Alan Grayson's Senate campaign shakeup

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Rep. Alan Grayson's campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, and senior adviser are leaving their jobs in the Democratic congressman’s troubled Florida Senate campaign.

Campaign manager Doug Dodson's last day was Monday and deputy campaign manager David Keith — a longtime friend of Grayson’s — is leaving day-to-day operations but will stay on as an informal adviser, multiple sources tell POLITICO. Additionally, senior adviser and campaign spokesman Kevin Franck plans to leave before year’s end.

None would immediately respond to phone calls or text messages. The three were the only named staffers in Grayson's FEC reports. Grayson himself also refused comment.

The departures, described by sources as “amicable,” speak to deep dysfunction within Grayson’s campaign and the challenge of working for a mercurial, hot-headed candidate as liable to blow up at staff as he is at Republicans or reporters.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/alan-grayson-campaign-manager-departures-216320#ixzz3tAFLn8Y2

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This is why DSCC is worried about him; not the fact that he's "too liberal".

[Judi Lynn]

1. This might be the lesson he could use. He is still needed in the Senate.

He doesn't cower around right-wing idiot bullies.

His courage is admirable.

[Hortensis]

10. As of 10/30, NO Senate Democrats support Grayson.

That should be normal in the primary, apparently, but instead and almost without precedent a bunch of endorsements and donations are being made to his Democratic opponent, Patrick Murphy.

Interesting article in Tampa Bay Times, which suggests the largest factor is worry that Grayson would lose the seat (and with it a potential Democrat majority in the Senate) to the GOP.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/us-senate-democrats-throw-support-to-patrick-murphy-in-florida-primary/2251960

[ViseGrip]

18. Yes interesting. Also interesting is that Murphy was a republican only yesterday, almost. Third way

came out on DAY ONE to gather all for Murphy. Establishment. Murphy's short record as a dem in fla sucks too.

[Hortensis]

20. Oh, I know. Scarcely an ideal candidate to me either, but

a lot of redoubtable names who are anxious to retake the Senate for Democrats are supporting Murphy. Remember, even a small Democratic majority could actually write and pass progressive legislation, not just talk about what they would do if they weren't the minority.

[SmittynMo]

2. He's not liberal at all

I recently lost all interest in him when he supported Hillary. I thought this guy had bigger balls than that.

What a disappointment. Perhaps this may be the reason for the departures.

[Orrex]

3. Yes, I'm sure that they listed his small balls as their reason for quitting

[7962]

4. He's a trainwreck. I dont like folks like him in my party. nt

[Hortensis]

13. Inclined to agree, 7962, but then I think of all the major trainwrecks

the GOP has stuffed Congress with and, in comparison, Grayson looks almost magnificent. A very subjective thing, of course.

[Thinkingabout]

5. It is amazing how disparaging remarks about a Democratic member of Congress by the same people who

so much need a liberal member to remain there, this happened to Landreiu in Louisiana, the replacement was a RW TP member, who wins in this situation? It isn't liberals and liberal ideas. Yes, I know he has endorsed Hillary but the disparaging remarks should remember what happens when we lose another member of Congress.

[Hortensis]

19. It takes more than liberal ideas to make a competent

representative of a constituency of citizens, ThinkingAbout. Right? Someone with the greatest ideas in the world would be useless if he couldn't get elected. And a 51+ majority of generally liberal representatives would be far more effective in promoting liberal ideas than the 45 we have now.

We have a chance to take the Senate. It's not all about Congressman Grayson himself.

But about him, colleagues are also worried that the attention-grabbing comments many admire in him would be a handicap in actually promoting liberal ideas from ideas to legislation by providing the GOP with distracting ammunition to shoot at all of them. BTW, Grayson is not a leader of his colleagues, so at best would be unlikely to benefit liberal ideas more than a quieter, easier to work with person who would have the same one vote.

[mdbl]

6. He's badly needed

and I hope he can overcome the obstacles and stay in office.

[Tom Rinaldo]

7. Mixed feelings about this Man

There is something about him personally that I don't trust. I had similar feelings (but for different reasons) about John Edwards before he imploded. Character and yes, even personality, counts. Without the right personal attributes, someone's ability to positively bring about change can diminish rapidly and even result in that person becoming counter productive for the cause.

Grayson is a calculated risk I think we can afford to take with him as a member of the House, where his loud (usually - not always) progressive can still be heard without him risking too much damage to the Democratic Party should he implode in some manner as Edwards once did. I would rather not feel this way, but I do. I don't want Grayson in the Senate.

[MBS]

9. well said, thanks.

And I agree.
Character does count.

[busterbrown]

21. There is not one House or Senate Republican

who is better than Grayson...To me it doesn’t matter who fills the seat as long as he/she is not a fucking Republican..
Grayson may be a little over the edge, but is miles better than his counterparts

[Tom Rinaldo]

25. Right now we are at the Primary stage though

If my feelings make me a defacto Murphy supporter, then so be it, even if Murphy isn't an ideal progressive choice.

