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{{Short description|American politician (born 1958)}} | |||
{{Infobox Congressman | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}} | |||
|image name=Alan Grayson.jpg | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
|imagesize=175px | |||
| |
|name = Alan Grayson | ||
|image = Alan Grayson high res.jpg | |||
| state=Florida | |||
|office = Member of the<br>]<br>from ] | |||
| district=8th | |||
|constituency1 = {{ushr|FL|8|C}} | |||
| term_start=January 3, 2009 | |||
|term_start1 = January 3, 2009 | |||
| preceded = ] | |||
|term_end1 = January 3, 2011 | |||
| party=] | |||
|predecessor1 = ] | |||
| date of birth={{date of birth and age|1958|3|13}} | |||
|successor1 = ] | |||
| place of birth=The Bronx, New York City, New York | |||
|constituency = {{ushr|FL|9|C}} | |||
| date of death= | |||
|term_start = January 3, 2013 | |||
| place of death= | |||
|term_end = January 3, 2017 | |||
| alma_mater=Harvard University (])<br /> | |||
|predecessor = ] | |||
John F. Kennedy School of Government (])<br /> | |||
|successor = ] | |||
Harvard Law School (]) | |||
|birth_name = Alan Mark Grayson | |||
| profession=Attorney | |||
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|3|13}} | |||
| residence=] | |||
|birth_place = {{nowrap|], ], ]}} | |||
| spouse=Lolita Grayson | |||
|death_date = | |||
| children=Skye, Star, Sage, Storm, Stone <ref name=aboutgrayson /> | |||
|death_place = | |||
| religion=] | |||
|party = ] | |||
| website = | |||
|spouse = {{plainlist| | |||
|}} | |||
* {{marriage|Lolita Grayson|1990|2015|end=div}} | |||
'''Alan Mark Grayson''' (born March 13, 1958) is an ] ] and businessman who is currently serving as a member of the ] from ]'s ]. A progressive ], Grayson defeated four-term incumbent ] ] in the ]. | |||
* {{marriage|]|2016}} | |||
}} | |||
|children = 5 | |||
|education = ] (], ], ]) | |||
|website = {{URL|http://www.congressmanwithguts.com|Campaign website}} | |||
}} | |||
'''Alan Mark Grayson''' (born March 13, 1958) is an American politician who served as the ] for {{ushr|FL|8}} from 2009 to 2011 and {{ushr|FL|9}} from 2013 to 2017. A member of the ], he was defeated for reelection in ] by ] ];<ref name="concedes1"/> he was then reelected in ] for a second, non-consecutive term in the U.S. House of Representatives in another district, defeating Republican Todd Long.<ref name="fiery dem"/> | |||
In ], Grayson decided not to run for reelection to his House seat in order to run for the ]. He was defeated 59–18% in the Democratic primary by fellow Representative ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/florida-senate-democratic-primary|title=Patrick Murphy Wins Senate Democratic Primary in Florida, According to A.P.|work=The New York Times |date=September 2016 |access-date=2018-07-26|language=en}}</ref> who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican ]. In 2018, Grayson entered the race for the 9th congressional district.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://westorlandonews.com/alan-grayson-is-back/|title=Alan Grayson Is Back|date=2018-05-06|work=WON|access-date=2018-07-26|language=en-US}}</ref> He was defeated in the Democratic primary by his successor ], 66–34%. On March 27, 2021, Grayson announced his candidacy for the ] to challenge Rubio.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1506469 |url=https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/S2FL00581/1506469/|access-date=March 27, 2021|website=docquery.fec.gov}}</ref> On June 14, 2022, Grayson announced that he would drop his bid for Senate and instead run in the open race for {{ushr|FL|10}}, in which he lost the Democratic primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/532326-alan-grayson-pushing-pocketbook-economics-in-cd-10-run/|title=Alan Grayson pushing pocketbook economics in CD 10 run|last=Powers|first=Scott|date=June 14, 2022|access-date=June 14, 2022}}</ref> In 2024, he unsuccessfully ran for the ], finishing third in the primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=1073831|title=FL State Senate 25 - D Primary}}</ref> | |||
Grayson recently gained attention when he announced the Republicans' health care plan as “don't get sick, and if you do get sick…die quickly.”<ref name=republican_healthcare>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-usmvYOPfco | |||
|title=Alan Grayson on the GOP Health Care Plan: "Don't Get Sick! And if You Do Get Sick, Die Quickly!"' | |||
|date=2009-09-29 | |||
|publisher=Alan Grayson | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Education and early career== | |||
Grayson was born in the ] and grew up in the tenements. He graduated from ] and worked his way through ], graduating in three years, '']'' and ]. He then began graduate studies and simultaneously, in the next four years, earned a law degree with honors from ], a masters in public policy from the ] and completed the course work and passed the general exams for a Ph.D in government.<ref> , accessed 2009-09-30</ref><ref name=oversighthearaing>, accessed 2009-09-30, ''U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee''</ref> | |||
==Early life and education== | |||
After writing his master's thesis on ], he founded the ], and served as an officer of the organization for more than 20 years.<ref name=aboutgrayson>, ''graysonhouse.gov'', accessed 2009-10-04.</ref> | |||
Grayson was born in the ], ], to Dorothy Ann (née Sabin) and Daniel Franklin Grayson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/grayson.htm|title=alan grayson|work=ancestry.com|access-date=March 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818215416/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/grayson.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/on-ugly-words-and-ugly-history/1202483|title=On ugly words and ugly history|work=Tampa Bay Times|access-date=March 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328065038/http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/on-ugly-words-and-ugly-history/1202483|archive-date=March 28, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He grew up in Adee Towers, a building financed by the ], and graduated from the ] in 1975. Grayson worked his way through ] as a ] and ], and also features reporter for ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Alan Grayson Super Achiever|date=February 2009 |url=https://www.orlandomagazine.com/alan-grayson-super-achiever/}}</ref> He graduated '']'' and ] with a ] degree with a Special Concentration in Urban Studies in 1978.<ref name=bioguide/><ref name="House bio"/> After working two years as an economist, he returned to Harvard for graduate studies.<ref name="jews of capitol hill"/> In 1983, he earned a ] '']'' from ] and a ] from the ]. He also completed all coursework and the ] for a ] in government.<ref name=bioguide/><ref name="oversighthearing"/><ref>; '']''; July 27, 2016</ref> | |||
Grayson wrote his ] on ]. In 1986, he helped found the non-profit ] in ], and served as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.<ref name=aboutgrayson/> | |||
Grayson was employed as a ] at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983, and at the ] from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with such judges as ], ], and two judges who later joined the ]: ] and ]. He was an associate at the Washington D.C. firm of ] for five years, where he specialized in ]. In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson, Kubli which concentrated on government contract law. He was a lecturer at the ] government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic.<ref name=oversighthearaing /> | |||
==Legal career== | |||
Grayson also was the first President of ], a publicly traded billion-dollar telecommunications company.<ref name=aboutgrayson /><ref name=secinfo> , ''U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission'', 2000-10-10, accessed 2009-09-30</ref> | |||
Grayson worked as a ] at the ] in 1983,<ref name="shellie ruston" /> and at the ] from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with two judges who later joined the ]: ] and ].<ref name="jews of capitol hill" /> He was an ] in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm ] for five years, where he specialized in ]. | |||
In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson & Kubli, which concentrated on ] law. He was a lecturer at the ] government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic.<ref name="oversighthearing" /> In the 2000s, he worked as a plaintiffs' attorney specializing in ] fraud cases aimed at ] contractors. One contractor, ], employed individuals who were found guilty of making fraudulent statements and submitting fraudulent invoices on two contracts the company had with the ] in Iraq.<ref name="appeal-ruling" /><ref name="wins-appeal" /> On behalf of his clients, Grayson filed suit under the ] and its '']'' provisions.<ref name="appeal-ruling" /> The jury verdict was more than $13 million, which was upheld on appeal in April 2009. The Iraq War contractor fraud case brought Grayson his first national attention.<ref name="pinsky" /> In 2006, a reporter for '']'' described Grayson as "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq" and as a "fierce critic of the war in Iraq" whose car displayed ] such as "Bush lied, people died."<ref name="The Wall Street Journal2006" /> | |||
{{Expand section|date=October 2009}}<!--include more about fraud exposure--> | |||
In recent years, Grayson specialized in ] and ] cases aimed at ] contractors that had overbilled the U.S. government by tens of millions of dollars. One such contractor, ], billed the government $15 milion for inspecting non-existent civilian flights at Baghdad Airport, and $10 million on a time and materials contract that had cost just 3.5 million, and received payment in newly printed cash direct from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.<ref name=oversighthearaing /> Grayson was enabled to prosecute fraud through the ] and its '']'' provisions.<ref name=wsj2006/> | |||
==President of IDT Corp.== | |||
While pursuing the whistleblower cases, Grayson worked from a home office in the Orlando house where he lived with his wife and five children. In 2006, Grayson was a “fierce critic of the war in Iraq″ and his car “emblazoned” with bumper stickers such as “Bush lied, people died”.<ref name=wsj2006> Dreazen, Yochi , ''Wall Street Journal'', 2006-04-19, accessed 2009-10-03.</ref> | |||
Grayson made his fortune as the co-founder and first president of ] (International Discount Telecom).<ref name=aboutgrayson /><ref name=secinfo/><ref name="tampabay.com">; Alex Leary; Tampa Bay Times; October 2, 2009</ref> | |||
==U.S. House of Representatives== | |||
==Electoral history== | |||
In 2006, Grayson made his first foray into electoral politics, and lost the 2006 Democratic ] for Florida's 8th Congressional District to ], a prominent local businessman and center-right Democrat.<ref name=2006primary>, 2006-09-05</ref> Stuart went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Congressman Ric Keller.<ref name=2006general> , 2006-11-07</ref> | |||
===Elections=== | |||
