Pelosi won't weep over Grayson's behavior

“Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) recently gave an angry speech about members of the GOP on the House floor. CNN.com quoted Grayson as saying on the House floor that "[I]f you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: die quickly." (If you click the link, you can watch the video of Mr. Grayson in action espousing his bitterly partisan view.) Some, including members of the GOP, have compared this speech to Congressman Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's address to Congress. That comparison of the two pieces of rhetoric ignores some of the major differences between the two.

Firstly, Congressman Wilson's shouting of the phrase "You Lie" was unacceptable and I do not support that behavior. However, Congressman Wilson has said that he did not plan that outburst and he apologized for it afterwards to the White House. On the other hand, Grayson's speech was planned. You can tell it was planned well in advance because he had visual aids for those who might have been watching the speech but not listening to it. One of his signs said the following: "The Republican Health Care Plan: DIE QUICKLY." “

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