"Even before I heard earlier Palin's whining about 'misguided finger-pointing' and 'irresponsible statements from people who are apportioning blame,' I thought about this: Palin came to my district, and told her people to 'take me out.' Palin told people again and again, 'don't retreat, reload.'"
Running down threats to him, Grayson says one of his five-year old twins "received a telephone death threat intended for me" the day before last March's health care vote.
"A right-wing commentator offered anyone $100 to punch me in the nose. We received so many threats of violence from tea baggers that we started a file," Grayson writes. "And the day before Gabby was shot, I received a postcard saying 'you better get some personal protection. You could very well be getting your ass kicked soon.'"
In addition to Giffords, Grayson notes other Democrats who had threats made to them during the 2010 campaign, including Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), and losing Reps. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.), Ron Klein (D-Fla.), and Tom Perriello (D-Va.).
"As I observed on MSNBC last week, there has been a stream of violence and threats of violence by the right wing against Democrats. Gabby warned against it, and then became a terrible victim of it," says Grayson. "Palin has instigated it, and then tried to pretend that it doesn't exist. What do I think? I think that Gabby said it best: 'We can't stand for this.' We have to stand against it."
Update: Here is the entire Facebook post from Grayson.
If Obama or the DNC don't give him a job so he can speak up for us peasants, they are way stuuuupid.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I miss him, too. I hope his days in politics aren't over.
ReplyDelete"And the day before Gabby was shot, I received a postcard saying 'you better get some personal protection. You could very well be getting your ass kicked soon.'"
ReplyDeleteHe's out of office and STILL getting this shit?
Sheesh. The Teatards need to get a life.
I also miss him... We really need him to stay at the forefront. He's such a strong voice, and so reasonable.
ReplyDeleteI hope Alan runs for president in 2016--he
ReplyDeleteand Anthony Weiner would be a hell of a team.
Grayson is too awesome. I wish he were my Congressman.
ReplyDeleteI think he was the best public servant in America. I mourn his lost election.
ReplyDeleteI hope we haven't seen or heard the last of Alan Grayson.
ReplyDeleteHis was and is an important voice representing a huge percentage of people who feel that Republicans don't care, the Tea Partiers are too extreme to care, and one too many Democrats lack the intestinal fortitude to demonstrate that they care.
Perhaps the political climate will turn in Florida during the next two years as they see what their corrupt and IQ-challenged Governor is planning and how Rubio acts in the Senate.
I think the Tea Party will see itself out the door as quickly as it went in because they seem to be mostly ignorant extremists.
In short, we need more leaders like Grayson who can see and analyze the problems, discuss the problems and provide pragmatic solutions to the problems.
Earlier today, it was reported that Giffords' husband said that she was in constant fear that someone would bring a loaded gun to one of her meetings. She had received numerous threats from those against her pro-health care vote. I like Grayson as well. Too bad he had to deal with teabaggers and idjits from Florida.
ReplyDeleteSometimes? I know I'm going to miss him all of the time. Where is there another Democrat willing to stand up, speak the truth and be erudite in doing it.
ReplyDeleteAlan Grayson was there when Obama wasn't and Al Franken didn't have a microphone.
I wish he'd come to my state, establish residency and then take Darell Issa's seat.
Huge Alan Grayson fan here and I agree, he is too valuable, he should work in the DNC.
ReplyDeleteHe should get a face book page like palin and send out his articles to all the news outlets like palin does. He could be our palin without the violent rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteI think an Weiner/Grayson ticket would be awesome. I sometimes think the GOP wants Sarah Palin to run and fail in 2012 so they can run Jeb Bush in 2016.
ReplyDeleteLove me some Grayson. He's tough AND funny. The DNC needs to support him and get him involved at the national level.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing I ask of Palin-- are they turning in these threats to the police? If they are not, I do not trust them.
ReplyDeleteI live in AK and sent Grayson donations! Respect this smart man who gets it.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Grayson become chair of the DNC.
ReplyDeleteHe is absolutely right in everything he said about Palin and her idiot, extremist followers. Someone needs to remind these dangerous reactionaries that, as was proven in Arizona, a bullet doesn't have anyone's name on it and if you keep fanning the flames of hate, while urging people to show up to political events 'armed and dangerous' innocent people lose their lives.
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the FULL article that Alan GRAYSON wrote:
http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=wall#!/notes/alan-grayson/gabby-was-right-palin-is-wrong/183975068292147
p.s. there's much more there than on the link that you used for your post.
OT--Can anyone comment on what scara was talking about when she nearly flipped a switch while talking about a Tri-fecta in the government right now, that needs to be dealt with on Hannity?????? AND Some one needs to post a picture of scara in the English dictionary next to the definition Palindrome with a clever NEW definition both describing her and the true definition and how the two are similar. Jon Stewart mentioned it first, but what a great cartoon, or play on words one could make up--I am just not clever enough, but someone out there is. Could make a great bumper sticker. BTW Weiner and Grayson is a great idea!!!
ReplyDeleteWe cannot give up.
ReplyDeleteShe can whine and complain all she wants to, but she targeted these people, she used violent rhetoric and people were threatened and hurt.
And when did all this start?
During the Presidential race of 2008.
Palin started it and she is determined to continue it.
How many people have to be hurt or killed before palin takes responsibility for her actions?
I remember being so shocked to hear he lost his election...what kind of cretins are in his district? What other politician could make things so crystal clear?
ReplyDeleteGood time to mention this, too: the first I heard of the tragedy in Tucson, was while reading comments on this website! Someone posted along these lines:
One of the politicians on Sarah Palin's map of who to shoot at, was actually SHOT today!
I ran to the tv and tuned in CNN...nothing (for several HOURS after that)
So I hoped whoever posted that, got it all wrong. Unfortunately, NOT.
Is there some way that we can start a grassroots movement to get Grayson on as Chair of the DNC?
ReplyDeleteYou know, like how they got Betty White on Saturday Night Live? She knocked it out of the part too!
The problem with Palin, et al. on the right is that their feeble bleating of "we're not to blame" is largely falling on deaf ears. There are THOUSANDS of hours available online of the GOPbaggers shouting overtly racist and/or violent anti-government demagoguery. There is simply no way for them to claim that they have not contributed to the Augean Stables of our political discourse. Why? Because our stables are filled nearly exclusively with elephant dung.
ReplyDeleteSo, they are reduced to claiming that it had no effect. I find that a curious position to take because it TOTALLY contradicts their claims about many statements that liberals or Democrats have made that they have objected to. In those cases - such as Palin's pissy fit about "retard" or the incessant whining of the teabaggers about being called “teabaggers” - it seems that it very much DOES matter what you say. Which is it conservatives? Because you CANNOT have it both ways.
If it really doesn't matter, then we on the left can start using phrases like "don't retreat, reload" and we can start producing posters with rifle scope sights targeting Wassila. What do you think the reaction on the right would be if Keith Olbermann did those things, or "joked" about poisoning Palin? My guess it that they would come unglued. But why should they? They claim that these things have no effect on our public discourse and cannot POSSIBLY have any effect on any individual.
There have been MULTIPLE threats to Democratic Representatives, and MULTIPLE instances of the right using incendiary words or images, including the bull’s eye graphic from Palin targeting Giffords. There have been MULTIPLE warnings to Palin, et al. that these violent images could, indeed probably WOULD lead to violence. Furthermore, there have been MULTIPLE predictions from myself, many others, and even from Giffords herself, that this cauldron of hate that passes for our public forum today would prompt an event EXACTLY like the one in Tucson.
There is no way in hell that Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, all of FauxNews, and the small cloud of right-wing radio hate-mongers can now claim no responsibility for their words over the last several years or the effects that those words have had upon their listeners. I am eagerly awaiting the first lawsuit against any or all of the above for their part in adding their voices to the imbecilic echo chamber of right wing hatespeak. Some of these folks have VERY deep pockets. Imagine how a jury might feel about any/all of the above after listening to several hundred hours of programming and THEN hearing the warning of Rep. Giffords admonishing Sarah Palin that her words and actions matter and could lead to actual violence. How would a jury react? How snotty and condescending would Palin or Limbaugh be on the stand? Remember, we live in a society where someone won millions of dollars because they weren’t explicitly warned that coffee could be hot. How unlikely do think it would be that a jury could find the above culpable in the death of Christina Taylor Green - whose beautiful face would be smiling at them daily in a pre death picture - and be willing to award her grieving parents hundreds of millions of dollars?
I’ve been predicting for years that such a scenario would likely be the ONLY way the right-wing hatespeak would ever come to an end. Maybe this is the beginning of the end for these loathsome agents provocateur. There is certainly no way our country can continue partially enslaved to the vile, ignorant, hate filled propaganda from the right.
As Lincoln paraphrased scripture, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” So must our house fall unless this malicious cancer that is anti-government and anti-citizen hatespeak is excised from our body politic.
I'm so glad he came out and provided this information about Palin and the threats Dems received in their runs for election.
ReplyDeletePalin IS at fault for the rhetroic she spread which began when she ran for VP w/McCain.
The woman needs to be held accountable. It is so sad that McCain didn't vet her properly before putting her on his ticket. What a mistake and I'm sure he understands it today even though he'd never admit it.
She is pure evil.
I love Alan Grayson. If SP doesn't have to go away just because she lost election, why should Alan? I want to hear more of what he has to say. Regularly!
ReplyDeleteFrom his post:
ReplyDeleteDemocrat Ron Klein’s opponent told his supporters to make sure that Klein was “afraid to leave his house.”
Democrat Frank Kratovil was hung in effigy.
Democrat Tom Perriello was burned in effigy. And the gas line to his brother’s house was cut.
I had no idea it was this bad!!! This stuff has to stop.
Gryphen,
ReplyDeleteYou updated YOUR article with the wrong link. You linked to your own IM website comment page!
You should have linked to Grayson's FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin?v=wall#!/notes/alan-grayson/gabby-was-right-palin-is-wrong/183975068292147
I swear Grayson is one hell of a talent. I still get e-mails every some days. What ever he does next i hope i can help.
ReplyDeleteWhy are Americans so hateful?
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand this. I try to understand it as a Canadian, but the more I read I really don't understand the stupidness of it all.
Religion and guns? It's a bad bad mix. Toxic, volatile...
I too want Alan to be head of the DNC and had written him after he lost the election stating such. His backbone, vision and fortitude is desperately needed in the DNC leadership. His candor to call out the obstructionists, liars and grand standers as well as those Representatives that are constitutionally challenged (i.e. GOP orchestrated Acorn assault) so that the American people can know what is really going on in Congress. This was his email during his election but I'm not sure it will reach him since the election is over. alangrayson@graysonforcongress.com
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin doesn't 'pal around with terrorists'...she just helps create them.
ReplyDeleteOMG! this is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteA poignant ballad for the Teabagger from Alaska.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfdVT4psKAw&feature=player_embedded#!
7:59, Nicely written. That would make a nice opinion piece in the NY Times; you should send it to them among others.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant comment, Gasman. Too, too true, sadly. These people are disgusting in every possible way!
ReplyDelete