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Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Alan Grayson Meets Macaca

You know, I like Alan Grayson, I really do. I think it’s great to have a genuine progressive representing Orlando.

However, even Grayson should know that as a politician and public figure, you don’t get the luxury of allowing words to fly out of our mouth before being filtered through your brain.  

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) — the man best known for saying that the Republican health care plan is for Americans who get to “die quickly,” and for calling former Vice President Dick Cheney a vampire with blood dripping from his teeth — may have gone a bit too far in one of his latest rhetorical excesses, calling lobbyist Linda Robertson, who used to advise Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a “K Street whore.”

The comments were made a month ago, when Grayson appeared on the radio show of right-wing talker Alex Jones, and was just discovered and circulated by the NRCC. “Here I am, the only Member of Congress who actually worked as an economist. And she’s, this lobbyist, this K Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics,” said Grayson.

First of all, women don’t appreciate being called whores…furthermore, women don’t like OTHER WOMEN being called whores, and do you know what there are a lot of in Florida’s 8th District Mr. Grayson? WOMEN…who vote.

I appreciate Alan Grayson’s desire to stand up for progressive values and tell it like it is, but sometimes you really need to be aware of the consequences of your word choices.

Maybe rephrasing the “K street whore” thing as, say, “sell out” or “corporate lackey” would’ve done the job with less of the controversy and much less of a risk to your job.

Also, Alex Jones? What’s the base going to think when you decide to go on a right winger talk show?

Look, it’s nice to have you in Congress Mr. Grayson, but if you sink yourself, I promise you, no one is going to remember you, what you fought for, and how you fought, if you’re a one term Congressman from Florida.

Don’t believe me? Ask Edward Stack, William Gunther or Tim Mahoney.  


15 comments

  1. Hollede

    But to be perfectly honest, I am fairly certain if Ms. Robertson was Mr. Robertson, Representative Grayson would have said the same thing. It is more about lobbyists being whores, vs being a woman or a man. But point taken, if one is called Hollede, one can have a twisted and sick sense of humor, and no one really cares;~P However, Representative Grayson is going to need to acquire a better filter for his brain.

  2. spacemanspiff

    I think whore as bitch have taken alternative meanings than those already intended. Kind of like son of a bitch. Nobody really thinks  you are calling anybody’s mother a bitch.

    Meh.

    A similiar incident happened recently in which Calle 13 frontman Rene Perez called the current Governor of a P.R. an “hijo de puta” which loosely translates into “son of a whore” during the MtV 3 (Latino) Awards Ceremony (he was the host).

    WE all knew what he meant as do those who criticized him. He was calling the Gov. an asshole. A douchebag. But it didn’t stop politicians from asking him to “beg for forgivness of all PR women” and calling him a sexist pig. WTF?

    It was so transparent that contrary to what the MSN reports nobody gave a fuck.

    We knew what he meant.

    I believe a similiar thing will happen with Grayson.

    It was a stupid choice of words but I don’t think anybody thinks he was calling Linda Robertoson a WHORE.

    WHORE = SELLOUT

    The MSN and blogs will make a big fuzz about this.

    In the real world people won’t give a fuck.

  3. HappyinVT

    apology:

    “I offer my sincere apology to Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women.”

    “This characterization of Ms. Robertson, made during a radio interview last month in the context of the debate over whether the Federal Reserve should be independently audited, was inappropriate, and I apologize.”

  4. alyssa chaos

    def some hypocrisy on the left, bc if this had been a repub we would all be screaming ‘off with his head!’

    its funny to see this on the rec list at dkos.the comments are gold. Im not sure how to deal with this, I mean, to say whore doesn’t necessarily refer to ‘whore’ in a traditional sense. why must words have so many different meanings? gah!

    i can see how its offensive and well had I blacked out party affiliation and who was being called a whore then I would be inclined to take offense mostly because i seriously dont think name calling is professional at all. I couldn’t get away with that at work so why should a member of congress?

    What happened to professionalism? jeez.

    But seriously Im going to call everyone at work a ‘k street whore’ tomorrow and see what happens. [wish me luck!]

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