Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life

"Outstanding…Moore Triumphs! Publishers Weekly

Open Mike

Blogger Profile: Alan Grayson

Former Florida Congressman Alan Grayson was born and grew up in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City.  He graduated with high honors from Harvard College.  Congressman Grayson worked as an economist after college, but returned to Harvard.  In four years, Alan earned a J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School, and a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Government, and Alan finished all of the course work and passed the general exams for a Ph.D. in Government.  His master’s thesis focuses on gerontology.  He went on to be a founding member of the Alliance for Aging Research. 

In the early 1990s, Alan took leave from the practice of law, and started a business. Alan was the first President of IDT Corp., a telecom/internet company, which is now a Fortune 1000 company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Congressman Grayson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008.

Alan Grayson lives in Orlando with his wife, Lolita, and their five children, Skye, Star, Sage, Stone and Storm.

Alan Grayson's Blogs

Page 1 of 1

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

May 16th, 2013

Trade Sell-Out: Out of the Mouths of Citizens...

If you have received my emails for a while, you know that I sometimes refer to you all, affectionately, as "Alan's Army." You are passionate, smart and dedicated. But last week you were something else: Amazing. I told you about a proposed partnership between multinational corporations and their sellout tools ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

May 16th, 2012

Unemployment: Why

I recently happened to be at an event where billionaire George Soros was being interviewed. The right wing hates Soros because he is: (a) liberal, (b) rich, and (c) fearless. [I could also make a case that they hate Soros because he is (d) Jewish, but I leave that up ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

December 5th, 2011

The Fed Bailouts: Money for Nothing

I think it's fair to say that Congressman Ron Paul and I are the parents of the GAO's audit of the Federal Reserve. And I say that knowing full well that Dr. Paul has somewhat complicated views regarding gay marriage. Anyway, one of our love children is a massive 251-page ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

December 3rd, 2011

Lincoln: "Labor is the Superior of Capital"

During my two years in Congress, I heard an awful lot of speeches. Some of them were delivered by some of the finest public speakers in America today – like Barack Obama, Neil Abercrombie, John Lewis, Anthony Weiner and Alcee Hastings. But none of them was as profound and poignant ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

September 27th, 2011

Harry Chapin on What Made America Famous

This may surprise you, but I prefer listening to speaking. Listening is much more relaxing. And, as the Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party often says, I never learn anything when my lips are moving. (Just to be clear, he says that about himself, not about me. He didn't say, ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

September 8th, 2011

My 10-Year-Old's Jobs Program

I like to help my children with their homework, whenever I have time. (And since January, I've had more time.) It's great to help them -- I know all the answers, and I never have to take the exams. Last night, we tried something different. They helped me with my ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

August 8th, 2011

Sometimes, Nothing Works

When I went to the Daily Kos website earlier today, I was surprised to see three – count ‘em, three – diaries about me.  One of them drew over 600 comments.  Hey, I’m not that important.  I’m just a former Congressman.  There are 10,000 former Members of the House of ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

May 4th, 2011

The End of Fear?

About a year after 9/11, I was sitting in an airport terminal, waiting for a flight, when nature called. I turned to the young lady sitting next to me, and asked her if she would watch my carry-on baggage while I went to the restroom. She looked at me, she ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

April 8th, 2011

At Least We Can Still Go Broke

Unless you've been living in a cave recently -- Osama, you can stop reading here -- you know that the Republicans have blocked the passage of the appropriations bills that apply to all federal spending between April 8 and September 30, so we are facing a government shutdown. And as ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

March 21st, 2011

No Fly: A Tactic in Search of a Strategy

One of the unfortunate imperatives of public life is that when something is the lead story, you think you've got to be doing something about it. Not just have an opinion on it. Be doing something about it. Volcano erupts? Prepare a news release on the new anti-volcano policy. Zombies ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

March 12th, 2011

Did They Die in Vain?

On May 4, 1886, in Haymarket Square in Chicago, the public rallied peacefully in support of 40,000 workers in Chicago who had gone on strike, to win the right to organize. The police attacked, and eight died. On July 6, 1892, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, 3800 workers went on strike, to ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

September 6th, 2010

What Robert Kennedy Said

Today is Labor Day. All across America, millions of people are discovering that the best way to celebrate Labor Day is by not working.Do you live to work, or do you work to live?If you are married, look at your wedding album: Are there any pictures in there of you ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

July 21st, 2010

The Republican Plan: Punch Me in the Face

They may not have a health plan. Or a jobs plan. Or a peace plan. But they do have a plan.Here is the Republican plan:"I'll give $100 to first Rep. who punches smary [sic] idiot Alan Grayson in nose."That incitement to violence was tweeted by Dan Gainor. Who is Dan ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

July 1st, 2010

If Conservatives Are Serious About Fiscal Responsibility, They'll Oppose Afghan Funds

By Rep. Mike Honda, Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Alan Grayson & Rep. Raúl M. GrijalvaIt is disingenuous to say this is an "emergency" supplemental. The only "emergency" is this: In funding the longest war in history, we are putting America further into debt with China, expanding the deficit, increasing wasteful ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

June 28th, 2010

Which Party is the Peace Party?

