Bold politician's tough talk won't `die quickly' (Rep. Alan Grayson)

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times

Posted on Tuesday, 10.06.09
Bold politician's tough talk won't `die quickly'
A Florida Democrat who took to the House floor and criticized the GOP healthcare plan is living a hardball life in Washington.

BY ALEX LEARY
St. Petersburg Times

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, six-foot-four in a pink shirt and black cowboy boots, sighs as he reaches for his suit jacket. ``You have to look out for the trackers,'' he says.

Armed with video cameras, trackers follow politically vulnerable lawmakers, hurling provocative questions and hoping for a juicy reaction. ``Rep. Alan Grayson assaults a cameraman,'' beckons one clip on the Internet.

Grayson decides to take the underground route to the Capitol, where 10 votes await on a Thursday afternoon, avoiding having to cross Independence Avenue and a potential run-in with a tracker.

Such is the hardball, YouTube existence of Florida's most intriguing figure in Washington. Pugnacious, partisan, smart and rich, the Orlando Democrat has been stirring the pot since taking office in January, most vividly when he took to the House floor this week and said the Republican healthcare plan amounted to ``die quickly.''


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/1270213.html

[truthisfreedom]

1. "Grayson decides to take the underground route to the Capitol"... underground route?

Like totally underground?

[Judi Lynn]

2. Would this article help?

The Unites States Capitol Subway System
Part of the D.C. Underground

Two subway lines serve three Senate Office Buildings and have a long history. Starting in 1909, the Senate Office Buildings were serviced by an electric bus. This was replaced in 1912 by a monorail vehicle which featured a wicker coach. This monorail, I have been told, can be seen in the movie "Advice and Consent." In 1960, this monorail was replaced by trolleys, one of which remains today and runs between the Senate side and the Russell Senate Office Building. At this time, the tunnels were apparently enlarged to accommodate the new trolleys.

The trolleys installed in 1960 still run on the shortest line that runs from the Senate side to the Russell Senate Office Building. There are two trains and each runs on a dedicated track (i.e., no switches or crossovers). They are manually operated by conductors and are powered by a catenary wire. The cars themselves are open with no sides or roof. The electrical tower that leads to the catenary wires are simple aluminum duct work - very ugly. Because of the overhead lines and the manual conductor, the tracks are not separated from the adjacent pedestrian walkway by any significant barriers. These two tracks run on the north side of the tunnel.

Along the south side of the same tunnel that serves the Russell Senate Office Building, a new subway serving the remaining two buildings, Dirksen and Hart, runs parallel until the tunnel splits shortly before Russell. A pedestrian walkway runs down the middle of the tunnel until the split. The subway to Dirksen and Hart was installed in 1993, replacing the system installed in 1960. Marks along the roof of the tunnel show where the catenary wire ran.

The new trains are fully enclosed with a mesh roof and each train consists of three cars - one of which appears to be reserved for senators. Because of the power system, described below, the tracks are isolated from the walkway by a waist-high balustrade with plexiglass barriers mounted on top. At the stations, the tracks are isolated from the platform by automatic doors that synch with the train car doors. Multiple cars run along these tracks so there are Y terminals at each end of the line at Hart and the Senate side and a center platform at Dirksen.

The new cars are fully automated and driverless and operate using an Automatic Vehicle Operation (AVO) control system provided by Transdyn Controls. Each trolley is a passive unit and braking, vehicle detection, and speed control are all handled by wayside units housing the AVO. The control system is also responsible for station docking, door control, switch control, and interaction with the Automatic Vehicle Protection System as well as monitoring system power and all aspects of the vehicle such as daily schedules, operating modes, and vehicle headways. This AVO system runs across a fiber-optic backbone.

More:
http://www.clouse.org/capitol1.html

(Includes map, photos.)

On edit, adding absolutely free picture of Richard M. Nixon bowling.

http://seesdifferent.files.wordpress.com.nyud.net:8090/2006/07/nixon_bowling1.jpg

[ashling]

4. Richard M. Nixon bowling - And over the line

as usual

[Javaman]

7. Note: tricky dicks foot is over the line. So what else is new?

:rofl:

[chrisau214]

3. Criticized the GOP Healthcare Plan?

What GOP healthcare plan?






Chris

[Javaman]

8. The GOP plan that wants to make sure everyone dies quickly. :) nt

[Doctor_J]

5. Big Media is ignoring him. But if he assaults a camerman they'll

jump on him.

[nvme]

6. As a Floridian

I am so glad we have someone speaking up! I hope that one day we can rid ourselves of the shame we caused in 2000.

[Mari333]

9. This is the Rovian 'kill the messenger" tactic

They try to dish up dirt on anyone who is a formidable opponent. If the Dems ALL came out swinging, they wouldnt be able to do it. As long as Dems behave like spineless babies, Rovian tactics will survive and flourish. If every Dem behaved like Grayson, the GOP would wither like all bullies do.