Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) on AIG: 'One of Those Times We Have to Amputate'

[babylonsister]

Dem Congressman on AIG: 'One of Those Times We Have to Amputate'
By Elana Schor - March 16, 2009, 2:52PM




I just spoke with Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), a freshman on the House Financial Services Committee who's become a fast-rising star thanks to his tenacious advocacy for transparency in bailout lending by the Federal Reserve.

Grayson joined fellow Democrats as well as Republicans in blasting AIG for its refusal to give up hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus payments. He painted the government's choice as a stark one, using the metaphor of treating a wound versus amputating a limb.

"It's not clear to me at all that we're taking the correct approach by allowing AIG to continue to operate, regardless of who owns it," Grayson told me. "At this point, ownership is becoming an amorphous concern when comes to a company that borrows millions and millions without any prospect of paying it back. ... Do we continue to allow the bleeding or not?"

Converting AIG from a ward of the state in all but name to an outright arm of the government would be a politically controversial move, given the level of apprehension in Washington over calls to nationalize failing banks.

But Grayson views the dilemma facing lawmakers as a common-sense decision: AIG executives who made more than a million dollars while running the company into the ground should immediately be fired. "The people who caused the problem are not going to be able to solve it," he said.

more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/dem-congressman-no-more-aid-to-aig-until-we-clean-out-all-the-rats.php

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The arrogance and obvious sense of entitlement on the partof these executives is convincing more and

more people that it really might not be so bad to let these companies perish...

[msongs]

2. this is the kind of "new democrat" we need instead of bush retreads who caused the problem nt

[ddeclue]

3. OUTSTANDING ALAN!

This is why I worked to get this guy elected - he is AMAZING... if we could just get 20 more guys like Alan into Congress in the next session it would be a sea change!

Doug De Clue
Orlando, FL

[Not Me]

6. No kidding....

Alan Grayson is the first congresssional candidate that I ever contributed to.
Partly because he is so damn smart and able, and partly because I cannot stand his asswipe predecessor Ric Keller.

[Xipe Totec]

4. At the neck! n/t

[FLAprogressive]

5. When the party calls up and asks you to donate to some right wing Dem from Alabama

Hang up and go donate to Alan Grayson, a REAL Democrat! He is a treasure and will face a tough election in 2010.

[ddeclue]

7. Absolutely and Alan has put quite a lot of his own money where his "mouth" is

it's not often that you see a guy like Alan willing to put a couple million up to take back a Congressional seat from a right wing idiot like Ric Keller so that he could be a real progressive Democrat.

Alan can't afford to self fund election after election so we really all need to kick in and help him in 2010. He will likely face serious opposition from either a retired Republican state senator named Dan Webster or from the termed out Republican Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty - both have a lot of conservative friends with deep pockets who think of Alan as enemy #1.

Please pick who you give to wisely, don't just donate to the DNC and trust them to spend the money on a progressive, give directly to a progressive like Alan and cut out the middleman.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL