Congressman Demanding Grayson Apology Praised Joe Wilson
Republicans are all over Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL, right) for saying, “If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That’s right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.” But they didn’t get all upset when Republicans like Sarah Palin used scare tactics like their claims that Democrats would bring you “death panels.” And where were the Republicans calling on Joe “You Lie” Wilson to apologize?
In the case of Tom Price (below), nowhere.
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) drafted a “resolution of disapproval” saying Grayson’s conduct was “a breach of decorum and degraded the integrity and proceedings of the House.”
Price spokesman Brendan Buck put out a statement saying, “It is the job of the speaker to ensure the House runs with proper decorum, and we would hope that [Speaker Pelosi] would not tolerate such behavior. As Mr. Grayson has shown no remorse for his antics, we have called on the speaker to take the appropriate action to resolve this matter. Any future decision on a resolution will rest on the ability of the speaker to control her members.”
That is so funny, since Tom Price praised Joe Wilson after Wilson’s lack of decorum.
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), leader of House conservatives, invoked Samuel Adams: “It doesn’t take a majority to prevail, but an irate and tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men. Thank you so much for setting those brush fires.
Pathetic junior high games, with real world consequences. Don’t know how they have any time to do anything substantial with all the time and energy the useless drama takes. Both parties.
flap Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Actually, although I think Grayson was over the top, I think Wilson’s outburst was MUCH worse. Grayson was using inappropriate rhetoric. Wilson was essentially insulting the President during his speech. Huge difference.
It’s one thing to say crazy stuff on the floor of the House/Senate, but to insult the President while he is giving a speech is way beyond the pale, in my opinion. Whether “you lie” applies is irrelevant.
placefield Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I agree.
jasperjava Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I appreciate those comments, flap. Good on ya.
EricG Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:55 pm
“Grayson was using inappropriate rhetoric.”
Michelle Bachmann
…
I have nothing else to say about inappropriate rhetoric coming from a member of Congress.
…
And what is the Republican Health Care Plan?
Is it the same as the Republican War Plan for Iraq?
October 1st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Grayson’s rhetoric may be over-the-top, but it’s time to fight fire with fire. If the Republican are going to accuse Democrats of wanting to pull the plug on Grandma and impose a socialist-fascist-communist-jihadist-Muslim-European-Canadian-death-panel healthcare system, they should expect Dems to fight back.
It’s actually refreshing to see a Dem fight back for a change, instead of turning over and let the disgraced minority party call the shots.
placefield Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 4:14 pm
So now both sides can exhibit behavior that I would not accept from my 5 and 8 year old? I agree that the Dems need to grow a pair and fight, but it is an honorable fight that can be fought honorably.
jasperjava Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Dems already have facts and logic on our side. However, we’ve been losing arguments in the face of right-wing rhetoric and lies. I’m sick and tired of seeing our reasoned arguments get overwhelmed by the shrill shrieking of ignorant knuckle-dragging psychopaths.
I’m not saying that we should abandon facts and logic. We can still hammer away with those. But occasionally it would be useful to launch a firebrand at the Republicans with over-the-top comments, just to remind those thugs that two can play at this childish (and sadly effective) little game.
placefield Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I guess I got a bit of idealism in me.
jasperjava Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I hear you.
I don’t even think this sad situation is just the Republicans’ fault. Unfortunately, the media engages in a he-said she-said model of reporting that makes the insane lunatic rantings of the Republicans somehow equivalent to the Democrats’ points.
Take for example the brilliant speech that President Obama gave to a joint session of Congress last month. It was a masterpiece. And yet the media devoted AT LEAST as much attention to a knucklehead neo-Confederate like Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouting “YOU LIE!”
We’re not playing on the same playing field. We’re bringing a paper airplane to a knife fight.
placefield Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:45 pm
The media is playing to the lowest common denominator so it can compete with the other 100 channels of childish gibberish. We live in a world where people are more interested in the divorce drama of John and Kate Plus Eight then they are about US torture policies. It is sad indeed.
EricG Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:37 pm
This is the kind of stuff I would advocate at a DNC strategy meeting.
Go for the throat, at least in this political climate.
It’s time to pull hair and gnash teeth
October 1st, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Another round of the jackass carousel in Congress when one party says something when the other party does something that the former has already done (at that time it was the latter expressing outrage). Like when Pelosi and others wanted Wilson to apologized to the House. Or when Thaddeous Mcsomething from MI wanted Obama to apologize to the Cambridge Police Dept. Or when Joe Wilson wanted John Kerry to apologize to the country for his testimonies to Congress that were against continuing the Vietnam War. The carousel keeps on going round and round….
October 1st, 2009 at 4:30 pm
““If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That’s right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.””
Over the top? The hell it is. Pay or die. That is the health care system we have now and that is the system republikkkans are defending to the death.
Our death.
EricG Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:40 am
On this issue, this actually factually correct.
