We expect Democrats to take to the floor to defend Grayson, and that the Speaker will not allow this travesty to come up for a vote.

We’ll see.

Did those spines come in by FedEx this morning?

For the last 20-30 years, Republicans have turned to catch-all fearmongering against Democrats and liberals on every single issue. Gay marriage? “Liberals want to fulfill the Homosexual Agenda of destroying the institution of marriage, which is the foundation of society!” Abortion? “Liberals want to create a society of death, where anything is allowed and there is no right and wrong!” Climate change? “Liberals will use this hoax to enact sweeping reforms to turn America into a socialist nightmare!” Education? “The liberals want to indoctrinate our children!” And so on and so on… Obama’s secret prisons for white people. The War on Christmas. ACORN is out to get you. Is Obama a citizen?

And who can forget how easily Republicans accused everybody else of “not supporting the troops” or “giving comfort to the enemy” by “undermining the Commander-in-Chief during a time of war”? Isn’t this *still* “a time of war”? What happened? Oh, right, a Democrat is in the White House now, and he’s fair game. Didn’t a Representative recently call President Obama an “enemy of humanity”?

In the face of such hatemongering, false witness and manipulation of the corporate media, what Grayson said is downright politically correct by comparison.

I say contact George Snuffleupagus and ask him why he didn’t demand that Republicans apologize on any of the thousands of occasions when they said something at least as bad…

Republicans are assholes.

oohh lala this is good. hats off to congressman grayson. he is the change i voted for.

i posted the youtube last night
45million and counting loosing their lives every year

This is just sick.

The GOP is beyond reason.

Where is Hugh? Add this to your list.

It’s insane that this has reached this level, and that progressives are being once again sacrificed to a right-wing hissy fit when Republicans regularly engage in the most extreme eliminationist rhetoric with absolutely no consequences.

this is pure rove: create a huge hissy-fit about nothing, and utterly drown out valid criticism of their own actions. business as usual.

One more shipment that ends up being returned to the manufacturer unused.

contact tom price and ask him to stop acting like an azzchapeau (though it’s a part of his personality). i’d be willing to donate for some therapy.

D.C.
Phone: 202-225-4501
Fax: 202-225-4656

Marietta, GA
Fax: 770-565-7570
Phone: 770-565-4990

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

We have the conditions for a coup exactly at this moment. Generals in the field are publically calling for more troops before speaking to their commander. A minority of less than 30% control legislation and grind government to a halt. Racist slander of a sitting president is made on national TV and the President’s CoS is makin’ political deals with corporate criminals in the White House.

I remind folks here that in Germany in 1932-33 30% of the population made Hitler Chancelor with the support of well organized and well funded thugs in the street…if Obama doesn’t stand up in front of his supporters today and take a stand for the people of the country then he will not survive until the election of 2012.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN AMMUNITION, THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE!!

This is ridiculous, as usual. I want to know, if this comes to a vote, if any Dems vote for this. If so, they should be punished by the Leadership (?) and shunned.

the good news . . .

even if somehow they tried censure, Grayson has demonstrated he doesn’t give a sh* and would continue apace

and I have three words for these screeching bitches : Trent Fucking Franks !

another
YOUNG

victim of murder by spreadsheet

http://www.huliq.com/3257/8695…..-insurance

They just don’t understand what is going to happen to them, do they?

Sign my petition to stop our tax dollars from paying “private Millitary/security firms” to run rampant in the Middle East.

http://www.change.org/actions/…..iddle_east

Jane, is the page set up properly? I only see a spot for recurring contributions, not a one time.

Any D who votes for this needs to be defunded by the DCCC.
Or the DCCC will be defunded by the base.

I hope that an amendment is offered to censure Rep Price for attempting to stifle protected speech and wasting valuable house time and then eliminating the complaint against Grayson from the text of the measure.

Jane, you are awesome. I have heard Grayson and he should also be graded “A” for Awesome. I have a post and I am shocked that Goldman Sachs controls Health Care. In Australia, Merck has been proven to have a “hitlist” of doctors and researchers who challenge their Corporate meds. Merck continues to put thimerasol in swine flu vaccines. They give it to kids and pregnant women.

As near as I can tell, Grayson is only partially correct.

