Animal House: Going From Wilson's 'You Lie' To Grayson's 'You Die'

There's another controversy brewing in the House of Representatives. It may not have the drama of the Joe Wilson "You lie!" outburst. It may even be a faux controversy. If nothing else, it's another example of what's passing for debate on the House floor.

On Tuesday night, freshman Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), speaking on a near-empty House floor, decided to give his interpretation of GOP plans to overhaul health care:

The Republican health-care plan for America: Don't get sick. ... The Republicans have a backup plan in case you do get sick. ... If you get sick, America, the Republican health-care plan is this: Die quickly! That's right, the Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.

Over-the-top rhetoric? Without a doubt. On the same level as Wilson's "You lie"? Republicans certainly think so.

Whether it's outrage or manufactured outrage, Republicans -- still seething over the House vote to rebuke Wilson -- are now equating Grayson's rhetoric with Wilson's. Ken Spain, the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee (who is calling the Florida Democrat "Alan Disgrayson"), says that Grayson "has a history of unstable behavior and Democrats should be lining up to call on him to apologize." And in a press release, David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union, "called on Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) to apologize not only to the entire membership of the U.S. House, but to the thousands of American households who oppose a government takeover of health care":

Congressman Grayson's actions are despicable. Americans have real concerns over liberal attempts to impose a government health care scheme that will put bureaucrats between patients and doctors, wildly increase spending and worsen care. Next November I suspect that Mr. Grayson will learn that lying, mean spiritedness and a desire to exploit people's fears are a firing offense when he loses his re-election.

Is it a GOP attempt at payback for the contretemps over Wilson? An opportunity to keep Democrats to their word about inappropriate outbursts? To these ears, calling the president a liar to his face is not the equivalent of a Democrat claiming Republicans want seniors to die. But either way, it's ugly, and Republicans feel they have an issue.

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza reports that House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) "immediately loaded Grayson's speech onto You Tube in hopes of turning it into a viral sensation, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) asked for an apology, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has already e-mailed out more than a half-dozen stories on the episode to its press list over the last 12 hours."

Politically, as Cillizza notes, there is a huge difference:

First, Wilson has held his South Carolina since 2001 -- meaning that he has established some connection with the district's voters.

Grayson, on the other hand, was first elected last November thanks in large part to a Republican incumbent [Ric Keller] who found himself cross-wise with the party's base. Grayson has had little time to put down roots in the district and a comment like this one has the potential to complicate those efforts.

Second, Wilson's district went for Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) with 54 percent of the vote in 2008 and four years earlier had been carried by President George W. Bush with 60 percent. Contrast that with Obama's narrow 52 percent win in Grayson's seat in 2008 and Bush's 55 percent in the district in 2004.

Seen through the political lens then, Grayson's comment -- if Republicans can push it into a national story over the next 24 to 48 hours -- is more potentially harmful to his chances of returning to Congress than was Wilson's "you lie" interjection.

Some Democrats have already asked Grayson to apologize. Roll Call reports that Democratic caucus chair John Larson (D-CT) said, "I wouldn't have used the words that Mr. Grayson has":

Larson said he understands Grayson's strong feelings but said he would encourage him to apologize. Larson stopped short of saying he would support a resolution of disapproval if he doesn't.

Grayson told reporters that he would "not take any of it back," saying, "I stand by what I said."

And when Grayson took to the House floor to apologize, he did so. In his own way. He apologized to the "dead":

Citing a statistic that 44,789 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance, Grayson said, "That is more than ten times the number of Americans who died in the war in Iraq, it's more than ten times the number of Americans who died on 9/11. ...It happens every year."

Grayson added in another apparent dig at the GOP, "We should care about people even after they are born."

Grayson apologized one last time.

"I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner," he said.

Suddenly, the race in Florida's 8th Congressional District looks much more interesting.