Alan Grayson on Dems willing to cut Social Security "Members like that deserve to be Disciplined!"

[kpete]

Alan Grayson blasted the weak Democrats, saying some members of his party in the congress deserve to face primary challenges if they won't ev en stand up for the Democratic Party's core values, and stop being such push-overs for the GOP to stampede on cutting Social Security.

Grayson on the dilemma progressives face in their own party: "...There's no reason for there's no justification for it.

Members like that deserve to be disciplined and they have to be disciplined though the political process with primaries or through other means."

I agree with Grayson wholeheartedly! Democrats need to stop their constant retreat from our Party's core values. Values that include defending the overwhelmingly popular institutions like Social Security and Medicare that are our party's signature achievements.
Later in the video Grayson laments about our increasingly timorous Party:

"Can't we stand for SOMETHING?"

MORE:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/22/1217936/-Alan-Grayson-on-Dems-willing-to-cut-Social-Security-Members-like-that-deserve-to-be-Disciplined

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[hobbit709]

2. Damn right.

[Teamster Jeff]

3. K&R

[nashville_brook]

4. Dems who champion SS cuts are destroying the party. Full stop.

This is one of our foundational issues. Diluting our Social Security system it is not only stupid, you have to wonder if it's not meant to be willfully destructive to our "champions of the middle class" brand.

you have to wonder WHO, really, these people think they're representing -- b/c it's not us.

[Enthusiast]

5. They enact chained CPI and I am clear done with the party.

Social issues alone will not dissuade me from leaving the party completely.

[rhett o rick]

12. We can not "leave the party". We can fight from within and without. There are good progressive

groups working outside the party to reform the party. A third party is what they want. They want us out of their hair. We must fight for control of the party. The party has infrastructure and resources we need to defeat the corporatists. First goal is to drive them back into the Republican party where they belong.

We need goals, strategy and tactics. I hope someone smarter than me is working on this.

[Enthusiast]

15. All I can do is post on the internet and vote accordingly.

Many DUers don't even recognize there is a problem. It's shocking, really.

[byeya]

16. I agree. The level of apologetics is hard to believe.

[A Simple Game]

26. I chose democratic principles over the Democratic Party about

20 years ago. At that point I would not vote for a Republican even if they were a good one. I do admit I would have in '08 if I recall the year correctly, because the Republican candidate for House of Representatives was far, far more liberal than the Democrat, but a Tea Party candidate beat the Republican in the primary. I am now at the point that I will not even vote for a Democratic candidate unless they are liberal. No more lesser of two evils for me. There are far too many good third party candidates.

Yes I live in an area where there are still some liberal Republicans and sadly conservative Democrats.

[rhett o rick]

30. There are some great organizations supporting progressive candidates working outside the party

as well as the Congressional Progressive Caucus. We need to win back control of the Party from the conservatives that own the party.

[jtuck004]

54. If you get a chance read the book "Them and Us" by James J. Matles. Obama reminds me of Gompers.

Matles experience with the Industrial Unions and how the AF of L sapped them of their power. The experience of those who sought to "change from within" by joining that larger union, written about in the book, found that impossible. It might be instructive.

Samual Gompers is a much better analogy to Obama than an ignorant putz like George Bush, if one insists on having an analogy. (I do think the few people I have heard hurl that one aren't thinking very much, or perhaps are just hurting from the seeming betrayal and the endless line of excuses). Gompers sided with business over the workers, let a lot of people get hurt that were working for worker independence by withholding resources or not asking for them, and, as the years have proved, set labour up to be decimated by the ownership class today.

Gompers was smart, but would rather sit at at a table with a rich man than a working person any day, and the writings of the era as well as the pictures provide plenty of evidence. He felt "for" them (perhaps), not "like" them (most definitely), and therein lies the difference.

Anyone that thinks they can work inside today's Democratic Party and change it should read that book and ask themselves why it would be any different this time.

It's a good book, but you will may have to find it at a university library.

[rhett o rick]

55. Thank you for the recommendation. We must win by taking back the party.

A third party is suicide.

[jtuck004]

57. Yeah, that's what people told EU members back then too. They got killed.

But, of course, this time might be different.

[suffragette]

6. K&R

[Demeter]

7. I know a bunch of old ladies that will gladly beat Congress with their walkers

I'll even help them.

[Chan790]

8. Fucking Aye! n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Alan Grayson is obviously a racist.

Obama still wants the cuts, so Grayson wants to………DISCIPLINE him?


(I'm going to regret leaving the Sarcasm thingie off this one, aren't I?)

[asjr]

10. I agree that Democrats should stick together

about SS, but does Mr Grayson name names? We need to know each one in order to do any good. All the senators and reps from here in TN are Republicans and I know how they feel.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. You know how they feel, but do they know how you feel?

nt

[asjr]

20. That is why I want names.

[vlyons]

48. Here's a link to the roll call -- all the names by state

[link:http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/farm-bill-vote-house-93119.html|

[asjr]

50. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

[whathehell]

39. I'll give you one -- Dick Durbin

from my state of Illinois.