Y’see, the true plan is “Live righteously & virtuously.” The reasoning is that if you live righteously & virtuously, then you won’t get sick, and won’t need health care. If you get sick, that is GOD telling you that you’re doing something wrong. If you get seriously sick, then you are doing something seriously wrong. It follows from this that if you get ill enough to die from it, then GOD obviously hates what you’re doing enough to want you out of the world, so from their viewpoint, “Don’t get sick, but if you do, die quickly” is a valid plan (although they probably wouldn’t phrase it that way even though they think that way).

As far as I can tell, they’re upset because Grayson had the audacity to tell it like it actually is, and they can’t take the truth.

i have an honest question (even though i signed the petition).
why should i wade into someone else’s pissing match, when the party I’m ostensibly defending does not have MY back?

at this point all i’m interested in is primaries.

oy
United States of Goldman Sachs

We expect Democrats to take to the floor to defend Grayson

No. Don’t defend. Attack Republicans. There is nothing that needs defending here.

imo
we must be interested
and support hee hee those with a sack

Grayson’s response.

Sent Grayson a few shekels. Love the guy. 434 more like him.

Heh.

Is this an attempt by the rethugs to garner campaign contributions for Grayson’s opponent?

It’ll prolly help Grayson as well.

hahaha
id give em the H TRUMAN response

GIVE EM HELL HARRY

i give the goopers the TRUTH and they think ITS HELL

OK loads of work to do…later yall
KEEP FIGHTIN

It’s quite common knowledge and generally understood that private health care insurance works only if you stay healthy. The howler monkeys continue to jump the shark. The question is, can they swim?

Of course, these marginal skirmishes play into the R tactic of delay, delay, delay.

lol.
I went there as well :D

I can already hear Fox, Rush, etal going ape-shit on this. I can also see Harry and Nancy rolling over. Are we fucking doomed, or what? I’m not seeing too much light these days. Yes, there is plenty of good information out there, but is it penetrating the (un)consciousness of (what I will characterize as) The Masses? Um…I ain’t seein’ it. Help me out here…

Good Lord, John Stewart is sitting at his desk saying, “Another year, and it will be another Emmy. I just cannot make this political crap up. The DC story writes itself and the Daily show wins.”

was thinking that as well

amen.

We can work that to our advantage too.

How do you think it Gray’s remarks will play with the 80%?

Still not on the floor.

Onamonapia -for the day

WAHHHHHHHHHHHH
call the Wammmmmmmmmbulancefor the wooosies

As far as I’m concerned, I’d be happy to wait until 2011 to do medical reform. Two more years of abuse by private insurers will put the public into an entirely different mood. I sense the tipping point is near, but not strong enough yet to pry the pols from the corporate teat.

Gosh frickin darnit . . . . Where are the dems to censure that guy who called Obama an enemy of humanity! Where are the dems stickin up for Dems!!??

Did anyone besides me hear how nervous Grayson was in his voice? He needs our back on this. Suspect Pelosi will take him to the woodshed in private.

Not too much, I’m guessing. However, MSM will milk it for all it’s worth. “Hey! Look at this shiny object!”

He doesn’t belong in the woodshed Prick Price does

“Will?”

I’ll be calling Congressman Grayson and thanking him. But please don’t ask me to contribute money. I will no longer send my pittance checks to the DNC. Money seems to be a measure of support (aka Joe Wilson’s funding after his no lie outburst). I don’t think it should be. Today my heroes are Grayson, Rockefeller, and Schumer.

sorry, ActBlue page working now.

http://www.actblue.com/page/standbygrayson

Isn’t that the same with car insurance and homeowners?

Too many accidents, you get cut, or premiums go through the roof.

The money goes directly to Grayson, not to the DNC.

How well do you know Grayson & his ability to stand alone (’cept for us) against attacks from the right and lack of support from his own party?

You have somewhat greater control over your auto & your home than your own medical conditions. And the consequences of not being able to pay for medical care, death, is somewhat greater than not having car or home insurance.

Eagles: Oh Well, it’s been a good day in hell. Tomorrow I’ll be glory bound!

Grayson/Grijalva 2012 !

EW just pointed out Georgie Steph’s selective “outrage”:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake……his-hands/

Works for me!

Is this an attempt by Cong. Prick Price to cover up the flap he got in over trying to dupe Drs. into supporting him?

