic for dollars, fine… but the Republicans publicly complaining about it will only raise his status, and bring in more money. Keep quiet, and perhaps the story dies sooner than later.

Personally, I question the sanity of anyone who uses a “Holocaust” analogy in such an offensive manner, and then seeks to profit off it. But if that’s who the Democrats want to align themselves with, and who they don’t see fit to complain, sanction, or reprimand… well, that tells almost as much about them, as it does about Grayson himself.
Lurker

This guy looks familiar. Is he the guy Cavuto manhandled on live tv?
Pam1151

@ImNotBlue Personally, I question the sanity of anyone who uses a “Holocaust” analogy in such an offensive manner, and then seeks to profit off it. I totally agree with you on this statement. He was way out-of-order. I say this and he is my Rep. I didn’t vote for those type of statements. But I did vote for his out-spoken personility. I do believe that most of the dems are whimps and it is about time they run at the mouth as much as the repubs do. I heard that he raised over $100,000 from my neighbors. Hmmm
libra blue

Funny how Obama supporters like Anderson were so incensed over the Paliln “death panel” comment that they covered it for days, but are totally ignoring Grayson’s rant even tho it happened on the floor of the House. Journalistic bias at its worst.
libra blue

Correction, “Palin.”
ImNotBlue

@Pam1151

I think you’re mistaken about the left running it’s mouth. Perhaps the congressmen and women don’t get loony all the time (although, if you remember the Bush admin, there was plenty of crazy things said by the elected on the left), but they have enough “friends” in the media and elsewhere to do it for them.

Recently example… Bette Midler saying Beck was trying to start another “Rowanda.” HUH?

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/Bette-Midler-on-the-Rwandan-Genocide-146