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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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 Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 6:29 pm Post subject: Grayson Backing Down |
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Article here.
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WASHINGTON � The Florida Democrat who said Republicans want sick people to "die quickly" is apologizing again for his inflammatory rhetoric, this time for insulting a senior Federal Reserve adviser using a derogatory term for women.
Amid growing criticism from across the political spectrum, Rep. Alan Grayson said late Tuesday it was inappropriate for him to call Fed adviser Linda Robertson a "K Street *beep*" during an interview last month on the "Alex Jones Show," a syndicated talk radio program.
Robertson is a former top Enron lobbyist and Clinton administration adviser who was hired by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke this summer to help with congressional relations as lawmakers are seeking more oversight of the agency. Washington's K Street is where many lobbyists have their offices.
"I offer my sincere apology," Grayson said in a statement, just hours after his spokesman defended his comments. "I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women."
In the radio interview, Grayson took exception to Robertson's role, saying she was not qualified to criticize such efforts.
"Here I am the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist, and this lobbyist, this K Street *beep*, is trying to teach me about economics," he said.
Erin Matson, a vice president at the National Organization for Women, called the slur "absolutely inappropriate."
"Would he have singled out a male lobbyist and said the same thing?" she said in an interview Tuesday.
Republican National Committee Co-Chairman Jan Larimer called on Grayson to apologize, saying the insult was "disgraceful" and "disrespectful to women."
But Grayson's spokesman, Todd Jurkowski, initially defended it, saying Robertson was a career lobbyist who "advocates for whatever she gets paid to promote."
A spokeswoman for the Federal Reserve declined to comment.
Grayson drew strong criticism last month for saying the GOP's health care plan amounted to wanting people to "die quickly" when they get sick.
He stood by the comments, leveraging the attention into a series of national television appearances in which he ridiculed Republicans as "knuckle-dragging Neanderthals." He boasted that the controversy has helped fill his campaign coffers.
Grayson did apologize for later likening the deaths of Americans without health coverage to a "holocaust." He then set up a Web site called "Names of the Dead," inviting people to list the names of loved ones who have died for lack of health care. |
To be entirely honest, I think it's too bad he backed down. He did a good job avoiding distraction regarding his holocaust comment, and his K street *beep* comment was pretty much on the money too. We all know the way he used it has nothing to do with the fact that she's a woman, and we all know that demands for an apology because one meaning of the word *beep* is derrogatory towards women is an intentional distraction from the fact that the comment is more or less accurate.
It's too bad Grayson caved this time. I understand why he did, but it's still a shame. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:51 am Post subject: |
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I agree with his description of that woman.
Greyson is far too aggressive and correct for the other team not to have a good we be victims cry about. They're such sensitive flowers.
Anyhow, I hope he'll keep on. Did you see his interview on Real Time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMU1AC1kfFI |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| mises wrote: |
I agree with his description of that woman.
Greyson is far too aggressive and correct for the other team not to have a good we be victims cry about. They're such sensitive flowers.
Anyhow, I hope he'll keep on. Did you see his interview on Real Time?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMU1AC1kfFI |
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| Their idea of health care reform would be allowing you to take your guns to the doctors office |
I could see a Republican actually saying that. |
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