Before the infamous "Taliban Dan" ad was made public, Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) tweeted that the ad would be what, "everyone would be talking about." But some are saying everyone is talking about it for the wrong reasons. By using a clip of his Republican challenger, Daniel Webster, out of context, they claim Grayson used the same tricks he claims to despise when FOX News uses them. The ad, though, is not that far from the truth. Daniel Webster would love to outlaw divorce and he does think that women should be forced to give birth to their rapist's baby. Those points, alone, should be enough to damage the man's campaign. In the end, instead of surging ahead in the polls, Grayson now - according to some polls - trails behind.
I know Republicans have been using these tactics for ages; we only have to go back a few weeks to remember what Andrew Breitbart did to Shirley Sherrod. And for some on the Left, the fact that Grayson beats Republicans at their own game is the main reason they love him so. For others, it is just too much to take that their beloved, fearless, freshman congressman resorts to such loathed tactics.
You can bet there will be no apology from Alan Grayson. He prides himself in his ability to play at the same dirty game the Republicans mastered years ago. Grayson is one of the most progressive politicians the Democrats have and, thankfully, he does what is necessary to remain in office. It would be a travesty for the most progressive Democrat in Washington to be removed from office by a man who would demand of a woman that she bear her rapist's child.
To me, the problem is not with Grayson, but rather the Left. For too long, we - myself included - have been too soft when it comes to politics. We don't even have the backbone to push through Congress the issues we, as liberals, are most passionate about. This, while we control the White House, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate. We can't do it precisely because we're too afraid to ruffle some feathers. Alan Grayson likes ruffling feathers. He revels in confronting and tearing down his opponents by using their own methods. He also knows that in spite of the negative press accompanying this ad, he remains the most talked about politician in Congress. Love him or hate him, he knows how to get attention.
Grayson is a scrappy, ballsy, street fighting man, and I'd be afraid if I ever got on his bad side. I can't think of any other Democrat for whom I could say the same.
I'm producing a new movie about Alan Grayson, appropriately called: Street Fighting Man: The Political Mind of Alan Grayson. Go to the site to see the trailer.