Alan Grayson...What you think about him?

tp2001

tp2001

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A democrat with balls or just someone with a big mouth?

The Nation: Congressman Grayson Ready To Fight

by John Nichols

Washington Republicans are horrified, horrified, horrified by the bluntness of Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson.

The tough kid from the Bronx (and Harvard Law School) who represents an until recently Republican Orlando-area district pulled no punches Tuesday, when he declared on the House floor:

"The Republican health care plan is this: Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly."


After his GOP colleagues recovered from the shock of a Democrat actually calling them out, they demanded an apology.

Grayson returned to the House floor to announce that:

"I would like to apologize, I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America."

So unfamiliar with the notion that a Democrat might actually take the healthcare debate seriously enough to try and win it, the Republicans presumed that Grayson had gone off the deep end. The National Republican Congressional Committee screeched:

"This is an unstable man who has come unhinged. The depths to which Alan Grayson will sink to defend his indefensible comments know no bounds."

NRCC spokesman Ken Spain claimed in an interview with the Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill that: "This is an individual who has established a pathological pattern of unstable behavior."

Grayson hasn't cracked.

The former assistant (on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to current U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, and conservative judicial icon Robert Bork) is dealing in facts.

Indeed, the Harvard grad has seized on a study produced by researchers at his old school that details how 44,000 Americans die annually because they lack health insurance. And he is laughing off a Republican attempt to formally condemn his choice of words.

Georgia GOP Congressman Tom Price does not think it is fair for a Democrat to counter months of Republican hyperbole with actual statistics. So the Georgian has drafted a resolution that accuses Grayson of committing "a breach of decorum and (degrading) the integrity and proceedings of the House."

Grayson's response:

"A resolution like that doesn't save one human being's life."

The resolution has yet to be introduced and is unlikely to get far in the overwhelmingly Democratic House. Like the silly Democratic resolution seeking objecting to South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson's boorish behavior during President Obama's address to the Joint Session of Congress, Price's proposal is a meaningless exercise.

Yet, Grayson's more cautious colleagues in the Democratic caucus (notably caucus chair John Larson of Connecticut) say they'll urge their Jewish colleague to back away from some of his remarks — especially a Holocaust reference that, while on-point to the view of those who see the denial of healthcare to the sick as an act of brutality, seemed gratuitous and unnecessary to politicians who are ill at ease with such passionate language.

Grayson, whose official biography begins with a telling quotation from the Torah ("Justice, justice, ye shall seek..."), shows no signs of backing down.

The congressman, who beat an entrenched Republican incumbent in 2008 and is confident he'll win again in 2010 (perhaps with some support from libertarian Republicans who appreciate his loose alliance with 2008 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul on issues of holding Federal Reserve bankers to account) says he is hearing a lot more praise than criticism.

"People are calling us from all over the country to congratulate us for telling the truth," says Grayson. "People are happy to see a Democrat with guts."

In fact, Grayson has a lot to teach a Democratic caucus that has not begun to fight for health care reform.

While Republicans have been waging a war against reform, Democrats have been in duck-and-cover mode — until now.

Grayson may sound a little over-the-top to some Capitol insiders.

Some of his language may unsettle even his allies.

But to Americans who this week witnessed the revolting rejection by Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee of even mild reforms like the proposed "public option," the Florida congressman's words will sound like the sanest message coming not just from his side of the aisle but from all of official Washington.
 
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I like the guy...

But a leading opponent has not yet emerged, and Grayson, the 12th-wealthiest member of Congress, has resources to defend himself. He spent $2 million of his own money on the 2008 campaign. (The "die quickly" speech has triggered $150,000 in contributions, his office says.) And his district has shifted from slightly Republican to slightly Democratic.

"It's no coincidence the National Republican Congressional Committee has named me as the No. 1 target next year," Grayson said. "We're working hard, getting things done."

Swagger courses through Grayson's every word, delivered in the accent of his Bronx upbringing and with the exacting nature of a lawyer who first made his name taking on — and taking down — contractors and war profiteers in Iraq.

"I don't need the job for income or satisfaction," said Grayson, sitting on a bench outside the House chamber in between votes. "The truth is, it's really a hardship. I took an enormous pay cut to take the job. Every week, I leave five young children and my wife to come up here.

"I don't owe anything to anyone here. I don't owe anything to lobbyists. I don't owe anything to leadership. The only thing I owe to anybody is the well-being of 800,000 people who depend on me."
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXmNpdYpfnk
 
I gotta admit though when I first came across him via flipping through news channels, I could of swore he was a Republican just by the way he was going off. But once I actually paid attention to what he was saying, I was a little shocked.

He's doing what I would do if I had an audience like that (except I'd put a few Dems on blast myself). Overall, I dont know too much about him, but I do support what he's doing.
 
I use to live in his district before he was elected to represent it. It is quite a diverse district, leaning very slightly republican, but moderate publically to slightly liberal in places. I think Grayson is a very accurate gauge to how the voter feels at this point. People are not happy with the status quo. They want things done. Not gradually but while we have the opportunity. I think that in 2010, any elected official that is seen as standing in the way of change will feel the wrath of the voters.
 
After reading the first sentence, he might just be alright :D

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/ron-paul-alan-grayson-ask_n_313055.html

Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) have asked Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) to postpone the confirmation of Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Paul and Grayson want the Fed to open itself up to public scrutiny before the Senate confirms Bernanke.

"We are writing to ask you postpone the confirmation of Ben Bernanke until the Federal Reserve releases documentation that will allow the public and the Senate to have a full understanding of the commitments that the Federal Reserve has made on our behalf," the letter says.

The letter calls out the Fed for its role in the Wall Street bailout.

"Today, big banks are being bailed out and have a substantially lower cost of capital through an implicit government backstop even as Americans themselves are seeing their pay cut," the letter says. "This lower cost of capital -- at government expense -- coupled with increased scarcity of credit is resulting in the banks recapitalizing by charging American consumers higher credit costs, including record overdraft fees and much higher credit card rates."

House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) predicted in August that the House would pass Paul's legislation to audit the Fed this fall.

Grayson sparred with Bernanke at a hearing in July. The Florida lawmaker laughed in Bernanke's face during an exchange in which the Fed chairman said "I don't know" in response to a question about what foreign central banks do with $550 billion in loans from the Fed.
 
thoughtone said:
So you are on board for government option single payer health insurance. He is.
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thats a different issue. I'm of the opinion that if we can attack monetary policy, all this other stuff can work itself out. I guess I'm a single-issue kind of guy.

With all these proposals I see, I don't see the price of healthcare going down, and that is the central problem, IMO.
 
Lamarr said:
thats a different issue. I'm of the opinion that if we can attack monetary policy, all this other stuff can work itself out. I guess I'm a single-issue kind of guy.

With all these proposals I see, I don't see the price of healthcare going down, and that is the central problem, IMO.
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These issues are intertwined. In order for use to wrench ourselves out of this economic morass, we have to fix the health care problem. People will always need health care.
 
thoughtone said:
These issues are intertwined. In order for use to wrench ourselves out of this economic morass, we have to fix the health care problem. People will always need health care.
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reversing this inflationary monetary policy is the key to everything from groceries to gas to healthcare. I hardly see a "fix" if it doesn't involve increasing our production. We "have to" do something yes but adding more debt only creates a larger hole
 
I like what I see of Grayson. Not just what he said about the Republicans but his stance on auditing the Federal Reserve. This isnt a thing to me like it is to Lamarr but I don't see how such an important institution can NOT be scrutinized.
 