In late 2007, Grayson announced that he would run again for the 8th District seat, and again faced Stuart in the primary. During the primary, his campaign retained the services of ], an ] executive whose previous political clients include the ] campaigns of Democrats ] and ], the gubernatorial campaigns of Independents ] and ], and the 2000 presidential campaign of ]. Hillsman's first ad for Grayson, entitled “Case Closed”, focused on Grayson's fight against military contractor fraud, dramatizing the amounts of money involved with a ] containing $1 million in cash and an airplane hangar that could be filled with the $9 billion in taxpayer dollars allegedly stolen by contractor fraud in Iraq.<ref name=caseclosedad>, ''youtube.com'', accessed 2009-10-04.</ref> The ad spread over the Internet via various liberal ]s, including the widely read ] and ], and was deemed very successful. A second ad, “Empty”, also referenced contractor fraud, this time listing faulty products, such as empty ]s and defective ]s, that were sold to the government.<ref name=emptyad></ref> This, too, was deemed a very successful ad. Other ads produced by Hillsman for the campaign included “Important Part”<ref name=importantpartad> </ref>, in which Grayson blasted Keller for voting against an appropriation for ] for ]s; and “Taxpayer Robbery”<ref name=taxpayerad></ref>, which likened the loosening of regulations on the ] and the resulting ] to an ]. | |||
==== 2006 ==== | |||
In the August 26, 2008 Democratic primary, Grayson prevailed by an unexpectedly large margin, receiving 48.5% of the vote. Stuart distantly trailed with 27.5%, with three other candidates splitting the remaining 24%.<ref name=racedetail> , ''ourcampaigns.com''</ref> During the general election campaign, Grayson maintained a consistent lead over Keller, who had barely eked out renomination in the Republican primary over attorney ] after breaking a voluntary ] pledge. This, combined with the erasure of the Republican Party's narrow advantage in ] in the district, helped propel Grayson to victory. On ], he received 172,854 votes, or 52%, to Keller's 159,490 votes, or 48%.<ref name=2008election> </ref> Although Keller won three out of four counties in the district, Grayson won by a margin of 55% to 45% in ], home to Orlando and by far the largest county in the district.<ref> </ref> | |||
{{Main|2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida#District 8}} | |||
In 2006, Grayson first entered into electoral politics, losing the 2006 Democratic ] for Florida's 8th congressional district to ], a prominent local businessman and conservative Democrat.<ref name="2006primary"/> Stuart went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Ric Keller.<ref name="2006general"/> | |||
==== 2008 ==== | |||
Grayson is only the second Democrat to represent his district since its formation after the ] (it was the 5th District from 1973 to 1993 and has been the 8th District since 1993). The only other Democrat to represent this district, ], gave it up after only one term to make an unsuccessful run for the Democratic Senate nomination in 1974. | |||
{{Main|2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida#District 8}} | |||
In late 2007, Grayson announced that he would run again for the 8th district seat, and again faced Stuart in the primary. In the August 26, 2008 Democratic primary, Grayson defeated Stuart, 49%–28%, with three other candidates splitting the remaining 24%.<ref name="2008 primary results"/> During the general election campaign, Grayson maintained a consistent lead over Keller, who had only slightly won renomination in the Republican primary over attorney Todd Long. On election day, Grayson defeated Keller, 52%–48%.<ref name="2008election"/> | |||
==== 2010 ==== | |||
Although the Florida 8th district was historically a Republican district, Grayson was elected as a ] Democrat, and is a Vice Chair of the ].<ref>, Website of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, accessed 2009-10-03</ref> | |||
{{Main|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida#District 8*}} | |||
Grayson was challenged by Republican nominee ], Florida ] backed Peg Dunmire, independent George Metcalfe, and write-in ] candidate Steve Gerritzen.<ref name="candidate listing"/> | |||
Grayson ran a September 2010 commercial calling Webster a "]"<ref name="draft dodger"/> (Webster had received student deferments and a draft classification as medically unfit for service<ref name="worst politician"/>), and a later 30-second commercial calling Webster "] Dan" and warning viewers that "Religious fanatics try to take away our freedom, in ], in ] and right here in Central Florida."<ref name="ad compares"/> Grayson's ads were criticized for editing video mid-sentence to make Webster appear to say things he did not.<ref name="lowers bar"/><ref name="toned-down"/> Grayson released a toned-down version without the edited video or Taliban references in early October.<ref name="would force"/><ref name="rhetoric"/> | |||
==Congressional career== | |||
On January 13, 2009, during his first hearing as a member of the ], Grayson questioned ] Vice Chairman ] on the disposition of the $1.2 trillion in taxpayer funds that the Fed had lent as part of the ], asking how much money had been given to specific corporations such as ] and ], and what ] had been secured in return. Kohn disclaimed specific knowledge of which specific firms had received funds, but went on to state that he did not feel that this was information that should be available to the general public, as firms might refuse bailout funds if it became generally known that they were receiving them. Grayson replied, “Has that ever happened? Have people ever said we won't take your $150 billion because people might find out about it?″ He went on to question the authority of the Fed to make such a decision without consulting Congress. The exchange was posted on ], receiving more than 50,000 views in the first week after posting.<ref name=youtubeslushfund> </ref> After the exchange received attention from various national media outlets, Grayson was the subject of an interview by ] writer ], in which he went into greater depth in his criticism of both the bailout and the Federal Reserve's secrecy on the subject.<ref name=salon></ref> | |||
On ]'s radio show, ] agreed with a co-host's remark, "It's okay if the Republicans lose every seat in the Senate and the House except for one. As long as that one is Alan Grayson losing."<ref name="yum">{{cite news | first = Sam | last = Stein | title = Beck To Palin: Alan Grayson Is Hot, 'Yum Yum, Give Me Some' | date = October 29, 2010 | url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/beck-to-palin-on-graysons_n_772659.html |work=Huffington Post | access-date =October 29, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101025205548/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/beck-to-palin-on-graysons_n_772659.html| archive-date= October 25, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> Conservative ''Newsweek'' columnist ] called Grayson "America's worst politician".<ref name="really so bad"/><ref>http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/10/24/america-s-worst-politician.html "America's Worst Politician", by George Will</ref> Grayson was also heavily targeted in attack ads funded by groups such as the ] and the ].<ref name="attack ads"/> | |||
On March 23, 2009, in response to public outrage over the ], Grayson joined with fellow freshman Democrat ] of ] to introduce the Grayson-Himes Pay for Performance Act, legislation to require that all bonuses paid by companies that had received funds under the ] to be based on performance.<ref> , ''grayson.house.gov'', 2009-03</ref> The bill was co-sponsored by eight other members of the House. On March 26, the bill was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 38-22. On April 1, the bill was passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 247-171.<ref name=orlandosentinel> , ''Orlando Sentinel''</ref> The bill is viewed by some as giving ] ] extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies.<ref name=americanthinker> , ''American Thinker Blog'', 2009-03</ref><ref name=middleclass> , ''themiddleclass.org''{{Dead link|date=October 2009}}</ref> | |||
Grayson was endorsed by 8th district resident and former Congresswoman ] (D-CO), who characterized Webster as having "13th-century views" on women's issues.<ref name="schroeder"/> Former DNC Chair and Vermont governor ] called Grayson a "healthcare hero".<ref name="dean pens"/> Grayson received more votes for "progressive hero" from ] than any other candidate in the country.<ref name="hero"/> | |||
On May 5, 2009, in a Financial Services Committee question and answer session with Inspector General of the Federal Reserve ], Grayson asked about the trillions of dollars lent or spent by the Federal Reserve and where it went, and the trillions of off balance sheet obligations. The Inspector General responded that she does not know and is not tracking where this money is. The exchange was posted on ], receiving nearly 3,000,000 views in the first few months after posting.<ref name=youtubemindingthestore></ref> | |||
On election day, Webster defeated Grayson, 56%–38%.<ref name="concedes"/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/florida | work=The New York Times | title=Florida Election Results}}</ref> | |||
Grayson is a member of the ], consisting of 80 progressive House members in addition to independent ] ] ] and Democratic ] Senator ]. | |||
==== 2012 ==== | |||
Grayson was ranked as the 12th-wealthiest member of Congress based on financial disclosure forms with a minimum net worth of $31.12 million, according to '']''.<ref name=WSJblogs> , ''Wall Street Journal blogs'', 2009-10-01</ref> | |||
{{Main|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida#District 9}} | |||
On July 11, 2011, Grayson announced in an e-mail to supporters that he planned to run once again for Congress.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alan-grayson-running-for-congress-again/|title=Alan Grayson running for Congress again|date=July 12, 2011|access-date=July 12, 2011|work=]|first=Lucy|last=Madison| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110713021556/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20078736-503544.html| archive-date= July 13, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> Grayson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the newly created 9th District in Central Florida.<ref>; Orlando Sentinel; August 14, 2012</ref> | |||
On November 6, 2012, Grayson defeated Todd Long, 63%–37%, to return to Congress after a one-term absence. He described his victory as "the biggest comeback in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives."<ref>; Politico; November 8, 2012</ref> Although the two districts had different boundaries, Grayson claimed the House historian had told him that the shift from a 56%–38% loss in 2010 to a 63%–37% victory in 2012 was the biggest comeback in congressional history.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/grayson_returns_emboldened-222299-1.html|title=Grayson Returns Emboldened|date=February 10, 2013|access-date=February 11, 2013|publisher=Roll Call|first=Jonathan|last=Strong}}</ref> | |||
===Health care policy debate=== | |||
{{see also|Mass media coverage Alan Grayson's annoucement of the Republican's health care plan}} | |||
