Over at the Progressive Coalition Blog, Mark Weaver offers advice to the newest progressive hero, Alan Grayson–

Okay, so it wasn’t quite the best word to describe the ex-Enron lobbyist now plugging the Federal Reserve as a woman who sells her services as a corporate/banking shill…Problem is the rightwingers will never stop trying to use Grayson’s, or any of our words, to discredit us. Grayson’s apologized. Now it’s time to hit back.  Grayson needs to go full bore public right now explaining the point he was making with that word. I’m sure he can do a better job than I can, but he should slam home the point that the woman is advocating for a self-serving, interest-conflicted banking “regulator” that enabled the reckless, greedy practices that led to the financial collapse and mild depression we are in, specifically throwing 8 million people out of work. Alan, YOU NEED TO MOVE ALL THE TALK FROM ‘THAT WORD’ TO THIS POINT. Refocus the public’s minds to the proper place. Now’s REALLY the time to fight back.

You have to love our progressive friends as they attempt to defend the indefensible, and we’re not merely talking about the words they choose.   Words are fair game for criticism where it’s appropriate, but we’re much more concerned about Democrats’ complete lack of regard for constitutional principles, to which their progressive ideology is diametrically opposed. Politicians that are progressive heroes, such as the fire-breathing Robert Wexler, and their latest poster-boy Alan Grayson- (who by the way we will give props to for his recent tough but fair questioning of the Federal Reserve’s General Counsel)- excel at using inflammatory rhetoric that that makes progressives drool, but unfortunately is oftentimes seriously decoupled from facts.

It was comical to watch progressives cheer as Grayson grandstanded on the House floor  with his charts, exclaiming that Republicans want seniors to die- but pay no attention to how his Democrat Party is proposing $500 billion in Medicare cuts over 10 years and mandating end-of-life counseling every 5 years to seniors, complete with language discussing how seniors can forgo antibiotics and cut back on their hydration & nutrition (H.R. 3200, sec. 1233 et seq.).

Now progressives are doubling-down on Grayson’s next inexcusable putdown, claiming that his larger point is valid, in spite of his use of the term “K-Street whore” to describe Linda Robertson, adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernacke.  But not so fast.   The financial meltdown was much more than banking regulators falling asleep at the wheel.  A more proximate cause of the financial meltdown were the bad regulations passed and enforced by Congress, which progressives continue to ignore as the precipitating cause of financial meltdown that  we’re currently in the wake of.  It was misguided government intervention – bad regulations which tethered punitive financial penalties to banks if they did not comply with Congress’ demands to loosen their credit requirements for “underserved” populations; to government-sponsored entities such Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were encouraged to expand and buy mortgage-backed securities, especially those backed with high-risk subprime mortgages.  Those subprime and adjustable-rate mortgages, along with very low interest rates, were bad government policy and bad regulation that fueled the excessive risk taking, not simply absentee regulators.  Those misguided regulations were the catalysts of our current downturn- and they are a matter of record.  Look ’em up, Mr. Weaver.  The financial collapse was a government sponsored and provoked meltdown, it was not provoked by uncoerced and reckless private sector lending practices, which progressives continue to imagine as the primary culprit- hence their continued call for even more stifling regulations which only serve as a drag on productivity and growth that will prolong our recession.

Regarding Grayson’s use of the term “whore”- that term is applicable to about 95% of the members of Congress- men and women- including Grayson.  The only members of Congress who do not merit the designation are those who are not sacrificing the constitutionally-protected freedoms of the American people on a daily basis.