Grayson's wife files for divorce.

[Baitball Blogger]

Lolita Grayson, wife of U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, filed for divorce Monday in Orange County Family Court.

In her divorce petition, filed by her attorney Terry C. Young of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed of Orlando, Mrs. Grayson declares their marriage of nearly 24 years "is irretrievably broken."

The Graysons have four children, including one who is 18, so not a party to the divorce. Mrs. Grayson, 53, seeks joint but primary custody of their minor children, ages 15, 13 and 8, their marital home and equitable distribution of all other assets. Rep. Grayson is 55.

Here's a written response provided by his press secretary Lauren Doney:

"Although the Congressman and Lolita have been together for many years, they are now separated. This has been a very difficult transition for everyone involved.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/blogs/political-pulse/os-lolita-grayson-files-for-divorce-from-alan-grayson-20140107,0,5273715.post

[HappyMe]

1. That's too bad.

I hope people leave them be during this. Divorce is hard enough without people poking their noses into it.

[shenmue]

2. :(

That's very sad.

[FrodosPet]

3. Why is she doing this?

Divorce is not the career killer that it once was. But nevertheless, with his 2014 reelection, as well as the 2016 Presidential election, it seems like she could have just stayed out of the way for a couple years and let Rep Grayson become President.

OTOH, maybe it is better to get it out of the way.

[Fla_Democrat]

4. Yeah, how could she be so selfish?

[HappyMe]

5. Good grief! It's 2014, not 1814.

Somebody that is utterly miserable isn't going to be very effective in their job. Divorce isn't a stigma at all.

[FSogol]

6. Speechless!

[Capt. Obvious]

9. Now that his totally realistic Presidential ambitions are over

he can ready himself for the role he was born to play: Supreme Court Justice Grayson.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Scalia and Grayson at SCOTUS together

would be a scream.

[DJ13]

14. would be a scream.

...... at each other!

[ananda]

22. I second that scream!

..

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. as a great philosopher once said, "A women is only as good as her man and a man is only as good as

his job." --- from Ruby Fruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

[Capt. Obvious]

18. Rita Mae Brown

[Squinch]

79. Wow. That's a ridiculous statement.

[Number23]

88. I can only hope that comment was a joke. Or sarcasm. Otherwise,

not only is it ridiculous but I have no idea why it would be dropped so unceremoniously and irrelevantly in the middle of this thread.

[Squinch]

97. It is consistent with other posts by the same poster:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4251381

In which it is stated that without the patriarchy, described as "the foundation of all our proud national life" we will all be "pathetic psychological eunuchs who grovel at the feet of their Socialist-Islamist masters." Apparently The Simpsons are a tool of this evil consipiracy being waged by the "liberal Hollywood elites."



This is a Democratic site, right? Sometimes I get confused.

[NCTraveler]

15. Unfortunatley...

It no longer surprises me to read things like this on du.

[karynnj]

17. He NEVER had a shot at being President

As to why - that is between them. However Congressional elections are every two years. If there marriage is not working and they want it over, when would there NOT be an election coming up? As it is, this sounds like they are keeping things civil - and if that continues, I would expect that it would have no affect on his 2014 race.

[ProgressSaves]

21. He is one that needed a decent primary challenger anyway.

He means well, but the DNC is always trying to clean up his messes.

And I lost a lot of respect in his ability to make decisions after losing millions in an investment scheme.

He says all the right things, but the package is all wrong.

[ananda]

23. I'll take Grayson over the DNC any day!

..

[HERVEPA]

26. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.

[sabrina 1]

44. I too will take Grayson over the DNC any day. Who cares if a couple decide to end THEIR marriage,

thankfully it will have little impact on his political career in a country where more than half of all marriages end in divorce.

Right Wingers made that hypocritical error (considering what we found out about their own personal lives) when they went after Clinton as an 'unfaithful' spouse. The public refused to be as hypocritical as they obviously were when a majority were more disgusted by the far right's obsession with other people's sex lives, than with whatever point they were trying to make.