On September 29, 2009, Grayson made a speech regarding health care proposals in the U.S. House. During it he said, “The Republican health care plan is this: ‘Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.’”<ref name=republican_healthcare/> FactCheck.org said Grayson misrepresented the Republican health care position.<ref>http://factcheck.org/2009/10/graysons-iffy-claims/</ref> His remarks drew immediate calls for an apology from Republicans and condemnation from media sources,<ref name=politico9-29>Jonathan Allen , ], 2009-09-29, accessed 2009-09-30</ref> and, according to Grayson, resulted in positive emails from constituents which outweighed negative ones four to one and over five thousand supporting campaign contributions.<ref name=grayson_hb_10-02>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL5Hjn6xMmU#t=3m5s | |||
|title=Rep Alan Grayson on Hardball: We can't run this country based on Republican hissy fits | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=2009-10-02 | |||
|author=Alan Grayson | |||
}}</ref> Grayson raised in excess of $100,000 for his reelection campaign fallowing the remarks.<ref>{{cite news | |||
|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2009/10/gop-looks-to-cash-in-on-graysons-comments.html | |||
|title=GOP looks to cash in on Grayson's comments | |||
|date=2009-10-01 | |||
|publisher=USA Today}}</ref> Republican Congressman ] called Grayson's speech “the most mean-spirited partisan statement that I've ever heard made on this floor”.<ref name="Yahoo"> , Yahoo newsroom blog, 2009-10-01</ref> ] spokesman Andy Sere said, “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.”<ref name=politico9-30> Jonathan Alter , ''Politico.com'', 2009-09-30, accessed 2009-10-01</ref> FactCheck.org said Grayson misrepresented the Republican health care position.<ref>http://factcheck.org/2009/10/graysons-iffy-claims/</ref> | |||
==== 2014 ==== | |||
Grayson described these comments as “Republican hissy fits″,<ref name=grayson_hb_10-02/> and the next day gave a speech from the House Floor, saying “I would like to apologize: I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this ] in America.”<ref name=apology>{{cite video | |||
{{Main|2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida#District 9}} | |||
|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCAPX0RKwDU&feature=channel_page | |||
Grayson was challenged in the Democratic primary by Nick Ruiz, a professor from the ]. He overcame this challenge comfortably, 74%–26%. | |||
|title=Rep. Alan Grayson: "I apologize to the dead and their families" | |||
|date=2009-10-02 | |||
|author=Alan Grayson | |||
}}</ref> He cited a September 2009 Harvard study that found 44,000 Americans die each year due to being uninsured.<ref name=apology/> 62% of Orlando Sentinel readers surveyed disapproved of Grayson's comments.<ref>http://www.examiner.com/x-16409-Orlando-Judaism-Examiner~y2009m10d13-Orlando-Jews-criticize-Rep-Grayson-DFL-for-holocaust-remark</ref>Grayson, who is ], apologized to the ] for causing offense with his use of the term 'Holocaust'. <ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/06/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5366672.shtml</ref> | |||
The Republican challenger in the general election was Carol Platt, with independent Marko Milakovich also standing. Grayson was returned to Congress with 54% of the vote. | |||
On October 8 Grayson gave a speech which confirmed that he would not apologize, while accusing the Democratic party of narrowly focusing on procedure over policy (“We as a party have spent the last six months, the greatest minds in our party, dwelling on the question, the unbelievably consuming question of how to get ] to vote on health care reform.”) and arguing that the Republican party had a dogmatic opposition to the Democrats (“If Barack Obama has a ] tommorow, they will try to ban bacon″).<ref>{{cite news | |||
|url=http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/cspanjunkie/graysoni-will-not-apologize-america-doesnt-care | |||
===Tenure=== | |||
|title=Rep. Alan Grayson: I Will Not Apologize- America Doesn't Care About Your Feelings | |||
|date=2009-10-09 | |||
====2009–2011==== | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
Grayson was the second Democrat to represent Florida's 8th congressional district since its formation after the ] (it was the 5th District from 1973 to 1993 and has been the 8th since 1993). The only other Democrat to represent this district, ], left to run for the ] in 1974 after only one term. | |||
|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery7RZ4tZ2Y | |||
|title=Alan Grayson: "If the President has a BLT tomorrow, the Republicans will try to ban bacon." | |||
Grayson is considered a ] Democrat. He supported ] in 2008. He was a member of the ], of which he was vice-chairman.<ref name="grijalva"/> Grayson twice joined Republicans to oppose the raising of the federal ]. He said, "We need to live within our means. We need to eliminate wasteful spending. If we did those two simple things, we would not need to raise the debt limit."<ref name="grayson fights"/> | |||
|date=2009-10-08 | |||
|author=Alan Grayson | |||
On September 14, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.RES 686, Grayson's Teach the Constitution Week bill. The bill urged high schools to spend one week each September teaching the ] to high school seniors and also encouraged students to petition the government on an issue of personal importance to them to demonstrate their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States. The non-partisan resolution was passed by a voice vote and featured 222 co-sponsors.<ref name="Thomas.gov686"/><ref name="The Orlando Sentinel"/><ref name="house passes"/> | |||
|quote=“He sends a message to Democrats: No one elected Olympia Snowe President of the United States. And he sends a message to Republicans: No one cares about your feelings.” | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On the 40th anniversary of the historic 1969 ] Moon landing, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Grayson's New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009. The bill asked the president to present Congress's highest civilian honor, the ], to Apollo 11 astronauts ], ], and ], as well as ], the first American to orbit the Earth. Only about 200 medals have ever been awarded in the country's history. The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 passed the House unanimously on July 20, 2009.<ref name="gov track aug 2009"/><ref name="CoinNews.net"/> | |||
;Select legislation sponsored | |||
* Pay for Performance Act (H.R. 1664) | |||
* ] (H.R. 4789) | |||
* War Is Making You Poor Act (H.R. 5353) | |||
* Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790) | |||
* Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564) | |||
====2013–2017==== | |||
Known in his first term for making incendiary comments about Republicans, Grayson began to tone down his rhetoric and focused on working with Republicans to pass amendments that "appeal to the libertarian streak in the GOP". He lobbied colleagues personally and in July 2013, ] of '']'' magazine called him "the most effective member of the House" and said that he was approaching "an unheralded title: The congressman who's passed more amendments than any of his 434 peers."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/07/florida_democrat_alan_grayson_is_the_most_effective_member_of_the_house.html |title=The Congressman Formerly Known as Crazy |date=July 19, 2013 |access-date=July 23, 2013 |publisher= Slate.com}}</ref> | |||
In October 2013, his campaign sent out a fundraising email that compared the Tea Party to the ]. It used the image of a burning cross as the "T" in Tea Party. Matt Gorman of the National Republican Congressional Committee described the e-mail as "hateful words and imagery". Grayson defended the comparison, saying that "here is overwhelming evidence that the Tea Party is the home of bigotry and discrimination in America today, just as the KKK was for an earlier generation."<ref>{{cite web|date=October 2013|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/alan-grayson-tea-party-kkk-98673.html|title=Alan Grayson likens tea party to KKK|author=Emily Schultheis|work=POLITICO}}</ref> | |||
===Political positions=== | |||
==== Federal Reserve ==== | |||
During his first term in office, Grayson supported ]'s ] legislation.<ref name="Ocala Star-Banner"/> Grayson gained attention for exchanges with ] Vice Chairman ] and ] ].<ref name="salon"/> The 5-minute examination of Coleman in the House Financial Services Committee was posted on Grayson's official YouTube page, and as of December 2010, it has been viewed more than 4 million times.<ref name="Youtube"/> | |||
In a September 2009 '']'' segment, Grayson criticized ] ]'s senior adviser Linda Robertson, saying "Here I am the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist, this lobbyist, this ] whore, is trying to teach me about economics!"<ref name="problem child"/><ref name="salon war room"/> Robertson had previously worked as a lobbyist for ].<ref name="Evans" /> Grayson's language was widely criticized as inappropriate,<ref name="politico.com"/> and Grayson apologized.<ref name="Evans"/> | |||
Following the ], Grayson joined fellow freshman Democrat ] of ] to introduce the Grayson–Himes Pay for Performance Act, legislation to require that all bonuses paid by companies that had received funds under the ] be "based on performance".<ref name="house passes1"/> The bill was co-sponsored by eight other members of the House. On March 26, the bill was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 38–22 and on April 1, the bill was passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 247–171,<ref name="orlandosentinel"/> although it eventually died in the Senate.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/alan-grayson-florida-senate-race.html|title=The Second-Strangest Campaign of the Season Is Taking Place in Florida, of Course|last=Zengerle|first=Jason|date=2016-07-26|access-date=2016-08-03}}</ref> | |||
Grayson was a co-sponsor of the ], which would provide additional provisions to audit the ], including removing several key exemptions.<ref name="transparency act"/> | |||
==== Economic stimulus ==== | |||
Grayson made it a priority to increase the amount of federal money returning to his district. He often said that people in his district had been "exporting taxes and importing debt." During his first year in office, the amount of federal grant dollars returning to the district nearly doubled.<ref name="USAspending.gov"/><ref name="open congress"/> Grayson established a grant notification system that notifies subscribers immediately when a federal grant opportunity in their areas of interest becomes available. He also hired a full-time grants coordinator who focused solely on helping people navigate the federal grants process. | |||
Grayson supported the ], and has been outspoken in favor of extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs, arguing that the government had never cut off unemployment insurance when the unemployment rate was higher than eight percent. Grayson also voted for ] oversight of tobacco products, which would give the FDA power to regulate ]. | |||
