Alan Grayson Money Bomb Nets $500k

Freshman Congressman Alan Grayson (D-FL) just raked in half a million dollars on a non-election year money bomb. The fundraising effort was coordinated through ActBlue, and demonstrates the truth behind the ancient Latin proverb: fortune favors the bold.

“The Republican health care plan is simple: Don’t get sick. The Republicans also have a backup plan. If you do get sick, die quickly.”

Grayson recently became famous in American politics, particularly for his bold condemnation of Republican obstruction to health care reform. However, the first term Florida Democrat from the Orlando area  has also done important work fighting against Iraq War profiteering and fighting for transparency in the Federal Reserve.

His work in the Whistleblower Cases led a Wall Street Journal reporter to describe Grayson as “waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq.” Grayson’s direct style has come to the forefront during a couple hearings on Fed transparency,  including exchanges with Federal Reserve System Vice Chairman Donald Kohn and Elizabeth A. Coleman [video], the Inspector General for the Federal Reserve System. He is also one of the people behind the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009, which would audit the Federal Reserve.

Despite the progress he has made, or perhaps because of it, he has gained a number of critics in the GOP, beltway, and media. Some opinion pieces have tried to cast Grayson as the left’s version of a wingnut like Michele Bachmann. There was an opinion piece in the New York Times that called him the ‘liberals problem child.’ However, his blunt manner seems to have revitalized the progressive movement, which had lost some steam since the inauguration of President Obama last January. While many seemed worried that the ideals of change and reform were losing out to pragmatism and appeasement, Grayson has energized the progressives that were instrumental in the 2006 and 2008 election victories for Democrats.

Grayson explained the reason for the money bomb on the Huffington Post:
“I became the Republican’s #1 target to defeat next year. D.C. election forecasters, like Charlie Cook, downgraded my re-election chances, which is a signal to corporate interests to go after me. And Bill O’Reilly began obsessing over me, even going as far as sending Fox News stalker specialist, Griff Jenkins, to wait outside my office all evening last Wednesday. I scare them. More accurately, you scare them. Progressives standing up for what we believe and not backing down when our beliefs get challenged.”

To this end, a new website has been set up.

The $500,000 raised in one day exceeded expectations and suggests that the progressive movement is still gaining ground. According to DownWithTyranny:
“In the 2006 cycle the candidate who attracted the most support from Blue America donors was Ned Lamont, with his campaign that served notice on the Democratic Establishment that the grassroots was unwilling to just eat up whatever crap it was served up from Inside the Beltway hacks. Blue America raised over $77,000 for him in our first year in action. The following cycle, saw another inspiring progressive primary challenger, Donna Edwards, attract the most donors and the largest amount (almost $65,000). It may be too early to tell but it looks like 2010 cycle will mark the year of Alan Grayson.”

There have been numerous criticisms of the Democrats over-eagerness to compromise for many years. However, the end result of Grayson’s money bomb might be to confirm the words of Basil King: “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” The current tally of the money bomb can be found below.