I love some of what Alan Grayson said while he was in Congress. He spoke out forcefully against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spoke out against the failure of the Republicans to propose any meaningful plan to make sure every American has access to adequate, affordable healthcare.

But he was a terrible candidate.

There was little chance he would survive the terrible GOP wave of 2010 but there was every chance he could have made the sort of showing that put him within spitting distance of Webster (and therefore, given him a slim possibility of pulling it out). There was no good reason for him to have lost by 18 points and to not even have gotten 40% of the vote.

Or rather, there was a very good reason. He ran an awful campaign.

He can raise money, but in the new 9th district wherein he’s running, GOP’er John Quinones could beat him, even though the 9th was created to be a bit of Democratic vote sink (not too much of one, since that would violate the Florida Constitution since the passage of Fair Districts). John Quinones can probably raise respectable money based on his position on the Osceola County Commission and if Grayson looks to be repeating his 2010, you can bet that the RNCC will put enough resources into the district to keep things on an even keel, money-wise.

Maybe Grayson already has a campaign infrastructure, but unless he has a strong experience manager who knows how ‘manage’ candidates, things could go south fast. Someone who can keep Grayson’s most impolitic instincts from taking over, someone who will work with the candidate and the rest of the campaign staff to keep things not only ‘on message,’ but also to focus on those issues that resonate with the voters and to use a tone that doesn’t play into negative perceptions. It’s the difference between appearing as a bullying loudmouth and a blunt fighter for one’s values. The line between the two is finer than you think, which is why care needs to be taken. Two years ago, I don’t believe that happened.