Grayson has worked to combat federal waste, fraud, and abuse. In the September 6, 2009 edition of ''The New York Times'', columnist Gretchen Morgenson thanked Grayson for uncovering the fact that, due to the federal bailout of mortgage finance giant ], taxpayer money had been funding the legal defense fees for former top executives at the institution. Grayson requested information about these legal costs after a June 2009 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. Grayson's work uncovered that, between September 6, 2008, and July 21, 2009, taxpayers spent $6.3 million defending Fannie Mae executives ], J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer. Taxpayers paid an additional $16.8 million to cover legal expenses of workers at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Fannie's former regulator.<ref name="The New York Times"/> | |||
In September 2009, Grayson used a parliamentary maneuver called an "extension of remarks" to provide crucial instruction on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill that, among other things, included a provision that prohibited funding for ACORN (the ]). Grayson's extension of remarks directed that the legislation defund ''any'' organization that cheats the federal government, not just ACORN. The defunding measure passed the House with a final vote of 253–171.<ref name="Thomas.gov3221"/> Grayson also encouraged the public to report companies covered by the bill and set up a method to report offending companies via his Congressional website.<ref name="The Huffington Post"/> | |||
==== Health care reform ==== | |||
In response to Republican arguments that the Obama administration's preferred health care bill was too long and complicated, Grayson on March 9, 2010, introduced H.R. 4789, the ] (sometimes called the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act), a four-page bill that would allow all citizens and permanent residents of the United States to buy into the public ] program at cost.<ref name="po act"/> The bill attracted 82 co-sponsors and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee. | |||
Grayson later voted for the ]<ref name="roll call 167"/> and the ].<ref name="roll call 194"/> He voted in support of eliminating adjustments of Medicare rates of payment. He also voted against Republican substitutes for the health care amendment and insurance law amendments.<ref name="key vote"/> | |||
On September 29, 2009, in a late-night speech on the House floor, Grayson presented his impression of the Republicans' health care plan, illustrated by signs. He said the Republicans' plan was "don't get sick", and "if you do get sick, die quickly."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27726.html|title=Grayson: GOP wants 'you to die'|author=Jonathan Allen|date=September 29, 2009|work=POLITICO|access-date=December 19, 2016|quote="If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly," he said.}}</ref> After demands from Republicans that he apologize, he defended his comment and in a ] speech stated, "I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this ] in America."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/30/house.floor.controversy/ | work=CNN | title=Democrat stands ground after 'die quickly' health care remark | date=October 1, 2009 | access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> He was then further lambasted for his use of the word '']'' by Jewish spokespersons across the nation. Grayson, who is Jewish, apologized to the ] for those offended by his generic use of ''holocaust''.<ref name="young turks"/><ref name="unlikely"/><ref name="ref112"/> He also maintained that Congressional Republicans failed to offer a feasible plan.<ref name=cnnpoliticalticker/><ref name=cbsnews/> In October 2009, he launched NamesOfTheDead.com,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.namesofthedead.com/|title=Names of the Dead|work=namesofthedead.com|access-date=December 19, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129142921/http://www.namesofthedead.com/|archive-date=January 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> a website to "memorialize Americans who die because they don't have health insurance". He subsequently read stories of the dead submitted through the Names of the Dead site on the House floor.<ref name=namesofthedead/> | |||
==== Social issues ==== | |||
Grayson is ] and supports increased funding for stem cell research.<ref>, ''On the Issues'', September 5, 2013</ref> He has always supported ] and said in an interviews in 2013, "the propaganda that somehow gay marriage makes straight marriage bad for everyone is just farcical to me. I just don't understand the logic of it."<ref>, ''WatermarkOnline'', July 18, 2013</ref> | |||
Grayson voted in support of the Hate Crimes Expansion Act, which expands the definition of ] and strengthens enforcement of ]. He also voted for the ]. Grayson supported the ], a bill that allows victims of ] to sue for punitive damages.<ref name="key vote"/> | |||
==== Environment ==== | |||
Grayson voted for the House's 2009 ] (ACES). The bill would provide for a $50 million "Hurricane Research Center" in Central Florida, and Grayson claimed it would immediately generate new jobs.<ref name="hurricane center"/> Grayson noted after the passage of the ACES Act his concern about our dependence on foreign oil, the need to promote ], ] sources, and the job creation from the bill (an estimated 95,000 jobs in Florida). "This bill unleashes American ingenuity to solve the energy crisis. It lets us solve our problems by being Americans and thinking our way out of it. We will become an international energy power," he said in a news release. | |||
The ] in the Gulf of Mexico affected Florida's number one industry, which is tourism. The lack of a relief well prevented company officials from shutting down the leak immediately. Instead, it took months to drill a new relief well, while millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf each week.<ref name="The Daily Green"/> In response, Grayson introduced the Emergency Relief Well Act, which would require that an emergency relief well be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory well. | |||
==== Foreign affairs ==== | |||
Grayson has been an outspoken critic of the wars in ] and ]. In May 2010, he introduced the War Is Making You Poor Act. The bill would require the president to fund the wars from the Department of Defense's base budget. The bill does not necessitate an end to the wars or mandate a cut-off date. In addition to the tax cuts, the bill would cut the federal deficit by $15.9 billion.<ref name="open congress1"/> | |||
Grayson has tried to combat wasteful spending by government defense contractors by introducing his "Gold Plating" amendment. The amendment would require that cost or price account for half of the evaluation of bids for defense contracts. The law at the time allowed for cost to account for only 1% of the evaluation. The amendment passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in June 2009. However, the language was stripped from the final bill during the conference committee between Senate and House leaders. Grayson worked successfully to get the amendment inserted into H.R.5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 28, 2010.<ref name="Thomas.gov5013"/> | |||
Grayson has been an outspoken opponent of plans for the United States to intervene in the ].<ref>, ''The Huffington Post'', September 5, 2013</ref> He has rejected what he calls "warmongering",<ref>, ''DemocracyNow.org'', September 5, 2013</ref> saying: "It's simply not our responsibility. We're not the world's policeman." Instead, he called for a focus on humanitarian efforts and solving domestic problems.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911202450/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-guy/os-alan-grayson-syria-is-not-our-responsibility-20130903,0,5543222.post |date=September 11, 2013 }}, ''Orlando Sentinel'', September 3, 2013</ref> He launched DontAttackSyria.com, where he began gathering signatures for his petition calling on Congress to vote against authorizing military action against Syria, and was "whipping votes" in the House.<ref>, ''Slate'', September 3, 2013.</ref> | |||
===Committee assignments=== | ===Committee assignments=== | ||
*''']''' | |||
====2013–2017==== | |||
**] | |||
*''']''' | * ''']''' | ||
**] | ** ] | ||
**] | ** ] | ||
* ''']''' | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
====2009–2011==== | |||
* ''']''' | |||
** ] | |||
* ''']''' | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
==Personal life== | |||
Grayson was ranked as the 11th-wealthiest member of Congress in 2010, based on financial disclosure forms with a net worth of $31.41 million, and a pending claim against the now-defunct Derivium Capital for at least $25 million, according to '']''.<ref name="Roll Call" /> Grayson disclosed that his attorney fees and costs for the war contractor case had exceeded $4 million.<ref name="wins-appeal" /><ref name="The Wall Street Journal2006" /> | |||
Grayson was married to a woman he met in the early 1980s at a party in Boulder, Colorado.<ref name="tampabay.com" /> Grayson remarried in 1990 to Lolita Grayson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/September-2010/Alan-Grayson-Isn-039t-Taking-Any-Crap-From-Anyone/|title=Alan Grayson Isn't Taking Any Crap From Anyone|work=orlandomagazine.com|date=August 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>; Orlando Sentinel; Scott Powers; January 7, 2014</ref> While pursuing the whistleblower cases, Grayson worked from a ] in Orlando, where he lived with his second wife, Lolita Grayson, and their five children.<ref name="pinsky" /> The couple separated in March 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-03-04/news/os-alan-grayson-domestic-violence-wife-20140304_1_alan-grayson-petition-incident|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305235612/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-03-04/news/os-alan-grayson-domestic-violence-wife-20140304_1_alan-grayson-petition-incident|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 5, 2014|title=Grayson's wife files for domestic violence injunction after weekend incident|work=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> and Alan Grayson asked a court in Orlando to annul the marriage a year later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-alan-grayson-divorce-bigamy-hearing-20150309-story.html|title=U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, estranged wife Lolita locked in divorce dispute – Orlando Sentinel|author=Orlando Sentinel|date=March 9, 2015|work=OrlandoSentinel.com}}</ref> In April 2015 the Graysons agreed to settle the dispute and annul their 25-year marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-alan-grayson-lolita-bigamy-divorce-20150407-story.html|title=Graysons to settle bigamy, divorce case |author=Orlando Sentinel|date=April 7, 2015|work=OrlandoSentinel.com}}</ref> Lolita Grayson accused Alan Grayson of domestic abuse that lasted over the decades of their marriage; Alan Grayson denied the charges.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-26 |title=Alan Grayson's ex-wife Lolita alleges decades of domestic abuse |url=https://apnews.com/article/9a5cd690be6790fdb736dd1f875af537 |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> | |||
