Alan Grayson really lets this Young Americans For Freedom twerp have it on a CNN interview hosted by Rick Sanchez:
SANCHEZ: Well this is what a lot of the Democratic congressmen, folks like Alan Grayson, says proves that the Republican Party is not only in line with the tea party movement but has actually created the heated rhetoric that has caused some of those acts of incivility that we have seen. How would you respond to that?
MARKS: Well, I would hate to believe that Chairman Steele, an African-American, would go and be one of the people to incite these, you know, the responses and really the disgusting behavior of a few individuals. I don't think he --
SANCHEZ: Wait a minute. Are you saying that because Chairman Steele is an African-American he's incapable of using heated rhetoric that may cause someone to become or say something racist?
MARKS: Well, I don't think he was calling for people to have racist response.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'm not talking about Chairman Steele. I'm not talking about Chairman Steele.
MARKS: OK.
SANCHEZ: I am talking about the congressmen who were outside. And I don't know, do we have that picture? We don't have that. All right.
MARKS: I mean, are you going to judge the entire Democratic Party by a few people that hold up Nazi symbols at their rallies? I don't think -- I think this is a double standard that we're seeing here.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAYSON: That's ridiculous. That's absolutely ridiculous.
MARKS: And to say it's because of the ideology to point to the ideology, this is the actual prejudice that conservatives face on college campuses --
GRAYSON: Oh, how sad.
MARKS: -- in the nation to say automatically anything that you say is going to be considered racist.
SANCHEZ: No, no, we weren't saying that. I wasn't. But let me just ask you --
MARKS: Well, I think Congressman Grayson was.
SANCHEZ: What Democratic congressman has held up a swastika?
GRAYSON: It's never happened. He's lying. Stop lying.
MARKS: I never said the congressman held up a swastika. But what Republican congressman did you see holding swastikas. And wasn't it a Democrat Senator Byrd that was a member of the KKK? Are you going to hold the entire party accountable because of that?
SANCHEZ: Senator -- I mean, Congressman Grayson?
GRAYSON: Well, that's premature. But listen, we have now reached the point of absurdity. OK. The right has fomented a national nervous breakdown. They keep pushing the panic button on their followers over and over and over again, trying to get them stoked on hatred and on fear. And they've succeeded. They've succeed in driving these people to the point where they're threatening my 5- year-old son.
Now why don't you just say you're sorry? That's what you ought to be saying, I'm sorry. Don't try to push it off on the Democrats. Say you're sorry. Apologize to my 5-year-old.
MARKS: Tea party should not be accepting responsibility for this. The Republican Party should not be accepting responsibility for this.
GRAYSON: Well, look --
MARKS: The Democratic Party should not be accepting responsibility for this. Individuals need to accept responsibility. When you -- when you --
GRAYSON: You're not accepting responsibility.
MARKS: When you said that the health care bill is similar to a holocaust, they didn't hold the Democratic Party responsible.
GRAYSON: You were in that crowd. You were cheering.
MARKS: You went ahead and apologized for your individual remarks. Am I wrong? Did you apologize for saying that this health care bill is going to cause, if it's not passed it's going to cause a holocaust? And you apologized for it, is that right?
(CROSSTALK)
GRAYSON: You know, listen, people like you -- people like you -- and it's very apt that your name is Marks -- people like you, your dreams turn into other people's nightmares. And it's time you owned up to it.
MARKS: We as conservatives believe we have winning principles and we stick by these principles. Small government.
GRAYSON: Your principles are violence.
MARKS: I don't think anyone and my principles are --
GRAYSON: Anger, hatred and violence.
MARKS: In fact, in the charter of my personal organization, it says if you are a person that does do the so-called acts that happen towards these congressmen, you're kicked out of my organization.
GRAYSON: Oh, yes.
MARKS: You can go look it up online. We are a public organization.
GRAYSON: See if that helps to bring back the dead.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you, Jordan --
MARKS: I don't understand how that has to do with anything with bringing back the dead?
SANCHEZ: What did you mean by that? What did you mean by that, Congressman, about bringing back the dead?
GRAYSON: What I meant is that these are death threats including one to my 5-year-old son. Now, if they're actually acted upon, you think expelling someone from your organization of 12 people is somehow going to bring back my son?
MARKS: Well, Congressman, how do you know that these are tea party members? How do you know that these are registered -- not registered Democrats? How do you know they're not registered Democrats? Have you looked up the registration?
GRAYSON: Because it's the same people who demonstrate and chant over and over again no health care, no health care. Think about that. No health care. That's what they're chanting.
MARKS: Oh, I was at the rally. And I cheered and I chanted no health care.
GRAYSON: Yes.
MARKS: True to form. That's what we're calling for.
GRAYSON: Yes, people like you have this --
MARKS: Health care reform, not the health care reform --
GRAYSON: -- tremendous ability to withstand other people's pain and not your own.
SANCHEZ: We'll leave it there.
(CROSSTALK)
MARKS: I differ personally and I don't think I hold any particular party or any group responsible.
GRAYSON: You need to apologize.
MARKS: We leave it at that. Gentlemen, Jordan, thanks so much. Congressman Grayson, we appreciate you coming on and announcing that you'll soon be a senator from the state of California.
MARKS: Well, you know, it's a shame --
GRAYSON: By the way, I have to ask you, Rick, are they paying you time and a half for overtime tonight.
SANCHEZ: Oh, you saw me on 3:00 and 4:00, right?
GRAYSON: Yes.
SANCHEZ: I appreciate that. And kudos to you as well. Jordan, good guest. I appreciate the spirited conversation.
MARKS: Thank you very much. And, you know, I just want to say before we leave that these are good people out there, they're hard- working Americans. And that they can't be lumped in by the random death threats that are taking place.
SANCHEZ: Nobody is using --
MARKS: And those people should stop that.
SANCHEZ: We understand what you're saying. And we appreciate your point of view. Congressman, we appreciate you as well. My thanks to both of you.
GRAYSON: Thank you, Rick.
