Alan Grayson--Why His Moneybomb, Why Now

by: Paul Rosenberg

Mon Nov 02, 2009 at 12:00

At a time when progressives have grown increasingly frustrated with timidity and lack of vision coming from elected Democrats in Washington, Congressmember Alan Grayson has emerged as a rare example of someone who actually represents us--not just with his vote, not just with his voice, but with his actions.  It's one thing to tell the truth about the Republican health care plan--"Don't get sick.... If you do get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: 'die quickly.'"  That's rare enough by itself--virtually unheard of. But Grayson not only refused to back down when Republicans threw their predictable hissy fit in response, he barreled ahead and went right into a discussion of the recent Harvard study finding that 45,000 Americans die each year from lack of insurance.  In short, he showed himself to be the real deal.  TODAY he's asking us to back him by contributing to his moneybomb. At Open Left we're re-running the interview with him from Saturday so you can hear him tell you why in his own words. Congressmember Alan Grayson: I have to start by thanking you for giving me the person [Matt Stoller] who is the best Congressional aid of all. OL: [Laughs.] So I can't rail at you for stealing from us. AG: You can if you want, but it's not going to do any good.   OL: I know. AG: And I'm going to keep him. OL: I know. There are some battles you just don't want to fight.  Let's start right off.  You're having a moneybomb on November 2.  Most basic questions: Why are you doing it?  And why now?

Doing it to show that it's possible for progressive to raise money without having to cater to lobbyists and people who want favors.

We're trying to invent an entirely new model to finance a campaign.

My campaign next year is going to cost $2 million. There's no getting around it. I don't set the media rates around Orlando, somebody else does that. And the result of that is that we have to show that money can be raised for progressive causes in the old fashioned way, which is $20 here, $50 there, $100 here, rather than asking big shots for favors.

I want a campaign that's a campaign by the people and for the people. And this money bomb will show whether or not it's possible.

I think we've already shown a lot of success, I mean we've already raised a quarter million dollars, and the money bomb is still three days away. But what we need to do is to show that we can do it the same way the right does it.  The right has had multi-million dollar money bombs for Ron Paul, and we need to show that we can do it that way ourselves. Otherwise people on the left in Congress will feel that they have to keep making deals with lobbyists just for the sake of financing their own campaigns.

AG: Why not?

OL: I just thought, it's a year away from the election, I guess a symbolic kick-off.  Was there any particular thinking in choosing this particular time?

It's the halfway point in showing people what progressive leadership can do.  To take it in your terms, November 2 marks one half [the] distance between the last election and the next election. We've got one year to go before the next election.  And I think that in many respects, progressive causes will succeed or fail based upon how much of an independence we can establish from the iron grip of lobbyists in Washington.

If we can demonstrate a new model, a model where you get your campaign support on the basis of people power, then we'll be much more likely to be able to implement the progressive agenda, and show America what a party with a conscience actually can do for America.

OL: Harry Truman once said, "I don't give 'em hell, I just tell the truth and they think it's hell."  I know I'm not the only one who's been reminded of that quote by your outspoken criticism of the GOP on health care.  What do you think of it?  Do elected Democrats today need to learn something from his example?

Well, there is a reason why we're calling our website for the moneybomb  "democratwithguts.com". [Note: Actually "congressmanwithguts.com"] That's what's really needed.  A lot of people, Democrat and Republican in Washington always think that everything should be compromised.  But in the case of healthcare,  You can't compromise between life and death. You're either alive or you're dead. There's nothing in the middle.  And the bill that I'm working right now, I've been so strongly in favor of, and trying so hard to get support for, is  bill that saves lives.

According to the Harvard study that was published a month ago, 44,789Americans die every year for lack of health care. And if you take two people who are absolutely identical physically, same gender, same race, same age, same smoking habits, same weight, and one of them has health insurance, and one doesn't, then the one without health insurance is 40% more likely to die.  That's a national tragedy.  And if 122 people were being killed each day by al Qaeda. Think of what we'd be willing to do to put an end to that.  

We have to show the same kind of courage and the same kind of guts to deal with the problem that is killing so many of the people that we love.

And doing it in a way that may be less visible than al Qaeda attacks, but just as deadly.

OL: There's been a lot of bluster from the GOP, but so far they've only produced a string of embarrasments.  So some folks might be feeling complacent about needing to contribute to you.  What would you say to them?

I think we have to show that this can be done and set an example for others. Business as usual in Washington DC is putting the law up for sale. And many people rationalize it by saying that there is no other way to finance a multi-million dollar campaign.  We have to show that that's not true.

We have to show that people power is strong, and that the people united will never be defeated. That is the whole purpose of this exercise.

OL: For a lot of people, their response to your blunt talk is basically, "It's about time."  And while they're happy that you're speaking out in clear, no-nonsense way, they also wish you weren't so alone.  So, obviously form what you've said, the answer to what I was going to ask is yes--Do you see this money-bomb as encouraging more Democrats-so, why don't I jump ahead to say [ask], do you see any signs that others are already payhing attention or at least watching what you're doing?

No question.  There's no question, that's certainly true.  I get encouragement from other members of Congress all the time.  But you have to understand that we're in the Democratic Caucus, a cross-section of America. You know, you've got people in our caucus that belong to every race, every religion, they come from every part of the country.  And some of us are outspoken, and some of us are shy.

Many members don't look forward to being on the radio, they don't look forward to being on TV.  They don't lok forward to interviews. And many of those members have come up to me, and they say, 'Thank God, somebody is saying the things we've all been thinking.'

I hear that a lot, not just from the public, but also from other members.

OL: I've tried to keep this short, because I know how valuable your time is.  I want to close by asking you, if there's something I haven't asked that's most important for people to know?

Well, yes. It's this. We live in a system that entrusts to 435 representatives, 100 senators and one president the power of life and death.

I think that's most visible to people in war. But it's equally true when you talk about health care. The stakes here are unbelievably large, and we as progressives have to make sure that the calculations that people are making in Washington are not calculations about their re-election changes or about what lobbyists will think about their vote or about how it's going to affect the polls.  We have to make sure that people in Washington actually vote for life and health and the well-being of America.

We have an opportunity that comes along almost never.  Certainly no more than once in a generation.  We have 60 members of the Senate.  We have 59% of the House.
We occupy the White House.  And what people want in the end is not feigned bipartisanship or feigned collegiality. What people want in the end is a better life for themselves.  And if we progressives actually deliver better health care, better education, better jobs to America.  Then we have the opportunity to rule America for the next generation.

This is so, so important. And that's something we need to be thinking about every day, and every moment.  I certainly do.

OL: Thank you very much, and I guess you're earned Matt.

AG: [Chuckles.]  Well. You know, we have a lot of influence on each other. one another.

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