On May 31, 2016, Alan Grayson married his third wife, Dr. ].<ref name = "Marriage">{{cite web| url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-congressional-candidate-for-grayson-s-seat-marries-grayson-20160531-story.html| title= Congressional candidate for Grayson's seat marries Grayson| author=Steven Lemongello | work=Orlando Sentinel | date=May 31, 2016| access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> In 2016, Minning ran for the US House seat Grayson was vacating to pursue his Senate run. She was defeated in the Democratic primary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/293843-graysons-wife-loses-primary-for-his-seat/|title=Grayson's wife loses primary for his seat|first=Elliot|last=Smilowitz|date=August 30, 2016|work=thehill.com|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> | |||
In December 2019, Grayson released a book titled ''High Crimes: The Impeachment of Donald Trump''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/12/18/1906493/-HIGH-CRIMES-The-Impeachment-of-Donald-Trump|title=HIGH CRIMES: The Impeachment of Donald Trump|website=Daily Kos|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* ] | |||
*] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist| |
{{reflist|30em|refs= | ||
<ref name="concedes1">{{cite web |last= Fell |first= Jacqueline |author2= Walker, Allison |url= http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/cfn/2010/11/02/Grayson_concedes_in_District_8_race.html |title= Alan Grayson concedes in District 8 race |publisher= Bright House Networks |work= mynews13.com |date= November 2, 2010 |access-date= 2013-10-19 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131020130536/http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/ot/cfn/2010/11/02/Grayson_concedes_in_District_8_race.html |archive-date= October 20, 2013 |url-status= dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="fiery dem">{{cite web |last = Viebeck | first = Elise | title = Fiery Dem Alan Grayson to rejoin House | publisher = TheHill.com | date = November 6, 2012 | url = https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/133829-fiery-dem-alan-grayson-to-rejoin-house/ | access-date = 2013-10-19 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name=bioguide>{{cite web|title=GRAYSON, Alan (1958–)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=g000556|work=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=March 5, 2011}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=aboutgrayson>{{cite web|url=http://grayson.house.gov/about/ |title=Congressman Alan Grayson Biography |access-date=2010-02-02 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202204355/http://grayson.house.gov/about/ |archive-date=February 2, 2010 |df=mdy }}, ''grayson.house.gov''. Retrieved October 4, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name="appeal-ruling"> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101111336/http://www.constructionweblinks.com/Resources/Industry_Reports__Newsletters/20090420/cont.html |date=January 1, 2010 }}, Construction WebLinks, Howrey LLP, April 20, 2009</ref> | |||
<ref name="2006primary"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819083219/http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/Index.asp?ElectionDate=9%2F5%2F2006&DATAMODE= |date=August 19, 2013 }}, Florida Dept of State, September 5, 2006</ref> | |||
<ref name="2006general">, Florida Dept of State, November 7, 2006</ref> | |||
<ref name="2008 primary results">{{cite web|url=http://enight.dos.state.fl.us/Index.asp?ElectionDate=8/26/2008&DATAMODE=|publisher=Florida Department of State, Division of Elections|title=August 26, 2008, Primary Election, Official Results|access-date=October 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415005953/http://enight.dos.state.fl.us/Index.asp?ElectionDate=8%2F26%2F2008&DATAMODE=|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="2008election"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228171450/http://election.dos.state.fl.us/elections/resultsarchive/Index.asp?ElectionDate=11%2F4%2F2008&DATAMODE= |date=December 28, 2014 }}, Florida Dept of State, November 4, 2008</ref> | |||
<ref name="candidate listing">{{cite web |title=Candidate Listing for 2010 General Election |url=http://election.dos.state.fl.us/candidate/canlist.asp |work=Division of Elections |publisher=] |access-date=August 31, 2010 |location=Tallahassee, Florida |year=2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831154715/http://election.dos.state.fl.us/candidate/CanList.asp |archive-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="ad compares">{{cite web |last = Schlueb | first = Mark | title = Grayson TV ad compares Webster to Taliban | publisher = Orlando Sentinel | date = September 26, 2010 | url = http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-grayson-webster-taliban-ad-20100926,0,7042222.story | access-date = 2010-09-26 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="attack ads">{{cite web | url = http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/10/special-interest-groups-buy-8-5-million-in-campaign-attack-ads.html | title = Special interest groups buy $8.5 million in campaign attack ads | access-date = October 29, 2010 | last = Powers | first = Scott | date = October 28, 2010 | work = Central Florida Political Pulse | publisher = Orlando Sentinel | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101031203339/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/10/special-interest-groups-buy-8-5-million-in-campaign-attack-ads.html | archive-date = October 31, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="dean pens">{{cite web | url = http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/howard-dean-pens-fundraising-e-mail-for-alan-grayson.php | title = Howard Dean Pens Fundraising E-mail For Alan Grayson | access-date =October 29, 2010 | last = Kleefeld | first = Eric | date = March 25, 2010 | work = TPM}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="concedes">Election results were: Grayson 38 percent Webster 56 percent{{cite news| url=http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/florida | work=The New York Times | title=Florida Election Results}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="CoinNews.net">{{cite news|url=http://www.coinnews.net/2009/08/10/gold-medals-will-honor-apollo-11-astronauts/ |title=Gold Medals Will Honor Apollo 11 Astronauts |date=August 10, 2009|publisher= CoinNews.net}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=cnnpoliticalticker> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004121905/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/30/grayson-calls-republicans-knuckle-dragging-neanderthals/ |date=October 4, 2009 }},''CNN.com'', 2009-09-30. Retrieved October 1, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name=cbsnews>,''CBS News'', 2009-06-17. Retrieved October 2, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001063712/http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/17/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5093897.shtml |date=October 1, 2009 }}</ref><!--reliable source??--> | |||
<ref name="jews of capitol hill">{{cite book|title=The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members|author=Kurt F. Stone|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=December 2010|quote=All five Grayson children attend Hebrew school at Chabad. As Grayson notes, 'We belong to a local synagogue and observe all the Jewish holidays'|page=618}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="House bio">{{cite web|title=Alan Grayson Biography|publisher=US House of Representatives|url=http://grayson.house.gov/Biography/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804030111/http://grayson.house.gov/Biography/|archive-date=August 4, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="oversighthearing">, ''U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee'', 2005-02-14. Retrieved September 30, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name="pinsky">{{cite news | first = Mark I. | last = Pinsky | title = Grayson Defying Convention in Fla. | date = September 15, 2010 | url = http://www.forward.com/articles/131322/ | work = The Jewish Daily Forward | access-date =October 29, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100923035030/http://forward.com/articles/131322/| archive-date= September 23, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="draft dodger">Mark Schlueb Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 9/26/10</ref> | |||
<ref name="lowers bar">{{cite web|url=http://www.factcheck.org/2010/09/rep-grayson-lowers-the-bar/|title=Rep. Grayson Lowers the Bar|work=FactCheck.org|date=September 27, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="rhetoric">{{cite web|url=http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/06/alan-grayson/alan-grayson-tones-down-rhetoric-not-attacks-new-a/|title=Alan Grayson tones down rhetoric, but not attacks in new ad targeting Dan Webster|work=@politifact}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="really so bad">{{cite web | url = http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Is-Floridas-Alan-Grayson-Really-So-Bad-5519 | title = Is Florida's Alan Grayson Really So Bad? | access-date =October 29, 2010 | last = Eichler | first = Alex | date = October 25, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101027050058/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Is-Floridas-Alan-Grayson-Really-So-Bad-5519| archive-date= October 27, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="hero">{{cite news | first = Mark | last = Schlueb | title = It's official: Alan Grayson is 'hero' to Democratic faithful | date = September 9, 2010 | url = http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/09/its-official-alan-grayson-is-hero-to-democratic-faithful.html | work = Orlando Sentinel | access-date = October 29, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101120231250/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2010/09/its-official-alan-grayson-is-hero-to-democratic-faithful.html | archive-date = November 20, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="grijalva">, Website of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, 2009-02-20. Retrieved October 3, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902103342/http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=166&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=164 |date=September 2, 2009 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="grayson fights">"GRAYSON FIGHTS AGAINST FEDERAL DEBT";''States News Service''; February 4, 2010</ref> | |||
<ref name="house passes">{{YouTube|ujo_O7ERxlY House Passes Alan Grayson's Resolution Encouraging High School Students to Learn the Constitution}}; Video</ref> | |||
<ref name="gov track aug 2009">; GovTrack.com; August 20, 2009</ref> | |||