Just another loud, obnoxious white guy... who happens to be democratic, so he'll get cheers for doing the exact same thing as repubs
 
^^:lol:

Unlike some of you, I don't claim any of these filthy political parties, nor am I fooled when they toss us a bone to keep us "quiet". I love Obama and support him 100%, but just because he's in office, it doesn't mean the trickery that this country is founded upon has ceased to exist. :dunno:
 
followup said:
Just another loud, obnoxious white guy... who happens to be democratic, so he'll get cheers for doing the exact same thing as repubs
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c/s just another celeb/politician. Cashing in on public opinion. Playing the masses for dummies.
 
followup said:
^^:lol:

Unlike some of you, I don't claim any of these filthy political parties, nor am I fooled when they toss us a bone to keep us "quiet". I love Obama and support him 100%, but just because he's in office, it doesn't mean the trickery that this country is founded upon has ceased to exist. :dunno:
Click to expand...

I am independent too, but I am an unabashed liberal. In my opinion Obama seems to be neglecting a lot of his campaign promises and is proving to be more establishment than he led on. His not going after the Bush/Cheney corruption fully, the handling of the bank criminality and I remembered he was for more minority ownership in the media. I haven’t heard too much about that. I cannot support today’s GOP. There is nothing there for me.
 
ok, Dude is obviously getting his talking points from Ron Paul!

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I think that the aid program is a fig leaf trying to make Congress and the American people feel better about the war and about killing. I think that diplomacy in the areas of fig leaf to try to make the American people think that there is some constructive alternative to the war when the war itself is destructive and not constructive.

I think that the basic premise that we can alter afghan society is greatly flawed. Afghanistan is simply the part of Asia that was never occupied by the Russians or the English in the Great Game. It’s not a country; it’s not even a place. It’s just an empty place on the map. It’s terra incognita. People who live there are a welter of different tribes, different language groups, different religious beliefs.

All over the country you find different people who have nothing to do with each other except for the fact that we call them Afghans, and they don’t even call themselves Afghans. They’re Tajiks or they’re Pashtuns, or they’re Hazzaras or someone else. The things that hold them together are simply the things that we try to create artificially.

And the idea that we could transform that society or any other society through aid I think is entirely questionable. I’ve never seen it happen; probably never will happen. If you go to the Stan countries north of Afghanistan, and I’ve been to all of them; what you find is that the way that the Russians altered that society was by crushing it. Stalin killed half a million Muslims in Kazakhstan, in Turkmenistan, in Kyrgyzstan, in Uzbekistan.

He simply sliced off the head of that society in order to remake it in the image that he wanted. And I think that we would have to do no less if we wanted to remake Afghanistan in our image. We’d have to destroy it in order to save it, and I don’t think the American people are ever going to do that to anybody. So I think that the underlining premise is simply wrong.

I’ve been to 175 countries all around the world including Afghanistan, including every country in that region, and what I’ve seen everywhere I go is that there are some commonalties everywhere you go. Everywhere you go people want to fall in love. It’s an interesting thing. Everywhere you go, people love children. Everywhere, they love children. Everywhere you go, there’s a taboo against violence. Every single place you go. And everywhere you go, people want to be left alone. And that’s the best foreign policy of all. Just to leave people alone.
 
Lamarr said:
"I think that diplomacy in the areas of fig leaf to try to make the American people think that there is some constructive alternative to the war when the war itself is destructive and not constructive..."

"The things that hold them together are simply the things that we (America) try to create artificially..."

"And the idea that we could transform that society or any other society through aid I think is entirely questionable. I’ve never seen it happen; probably never will happen. If you go to the Stan countries north of Afghanistan, and I’ve been to all of them; what you find is that the way that the Russians altered that society was by crushing it. Stalin killed half a million Muslims in Kazakhstan, in Turkmenistan, in Kyrgyzstan, in Uzbekistan."

"It’s an interesting thing. Everywhere you go, people love children. Everywhere, they love children. Everywhere you go, there’s a taboo against violence. Every single place you go. And everywhere you go, people want to be left alone. And that’s the best foreign policy of all. Just to leave people alone." - Grayson
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:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: That's what I like to hear...A "politician" who is more in tune with reality and common sense than others that sit in office...
 
4/30
7/18
7/4
7/25
3/3


He is going to have all kinds of people crossing into lunacy like John Hinckley Jr. and stalk him like a mentally ill person, unhappy with the way their life turned out - try to sabotage his political career. He will need protection now, people don't want to eat the pizza.