Hey, if the Republicans want to draw attention to the fact that they have no health plan, fine with me!

good choices. good guys.

Can we point out that while Wilson’s actions were actually against House rules, while Grayon’s comments aren’t.

Citizen SouthernDragon:

Yessir, Brother Dragonman!! Actually Pelosi could really take charge of the entire political debate right now and turn it on the fascists if she just stood up and said that there would be a debate and vote on the resolution followed by debate and votes on Tom Franks and every last one of those southern fried crypto-Nazis who have ever said boo on the floor of the House. She could take down the Republican Party in one fell swoop.

True, I guess I was just wondering about the significance of the original statement:

It’s quite common knowledge and generally understood that private health care insurance works only if you stay healthy.

Isn’t insurance just legalized gambling. You don’t have to pay for a policy if you’re not going to use it.

Perhaps, but we’re hopefully not talking about commodities, tho, Republicans and Blue Dogs think of people that way. Granted that these other types of insurance can put you in dire straights which can lead to bad health and then you’re really up the spout.

I will say this, the GOP have to show they have a plan, a reasonable plan. They cannot just censure to cnsure. Grayson called their “hot air” out into the open and tied it to the “you lie” moment and tied it to the falsehood of death panels.

To pull Grayson apart means fortifying their position of “do nothing” on health care.

The best way for the GOP to confront Grayson would be to come up with an actual decent piece of healthcare legislation. But they will not. So, Grayson will be correct in his conclusions.

Meanwhile, Rethugs, disguised as politicians who give a shit for their constituents, are busy juggling bright shiney objects in order to obfuscate the issues.

alright awready ! I’ve been lost in link land the last 15 min or so – there is to be an actual floor debate on this ?!?!

can someone more familiar with House Rules please tell me that any of these shitheads can ask for a debate without the Speaker’s ascent or is this monkey dance moving forward because she allowed it/failed to stop it ?

The dignified, parliamentary response to this would be for the majority party to rise as one, turn their backs, and, on a signal from the leadership, drop trow and moon the opposition. A moment of silence. Then suit up and back to grownup business.

Spew alert there!

Cleaning up coffee.

And trying to breath, I am laughing so much.

Maybe in Texas, but in principle, insurance is a pooling of funds for various contingencies that are relatively rare but could still intrude.

Complex A to your Q that I won’t go into now. Short version: there is a legitimate spreading of risk by insurance, if the participants believe that there is an equal probability that the misfortune will fall on any one member of the pool. That’s not gambling. Gambling is not taking advantage of spreading the risk.

As for medical, the fundamental doesn’t hold true, as some people have much better genes than others. And there are all other kinds of imperfections. So IMO medical should be looked at entirely differently, as something rich countries owe to their citizens. Which means single payer. But the debate is not constructed around that meme, except for one Q in the last prez debate that I remember.

Maybe a chorus of flatulence in their general direction.

chickenshit is now “holding back” waiting for grayson to apologise. that’s hilarious. http://blogs.abcnews.com/georg…..ssary.html

It just seems that Obama started out talking about Health Care, and now it’s all about Insurance.

I understand that insurance companies make tons of profit which makes them easy targets, but isn’t it health care itself that is actually needed?

Guess you answered this above while I was typing.

Um, GOP needs to hand him a bill. Let him read it and then maybe Grayson will apologize. Expecting an apology without any content to back the expectation?

Otherwise…whistle.

Can I repeat my Texas meme? Don’t mess with Texas. It is already a secesh mess.

Are you a concern troll?

If anyone would like to join Blue Texan’s post already in progress, it is now available: “Conservative Blogger Rick Moran Calls on the Right to Condemn “Crazies”, Sees Racism in Attacks on Obama”

Gov. Rick Perry is a Secesh Mess.

Just called Grayson’s office to thank him for all he is doing. Got a really nice young man and they obviously are grateful for the support.

I said “dignified”. One doesn’t respond to Republicans in their own language!

In theory, yes, but in reverse.

When I was in the 6th grade, if memory serves, someone explained insurance to me as a bet that you hope to lose. You put up your money and hope that the house will win.

On the other hand, it has to be a straight game. When the house loses, it has to pay out honestly. In the contemporary health insurance game, the house cheats.

Let’s remember why Congressman Alan Grayson is the Republicans’ worst nightmare.

