In the Defense of Alan Grayson

Via Think Progress:

Republican lawmakers have been pressing Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) to apologize for saying that the Republican alternative health care proposals would force sick Americans to “die quickly” (even though their own members have been making absurdly false claims about Democratic plans). Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said that Grayson should “do the right thing and recognize the comments that he made were disrespectful to the House and to the decorum.” Today in her weekly press conference, however, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that there’s no reason for Grayson to apologize:

Apparently Republicans hold Democrats to a higher standard than they hold members of their own party. … There’s no reason for Mr. Grayson to apologize. If anyone should apologize, everyone should apologize.

Yesterday, Grayson did say he was sorry — to all the people who have lost their lives because they didn’t have health insurance (almost 45,000 Americans each year).

I will go one step further just so our "friends" of the Republican Party. Here are the House Rules on the Floor.

Words Taken Down (Clause 4 of Rule XVII)

A Member should avoid impugning the motives of another Member, the Senate or the President, using offensive language, or uttering words that are otherwise deemed unparliamentary. These actions are strictly against House Rules and are subject to a demand that the words be taken down. A demand that the Member’s words be taken down results in the Clerk reporting the words and the chair ruling on the propriety of the words. (If the demand is made in the Committee of the Whole, the Committee rises and reports them to the House where the Chair rules on their propriety).

Now, it does not say a thing about painting the entire party as douchebags as breaking the rules. In fact the rules protect that, how else could you debate? The truth is the truth and it hurts. All Grayson did was call it liked he saw it. For all the false equavalencies on the Right about Joe Wilson and Alan Grayson, you can clearly see Joe Wilson broke the rules while, Alan Grayson colorfully said what we have all been saying for years. They don't care. They don't ever care and health care reform and stopping it has been their one goal.

As Grayson said, the yells of "tort reform" or "free market" principals are cliche. Stopping people from their ability to sue in cases of malpractice and allowing people to "shop" for insurance are not serious answers to the 45,000 that die every year because of our current AWESOME TOTALLY ROCKING HEALTH CARE SYSTEM!

Fixing it is the key and the Republicans don't give a fugg, they don't want to give a fugg and kudos to Grayson, now let's just hope more Dems have barrs like him.

Act Blue has campaign raising funds Grayson, you can donate here.




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