<ref name="Ocala Star-Banner">{{cite news|url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20090614/ARTICLES/906141010|title=Area lawmakers get behind bill to audit the Federal Reserve |last=Thompson|first=Bill|date=June 14, 2009}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="problem child"> David M. Herszenhorn, ''The New York Times'', October 31, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name="Evans">{{cite news | first = Ben | last = Evans | title = Grayson Calls Linda Robertson A "K Street Whore" | date = October 27, 2009 | url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/27/grayson-calls-linda-rober_n_335447.html |work=Huffington Post | access-date =October 29, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="politico.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28763.html|title=Alan Grayson goes too far for colleagues|last=Sherman|first=Jake|author2=Allen, Jonathan|date=October 26, 2009|publisher=Politico|access-date=April 6, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="house passes1">{{cite press release|url=http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/financialsvcs_dem/press040120091.shtml|title=House Passes Grayson-Himes Legislation to Tie Pay to Performance for TARP Recipients|date=April 1, 2009|publisher=House Financial Services Committee | author=Democratic Staff}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="orlandosentinel"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406003501/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/04/grayson-gets-his-bill-through-the-house-spars-with-fox-.html |date=April 6, 2009 }}, ''Orlando Sentinel'', April 1, 2009</ref> | |||
<ref name="po act">{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/the_public_option_act.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209002539/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/the_public_option_act.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2013|title=The Public Option Act|last=Klein|first=Ezra|date=March 10, 2010|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 25, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="key vote">{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=23323&can_id=68184|title=Key Vote 2009 Economic Package|publisher=votesmart|access-date=January 20, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="ref112">{{cite news|title=Grayson regrets use of term 'holocaust'|publisher=The Jewish Chronicle|date=October 6, 2009|url=http://jta.org/news/article/2009/10/06/1008327/grayson-regrets-use-of-holocaust|access-date=November 30, 2009}}</ref> | |||
<ref name=namesofthedead>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV9TRoYMtjs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/TV9TRoYMtjs |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Alan Grayson Honors Those Who Died for Lack of Health Insurance, Launches NamesOfTheDead.com|website=] |date=October 21, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="hurricane center">{{cite news|url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20090627/ARTICLES/906271003|title=Congressman says new hurricane center coming to Orlando|last=Thompson|first=Bill|date=June 26, 2009|publisher=Ocala Star-Banner}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="open congress1">{{cite web|url=http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5353/show|title=Open Congress|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227155208/http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h5353/show|archive-date=December 27, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Roll Call">{{cite news|url=http://www.rollcall.com/features/Guide-to-Congress_2010/guide/-49892-1.html|title=The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2010)|date=September 16, 2010}}</ref> Grayson disclosed that his attorney fees and costs for the war contractor case had exceeded $4 million. | |||
<ref name="shellie ruston">"Shellie Ruston to Marry Alan Grayson on April 29", ''The New York Times'', </ref> | |||
<ref name="wins-appeal">{{cite web | title = Lone War Profiteer Case Wins on Appeal: U.S. Appeals Court Reverses Lower Court Decision | publisher = house.gov | date = April 10, 2009 | url = http://grayson.house.gov/2009/04/lone-war-profiteer-case-wins-on-appeal.shtml | access-date = 2013-10-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090429200500/http://grayson.house.gov/2009/04/lone-war-profiteer-case-wins-on-appeal.shtml | archive-date = 2009-04-29}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="The Wall Street Journal2006">] , ''Wall Street Journal.'', 2006-04-19. Retrieved October 3, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name=secinfo>, ''U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission'', 2000-10-10. Retrieved September 30, 2009.</ref> | |||
<ref name="worst politician">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/will-americas-worst-politician-73905|title=America's Worst Politician|author=George F. Will|date=October 24, 2010|work=newsweek.com|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="toned-down">{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42818.html|title=Rep. Alan Grayson's 'Taliban' ad backfires|author=Andy Barr|work=POLITICO|date=September 28, 2010 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="would force">{{cite web|url=http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/07/alan-grayson/alan-grayson-says-dan-webster-would-force-rape-and/|title=Alan Grayson says Dan Webster would|work=@politifact}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="schroeder">{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFhdGe74C8U | title = YouTube – Former Rep. Pat Schroeder Supports Alan Grayson | website = ] | access-date =October 29, 2010 | date = October 20, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Thomas.gov686">{{cite news |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.RES.686:@@@L |title=H.RES.686 (111th) Recommending that the United States Constitution be taught to high school students throughout the Nation in September of their senior year. |publisher=Thomas.gov |access-date=2013-10-19 |archive-date=January 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124163220/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.RES.686:@@@L |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="The Orlando Sentinel">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/09/grayson-bill-urges-teens-to-study-constitution-.html|title=Grayson bill urges teens to study Constitution Grayson|last=Matthews|first=Mark|date=September 15, 2009|publisher=The Orlando Sentinel|access-date=December 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102021850/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/09/grayson-bill-urges-teens-to-study-constitution-.html|archive-date=November 2, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="salon">Greenwald, Glenn , (transcript and audio), ''Salon.com'', January 26, 2009</ref> | |||
<ref name="Youtube">, May 5, 2009</ref> | |||
<ref name="salon war room">{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2009/10/27/grayson/|title=Rep. Alan Grayson goes a comment too far|last=Winant|first=Gabriel|date=October 27, 2009|work=War Room|publisher=Salon|access-date=April 6, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="transparency act">{{cite web|url= http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1207 |title=Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009|date=October 22, 2009}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="USAspending.gov">{{cite news | |||
|url=http://usaspending.gov | |||
|title=USA Spending.gov | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409141102/http://www.usaspending.gov/ | |||
|archive-date=April 9, 2008 | |||
|df=mdy | |||
}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="open congress">; OpenCongress.org</ref> | |||
<ref name="The New York Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/business/economy/06gret.html?_r=1|title= They Left Fannie Mae, but We Got the Legal Bills|last= Morgenson|first= Gretchen|date=September 5, 2009|work=The New York Times}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Thomas.gov3221">{{cite news|url=http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03221:|title=H.R.3221 (111th)- Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009|publisher=Thomas.gov|access-date=2013-10-19|archive-date=January 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124163220/http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR03221:|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="The Huffington Post">{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-wells/its-not-just-acorn-says-c_b_307999.html|title=It's Not Just ACORN, Says Congressman Grayson|last=Wells|first=Kathleen|date=October 2, 2009|work=The Huffington Post}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="roll call 167">''House.gov''</ref> | |||
<ref name="roll call 194">''House.gov''</ref> | |||
<ref name="young turks">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnjmoXgK9Og#t=12m42s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/hnjmoXgK9Og |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Alan Grayson Enters Rebel Headquarters!|date=October 29, 2009|publisher=]|author=Alan Grayson}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="unlikely">, ''CBSNews Blogs'', October 6, 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009012102/http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/06/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5366672.shtml |date=October 9, 2009 }}</ref> | |||
<ref name="The Daily Green">{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-facts|title=The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill By The Numbers|last=Gerstein|first=Julie|date=June 14, 2010}}</ref> | |||
<ref name="Thomas.gov5013">{{cite news |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR5013:/ |title=H.R.5013 (111th)- Implementing Management for Performance and Related Reforms to Obtain Value in Every Acquisition Act of 2010 |publisher=Thomas.gov |access-date=2013-10-19 |archive-date=December 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217043031/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR5013:/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
==Further reading== | |||
* , video report by '']'', November 5, 2010 | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|b=no|s=no|n=no|v=no}} | |||
{{Commons category}} | |||
{{CongLinks | congbio = g000556 | votesmart = 68184 | fec = H6FL08213 | congress = alan-grayson/1914 }} | |||
* ''Official U.S. House website'' | |||
* {{C-SPAN|1013409}} | |||
* ''Official campaign website'' | |||
* at ] | |||
*]] | |||
* on ] | |||
* on ] | |||
* on ] | |||
* ], '']'', 2007-11 | |||
* ], ''Huffington Post'', 2008-07-27 | |||
* - Congressman Grayson interviewed by ] of ] | |||
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Latest revision as of 22:37, 5 December 2024
American politician (born 1958)
Alan Grayson | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | |
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Gus Bilirakis |
Succeeded by | Darren Soto |
Constituency | 9th district |
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Ric Keller |
Succeeded by | Daniel Webster |
Constituency | 8th district |
Personal details | |
Born | Alan Mark Grayson (1958-03-13) March 13, 1958 (age 66) New York City, New York, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses |
|
Children | 5 |
Education | Harvard University (BA, MPP, JD) |
Website | Campaign website |
Alan Mark Grayson (born March 13, 1958) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 8th congressional district from 2009 to 2011 and Florida's 9th congressional district from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated for reelection in 2010 by Republican Daniel Webster; he was then reelected in 2012 for a second, non-consecutive term in the U.S. House of Representatives in another district, defeating Republican Todd Long.
