Alan Grayson Calls Lobbyist a "K Street Whore"; the Context that GOP Operatives are Ignoring

by Deb Cupples | Roll Call reports that, during an interview with a right-wing radio host Alex Jones last month, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) referred to a former adviser to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke a "K Street Whore."  That adviser, Linda Robertson, was once the chief lobbyist for Enron. 

According to Fox, Grayson said this:

"'Here I am, the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist. And she’s, this lobbyist, this K Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics."

Naturally, Fox reported only part of the quote, choosing to leave out the greater context.  Incidentally, the interview was more than a month ago, meaning that the now-outraged National Republican Congressional Committee was rather slow about digging it up and orchestrating the chorus of whines.

And since when have national Republican operatives been concerned with manners or civility?

Whatever you think of the whore-snippet, Grayson made a lot of sense in that radio interview.  Even the right-wing host seemed impressed.  You can hear the interview by clicking the link after the jump.  Here's a small part of what Grayson said:

"The Federal Reserve, in our name as taxpayers, set up a credit line equal to $3000 for every single person in New Zeland.  In New Zeland!  Where was our credit line?  We had small business who couldn’t get any loans.  We still have small businesses who couldn’t get any loans.  We have people losing their homes because they couldn’t refinance their mortgages, and the Federal Reserve is lending money to people  in New Zenland."

Keep context in mind, here.   In July, at a House Financial Services Committee Hearing, Grayson spotlighted the fact that Mr. Bernanke had been involved in the rather quiet lending of $500 billion (tax dollars) to foreign banks without Congressional approval -- despite the fact that our Constitution clearly gives Congress he power to appropriate tax dollars.

Meanwhile, even some of Grayson's Democratic colleagues are rushing to be heard publicly chastising Grayson for using such strong language. 

Never mind that people frequently compare lobbyists to "whores" because of obvious parallels:  precisely because many lobbyists tend to do things strictly for money (as do many prostitutes) but without regard to public policy or the public good.

I've been watching Grayson since before he ran for Congress in 2008.  Basically, all he's pushing for is accountability and transparency from the Washington folks whose salaries we taxpayers are paying.

I think we can all agree on the need for that.  Memeorandum has commentary.

Other Buck Naked Politics Posts:

* Bailed-out Banks Claim Huge Profits, Plan to Give Huge Bonuses

* House Committee Finally Probes Mortgage Lenders

* Contractor Fraud: Driving up Medicare's Costs by Billions

* White House Says Fox Isn't Really News: Duhhh!

* Obama Finally (and Bluntly) Calls Out Insurance Industry

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Comments

[flowerplough]

Alan Grayson Apologizes for "K Street Whore" Comment
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/27/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5427087.shtml

Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida has apologized for calling an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke a "K Street whore."

"I offer my sincere apology to Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke," Grayson said in a statement emailed to reporters. "I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women."

(translation: I'm Alan Grayson, and Linda Robertson isn't a whore. And I'm not a whore, either. I'm a p*ssy.)

[Hugh Breyer]

Grayson is right to call out the lack of competence and expertise on these poseurs at the Fed (and in general the Republicans). Apologies are a sign of weakness not civility. Since when did the Republicanoids and their Etruscan fellow-travellers issue guilt-laden statements about ruining our economy whilst their Wall Street Cartels issue super-sized bonuses to their Brooks Brothers office mates? Like, never! "Lack of candor" is what PJ O'Rourke and his ersatz cliche' driven pundit friends on talk-radio smugly call the social effects of massive unemployment, homelessness, and slow-death through lack of medical care, as if 8 years of Bush can be whisked away so cleverly. But it can be expunged because, after all, we now have the Tea Party! This self righteous group of mumbling drooling idiots with their High School diplomas walking around quoting Jefferson from their John Birch Society pamphlets.

So, Cong. Grayson, I applaud your direct appeal to intelligence using the only weapon Americans seem to understand which is "Confrontational Politics" ala Rush, Sean, and the other melange of perfunctory motor mouths filling the empty air-space like a wet inert gas.