He is independently wealthy, an entrepreneur who made a billion founding a high-tech IT company. He hails from Brooklyn, has Ivy League legal and professional credentials, and special expertise on the needs and costs facing the aged. He represents a district in Florida that includes Orlando, a district and state where the concerns of the aged create unique social and electoral issues. It’s a must have state for any president, let alone a Southern Strategy-dependent Republican Party.

As a trial lawyer, Alan Grayson made more millions by successfully suing mega-defense contractors for fraud, something the Bush administration protected instead of prosecuted. And he’s progressive on social and civil rights issues.

That background rings every alarm in the Republican bell tower. It makes Congressman Grayson an enormous political threat to the Goopers, a bigger threat arguably than former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman or the US Attorneys who wouldn’t come out and play ball with Karl Rove. Look at what lengths the Goopers went to get at those targets.

Alan Grayson would be an enormous asset to a Democratic Party that knew what it was doing. But this one wants continuity it can bank on more than change we can believe in. So its up to us to support Mr. Grayson when he does the right thing. We should support him now.

Spoke to Tom’s office in DC, asked him to denounce the violent right-wing rhetoric (latest from Newsmax). They weren’t aware of this kind of nastiness, and would have to get back to me. Also let them know that his resolution is out of line.

The only thing that was wrong about what Rep. Grayson said is that, at the moment, this is also the Democratic plan for health care.

BINGO BINGO BINGO ! ! !

Why would Ms. Nancy allow any floor time for an obvious witch hunt? Mr. Grayson’s descriptions – in his own floor speech – were correct or at least supported by facts argued in open debate. Mr. Wilson shouted down another speaker, the president, during his speech when he was a guest on the Hill.

Honestly, the Democrats have less ability to protect themselves than Hansel and Gretel. They don’t drop breadcrumbs to find their way home through the dark political woods; they feed them to Republicans.

Trent Fucking Franks !

oh HELL Yeah!

Yep, and again I ask, why am I supposed to always blindly support this party???

Because I just ain’t no more. I’m tired of their lack of balls, lack of principles, lack of anything remotely needed to lead this country out of the shithole the right wing drove us into.

I’ll never hate the D party as much as I despise the R party, but I’m getting damned close to not liking them very much. Certain individuals within it, you bet, but the party as a whole has ever since Ronald Reagan NEVER SHOWN A SET OF BALLS on any issue.

And this one takes the cake. For example. Roles reversed. Do you really think speaker Denny Hastert would’ve even allowed this vote to occur?? I know the answer to that. And the right response is to do unto others as they do to you, at least in politics that’s how you have to respond.

For the life of me I don’t understand the D’s need to feel “right” or “fair” to this other fucking party that has no such feelings, and never will have them, back toward the D’s. Don’t they remember how the R’s ran the place when they had the power?

Blind faith will get you killed.

Yeah.

Thanks for responding. Just seeing you respond reminds me of your constant mantra of…

Never. Give. Up.

Guess I needed that today.

Thanks a lot for being that rock.

grayson isn’t a co-sponsor to hr 676 (single payer, expanded and improved medicare for all) and i don’t send $$ to any congressperson who doesn’t show support for universal healthcare (in addition to any compromise legislation they may want to support).

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/…..00676:@@@N

perhaps there is another bill that provides universal healthcare that grayson supports? i’m not going to insist on hr 676, just about any kind of universal healthcare will do. otherwise grayson’s criticism of the gop (while very true) also applies too much to his own healthcare plans, if they leave millions without access to healthcare, for me to send $$.

Earl,

You’re right. The vote can’t happen.

This has already probably been said above, but…

If they want to go down this road, then wouldn’t several Republican members of Congress have to be censured for the certifiably crazy sh*t they’ve said on the House floor?

There’s a big difference between what Grayson said and when he said it and what Wilson said and when he said it.

The problem wasn’t even what Wilson said, but that he spoke out of order during a joint session of Congress. Grayson had the floor when he identified the essence of the Republican health care reform proposal as amounting to “if you get sick, die quickly.”

Besides, what could they possibly be aserting as a justification for censuring Grayson, that he hurt their feelings?

Where were the calls to censure Michele Batshit Bachmann for impugning the loyalty of members of congress who happen to use their brains instead of listening to voices in their heads?