[karynnj]

23. Well stated -- character matters

In fact, when looking at people within the party, I think character or lack of character might be the most important thing. Because differences on issues within the party are small compared to differences between the two parties and because of the constraint that the President, Congressman, or Senator has to find the consensus package that will gain votes, character and integrity of the person wanting to be the nominee are the most important factors to me.

Knowing that we, as Democrats, will be asked to have their back when nominated or in office, it is important to me to have people I can trust to be acting with integrity and good purpose. Then - even when I disagree with them on specific plans - I can at least know that they are acting in good faith. I hope I never am faced with any voting decision as bad as what it looked like NJ Democrats faced in 2002 -- until the wonderful Frank Lautenberg replaced Torrecelli.

[djean111]

27. Patrick Murphy, his opponent, switched from GOP to Democrat in 2012.

No change of heart, just convenience so he could run against another Republican.
Murphy is a DINO. I will not vote for him. I am a Floridian. Also, I don't have to live with Grayson, I do have to live with Murphy's DINO votes. He voted to establish the Benghazi committee. Funny how shit like that does not count against DINOs.

[karynnj]

28. I was not pushing Murphy -- or against Grayson

I was speaking of the kind of people I am happy to vote for -- and know that there is sometimes no option anywhere near that. I think when we find people like that we need to make sure we have their backs.

Here, neither are exemplary candidates. It seems whichever wins the primary, many Democrats may feel as I did in NJ when faced with the reality that Torricelli was a pretty bad guy -- and there was the prospect that NJ could determine who had the majority. In fact, too many other Democrats lost -- and though the awesome Latenberg, who replaced him at the last minute won.

The primary might come down to who could win the state. You obviously know Florida better than I do. Have their been polls? What do you think?

If the committee he voted for was Gowdy's -- he may have HELPED Hillary Clinton! That 11 hour interrogation worked to her benefi .

[wolfie001]

8. He should focus on Medicare, Social Security and rightly demonizing Gov. Skeletor!!!!,

In that order!!!!!

[fredamae]

11. This is a Scandal that isn't

Maybe Media is expounding on this. Maybe the Grayson campaign is happy to see them go due to inferior job performance(s).

[brooklynite]

12. Remind us who hired them?

Campaign shakeups are never a good sign.

[fredamae]

14. Ok, everyday folks are

hired and fired because of whatever. There are many, many campaign shakeups that Are the Best thing to happen to a campaign, actually. And a hellava lot more campaign shakeups we'll never hear about that aren't used as a publicity stunt/attack by those who oppose ones campaign successes.

[brooklynite]

15. Disagree...

...I monitor these campaigns more closely than a lot of people because I keep getting asked for money (in this case, both Grayson and Murphy have called me). A shakeup with the campaign MANAGER is a significant event for a Senate race, and raises serious issues about how well things are going.

[fredamae]

17. Fair enough-we have different perspectives n/t

[karynnj]

24. True, it is better if the first team hired works well, but it would be better to accept

that a team is not as good as it should be and take the negative publicity of a campaign shakeup, rather than stick with a team you don't trust. You might remember that Kerry's primary campaign in 2004 did a great job after replacing Jordan and the people allied with him with Mary Beth Cahill. Kerry ended up winning all but North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Vermont -- even though the DC pundits gave him no chance in Fall 2003 - when he shook up the team. Clearly that was a campaign where the shakeup helped.

In 2008, I don't think it was the various campaign shakeups in Clinton's campaign that hurt her -- it was that big errors were made by people like Mark Penn. Obama needed not just an exceptional campaign, but he needed errors on the Clinton side - and her team made many mistakes.

[Nye Bevan]

16. How to get DU to like you if you are a hedge-fund one-percenter worth tens of millions of dollars.

Simply say rude things about Republicans and have a staffer occasionally post on DU using your name.

A hedge fund run by Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson is under fire from both conservatives and allies of his Democratic rival, as the Florida lawmaker runs for the Senate seat vacated by GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio.

Grayson is listed as manager of a trio of interconnected funds created in 2011 after he lost a congressional bid. The funds — two based in the Cayman Islands and another in Delaware — are administered by two U.S. LLCs that he also owns.

......

“He’s wading into uncharted waters, in terms of lack of precedent on this kind of thing,” said Kenneth Gross, the head of the political law practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and veteran congressional ethics expert.

......

The Orlando congressman, who formerly served on the Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital markets, Insurance and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, has a minimum net worth of $33.86 million, according to a handwritten financial disclosure report tallied by CQ Roll Call, making him the 12th richest member of Congress.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/260344-critics-pounce-on-hedge-funds-managed-by-florida-lawmaker

[djean111]

26. I am a Floridian. My other choice is an unabashed DINO, switched in 2012 or thereabouts

only so he could run against another republican. of course, that fits right in with Debbie Wasserman, who actually campaigned for GOP friends.

I do not have to live with Grayson. I DO have to live with Patrick Murphy's DINO votes.
Case closed, for me.

Oh, and Patrick Murphy voted yes to forming the Benghazi committee.

[turbinetree]

22. Lets talk about donations and votes and see who is more reliable....................Democrat.......

Grayson may be more open and critical about his remarks, and people are jumping ship or he is make them jump from the ship...................but .................................

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00028418

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00033091



Honk----------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016