It is a blessing in disguise, you get to see how things really work and make decisions that reflect this reality

:lol::lol:
 
tp2001 said:
:yes::yes::yes::yes::yes: That's what I like to hear...A "politician" who is more in tune with reality and common sense than others that sit in office...
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CNN liberal? 4½ against 1!

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followup said:
^^:lol:

Unlike some of you, I don't claim any of these filthy political parties, nor am I fooled when they toss us a bone to keep us "quiet". I love Obama and support him 100%, but just because he's in office, it doesn't mean the trickery that this country is founded upon has ceased to exist. :dunno:
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Co-sign the section in bold
 
Liberal Media? The Associated Press has made it clear that they are trying to minimize Grayson. His type of speech could do so much as encourage people to question corporate domination of our society. Check out the direction this article describes Grayson.

source: msnbc

Associated Press

‘Die quickly’ Democrat abandons rhetoric
Fla. congressman plays down earlier comments during town hall meeting

TAVARES, Fla. - A Florida congressman tried to make sure a health care town hall meeting he hosted Monday night didn't turn into a debate about his recent remarks that Republicans want sick people to "die quickly." He mostly succeeded.

When the House floor speech that's given him national attention came up almost immediately, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson dismissed the subject, saying, "My time is limited tonight and I'm not going to debate politics, I'm going to debate health care."

The first-term congressman then answered a string of questions from people opposed to health care reform, supporters and the undecided. Absent was the over-the-top rhetoric that has made him a YouTube sensation. And the crowd was mostly civil and supportive of the congressman that Republicans accuse of incivility.

But then the subject came up again about half way through 90 minute meeting, and he gave in and he gave in and explained why two weeks ago he said, "If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That's right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick."

Grayson said he was trying to be tongue-in-cheek, but the point he was making was that health care reform is needed to save lives and Republicans aren't offering solutions that save lives. He said health care isn't about being liberal or conservative.

"This bill not only saves huge numbers of American lives, not only saves money, but also brings a certain, I don't know — what's the right word? ... civility to the way we deal with each other," Grayson said.

Grayson has always had a reputation for being brash, but few outside his district, which stretches from Orlando to Ocala, knew who he was until now. Hardcore Democrats are rallying around him. Republicans are just getting sick of him, and they're hoping the attention dies quickly.

"He's not addressing the serious business of the nation, he's simply grandstanding and becoming a clown," said Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer.

Outside the meeting, about 60 people gathered to protest Grayson, many of them holding signs. Among them was Barbara Fabian, a 64-year-old Republican from Tavares who voted for Grayson but has soured on him since his comments late last month.

"At first I thought he was OK," Fabian said. "I really don't think he's using his brain power. I was wrong."

Grayson's "die quickly" remarks have been compared to the shout of "You lie!" made by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., during President Barack Obama's September speech on health care. Grayson said after Monday's meeting there's no comparison.

"What I did was like a Bob Dylan song and what he did was like a belch, just sort of evacuating his own feelings in the midst of a presidential speech," Grayson said.

<div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/33277959#33277959" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div>​
 
followup said:
^^:lol:

Unlike some of you, I don't claim any of these filthy political parties, nor am I fooled when they toss us a bone to keep us "quiet". I love Obama and support him 100%, but just because he's in office, it doesn't mean the trickery that this country is founded upon has ceased to exist. :dunno:
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Are you holding Obama's feet to the fire? He is a politician too!
 
thoughtone said:
Liberal Media? The Associated Press has made it clear that they are trying to minimize Grayson. His type of speech could do so much as encourage people to question corporate domination of our society. Check out the direction this article describes Grayson.
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As long as he promote the left vs. right dialog, he'll be fine. The minute you step on the toes of the Banks, (his support of HR 1207), you get marginalized, or worse. Examples of those who spoke out against the actions of Banks are Spitzer, Blogoyavich Traficant & Peter Schiff. It's typical
 
Lamarr said:
As long as he promote the left vs. right dialog, he'll be fine. The minute you step on the toes of the Banks, (his support of HR 1207), you get marginalized, or worse. Examples of those who spoke out against the actions of Banks are Spitzer, Blogoyavich Traficant & Peter Schiff. It's typical
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And Ron Paul is one of the most popular congressmen nationally and you rarely see him on the talking head shows. I would consider him one of the last "true" conservatives left in the Republican Party. Yes, I agree, the media is happy to flame the left/right, democrat/republican, and liberal/conservative angle as long as the flamers are corporatist. When those like Ralph Nader, Ron Paul and Grayson to name few question things, they label them kooks.
 
This is a Great Development! Although this writer is delusional, I'll spread the message.

Action Alert -Rep. Alan Grayson: Where's Our Money?

Alan Grayson is at it again. Although I disagree with his aligning himself with that racist, sexist wing-nut, Ron Paul, I fully support what he’s doing here.
Last week, Ron Paul and I sent a letter to the Senate Banking Committee about the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke.

Before he is reconfirmed for a second term, we think the Senate and American public should know who got the $2 trillion the Federal Reserve has lent out over the last two years. Only then will the Senate be able to judge whether he should keep his job.

It's important that the Senate hear from you. That's why we've launched UnmaskTheFed.com, an easy online tool to let you contact your Senators.

Visit UnmaskTheFed.com and ask your Senators to vote NO on Ben Bernanke's confirmation until the Federal Reserve comes clean on what it has done with OUR money.

It would simply be unreasonable for the Committee to confirm Bernanke to another term given how little is known about what he has actually done. Remember, Ben Bernanke didn't see the crisis coming and has added $1.2 trillion to the Fed's balance sheet through covert bailouts...

Inserted from <Huffinfton Post>

I signed. Won’t you join me?

http://politicsplus.blogspot.com/200...where-our.html

51SyG0p-TiL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
 
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Lamarr said:
This is a Great Development! Although this writer is delusional, I'll spread the message.
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During the 1960s, segregationist, George Wallace had a several things in common with liberal Hubert Humphrey. Their distain for corporation domination of the middle class and their hatred of the Viet Nam war. To this day the working class has yet to come together and understood that their true enemy is class warfare capitalism. The last President to successfully bring both camps together on this issue was FDR.
 
thoughtone said:
During the 1960s, segregationist, George Wallace had a several things in common with liberal Hubert Humphrey. Their distain for corporation domination of the middle class and their hatred of the Viet Nam war. To this day the working class has yet to come together and understood that their true enemy is class warfare capitalism. The last President to successfully bring both camps together on this issue was FDR.
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thanks for the history note, seriously! :D I wouldn't try to compare Ron to a 60's segragationist (the motives are completely different) but I understand the analogy. Let me share a few counterpoints:

point 1) IMO, the enemy is "Globalism". Capitalism is not a 'bad' word

point 2) both political camps are together in advancing the "globalists" agenda (G-20)

point 3) both camps could give a damn about the wishes of the people
 
Grayson Pulls In $850,000 In Final Quarter, Calls For New Way To Run For Congress

source: Huffington Post

As members of Congress begin to report their fourth-quarter fundraising totals, here's a number that will pop a few eyes: $850,000.

That's the amount raised by Rep. Alan Grayson, the freshman Florida Democrat dubbed a "wing-nut" by the New York Times - he set a record on November 2 when his "money bomb" raised $514,000 in one day.

He now has roughly a million dollars in cash on hand for his reelection campaign.

Grayson says that money came in small contributions, averaging roughly $35 a piece, from more than 10,000 donors.

"The main thing is that it's clean money," Grayson told HuffPost. His ability to raise a substantial sum from a small and broad base of donors holds the potential to change the way campaigns are run and Congress operates, Grayson said.

As it stands, Democrats in Congress spend much of their energy raising funds from interests that are often opposed to the tenets of the Democratic platform. In the House, the Financial Services Committee is stacked with vulnerable freshmen and sophomores from conservative-leaning districts put there to raise money.