OldFatGuy, a good, short exposition of where the GOP is coming from is found in Carl Schmitt’s “The Concept of the Political.” Schmitt was a Nazi and a model for Leo Strauss, the ideological godfather of the neocons. His basic premise is that politics is one simple formula: define your friends and everyone who disagrees with you is the enemy. The corollary to that is that the enemy deserves no quarter, is not to be compromised with, and is deserving of only destruction.

The basic GOP game plan for at least the past 15 years.

grayson just made a good statement on the house floor. he apologized to the dead, for the approx. 45 thousand who die in america each year for lack of health insurance. it was very well done imo.

I just left a modified version of what I wrote above as a comment to CNN’s Political Ticker story “Republicans decide not to introduce Grayson resolution”

Go take a look at their story AND LEAVE A COMMENT:

http://politicalticker.blogs.c…..esolution/

Oh thank you Selise.

Jesus Christ, just watched a video clip where GOP Congressman Price on the floor asked Grayson to apologize.

He said:

“I call on all Democrat members of the House and all Democrat leaders…”

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.

So even when he asks for an apology because Grayson was “rude” he insists on being rude and repeating the old, tired, and equally rude GOP mantra of calling them the “Democrat” party instead of the “Democratic” party.

This is where the Democrats should all stand up in unison on the House floor and shout:

GO DICK CHENEY YOURSELF.

ASSHOLE.

And of course, even MSNBC didn’t pick up on his use of “Democrat” in place of “Democratic” and focused on whether Grayson should apologize.

Fuck the Republicans.

tom price on joe wilson:

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.”

Meanwhile, the White House is calling Fox and Back out for lying (using the “L” word, even). So, why should any Dem knuckle under to this latest iteration of REthug idiocy?

Go read.

It might be better to censure Republicans, as well. Introduce similar motions against those who lied about ‘death panels’ for instance.

It’s a dance. Do it back. Republicans want to waste time, let’s waste time.

Grayson has a good post up at DailyKos {sorry can’t link].
I put in $10 on that dog fight. Go Grayson! Thank you for speaking truth firmly.

Thank you Alan Grayson, you are my hero. Thank you for standing up and telling the truth. I salute you!

We have no indication that the health insurers are spreading risk in the actuarial sense, rather they do everything they can to shed and avoid risk. They effectively pool profit not risk.

The for-profit insurance model for health care is a contrivance. The individual mandate is probably unconstitutional. The only way health care costs are going to come down is if not for profit operations are able to create risk pools big enough to drive down costs for everyone. The larger the pool, the better the price. But there are problems when there is but one primary competitor, single payer, because then there is no competition.

But wait! There is an out here, as government run health care is the responsibility of people who we elect to office, and bringing health care finance into the private sector will make it a consumer and political issue. Who needs market competition when we can replace nameless, faceless members of insurer boards of directors with the US Congress? Imagine, the marketplace of ideas fashioning health policy rather than anonymous insurance executives with captive markets.

here is the salient question….why is grayson the most unique demtillian in the congress?

To get to the other side?

To hold his pants up?

…?

That’s funny, Betsy!
AND I DID throw what is in my world a sizeable amount to Grayson, and will do so again each and every time he actually says on the floor what I’m yelling at the TV!!!
THIS is a man to keep an eye on!
s

I live in Tom Price’s district and just sent him the below email. May be a little late now, but it will be fun to see how he responds. I actually think Grayson’s comments were great, but that wouldn’t help my case in the email!

Dear Congressman Price:

I was pleased to see that you are considering introducing a resolution to censure Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida in response to his comments earlier this week about the Republican approach to health care reform. Over the top, incendiary comments have no place in our politics. That is why I am writing to you today. There have been a number of other Members who have made what I consider to be similarly incendiary comments on the House floor, and I wanted to make you aware of these statements. The examples I am aware of are as follows:

-Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida said in July that the Democratic health care bill “essentially said to America’s seniors: drop dead.”

-Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia said in July that the adoption of a publicly funded health care plan would “kill people.”

-Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina suggested that proposed reforms would “put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government.”

I am sure you will agree with me that these comments are just as reprehensible and deserve no less condemnation than Rep. Grayson’s comments this week. With that in mind, I strongly urge you to add these three Members to your censure resolution. Doing so would go a long way toward bringing the health care debate back to a responsible and reasonable level of dialogue.

Thank you for your consideration.