[frylock]

72. the DNC should get their own feces cohesive before deciding to clean up Grayson's "messes"

[Logical]

87. So this is the guy on top of your primary list? LOL! Nt

[PeaceNikki]

31. Oh, barf.

[Whisp]

34. you are joking?

[FrodosPet]

42. Of course I am!

Seriously, I wish them well. I know it is a tragedy when any marriage breaks apart.

I was attempting to zing some people who seem to believe that someone like Rep Grayson, Sen Warren, or President Obama need to completely subordinate themselves to the desires of "the people".

[Raine1967]

71. I won't delete or edit my post, so

I am going to apologize for my post up above.

I thought you were serious in your earlier post.

Jeebers, GD is getting so out of hand I can not tell what is serious and what is not any more.

Peace to you FrodosPet. Happy new year.

Raine

[FrodosPet]

85. And you as well

May 2014 be the turn around year for the human species!

[MoonRiver]

35. Maybe she wants to live HER life, not Grayson's?

just sayin'

[sabrina 1]

45. Or maybe they BOTH want to live THEIR lives and are no longer in agreement as to how those lives

should be lived? We know NOTHING about other people's personal lives and have zero right to comment on them. They're getting a divorce, like half the population does on a regular basis. That's all we know and all we need to know.

I hope both of them live long and happy lives and I hope he wins his next election and the next if he chooses to run.

[MoonRiver]

60. I agree, but the poster I was responding to stated she should have waited until after his reelection

I've been through a divorce (happily remarried now for 25 years), so I know how tough it is. I wish them both all the best.

[sabrina 1]

89. I am sure, as you say, it is a tough thing to go through especially after over 20 years in the

Graysons' case. I am glad you found happiness and hope they will too.

[Whisp]

41. Grayson should 'submit to his wife' and have the settlement go fast and easy. n/t

[840high]

58. What??????????????

[SidDithers]

61. Well played...

Sid

[PCIntern]

62. I'm sorry I must have made a wrong turn and walked into a Conservapedia seminar...

I'm dizzy...where am I? I need a drink badly...

[Squinch]

80. And it's not just that post. Read on. You'll be amazed.

[Dash87]

70. I think it was sarcasm

[NuclearDem]

81. Yeah, after rereading it, I see that.

[Raine1967]

68. dude... no. just no.

[bonzaga]

75. Right over all of their heads. Again.

Sarcasm, people. Sarcasm.

[Lost_Count]

76. That's a fantasy either way...

... So it doesn't matter.

[polichick]

77. Is this a joke?

[Warpy]

78. That post is insane.

No woman in an unhappy marriage should have to suck it up in the name of politics.

I can tell you she just wants things over and settled and is doing it all sooner rather than later so it won't interfere with his campaign later this year.

And no, divorce isn't a candidate killer unless the candidate is being divorced over being found in bed with a dead woman or a live child. Even that doesn't matter if he's Republican.

[Nye Bevan]

7. None of our business. Period. (nt)

[Major Nikon]

19. +1

[mahina]

28. +2

Good luck to all.

[Sissyk]

50. +3

None! I wish them both, and the children, well.

[lpbk2713]

84. +4

In spite of everyone's good intentions, some times it just doesn't work out.

[Xyzse]

8. That sucks. Well, here's to hoping for a smoother transition.

This is difficult no matter how amicable things can be.
I wish them well, and that is all I am going to say about this. (I am staying out).

[NOVA_Dem]

10. When he calls into the Stephanie Miller show he sounds kind of skeevy.

Steph flirts with everybody but he gives me vibes like he loves the ladies...I mean REALLY loves the ladies.

[HappyMe]

13. Cool story.

[MrMickeysMom]

29. Wow… major!

[demwing]

30. NOVA_Dem?

Dog Latin for New Dem?


why am I not surprised?

[NOVA_Dem]

33. I live in Northern VA. Nice try though.

You need to stop putting these politicians on pedestals. I agree with 99.9% of his positions but he sounds like a horndog when I hear his interviews on the Stephanie Miller show. So sue me.

