Cross posted on my blog http://frogandturtle.blogspot.com/ which you should visit for election analysis and maps for congressional redistriciting.
I do not usually comment on current political events but with the tragic shooting in the head of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D) in Tucson today, I feel that I have to share my thoughts on it. Also, I want to share my thoughts on the comments involving terrorism and guns that far right Republicans have made recently. They definitely did not want Giffords to be shot but they have to realize how people can interpret their words.
Gabrielle Giffords (courtesy of the texarkan gazette)
Giffords represents Arizona's 8th Congressional district which contains parts of Tucson as well as more Republican leaning military areas in Cochise County. Her district is mostly white with a slight Republican lean. It was previously represnted by Jim Koble (R) but in 2006, Giffords picked up the district while defeating conservative Randy Graf (R). Despite her district's Republican leanings, she still won in the heavily Republican year of 2010. Her moderate positions on many issues definitely helped her. There are some representatives who do not accomplish much in congress or at least try to. Giffords is definitely not one of those representatives. She is a hardworking, honest and smart representative. She is married to astronaut Mark Kelly (R) and is a big proponent of stem cell research. She is also vocal on space issues. I have seen numerous political pundits mention here as a possible statewide candidate in the future.
She may have run for Senate in 2012 if Jon Kyl (R) retired. As a pragmatic candidate with moderate positions, she would have had a great shot at winning that seat in 2012 if Obama were popular enough to help increase turnout among Democrats. If she won the Senate seat, what happens next is based on speculation. I have heard that as long as Giffords remains honest and charismatic, she could be a potential presidential candidate in 2020 if the Democrats lose in 2016. Even if not 2020, Giffords had a long future ahead of her. She is only 40 and she had at least 25 more years in politics. The reports currently say she is still alive but in critical condition. I have even heard reports saying she was talking so that suggests a low chance of permanent brain damage if she survives. Right now, my prayers extend out to her friends, family and especially her. I hope she will live and if she does live, I hope her brain is not permanently damaged. Also, I send out my prayers to the others who were shot by the gunman too, including a 9 year old child who was killed and a Federal Judge.
Now, I want to turn to the question of who did the shooting. That question at first seems easily settled because the police have caught the shooter, a 21 year old man. Due to the many witnesses at the event, this was certainly the man who committed the crime. The question is now why he did it? I have heard many people suggest he is an extremist conservative. It is possible he is not a far right extremist though. Assuming he is though, is he the only one who did or said something gun related to the Democrats? No he is not. After teabaggers have been implying gun references though for more than a year, one person may have taken them seriously enough to actually shoot Giffords. First, Rep. Wally Herger (R) called a constituent a great American after the constituent said, "I am a proud right wing terrorist." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://www.cbsnews.com/... Next, Nevada Senatorial nominee Sharron Angle (R) said that the country needs 2nd Amendment remedies against the Government. http://blogs.abcnews.com/...
These two quotes were not directed at Giffords but they were not the only gun related rhetoric from far right conservatives. In April of 2010, Sarah Palin (R) who gets covered intensively due to her celebrity status told people to reload when referring to Democratic representatives she wanted to unseat. http://www.cbsnews.com/... Palin even put Giffords on a map of gun targets where she said she wanted to unseat members of congress including Giffords.
(it will not let me post the picture here so here is the link to a copy of it:) http://i751.photobucket.com/...
This is a long list of gun related comments by tea party members but they do not end there. Last year, Giffords's opponent Jesse Kelly (R) who lost to her even put in an event that referred to eliminating Giffords and target practice. Here is the photo of the event's information:
Now I am not saying at all that Herger, Angle, Palin and Kelly wanted people to go and shoot Democrats such as Giffords. In fact, I believe none of them do. What I am saying though is that they should stop making jokes about terrorism and guns as well as saying these words to energize people. I believe most people understand that these politicians do not really want death but some mentally ill people may not understand. Palin and other far right Republicans need to stop making these comments before someone else takes them too seriously and believes that he or she needs to shoot a representative. Words of public figures carry weight and public figures need to realize that before they start throwing out jokes or metaphors.
What do you think about Giffords's future? What do you think about the comments by the Republicans? Please feel free to share your thoughts.