Alan Grayson's Tumblr

by Adam Carlson

The 113th Congress: do they blog? They do, a little! And here we review their blogs. Hey here is the Tumblr of Alan Grayson, the Democrat in the House of Representatives from a crazy central stretch of Florida.

Who: Alan Grayson (Rep-D, Florida) — Alan Grayson’s Emails

What: A Sorkinesque salad of high, low, and high-handedness through diatribes, transcripts, remembrances, and Don McLean references.

Design: 4.812/10 The blog is basically basic; its basicness announces itself with every post, every one set against and surrounded by a white background. But the function of design is functionality, and the lack of design pairs potently with the lull of the scroll.

Community engagement: 1/10. Grayson breaks some cardinal rules of community management (there isn’t any) without ever forgetting to ask followers for money while also making sure said followers know America may become a terrible place without their contribution. Please reblog!

Fun: If you still hate “The Newsroom,” you will probably hate Grayson’s blog. If you still hate “The Newsroom” but also watch it each week because you loved Jeff Daniels in that one movie from a few years ago and because it’s nice to hear people shove long words at each other like sexual proxies and because when did Olivia Munn get so funny? Well, you have been warned. Recently Grayson has been blogging quite a bit about not going to war with Syria, often to the tune of single-digit Tumblr notes in response.

Peak/Valley: Republishing MLK, Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” on its 50th anniversary.

Soundbite: “One of the nice things about being a Member of Congress is that I have security clearance, and you don’t. Sorry!”

Previously: Mark Takano’s Tumblr

Adam Carlson writes things for money.