# Should Alan Grayson apologize for his "die quickly" remarks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 1, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211 "2009-10-01T05:11:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/21 "2009-10-01T13:22:40Z")
[This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H3gND4M9HA) is an interesting video clip of him on CNN. He doesn’t back down from his statements and does a pretty good job making his point. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/22 "2009-10-01T13:23:23Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Is there any basis for a sanction based on the two point five minutes in which he made the Republican members of the house shift uncomfortably in their seats? None whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/23 "2009-10-01T13:28:01Z")
This guy is my new hero. The Democrats have to realize that they won the election and should start acting like it. Tom DeLay made his name by being unabashedly Republican, and keeping the other Republicans in line. We need someone like Grayson to take that role (legal problems aside, of course) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/24 "2009-10-01T14:02:00Z")
Fuck no! He should be shouting it from the rooftops. Screw the Republicans. They get no apology from anyone for anything until they renounce the fringes of their base. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/25 "2009-10-01T14:05:21Z")
I watched the clip of his presentation last night, and couldn’t tell - were there any Republicans in the room at the time? Because if there were, it seemed like last night they were able to bite their tongues and avoid yelling “you lie!” at Grayson during his speech. I wonder why they were able to maintain their sense of decorum and good behavior during a speech in which they were being accused of wanting sick people to die, but seemingly incapable of maintaining the same decorum during a speech in which they were being told that health care money would not go to illegal immigrants. I can only assume that the chamber was empty of Republicans at the time, for surely being accused of wanting sick people to die quickly would have infuriated them as much, if not more, than being told they were incorrect about health care and illegal immigrants? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/26 "2009-10-01T14:18:36Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > I can only assume that the chamber was empty of Republicans at the time, for surely being accused of wanting sick people to die quickly would have infuriated them as much, if not more, than being told they were incorrect about health care and illegal immigrants? Fallacy of exclusion. The Republicans could have simpy learned from Wilson’s lesson, and remained silent to avoid censure or reprimand. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/27 "2009-10-01T14:26:20Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Fallacy of exclusion. The Republicans could have simpy learned from Wilson’s lesson, and remained silent to avoid censure or reprimand. Assumes facts not in evidence; that Republicans can learn. Objection overruled. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/28 "2009-10-01T14:33:17Z")
I think, to the contrary, he should call for an end to the Republican claim to be “pro-life” since that’s essentially saying that anyone favoring abortion is “anti-life.” Bravo to him. A serious problem has been that the Republicans have been the master of the one-liner on complex issues, a one-liner that distorts and convolutes. The only option to staying in Iraq is to “cut and run,” you may recall. And so on. The Democratic response is usually a long, drawn out, thoughtful analysis of the multiple options. So, Bravo. It’s about time the Democrats came up with some one-line slogans that can appeal to (and be remembered by) the non-thinking public. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/29 "2009-10-01T14:39:32Z")
I think the comments make me think of him as the Sarah Palin of the Democrats. I don’t believe he broke any House rule by saying such an outrageous thing, but he should make amends for saying such an offensive, stupid thing. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/30 "2009-10-01T14:57:12Z")
What’s offensive or stupid about it? ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/31 "2009-10-01T15:09:08Z")
I don’t think it was offensive at all. I think its funny that he was the first person on television to mention (at least that I saw) that the Republican plan held up during the President’s speech to the joint session was blank. I had read that in a paper, but I think that I am probably one of the five people in Texas that reads the newspaper. If they don’t have a plan worth a shit, call them out on it. This is back to LBJ style of being a Democrat. Whip it out! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/32 "2009-10-01T15:14:57Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > What’s the current average time for a hip replacement including diagnostic time in the UK? Heart by-pass? Kidney stone removal? Breast cancer treatment? [Surgery in General](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7071660.stm)? > > How are the [elderly doing](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4848646.stm)? > > In such a small country with an extensive rail system, how are people not getting to the [diagnostic centers](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807103915.htm)? > > Why does it take [9 months](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1199714/A-9-month-wait-arthritis-treatment-Delay-mean-lifetime-agony-victims.html)for arthritis treatment? > > What is the problem getting basic [scanning supplies](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120519.php)? > > I can pull stuff up all day on the delays in UK treatment. Universal has no meaning if everybody has to wait. I understand they have made great strides trying to fix it but it’s a long way away from the care I get now. > > All we’re trying to do now is close the insurance gap without creating a treatment gap. I wish I had no waiting times like you. I had to wait months for an appointment with a specialist for skin cancer. It seems they were booked in advance. When I call my doctor ,I have to make an appointment at least 3 weeks in advance. When you have a problem you have to first go see a GP. Then he has to recommend a specialist. They of course are booked. So it takes months to get the job done. We don’t have enough doctors. We limit the number that can get in med school. We create an artificial shortage to make sure they make a ton of money. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/33 "2009-10-01T15:20:44Z")
Hell, no! It’s about time a Democrat actually showed some spine. And his performance on Situation Room was superb…the Villagers are all idiots, and I’m happy that someone finally treated them like it. Alan Grayson 2016! ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/34 "2009-10-01T15:25:51Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Saw some TV \*punditti \*saying that the use of the word “holocaust” was out of line, I can see that. I don’t see it. The death of 45,000 people a day can be accurately described as “a holocaust”, with a lower case “h”. The way he used it did not imply _the_ (upper case) Holocaust. I’m sure Representative Grayson knows the difference between the two usages - [his Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Grayson)states that his religion is “Jewish”. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/35 "2009-10-01T15:30:57Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Why does it take [9 months](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1199714/A-9-month-wait-arthritis-treatment-Delay-mean-lifetime-agony-victims.html)for arthritis treatment? I don’t know, why did it take me 2 months to schedule a follow-up mammogram when my first once came back suspicious? (still waiting for that appointment, by the way, and the only reason I’m not freaking out is that my mother has to have follow-up mammograms every single time due to density of breast tissue). Several people on this board have posted about long wait times to see not only specialists for treatment, but also their primary care physicians. Surely you’re aware that wait times for health care exist in America? ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/36 "2009-10-01T15:33:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Hell, no! It’s about time a Democrat actually showed some spine. And his performance on Situation Room was superb…the Villagers are all idiots, and I’m happy that someone finally treated them like it. > > Alan Grayson 2016! Nah…Weiner/Grayson 2016! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/37 "2009-10-01T15:36:24Z")
Not to mention the INFINITE wait times for the large number of uninsured and uninsurable (with present practices) people in this country. You have to wait 9 months? How about the guy who has to wait 5 years or 10 years or until his arthritis gets so bad that he can’t even walk because he has no insurance and can’t get any because he has arthritis (a pre-existing condition)? ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/38 "2009-10-01T15:44:53Z")
On a different note, I just mailed Rep. Grayson a letter. This is the first time I have ever mailed a letter to a politican. [His address can be found at the Congressional web site] I told him thanks for keeping the feet on the fire over health care and thanks for his remark about Big Healthcare’s influence in stalling change and reform on The Situation Room. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/39 "2009-10-01T15:47:58Z")
Personally, I would have described the Republican plan (and the status quo) as “Don’t get sick unless you’re wealthy. If you do choose to get sick anyway, on your head be it.” ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211/40 "2009-10-01T16:01:04Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’t’s been in the news lately. You’re free to research it. I _did_ research it. I read your cite. Nothing about how dying quickly “works for the UK” as you implied. Can you provide such a cite? And please do it quickly, my parents are UK pensioners and therefore they **must** be up before the Death Panel soon. I’d like to know if I should kiss 'em goodbye before they go. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-alan-grayson-apologize-for-his-die-quickly-remarks/512211.md?page=3)