In 2016, Grayson decided not to run for reelection to his House seat in order to run for the U.S. Senate. He was defeated 59–18% in the Democratic primary by fellow Representative Patrick Murphy, who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Marco Rubio. In 2018, Grayson entered the race for the 9th congressional district. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by his successor Darren Soto, 66–34%. On March 27, 2021, Grayson announced his candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Florida to challenge Rubio. On June 14, 2022, Grayson announced that he would drop his bid for Senate and instead run in the open race for Florida's 10th congressional district, in which he lost the Democratic primary. In 2024, he unsuccessfully ran for the Florida Senate, finishing third in the primary.
Early life and education
Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, to Dorothy Ann (née Sabin) and Daniel Franklin Grayson. He grew up in Adee Towers, a building financed by the Mitchell–Lama Housing Program, and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1975. Grayson worked his way through Harvard College as a janitor and nightwatchman, and also features reporter for Boston Phoenix. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Special Concentration in Urban Studies in 1978. After working two years as an economist, he returned to Harvard for graduate studies. In 1983, he earned a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School and a M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also completed all coursework and the comprehensive examination for a Ph.D. in government.
Grayson wrote his master's thesis on gerontology. In 1986, he helped found the non-profit Alliance for Aging Research in Washington, D.C., and served as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.
Legal career
Grayson worked as a law clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983, and at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with two judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He was an associate in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson for five years, where he specialized in contract law.
In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson & Kubli, which concentrated on government contract law. He was a lecturer at the George Washington University government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic. In the 2000s, he worked as a plaintiffs' attorney specializing in whistleblower fraud cases aimed at Iraq War contractors. One contractor, Custer Battles, employed individuals who were found guilty of making fraudulent statements and submitting fraudulent invoices on two contracts the company had with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. On behalf of his clients, Grayson filed suit under the False Claims Act and its qui tam provisions. The jury verdict was more than $13 million, which was upheld on appeal in April 2009. The Iraq War contractor fraud case brought Grayson his first national attention. In 2006, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal described Grayson as "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq" and as a "fierce critic of the war in Iraq" whose car displayed bumper stickers such as "Bush lied, people died."
President of IDT Corp.
Grayson made his fortune as the co-founder and first president of IDT Corporation (International Discount Telecom).
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2006
Main article: 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8In 2006, Grayson first entered into electoral politics, losing the 2006 Democratic primary for Florida's 8th congressional district to Charlie Stuart, a prominent local businessman and conservative Democrat. Stuart went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Ric Keller.
2008
Main article: 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8In late 2007, Grayson announced that he would run again for the 8th district seat, and again faced Stuart in the primary. In the August 26, 2008 Democratic primary, Grayson defeated Stuart, 49%–28%, with three other candidates splitting the remaining 24%. During the general election campaign, Grayson maintained a consistent lead over Keller, who had only slightly won renomination in the Republican primary over attorney Todd Long. On election day, Grayson defeated Keller, 52%–48%.
2010
Main article: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 8*Grayson was challenged by Republican nominee Daniel Webster, Florida Tea Party backed Peg Dunmire, independent George Metcalfe, and write-in Florida Whig Party candidate Steve Gerritzen.
Grayson ran a September 2010 commercial calling Webster a "draft-dodger" (Webster had received student deferments and a draft classification as medically unfit for service), and a later 30-second commercial calling Webster "Taliban Dan" and warning viewers that "Religious fanatics try to take away our freedom, in Afghanistan, in Iran and right here in Central Florida." Grayson's ads were criticized for editing video mid-sentence to make Webster appear to say things he did not. Grayson released a toned-down version without the edited video or Taliban references in early October.
On Glenn Beck's radio show, Sarah Palin agreed with a co-host's remark, "It's okay if the Republicans lose every seat in the Senate and the House except for one. As long as that one is Alan Grayson losing." Conservative Newsweek columnist George Will called Grayson "America's worst politician". Grayson was also heavily targeted in attack ads funded by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the 60 Plus Association.
Grayson was endorsed by 8th district resident and former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO), who characterized Webster as having "13th-century views" on women's issues. Former DNC Chair and Vermont governor Howard Dean called Grayson a "healthcare hero". Grayson received more votes for "progressive hero" from Democracy for America than any other candidate in the country.
On election day, Webster defeated Grayson, 56%–38%.
2012
Main article: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 9On July 11, 2011, Grayson announced in an e-mail to supporters that he planned to run once again for Congress. Grayson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the newly created 9th District in Central Florida.
On November 6, 2012, Grayson defeated Todd Long, 63%–37%, to return to Congress after a one-term absence. He described his victory as "the biggest comeback in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives." Although the two districts had different boundaries, Grayson claimed the House historian had told him that the shift from a 56%–38% loss in 2010 to a 63%–37% victory in 2012 was the biggest comeback in congressional history.
2014
Main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida § District 9Grayson was challenged in the Democratic primary by Nick Ruiz, a professor from the University of Central Florida. He overcame this challenge comfortably, 74%–26%.
The Republican challenger in the general election was Carol Platt, with independent Marko Milakovich also standing. Grayson was returned to Congress with 54% of the vote.
Tenure
2009–2011
Grayson was the second Democrat to represent Florida's 8th congressional district since its formation after the 1970 census (it was the 5th District from 1973 to 1993 and has been the 8th since 1993). The only other Democrat to represent this district, Bill Gunter, left to run for the United States Senate in 1974 after only one term.
Grayson is considered a progressive Democrat. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. He was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which he was vice-chairman. Grayson twice joined Republicans to oppose the raising of the federal debt limit. He said, "We need to live within our means. We need to eliminate wasteful spending. If we did those two simple things, we would not need to raise the debt limit."
On September 14, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.RES 686, Grayson's Teach the Constitution Week bill. The bill urged high schools to spend one week each September teaching the United States Constitution to high school seniors and also encouraged students to petition the government on an issue of personal importance to them to demonstrate their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States. The non-partisan resolution was passed by a voice vote and featured 222 co-sponsors.
On the 40th anniversary of the historic 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Grayson's New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009. The bill asked the president to present Congress's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins, as well as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Only about 200 medals have ever been awarded in the country's history. The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 passed the House unanimously on July 20, 2009.
- Select legislation sponsored
- Pay for Performance Act (H.R. 1664)
- Public Option Act (H.R. 4789)
- War Is Making You Poor Act (H.R. 5353)
- Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790)
- Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564)
2013–2017
Known in his first term for making incendiary comments about Republicans, Grayson began to tone down his rhetoric and focused on working with Republicans to pass amendments that "appeal to the libertarian streak in the GOP". He lobbied colleagues personally and in July 2013, David Weigel of Slate magazine called him "the most effective member of the House" and said that he was approaching "an unheralded title: The congressman who's passed more amendments than any of his 434 peers."
