From Politico‘s Grayson: GOP wants ‘you to die’:

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) warned Americans that “Republicans want you to die quickly” during an after-hours House floor speech Tuesday night.

Rep. Alan Grayson states Republicans wants 'you to die'His remarks, which drew angry and immediate calls for an apology from Republicans, were highlighted by a sign reading “The Republican Health Care Plan: Die Quickly.”

I’m going to call this Democratic congressmember’s commentary a House Floor version of internet trolling:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Rep. Grayson’s comments would, if made in an internet forum, would qualify as a kind of flaming:

An Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and such a response is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others. Sometimes, flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users. Other times, a flamer is simply an individual who believes he or she carries the only valid opinion. This leads him or her to personally attack those who disagree. In some cases, flamers wish to upset and offend other members of the forum, in which case they can be called “trolls”. Most often however, flamers are angry or insulting messages transmitted by people who have strong feelings about a subject.

I want healthcare reform — especially for the underinsured and the uninsured — and I want a public option as part of that healthcare reform. I don’t see how Rep. Grayson’s comments lead us to the kind of healthcare reform — the kind with a public option — that many of us progressives want.

In my mind, it comes down to this: Rep. Grayson’s commentary doesn’t clarify discussion on healthcare reform and isn’t likely to persuade others; Rep. Grayson’s commentary does personally attack those with whom he disagrees. What was the point of the speech? In my mind, it was simply to antagonize his opponents.

The problem is that, if anything, his commentary will in the long run turn out to be destructive. This is because his commentary will turn off those in the middle — those whom progressives want to persuade to support healthcare reform that includes a public option. I would say many of us Americans are tired of Republican and Democratic sniping back and forth at each other — throwing snowballs at each other from the safety their own snowball forts.

Basically, one doesn’t change hearts and minds if one behaves like a jackass. Rep. Grayson, if he wanted to speak on the subject of healthcare reform, could have (and should have) done much better at framing the discussion — One doesn’t have to sink to one’s opponents’ jackassary to effectively counter these others’ fallacious arguments.