Thursday, March 31, 2011

Arizona Dems Goon Show

All I can say is that the Arizona Democrat party must be in dire straits. If they are reduced to having a very physically and possibly mentally impaired congressman run for a senate seat next year, it really is macabre time. This is in reference to the Arizona Democrat party attempting to recruit the injured congressman, Gabrielle Giffords, to run for the senate seat of the retiring Republican, Jon Kyl. According to this article in The New York Times, some members of Mrs. Giffords staff are laying the groundwork if she decides to make a run for the seat. As Mr. Campaign Spot, Jim Geraghty (a big Hat Tip to him for this!), the following is rather, oh I don't know. Creepy is one word: Representative Gabrielle Giffords is still in the hospital, but some of her most ardent backers are so enamored of the idea of her running for the Senate that they describe the inevitable campaign commercials: the deep-voiced narrator recounting what happened to her, the images of her wounded, then recovering and speaking into the camera alongside her astronaut husband to call on Arizonans to unite. WOW! Exploiting a tragedy for political gain? The fact that Mrs. Giffords was shot in the head by a deranged gunman? That six people died in this shooting? That many people were injured? Nah, not at all. Nothing to see there. Now really, is that the best Arizona Dems can come up with as a reason to vote for someone for senate? Because she survived an attempted murder. Vote for Giffords for senate! OK, I will play the game a bit. Mrs. Giffords has won her congressional seat three times. Three very tough races starting in 2006. Never getting more than 55% of the vote. In fact in the 2010 campaign, Mrs. Giffords barely won reelection against Jesse Kelly, 48.7% to 47.3%. So, how would that help statewide? Mrs. Giffords represents one of the few Democrat areas of the Grand Canyon State. And she squeaked by in the last election? How will she win statewide? By the sympathy vote, I guess. Can she win in Maricopa County, the largest in the state? The same county that keeps reelecting Sheriff Joe Arpaio? What about the Western part of the state? The growing Northwest part of the state? Again, very doubtful. But the whole push is exploitative. Something beyond creepy. Has anyone asked Mrs. Giffords about the possibility? Maybe not because she is nowhere near a recovery point to ask such a question. Yes, she will maybe see her husband, Mark Kelly, take off on the space shuttle this month. But that maybe too much for her. After all, she is recovering from a shooting in her head! This more than anything is what is wrong with politics. When humanity is taken out of the picture. And FTR, I would be writing the same thing if there was an R after Mrs. Giffords name. It is just wrong. Sometimes politics is not life. There are real people involved. It is too bad that there are some sociopathic types that do not realize it or care. I hope for a speedy recovery for Mrs. Giffords and to let her make any political decisions when she is ready. Not on some twisted campaign people's calendar.

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