There's too much hero worship in politics.

[HappyMe]

37. You are just spreading baseless gossip

with your 'horndog' opinion.

[NOVA_Dem]

38. I'm sharing an opinion on an Internet discussion forum. n/t

[HappyMe]

39. Thank you for sharing.

[NOVA_Dem]

40. Oh no, thank you.

[demwing]

43. So when you bash Grayson it's "sharing an opinion"

Last edited Tue Jan 7, 2014, 01:27 PM - Edit history (1)

but when others support him they are guilty of "hero worship"?

[NOVA_Dem]

47. When did we move away from you accusing me of being a DLC dem?

We think these guys are going to be our saviors and they're not. Obama is a mediocre 2-term president who squandered the most political capital since LBJ in my opinion. Grayson has great political positions but ineffective. He'll never be a senator, governor, or President where he can affect change.

I don't find him to be serious. Elizabeth Warren at least gets some results like the CFPB.

[demwing]

49. I don't recall seeing you criticize many Republicans

just Democrats. That, along with a nic that translates directly to "New Dem," and some some "skeevy" criticism of one of our most populist Congressmen, makes for an easy conclusion.

If it was a rash conclusion, I apologize. No apologies, however, for defending Grayson against your personal attacks.

[NOVA_Dem]

52. Why waste time discussing lost causes? I'm more concerned with backstabbers in our own party.

I'm more troubled by our side acting like Republicans.

[demwing]

54. I agree. So was that what was behind your "skeevy" comment? /nt

[demwing]

48. So you live in VA, fair enough.

But legitimately holding politicians accountable (as I know you've done in the past) doesn't equate to calling them "skeevy" based on some perceptions of the tone of their voice on a radio show.

Nor does support of a pol make someone a hero worshiper, and your saying so makes you seem petty, and takes away from your more valid points.

[NOVA_Dem]

51. I don't know what kind of man he is I just gave my impression of him.

He talks a good game but I don't see a lot of results. Sometimes you just don't like the cut of a person's jib. I'm just hoping we don't have another Anthony Weiner on our hands. He talked a good game too.

[demwing]

53. Some links:

Why Alan Grayson Is the Most Effective Member of the House
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/07/florida_democrat_alan_grayson_is_the_most_effective_member_of_the_house.html

Alan Grayson Gets Things Done
http://graysonforcongress.com/achievements

[NOVA_Dem]

56. You've presented new facts and I'm revising my opinion of him.

I found the Slate article to be more persuasive. He learned from his first term and developed a more effective approach to getting legislation passed where there was common ground (i.e. NSA).

I find his personality skeevy and a little smarmy so what? I can agree with him and not adore him.

[HangOnKids]

82. Hey Welcome Back

Signed up almost 7 years ago and are posting again! Good thing!

[sabrina 1]

46. When he takes down Republican morons and liars on the floor of the House, it makes me stand up and

cheer. No one can make a lying Republican squirm the way Grayson can.

[pa28]

90. Well, I guess we're all entitled to our own opinion of who sounds "kind of skeevy".

I've added one to my list.

[dionysus]

16. that's crappy.

[MineralMan]

20. Why is this even news?

I simply do not understand that.

[stevenleser]

24. Ugh

Poor people. What a horrible experience divorce is.

[mstinamotorcity2]

25. His personal life

is not ours to peek into or make an evaluation on. Not our business.

[JNelson6563]

27. I wish the family peace as they go through this big life change.

[B Calm]

32. I know this has to be hard on Alan. My thoughts will be with him. .

[hrmjustin]

36. I wish them both the best.

[whatchamacallit]

55. Shit happens <yawn> n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

57. The leading cause of divorce is disputes over money

It was just revealed last month that Congressman Grayson lost $18 million in a fraudulent investment scheme. It was the second time which Grayson lost millions of dollars to fraudulent investments (the first time it was $34 million).