Grayson is one of 11 such freshmen, but he broke ranks with the rest of them and consistently opposes Wall Street on the committee.

Freed from the need to raise money from them, Grayson can vote however he wants -- which is a novel concept in Congress.

Most of his colleagues spend much of their waking time raising money. "If they could instead turn to people and have people power their campaigns -- not only with money, but with telephone calls, with canvassing, the way that we did in 2008 in the district -- then you've created a whole new paradigm of government, government that is no longer dependent upon the power of lobbyists," he said.

As a candidate for President, Barack Obama first showed the potential power of a broad donor base to reshape a campaign. Twelve million people signed up to be involved with his campaign.

"If each one of those 12 million people gave 35 dollars, you'd be talking about 420 million dollars. That's enough to run every congressional campaign in the entire country. And it would be clean money," said Grayson.

Unfortunately, Obama has shown little interest in using his donor base to reshape Congress, says Grayson. "He hasn't shared it with any of us," he said.

Not that members of Congress aren't hungry for those funds -- hearing of Grayson's money bomb, more than two dozen of his colleagues, he says, have approached him and asked how he went about doing it, both politically and practically.

The typical member of Congress does not enjoy fundraising, which involves humiliating groveling, early morning breakfasts and an endless diet of rubber chicken. If the alternative was a broad, independent base of donors that contributed online, most would jump at the opportunity. But they're scared to make the leap from here to there.

"What this shows is that people like a congressman with guts," Grayson said. "We didn't raise that money over a single issue. We raised it around a new approach to the job and to politics, which is that people who are progressive should stand up and fight for what they believe in."

Grayson's success was mocked by the GOP.

"Alan Grayson is right -- he doesn't rely on lobbyists for campaign money," says Andy Sere, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Instead, he degrades the dignity of his office and routinely embarrasses Central Floridians so that he can ply large amounts of cash from ultra-left-wingers looking for a hero and revel in the attention he so desperately craves. What's worse?"

The former may be worse. Relying on lobbyists leaves politicians beholden to their benefactors, which can cause real harm to constituents beyond alleged routine embarrassment. Indeed, the financial crisis, wrought in no small part Wall Street lobbyists pushing deregulation, has left the Orange County area, the heart of Grayson's district, in ruins and it ranks in the top ten nationally in foreclosures.

Lobbying pressure can also leave little time for legislating. For a first-term congressman, Grayson got a lot done this year. He was the first freshman to pass a bill through the House -- a measure clawing back bonuses paid with bailout money.

Along with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), he shepherded a provision that would open the Federal Reserve to a real audit for the first time in its history.

"I think the public got its money's worth out of us this year," he said. "It took literally three weeks to line up more than 300 cosponsors for the Audit the Fed bill. We had to go to individual congressmen... Accomplishing it was a function of having the time to do it and follow through on it."

While his colleagues would more than welcome an influx of online donations, some are skeptical if they'll be so fortunate. "I'm sure if it was possible on a grand scale everybody else would have done it by now. I mean, it's very hard for every candidate to try to do that," said Rep. Chellie Pingree, a progressive freshman Democrat from Maine with a significant online following. "I think all of us have tried to use more online funding where we can, and certainly it was a big help in my last campaign."

Pingree pointed to the online advocacy group MoveOn.org as one example of a successful effort to fund campaigns with small donations, but said that it has yet to translate into a transformational movement. "That is what organizations like MoveOn and other progressive organizations have done for candidates, but it's hard to get it out there for everybody who has to raise money," she said. "Generally that works with a few high-profile people around a few high-profile issues, but it's very hard to sustain with the whole Congress or even with a whole voting bloc, like all of the progressives."

Pingree said that the way to fundamentally change the way things work is to allow for public financing of congressional campaigns. "That's really the way to get people off the phones all the time and back to legislating," she told HuffPost. Grayson, too, is a backer of public financing.

In the meantime, said Grayson, he'll continue working with other Democrats to broaden the small donor base and loosen K Street's grip on Congress. "We're exploring, with the help of many people all through the country, a new model for what it means to be a congressman," he said.
 
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