In October 2013, his campaign sent out a fundraising email that compared the Tea Party to the Ku Klux Klan. It used the image of a burning cross as the "T" in Tea Party. Matt Gorman of the National Republican Congressional Committee described the e-mail as "hateful words and imagery". Grayson defended the comparison, saying that "here is overwhelming evidence that the Tea Party is the home of bigotry and discrimination in America today, just as the KKK was for an earlier generation."
Political positions
Federal Reserve
During his first term in office, Grayson supported Ron Paul's Audit the Fed legislation. Grayson gained attention for exchanges with Federal Reserve System Vice Chairman Donald Kohn and Inspector General Elizabeth A. Coleman. The 5-minute examination of Coleman in the House Financial Services Committee was posted on Grayson's official YouTube page, and as of December 2010, it has been viewed more than 4 million times.
In a September 2009 The Alex Jones Show segment, Grayson criticized Federal Reserve Chair Bernanke's senior adviser Linda Robertson, saying "Here I am the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist, this lobbyist, this K-Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics!" Robertson had previously worked as a lobbyist for Enron. Grayson's language was widely criticized as inappropriate, and Grayson apologized.
Following the AIG bonus payments controversy, Grayson joined fellow freshman Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut to introduce the Grayson–Himes Pay for Performance Act, legislation to require that all bonuses paid by companies that had received funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 be "based on performance". The bill was co-sponsored by eight other members of the House. On March 26, the bill was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 38–22 and on April 1, the bill was passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 247–171, although it eventually died in the Senate.
Grayson was a co-sponsor of the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009, which would provide additional provisions to audit the Federal Reserve, including removing several key exemptions.
Economic stimulus
Grayson made it a priority to increase the amount of federal money returning to his district. He often said that people in his district had been "exporting taxes and importing debt." During his first year in office, the amount of federal grant dollars returning to the district nearly doubled. Grayson established a grant notification system that notifies subscribers immediately when a federal grant opportunity in their areas of interest becomes available. He also hired a full-time grants coordinator who focused solely on helping people navigate the federal grants process.
Grayson supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and has been outspoken in favor of extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs, arguing that the government had never cut off unemployment insurance when the unemployment rate was higher than eight percent. Grayson also voted for FDA oversight of tobacco products, which would give the FDA power to regulate tobacco.
Grayson has worked to combat federal waste, fraud, and abuse. In the September 6, 2009 edition of The New York Times, columnist Gretchen Morgenson thanked Grayson for uncovering the fact that, due to the federal bailout of mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae, taxpayer money had been funding the legal defense fees for former top executives at the institution. Grayson requested information about these legal costs after a June 2009 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. Grayson's work uncovered that, between September 6, 2008, and July 21, 2009, taxpayers spent $6.3 million defending Fannie Mae executives Franklin Raines, J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer. Taxpayers paid an additional $16.8 million to cover legal expenses of workers at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Fannie's former regulator.
In September 2009, Grayson used a parliamentary maneuver called an "extension of remarks" to provide crucial instruction on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill that, among other things, included a provision that prohibited funding for ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Grayson's extension of remarks directed that the legislation defund any organization that cheats the federal government, not just ACORN. The defunding measure passed the House with a final vote of 253–171. Grayson also encouraged the public to report companies covered by the bill and set up a method to report offending companies via his Congressional website.
Health care reform
In response to Republican arguments that the Obama administration's preferred health care bill was too long and complicated, Grayson on March 9, 2010, introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act (sometimes called the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act), a four-page bill that would allow all citizens and permanent residents of the United States to buy into the public Medicare program at cost. The bill attracted 82 co-sponsors and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
Grayson later voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. He voted in support of eliminating adjustments of Medicare rates of payment. He also voted against Republican substitutes for the health care amendment and insurance law amendments.
On September 29, 2009, in a late-night speech on the House floor, Grayson presented his impression of the Republicans' health care plan, illustrated by signs. He said the Republicans' plan was "don't get sick", and "if you do get sick, die quickly." After demands from Republicans that he apologize, he defended his comment and in a House floor speech stated, "I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America." He was then further lambasted for his use of the word holocaust by Jewish spokespersons across the nation. Grayson, who is Jewish, apologized to the Anti-Defamation League for those offended by his generic use of holocaust. He also maintained that Congressional Republicans failed to offer a feasible plan. In October 2009, he launched NamesOfTheDead.com, a website to "memorialize Americans who die because they don't have health insurance". He subsequently read stories of the dead submitted through the Names of the Dead site on the House floor.
Social issues
Grayson is pro-choice and supports increased funding for stem cell research. He has always supported same-sex marriage and said in an interviews in 2013, "the propaganda that somehow gay marriage makes straight marriage bad for everyone is just farcical to me. I just don't understand the logic of it."
Grayson voted in support of the Hate Crimes Expansion Act, which expands the definition of hate crimes and strengthens enforcement of hate crime laws. He also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Grayson supported the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that allows victims of wage discrimination to sue for punitive damages.
Environment
Grayson voted for the House's 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). The bill would provide for a $50 million "Hurricane Research Center" in Central Florida, and Grayson claimed it would immediately generate new jobs. Grayson noted after the passage of the ACES Act his concern about our dependence on foreign oil, the need to promote green technologies, renewable energy sources, and the job creation from the bill (an estimated 95,000 jobs in Florida). "This bill unleashes American ingenuity to solve the energy crisis. It lets us solve our problems by being Americans and thinking our way out of it. We will become an international energy power," he said in a news release.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected Florida's number one industry, which is tourism. The lack of a relief well prevented company officials from shutting down the leak immediately. Instead, it took months to drill a new relief well, while millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf each week. In response, Grayson introduced the Emergency Relief Well Act, which would require that an emergency relief well be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory well.
Foreign affairs
Grayson has been an outspoken critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2010, he introduced the War Is Making You Poor Act. The bill would require the president to fund the wars from the Department of Defense's base budget. The bill does not necessitate an end to the wars or mandate a cut-off date. In addition to the tax cuts, the bill would cut the federal deficit by $15.9 billion.
Grayson has tried to combat wasteful spending by government defense contractors by introducing his "Gold Plating" amendment. The amendment would require that cost or price account for half of the evaluation of bids for defense contracts. The law at the time allowed for cost to account for only 1% of the evaluation. The amendment passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in June 2009. However, the language was stripped from the final bill during the conference committee between Senate and House leaders. Grayson worked successfully to get the amendment inserted into H.R.5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 28, 2010.
Grayson has been an outspoken opponent of plans for the United States to intervene in the Syrian civil war. He has rejected what he calls "warmongering", saying: "It's simply not our responsibility. We're not the world's policeman." Instead, he called for a focus on humanitarian efforts and solving domestic problems. He launched DontAttackSyria.com, where he began gathering signatures for his petition calling on Congress to vote against authorizing military action against Syria, and was "whipping votes" in the House.
Committee assignments
2013–2017
2009–2011
Personal life
Grayson was ranked as the 11th-wealthiest member of Congress in 2010, based on financial disclosure forms with a net worth of $31.41 million, and a pending claim against the now-defunct Derivium Capital for at least $25 million, according to Roll Call. Grayson disclosed that his attorney fees and costs for the war contractor case had exceeded $4 million.
Grayson was married to a woman he met in the early 1980s at a party in Boulder, Colorado. Grayson remarried in 1990 to Lolita Grayson. While pursuing the whistleblower cases, Grayson worked from a home office in Orlando, where he lived with his second wife, Lolita Grayson, and their five children. The couple separated in March 2014, and Alan Grayson asked a court in Orlando to annul the marriage a year later. In April 2015 the Graysons agreed to settle the dispute and annul their 25-year marriage. Lolita Grayson accused Alan Grayson of domestic abuse that lasted over the decades of their marriage; Alan Grayson denied the charges.
On May 31, 2016, Alan Grayson married his third wife, Dr. Dena Minning. In 2016, Minning ran for the US House seat Grayson was vacating to pursue his Senate run. She was defeated in the Democratic primary.
In December 2019, Grayson released a book titled High Crimes: The Impeachment of Donald Trump.
See also
References
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All five Grayson children attend Hebrew school at Chabad. As Grayson notes, 'We belong to a local synagogue and observe all the Jewish holidays'
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- "Gold Medals Will Honor Apollo 11 Astronauts". CoinNews.net. August 10, 2009.
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- "HIGH CRIMES: The Impeachment of Donald Trump". Daily Kos. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
Further reading
- Alan Grayson: "Bipartisanship Has Become Code Word for Appeasement", video report by Democracy Now!, November 5, 2010
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded byRic Keller | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 8th congressional district 2009–2011 |
Succeeded byDaniel Webster |
Preceded byGus Bilirakis | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 9th congressional district 2013–2017 |
Succeeded byDarren Soto |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded byTom Feeneyas Former US Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former US Representative |
Succeeded byRich Nugentas Former US Representative |
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