On Health Care, Rep. Alan Grayson Calls Republicans "Neanderthals." Really?

Democratic Florida Congressman Alan Grayson has a bone to pick with the Republican party. Watch:

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He continued his tirade on CNN, calling the GOP more names. The Republican party may be many things, but "foot-dragging, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals"? I think not.

As someone who spent 20 years in the GOP (I now consider myself an independent), I don’t agree with Rep. Grayson’s remarks any more than I agree with the actions of Rep. Joe Wilson, who could not restrain himself from yelling “You lie!” at the President of the United States of America.

Rep. Grayson’s remarks are not the worst I have ever heard, true enough, but they tell us something about our political culture. The comments show that members of Congress are not the mature adults we all deserve working on our behalf in Washington, D.C. They tell us that civility and honest debate about issues that affect the American people has fallen to the wayside and instead given rise to the “reality show” mentality that seems to plague us all. I see it in everyday life—people say whatever, do whatever, and react to whatever comes to mind, without any thought to the consequences of what we say.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi commented on Grayson's remarks today (via Politico):

"Apparently Republicans are holding Democrats to a higher level than they are holding their own members," she said, referring to floor comments by some Republicans who have said Democratic health care reforms would lead to higher deaths among seniors. "There's no more reason for Mr. Grayson to apologize… If anybody’s going to apologize everybody should apologize."

It is my hope that the American people will wake up and start paying attention to the comments, actions, and votes of their elected officials. The American people deserve better from Grayson, Wilson, and Speaker Pelosi—who can’t even see the difference between when the partisan political line has been walked up to and when it has been crossed.

—SOPHIA A. NELSON

Sophia A. Nelson is an award-winning journalist and author of the best-selling book The Woman Code: 20 Powerful Keys to Unlock Your Life. Follow her on Twitter.