Me: "Why are people so uninformed and apathetic about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?"Right-winger: "I don't know, and I don't care."A recent poll showed that almost twice as many Americans think that we are losing the war in Afghanistan as think that we are winning it. (Whatever "losing" and ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

June 18th, 2010

Diamonds in Your Bathtub

In the New York Times for June 13th, the Pentagon proclaimed that Afghanistan holds almost one trillion lira - no, sorry, that's one trillion dollars - in hitherto-unknown mineral wealth.Allow me to offer these revelations:(1) Paris Hilton actually is Albert Einstein, with a wig. Think about it - you've never ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

June 7th, 2010

The Longest War

Today, the war in Afghanistan becomes America's longest war. Longer than the war in Vietnam. Longer than the Korean War.It took America two years to end World War I, and bring peace to the world. World War II was a little harder; that took us 3½ years to finish off.The ... continue reading

Alan Grayson

Fmr. U.S. Congressman

May 21st, 2010

The War Is Making You Poor Act

Next week, there is going to be a "debate" in Congress on yet another war funding bill. The bill is supposed to pass without debate, so no one will notice.What George Orwell wrote about in "1984" has come true. What Eisenhower warned us about concerning the "military-industrial complex" has come ... continue reading

Page 1 of 1

ALL killing is wrong. Just sayin' let's not feign shock when those innocents we've massacred might know ppl who may want to kill u or I.

May 24th
4:15 AM
Retweet This

I am outraged that we can't kill people in other counties without them trying to kill us! http://t.co/CaQrq7YEzO http://t.co/IaiXUaUQro

May 23rd
2:14 AM
Retweet This

Major congrats to Tavis Smiley whose 2,000th show will air Friday night. Honored to have participated in one or two or ten of them! #Tavis10

May 22nd
5:47 PM
Retweet This

Disaster Porn. That's what it is. TV, just admit that's what you're doing. This isn't news. It's lazy, it's a distraction & it's fake. Stop.

May 22nd
1:47 AM
Retweet This

More commentary on the efforts to kill "Citizen Koch" by WNET/ITVS: http://t.co/zUMeCBoO46

May 21st
8:54 PM
Retweet This

"Bring Back Ken Starr" And u said Bill Keller couldn't write anything stupider than his column backing the Iraq war: http://t.co/BWvZTqND5U

May 21st
5:49 PM
Retweet This

More on the attempt to suppress my friends' Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Koch Bros/Citizens United documentary: http://t.co/ZnxporOc7Y

May 21st
12:27 PM
Retweet This

But, thanks to fear of the Koch Bros, YOU may never see it. At least not on PBS. This stuff goes on all the time, u just never hear about it

May 20th
10:30 PM
Retweet This

They worked on BowlingForColumbine & Fahrenheit9/11 & made the Oscar-nom film Trouble the Water. I've seen their KochBros film & it's great!

May 20th
10:23 PM
Retweet This

A stunning NewYorker piece today about my colleagues Tia Lessin & Carl Deal & how their KochBros film is being killed http://t.co/MtLpPoOGlu

May 20th
9:55 PM
Retweet This

Right now on HuffPostLive: Carl Deal & Tia Lessin discuss how the film was killed by Koch Brothers http://t.co/cd8FRDZtuy

May 20th
4:30 PM
Retweet This

Malcolm X's b-day. At 4yrs old, white supremacists in East Lansing, MI set his house on fire. FD, all white, just stood by & watched it burn

May 19th
10:32 PM
Retweet This

RT @wastedsummers: @MMFlint Lots of people assuming Kanye meant new in the sense of recent, he means new in the sense of post-legal America…

May 19th
4:34 AM
Retweet This

"@Myrone07: Yes he did!! They'll be mad once they run the tape again. Watch & see." I agree. West Coast-u will not see(onTV)what we just saw

May 19th
12:56 AM
Retweet This

RT @marionbarryjr: @MMFlint Not "new". The slavery loophole has been active since the passage of 13th amend. We need to take profit out of …

May 19th
12:53 AM
Retweet This

RT @PleasureDanger: @MMFlint except...it's not new....the racist prison industrial complex has been locking up black/brown ppl in dispropor…

May 19th
12:52 AM
Retweet This

Wow. Kanye! Did that just air on TV? Amazing. "We da new slave." #SNL (CCA = Correction Corporation of America - the private prison system)

May 19th
12:48 AM
Retweet This

So it turns out the War on Terror is never going to end: http://t.co/SWMx4HKjmI Why? See Fahrenheit 9/11: http://t.co/3G3PqrrMNo

May 18th
4:06 PM
Retweet This

Great time last night on Bill Maher (& @galifianakisz !). Sat next to good-looking brainiacs S.E Cupp & Andrew Ross Sorkin. May've worn off.