[Egalitarian Thug]

69. This is one reason I've always been wary of him. I love what he says and that he has

actually done or tried to do good things, but in the end he's both a lawyer and the kind of person that has $18M or $34M and still feels that is not enough.

People like that are not generally good to be around because sooner or later they will turn their eyes toward what you have.

[Jim Lane]

91. I see no basis for your charge against him.

You say that, despite the money he has, he "still feels that is not enough."

If he really felt that way he wouldn't be in Congress. He could make waaaaay more money if he'd stayed in the private sector where he made all that money in the first place.

[Egalitarian Thug]

93. I don't expect a lot of Americans to understand this, but when you have the means to invest $18M

(in the first case I replied to) in what turns out to be a scam, the only motivation for doing so is the prospect of gaining a much larger profit on that money than simply parking it in safe places with a guaranteed preservation of capital at interest (even at the current courtesy rate of .5% this adds about $100K). IOW, $30M, or $40M, or $60M isn't enough for him. Why? What could you buy with $100M that you can't have with $20M?

Do you really believe that a Congressional gig isn't incredibly lucrative with no risk? Do you know what Nancy Pelosi is worth today compared to what she had at the beginning of her stint? Do you think that Boehner(?) is donating his time to the nation for $180K a year? Dianne Feinstein has not had a job outside "public service" in 40 years, yet she has somehow, miraculously I'm sure, managed to turn those civil servant paychecks into a financial empire of somewhere in the neighborhood of $100M (no, not her husband, he's a billionaire).

The fact that he placed those sums in risky instruments in order to make even more is indicative of a dangerous personality to be around.

Do you know why most people have the good sense to not try swimming with sharks? Are you really comfortable placing your trust in those that do?

[Jim Lane]

94. Your assessment of motivation (of someone you don't know) is too sweeping.

First, in many cases like this, the investor was motivated partly by the desire for a higher return but also partly by the desire to help the fund manager, who is usually a longtime and trusted friend. The person with the big bankroll thinks, "I'll help good ol' Joe by investing in this deal he's putting together, and even after his cut I'll still get more money than a CD would pay." Then ol' Joe turns out to have been crooked, or to have started out honest but gotten desperate for money, and the investor suffers a big loss. It's happened to plenty of big-name entertainers and athletes.

(If you want to argue that he made a bad decision about whom to trust, and that THAT's a consideration in his qualification for public office, I'd agree that it has at least some relevance. Being wrong in that kind of personal situation, though, doesn't mean that as President he'd be bad at choosing Cabinet members or Supreme Court judges.)

Second, even as to wanting the highest return, I don't see that as indicating "a dangerous personality". It would be dangerous if he'd been, for example, risking financial ruin if the deal went bad, but obviously he wasn't. I think it's more of an automatic reaction: "As an investor, my correct procedure is to maximize expected return, taking account of acceptable risk." It doesn't have to reflect a craving for a second yacht or whatever.

Third, as to his career choices: Grayson was a lawyer in private practice, left that for the business world (which I think is where he made most of his money), then returned to the law, then ran for Congress. Thus, his two latest major career decisions -- business to law, then law to politics -- each probably involved a step down from the point of view of making money.

Finally, though not all that relevant to Grayson, I don't buy your casual and unsubstantiated attacks on Pelosi and Feinstin. think you have your facts straight about Pelosi. I doubt that her husband is a billionaire. The Center for Responsive Politics website has Pelosi's financial disclosure forms, the most recent being her 2011 form, and it shows a net worth in the range of roughly $8 million to $181 million. The Center states: "Senate, House, Executive branch and Judicial rules require the disclosure of items belonging to the filer's spouse and/or dependent children. When present, those items are displayed on this page and are included in all calculations throughout this section." In essence, her husband is a wealthy private investor and that's where the couple's net worth comes from. I doubt that there's anything shady about any of it. The San Francisco Chronicle reported this in 2007:

Ken Boehm, head of the conservative National Legal and Policy Center in Virginia, spent months last year looking into Nancy Pelosi's financial records, campaign contributions and legislative records, looking for any hint of impropriety.

