In the 2008 election cycle, Rep. Alan Grayson took the seat in an pretty conservative district of Florida, Orlando. He has an impressive backstory: born in a tenement in the Bronx, he grew up to attend Harvard Law (and, in his four years there, got his law degree with honors, alongside a Master's from Kennedy's School of Govermnent and a Ph.D.) The man is a brain factory, basically.
He has made a lot of money for himself and his family through his legal work (he started his own firm) but a few years ago began to make a name for himself as a whistleblower against Halliburton's profiteering in Iraq. Once he joined Congress, he has been unstoppable force for the good of the common man. He was the Representative a few weeks ago who said on the House floor that the Republican health care plan was to stay healthy, but if you get sick, to die quickly.
But while I love his quick wit, when I watch him, I specifically hone in on his style: he is direct, forthcoming, he knows his stuff and he does his research. (Did I mention he also clerked for Supreme Court Justices Rehnquest and Scalia and defunct-nominee-to-the-Supreme-Court Robert Bork?) He has conviction and honesty and he will not be intimidated. I could really learn a lot from him in my own future legal practice. As a future lawyer, I must discipline myself to always be thoroughly prepared for my clients, to fight for their rights vigerously and not be intimidated.
Below is a short clip of Rep. Grayson asking Rep. Brown (R-Georgia) about Bills of Attainder (a Constitutionally prohibited piece of legislation that punishes people without trial) in relation to defunding ACORN.
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