May 18th
4:04 PM
Retweet This

Going on Bill Maher in 20 min! HBO. Live.

May 17th
9:41 PM
Retweet This

Close Guantanamo Full Page Ad To Appear in New York Times ...by Emma Kaplan www.michaelmoore.com An irresistible and irrepressible demand must well up from...

May 23rd
1:29 PM
Read More

Last night on the Colbert Report -- "I guess for a donation of $75 you get the PBS tote bag. And for $23 million, you get PBS's nut sack." May...

May 23rd
9:48 AM
Read More

I signed this ad about the Guatanamo hunger strikers and calling for the prison to be closed that will appear in the New York Times tomorrow: Our Message in...

May 22nd
8:54 PM
Read More

Statement about “A Word From Our Sponsor,” by Carl Deal & Tia Lessin www.citizenkoch.com We decided to go public with our experience hoping that, like the...

May 22nd
12:10 PM
Read More

Problems at PBS, From Rose to Koch www.fair.org It is a fascinating and frightening look at how this kind of pressure works, where a public TV station is so...

May 21st
7:14 PM
Read More

Mass Rally for Bradley Manning! Ft. Meade, MD. June 1 | MichaelMoore.com www.michaelmoore.com Sponsored by the Bradley Manning Support Network and the...

May 21st
9:45 AM
Read More

How Far Did PBS Go To Placate Sponsor? - HuffPost Live live.huffingtonpost.com The Koch brothers are a frequent boogeyman for liberals due to their vast sums...

May 20th
5:20 PM
Read More

Read this blockbuster New Yorker article about how public TV cowardice helped defang one documentary criticizing the Koch Brothers and then defund another...

May 20th
8:21 AM
Read More

Tonight! It's yours truly and Zach Galifianakis on Bill Maher, 10 PM ET/PT (rerun at 11:30 PM ET/PT) on HBO. HBO: Real Time with Bill Maher: Homepage...

May 17th
6:59 PM
Read More

ICYMI -- It's time to re-up our walks! Got the flu in March & that threw off my routine. Decided to get back at it. Join me! We're on twitter at...

May 16th
8:05 AM
Read More

The Deepening Shame of Guantanamo ...by Ray McGovern www.michaelmoore.com We have been spared hearings on how 86 of the remaining 166 prisoners at Guantanamo...

May 16th
8:04 AM
Read More

I just signed this, and hope you will too: Urge NYT Public Editor to Investigate Biased Reporting on Venezuela & Honduras | NYTimes eXaminer...

May 15th
9:19 AM
Read More

My Breasts and My Life Not as Valuable as Angelina's ...by Donna Smith www.michaelmoore.com What of the women like me who do not have insurance or enough...

May 14th
5:38 PM
Read More

Daily Kos: Thomas Friedman, private eye www.dailykos.com Click to embiggen

May 14th
1:01 AM
Read More

The first Mother's Day in 1870, proclaimed by Julia Ward Howe (author of Battle Hymn of the Republic), was a call for peace and disarmament: ...

May 12th
4:43 PM
Read More

The workers of Chicago's Republic Windows & Doors, seen during their 2008 sit down strike in 'Capitalism: A Love Story,' just opened a new...

May 12th
8:49 AM
Read More

It's time to re-up our walks! Got the flu in March & that threw off my routine. Decided to get back at it today. Join me! We're on twitter at...

May 11th
10:04 PM
Read More

Please check out this post from Cathy Youngblood, a housekeeper at the Hyatt Andaz in West Hollywood, and the campaign she's a part of, Hyatt Hurts:
...

May 10th
3:23 PM
Read More

The workers of Chicago's Republic Windows & Doors, seen here during their 2008 sit down strike in 'Capitalism: A Love Story,' are opening a...

May 9th
8:13 AM
Read More

Michael Moore touts Mayor Bloomberg’s gun control campaign: ‘It’s wonderful!’ www.nydailynews.com Michael Moore isn't known for his high praise of...