"There was no sign that she enriched herself personally by her official actions," he told The Chronicle last year. "She didn't cross the line as far as I could tell." (from "Pelosi's husband prefers a low profile / Successful investor has taken care to avoid causing controversy")

If the kind of people who call for impeachment over Benghazi can't find the least little bit of mud to throw at Pelosi, I'm confident that her finances are clean.

Even before I'd found that much about Pelosi, I was thinking that I was spending too much time unearthing specific facts to counter vague, unsupported charges. Moving on to Feinstein, I discovered that her personal financial disclosure form was 347 pages, and I decided to punch out. Feel free to go through Feinstein's form yourself and let us know about any smoking guns.

[Egalitarian Thug]

95. That is an interesting collection of wishful thinking and partisan support.

I'm not sure which is my favorite, the idea that rich people throw tens of millions of dollars at long time investment banker/hedge fund manager friends to help them out, that the people that have accumulated that kind of money are just trying to earn a bigger dividend after all (completely ignoring the issue I actually raised), or that you are going to get reliable information from a politician's financial disclosure forms (somewhere between $8M and $181M?) try doing your taxes this year with comparable estimates .

I mean really, you actually read what you wrote and expect other people to believe it?

You switched up the husbands, Blum is Feinstein's billionaire husband, and if you were looking for real information rather than regurgitated campaign talking points from years past on Nancy, you might consider a source a little further from her power base than the San Francisco Chronicle (Hell, you might actually look at their decades long mutual support system).

And no defense of Boner? I'm shocked!

So what we come down to here is that you have little to no direct experience with the really rich and powerful, but it doesn't matter in any case because greed is good and everybody's entitled to take just as much as they can for as long as they can so long as they register as a Democrat.

As I said in the very first reply, I love what Congressman Grayson says and most of what he's done and tried to do, but that support doesn't include blinders or abandoning common sense and a lifetime of experience.

[Jim Lane]

96. You have no facts and have now added outright demonstrable falsehoods.

You write, "you have little to no direct experience with the really rich and powerful, but it doesn't matter in any case because greed is good and everybody's entitled to take just as much as they can for as long as they can so long as they register as a Democrat."

I did not say what you claim I said. I do not in fact believe it.

If I could change one thing about DU, it would be the tendency for people to reply to statements that have not actually been made. I will admit that you're far from the only offender, merely the most recent.

Anyway, if you have indeed unearthed devastating financial information about Democratic officeholders, which hasn't been found by government watchdogs reviewing their disclosure forms or by major newspapers or by conservatives doing opposition research, then I congratulate you on your investigative skills. I assure you that I will support prosecution for any crimes that have been committed, even if the perps are Democrats.

[TheKentuckian]

59. Best wishes to the Congressman and his family as they navigate trying times.

[rgbecker]

66. Every member of the House of Representatives is up for re-election every two years.

VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN!

[Terra Alta]

65. This shouldn't even be in the news.

Let Rep. Grayson and his wife handle this in private. My thoughts and prayers are with Rep. Grayson, his wife, and especially their children.

[kentuck]

73. I suppose it can be a stressful job..?

..when you take it as seriously as Alan does. Best of luck to him and his family.

No one knows what goes on under the roofs of others.

[littlewolf]

74. I feel sorry for them both and wish them both well

but really feel for the congressman. he can not catch a break,
he get scammed out of a bunch of money and now this!
good gravy.

[MADem]

83. He's not the first FL Congressman to get a divorce and probably will not be the last.

Such a thing didn't ruin Scarborough...and he's been divorced, what, twice?

[Rex]

86. I am sorry to hear that about a fellow DUer.

I hope that everyone can be positive and move forward with life. I am a child of divorce.

[Jim Lane]

92. If any Republicans start chortling about his, remind them of Reagan.

Their revered Saint Ronnie was elected President after having been divorced.