That’s how crazy the world is today.
What was once wild partisan smears, is now just an provable fact.
Their plan: blank sheets of paper and shouting over people without any facts behind you.
Our system: people die from lack of coverage and denial of coverage.
–
When did rejecting scientific studies become anything but idiotic?
October 1st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I really liked Grayson’s “apology”. It was priceless! He’s the firt democrat I’ve seen who’s sporting a sack!
libpatriot Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
And it’s ABOUT TIME!
EricG Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 9:06 pm
First one in Congress, yes. That’s very true.
jasperjava Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 am
For those who haven’t seen this brilliant apology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoITVLWpKB8
And it IS an apology, to the people who genuinely deserve an apology.
EricG Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 am
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8609
I just found this on FDL.
This is crazy. The CNN Situation Room just completely dogged on Grayson after kissing the keister of Boehner not long ago.
The ethics of The Situation Room are situational: Democrats are to be rigorously questioned, with multiple interruptions from multiple opponents, while Republicans are to be treated with the utmost respect and deference from a single questioner. And yet, somehow, 45% of Americans still think the news media are “too liberal”. No, I don’t understand that one, either.
–
Media bias & slanted coverage is only profoundly rampant at FOX News, and by no means exclusive to that network.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Congressman Grayson is my hero.
Rocky the Liberal Rottweiler Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Damn straight. Pay or die. That’s the republikkkan way.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Well this “irate and tireless majority” is setting “brush fires” of dishonest journalism & broadcasting combined with full blown McCarthyism.
I could see John Adams considering protesting outside FOX News for silencing the freedom of having the truth from the minds of Americans.
So I was one of the only people anywhere who was extremely with Speaker Pelosi’s handling of the Wilson outburst.
She would have been well within her rights to have him forcibly ejected and formally sanctioned.
And that’s exactly what she should have done right there during the Joint-Session.
Thrown out the unpatriotic slob until he can conduct himself like a US Congressman.
–
In the case of Grayson, he is merely defining the opposition.
Something normally a little aggressive for standard-fair politics, but that’s hardly what we have here.
Considering the entire argument against Obama White House is primarily (an overwhelming portion!) formed on definitions of him coming from the opposition, I think it past time we started clearly defining our conservative colleges where ever we might find them.
For instance, it is rather clear that Rep. Tom Price knows as much about freedom and figures like John Adams as a Mid-Eastern dictator might.
A people who rely solely on an agency know to spread lies for their “information” in a free democracy know nothing of freedom, and John Adams would agree with me on that point.
EricG Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 8:16 pm
*Samuel Adams
(typing too fast … blah)
October 1st, 2009 at 7:42 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtra54pbcNw
Grayson on The ED Show.
EricG Reply:
October 1st, 2009 at 9:03 pm
That’s the key about all this.
Without any ground rules we become like the fact-less people we are trying to underscore.
Grayson did it right.
You call them out on their obvious disregard for facts and their obvious disregard for hard working Americans.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
http://thesepeopleareanimals.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/rep-alan-grayson-d-fl-you-are-an-american-hero
http://ericlightborn.blogspot.com/2009/10/alan-grayson-is-my-hero.html
–
It’s official.
Congressman Alan Grayson is now officially an American hero!
libpatriot Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:52 am
EricG, your website just keeps getting snazzier looking all the time [a compliment]!
Oh, and I’m glad it’s official about Grayson, ’cause with his apology, he deserves it!
October 1st, 2009 at 9:15 pm
I love Mr. Grayson! Go on Dems, do the same! And shame on hypocritical tom price.
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 am
Unfortunately, Tom Price is my rep. He is Georgia’s clone of Michele Bachmann…a complete idiot. He has had nothing to say about her outrageous outbrusts on healthcare (school clinics will be secret abortion clinics)nor has he had anything to say about Virginia Foxx’s constant, shrill outbursts on the floor about nonexistent “death panels”.
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:52 am
Oh Alan. Mr. Grayson. I’m in love. Where do I need to mail my campaign contribution? xxxooo.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:00 am
THE TRUTH:
“Does this start to look a little incestuous? One blue blog cites another blue blog, which got its story from yet another blog? And none of them links to the actual source of Rep Price’s quote! It took us five minutes with The Google to find the original source for this quote. Would you be surprised to learn that Rep Price was not praising Joe Wilson? That contrary to Ellen’s allegation he did not “praise Wilson’s tactics”? The statement Brodsky based her article on was Rep Price speaking to a rally of tax protesters, thanking them for their efforts. He wasn’t talking to Joe Wilson. He wasn’t talking about Joe Wilson. Joe Wilson wasn’t even there.”
Hard to Say He’s Sorry
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/10/AR2009091003630_2.html?referrer=emailarticle&sid=ST2009091502991
***
Fox Haters Week in Review
http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/blog/bpb276389500.html
October 5th, 2009 at 5:06 pm