May 8th
1:46 PM
Read More

Ribbon cut on new downtown movie theater www.amny.com Filmmakers Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock Tuesday welcomed the arrival of an all-documentary theater...

May 8th
12:54 PM
Read More

'And Then There Was One: Imperial Gigantism and the Decline of Planet Earth' ...by Tom Engelhardt www.michaelmoore.com

May 7th
5:16 PM
Read More

Reminder: The U.S. Government Lies About Who Uses Chemical Weapons in the Mideast ...by Jon Schwarz www.michaelmoore.com The State Department guy who lied in...

May 6th
6:22 PM
Read More

From This Modern World: Daily Kos: Threat assessment www.dailykos.com Click to embiggen

May 6th
3:57 PM
Read More

RootsAction | Nominees for Worst Government Official act.rootsaction.org Here come three new Obama nominees, and they could all be nominees in a contest for...

May 6th
2:36 PM
Read More

Donna Smith, seen in 'SiCKO' and a contributor to MichaelMoore.com, has a new blog: Donna SiCKO's Blog donnasicko.blogspot.com

May 5th
2:48 PM
Read More

Bill Maher Slams Hype Over Boston Bombing Case Don't Let Terrorist 'F-ck-Ups' Scare Us www.youtube.com Bill Maher closed out his show tonight...

May 4th
4:13 PM
Read More

Health Care Injustice in America – Painful Reality ...by Donna Smith www.michaelmoore.com So, how did I get myself to the place where I do not have coverage?

May 2nd
7:15 PM
Read More

Top Economist Unloads On Wall Street & White House - HuffPost Live live.huffingtonpost.com Economist and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs...

May 2nd
12:13 PM
Read More

The Pope Called One Of The Foundations Of The Global Capitalism System 'Slavery' www.businessinsider.com Pope Rips Bangladesh Slave Labor

May 2nd
10:58 AM
Read More

Subscribe to Mike's Blog RSS

Click here to suggest an article

Open Mike

  • May 16th, 2013

    Trade Sell-Out: Out of the Mouths of Citizens...

    If you have received my emails for a while, you know that I sometimes refer to you all, affectionately, as "Alan's Army." You are passionate, ...

  • May 16th, 2012

    Unemployment: Why

    I recently happened to be at an event where billionaire George Soros was being interviewed. The right wing hates Soros because he is: (a) liberal, ...

  • December 5th, 2011

    The Fed Bailouts: Money for Nothing

    I think it's fair to say that Congressman Ron Paul and I are the parents of the GAO's audit of the Federal Reserve. And I ...

  • December 3rd, 2011

    Lincoln: "Labor is the Superior of Capital"

    During my two years in Congress, I heard an awful lot of speeches. Some of them were delivered by some of the finest public speakers ...

  • September 27th, 2011

    Harry Chapin on What Made America Famous

    This may surprise you, but I prefer listening to speaking. Listening is much more relaxing. And, as the Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party often ...

  • September 8th, 2011

    My 10-Year-Old's Jobs Program

    I like to help my children with their homework, whenever I have time. (And since January, I've had more time.) It's great to help them ...

  • August 8th, 2011

    Sometimes, Nothing Works

    When I went to the Daily Kos website earlier today, I was surprised to see three – count ‘em, three – diaries about me.  One ...

  • April 8th, 2011

    At Least We Can Still Go Broke

    Unless you've been living in a cave recently -- Osama, you can stop reading here -- you know that the Republicans have blocked the passage ...

  • September 8th, 2011

    My 10-Year-Old's Jobs Program

    I like to help my children with their homework, whenever I have time. (And since January, I've had more time.) It's great to help them ...

  • March 12th, 2011

    Did They Die in Vain?

    On May 4, 1886, in Haymarket Square in Chicago, the public rallied peacefully in support of 40,000 workers in Chicago who had gone on strike, ...

  • May 21st, 2010

    The War Is Making You Poor Act

    Next week, there is going to be a "debate" in Congress on yet another war funding bill. The bill is supposed to pass without debate, ...

  • May 16th, 2012

    Unemployment: Why

    I recently happened to be at an event where billionaire George Soros was being interviewed. The right wing hates Soros because he is: (a) liberal, ...

  • March 21st, 2011

    No Fly: A Tactic in Search of a Strategy

    One of the unfortunate imperatives of public life is that when something is the lead story, you think you've got to be doing something about ...

  • December 5th, 2011

    The Fed Bailouts: Money for Nothing

    I think it's fair to say that Congressman Ron Paul and I are the parents of the GAO's audit of the Federal Reserve. And I ...

See More Blogs

Vew the archives

View older articles