[bigwillq]

11. K and R (nt)

[xtraxritical]

13. Does that include the President?

[99Forever]

14. Grayson/Warren or Warren/Grayson 2016.

Time to take the Democratic Party back from the corporate swine.

[byeya]

17. That ticket is our best chance to do it.

[marsis]

18. I believe the most brilliant

political commentary on modern politics came from Bill Maher on the Donner Party, did anyone see this?

Maybe the best solution I've seen offered in the last 10 years. Fight stupid with stupid. Yes, I know the cons but just give it a think.

[MannyGoldstein]

31. That was awesome, thanks!

I agree heartily.

[progressoid]

46. +1

[L0oniX]

21. The Dem party has become polluted with repukes.

[LuvNewcastle]

28. And right now they're in charge of it.

[AzDar]

22. "There's no reason for it..."

Give 'em hell, Alan!

[heaven05]

23. no

that's not the answer. THEY NEED TO BE TARRED AND FEATHERED AND RUN OUT OF TOWN ON A RAIL!!!!!!!!!

[ananda]

24. Forty lashes with a green bean!

..

[NorthCarolina]

25. So, he's calling out all the "New Dems".

Good to hear it.

[silvershadow]

27. Bravo. nt

[Major Nikon]

29. "other means"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/christian-domestic-discipline-spanking-jesus-marriage_n_3479646.html

[ReRe]

32. Grayson should....

K&R

... hand them a copy of the Democratic effing Platform and ask them "Remember this?"

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Start with the ONE who is responsible for cuts to SS even being discussed.

Yea, we all know who that is.

[silvershadow]

34. What part of "It's NOT your money" do they not get? SS money is not to be used for any other

purpose. Period. End of discussion.

[truedelphi]

43. Especially given that so much of the money has already been

Diverted. Which is why they rolled the retirement age up to 67 - meaning we have already had our benefits cut. if you retire before 67, you will receive a cut of 14% per each year, for every year you "pre-maturely" retire.

That cut should be un-done. Only then will I be satisfied that the Democratic party has any interest in my well being or that of the rest of us.

[ctsnowman]

35. K & R

[forestpath]

36. K&R I agree with him wholeheartedly too. No Dem who votes to cut SS will get my vote again.

[MissDeeds]

37. Yep

K&R

[bvar22]

38. Be careful, Congressman Grayson,

We have officially entered the era of "Be careful what you say",
which has now been fully endorsed and co-signed by the Democratic Party Leadership.

Senator Paul Wellstone started saying things like you just said (see quote at bottom),
and you know what happened to him.


[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center]
[center][/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]

[Spitfire of ATJ]

40. You need a spine to stand.

[Katashi_itto]

41. Hopefully guillotines come back into style.

[Aerows]

47. No kidding

Democrats are turning up as bad as Republicans for being in bed with industry against the people when they should be FOR the people.

[truedelphi]

42. Thank you, Mr Grayson. He is one person who doesn't

Think that enabling all the wolves who are dressed up like warm and fuzzy sheep is a supportive activity to undertake if you care at all about the sheep.

[emsimon33]

44. Thank God that Grayson is BACCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!

[blkmusclmachine]

45. Impeachment's always an option.

[Uncle Joe]

49. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[BlueStreak]

51. Absolutely. But how can they be disciplined when

a) we have a President (o.e. leader of the Party) who wants to capitulate on everything. He has never extracted any discipline from anybody on anything.

b) Our President is one of them who needs some of that disciplining, as he's at the forefront of negotiating away the fundamentals of our great society.

You know, I would understand the need to compromise on these programs:

#1) if they weren't already well funded with the money WE HAVE PAID INTO THEM; and

#2) if all parts of our society had been suffering for the last 30 years.

But we all know the top 1% has done magnificently, and a big part of the REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH they gave themselves came from raiding the trust funds.

[JDPriestly]

52. Great video. Thanks.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

53. Good ole Grayson! WIsh we had more like him!

[sabrina 1]

56. Who are they? There needs to be list published so that we can kick them out of Congress

in 2014. Maybe a Hall of Shame needs to be established on the Internet where the names of elected officials who vote against the people they are supposed to represent, can be published, with their voting records and lists of donors. Then when they are primaried, that record will be available.

[Coccydynia]

58. We are incapable of disciplining ourselves.

It is a side effect of the Lesser of Two Evils Syndrome.

[nxylas]

59. What a racist

(In case it isn't obvious).

[DLevine]

60. Alan Grayson fights for us. He's one of the good guys. nt

[Scuba]

61. Kick.

[Doctor_J]

62. How do you discipline the president though?

and unfortunately our congressional leadership - Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, Feinstein - seem just as Republican as Obama. Situation approaching hopelessness. I think the revolution is coming