• Representative Gabrielle Giffords steps down from congress in order to focus on recovery
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[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/FPYEr.jpg[/IMG] [release]WASHINGTON — For months, Representative [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/gabrielle_giffords/index.html?inline=nyt-per"]Gabrielle Giffords[/URL], who was shot in the head in an assassination attempt last year, signaled that returning to Congress, something she desperately longed to do, was in the realm of the possible. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark E. Kelly, were joined at a vigil in Tucson this month by Rabbi Stephanie Aaron, left, who officiated at their wedding in 2007, and Dr. Peter Rhee, chief of trauma at University Medical Center in Tucson. She listened pensively as her friend, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, briefed her on the conflict in Libya, and she expressed in clipped phrases her views on the matter. She cast a vote to raise the nation’s [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/national_debt_us/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"]debt ceiling[/URL]. Her Congressional aides continued to churn out news releases outlining her positions and hold community meetings, and she and her husband gave an interview to ABC News in which she demonstrated her improving ability to speak. But Ms. Giffords, a moderate Democrat from Arizona whose remarkable comeback stirred the nation, decided in recent days that she could not continue her recovery and still serve as a member of Congress. On Sunday, she announced that she would step down. Ms. Giffords’s decision shook up the race for her seat representing Arizona’s Eighth District. She barely fought off her Republican challenger in 2010 but was expected to be a shoo-in for re-election if she had decided to run this year. “She could have definitely done it,” Ms. Gillibrand said. “But I think she made a realization, if she really wanted to focus on the recovery, she shouldn’t.” In a [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nguu0TkCTd4"]moving video released online[/URL] on Sunday afternoon, Ms. Giffords, in a halting voice, explained to her constituents: “I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery, so to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week.” But Ms. Giffords hinted at a potential return to elective office. “I will return, and we will work together for Arizona and this great country,” she said. On Jan. 8, 2011, Ms. Giffords, who is in her third term, was one of 19 people shot at a meet-and-greet political event outside a grocery store in her hometown of Tucson. Six people died, including a 9-year-old girl, [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/christina_green/index.html"]Christina-Taylor Green[/URL], and a federal judge, [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/john_roll/index.html"]John M. Roll[/URL]. The [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/arizona_shooting_2011/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"]shooting[/URL] suspect, [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/jared_lee_loughner/index.html"]Jared L. Loughner[/URL], a 22-year-old college dropout, has been charged with numerous federal counts, including the attempted assassination of a member of Congress. The remainder of Ms. Giffords’s term will be filled by the winner of a special election, to be held on a date determined by Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican. In November, the district will be redrawn in a way that further favors Democrats, which may scare away some Republicans. Democrats, fearing the loss of the seat, had hoped that Ms. Giffords’s husband, Capt. Mark E. Kelly, a retired astronaut, would run in her place. Michael McNulty, the chairman of the Giffords for Congress campaign, said he talked with Mr. Kelly on Saturday. When asked if he was interested in running, “he said no, simply no,” Mr. McNulty said. Ms. Giffords’s decision came after intensive discussions with her political advisers but ultimately boiled down to a personal choice, those close to her said. Democrats in Arizona, who had been waiting to see what Ms. Giffords would decide, were informed of the congresswoman’s resignation just before she posted her video statement online on Sunday. Until then, her adviser had said that the only deadline she faced about her political future was May 30, the deadline for submitting her nominating petitions for re-election. “There was definitely no pressure on her,” Ms. Gillibrand said. “I think everyone in the state wanted Gabby to serve and was letting her decide her response accordingly.” While Ms. Giffords’s ability to understand what people say to her is strong, she does not have the language skills to express her responses. “She can get across how she feels and what her views are,” Ms. Gillibrand said, but her ability to communicate effectively is hindered “because she can’t talk in paragraphs. That is the development she wants to focus on.” Under Arizona law, a governor has 72 hours from the day the vacancy is declared to name the date for a special election; the primary must take place 80 to 90 days from the date of the vacancy, with a general election 50 to 60 days after that. Jeff Rogers, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Pima County, which includes Tucson, said money could play a significant role, especially in the special election, which tends to draw fewer voters. “There’s no odds-on favorite, Democrat or Republican,” he said. “But if she supports anyone, it’s a leg up.” Several Democrats who hold statewide posts are expected to test the waters, including Matt Heinz, a doctor and member of the Legislature; Paula Aboud, a state senator; and Steve Farley, assistant minority leader in the State House and a friend of Ms. Giffords and Mr. Kelly. Frank Antenori, a Republican state senator from what is now the southern part of the district who is [URL="http://www.antenori.com/"]planning to run[/URL] for the seat, seemed thrown by the new development. “I’m still trying to sort this out,” said Mr. Antenori, who called a strategy session of his advisers on Sunday night to discuss the matter. “I had heard that an announcement was coming, but most people thought that she wouldn’t run again, not that she’d step down right away,” he said. “I expect a lot of national attention and a lot of national money in this race.” Another Republican [URL="http://www.davesitton.com/"]considering a run[/URL] for the seat is [URL="http://davesitton.com/"]Dave Sitton[/URL], a rugby coach and sports announcer for the Arizona Wildcats. Ms. Giffords has a healthy campaign treasury, with just shy of $880,000 on hand as of the end of September; other potential Democratic candidates will start with far less in the way of money and organization. Ms. Giffords’s office said she planned to return to the supermarket parking lot in Tucson where she was shot for a private event, which will include some of the people who were at the meet-and-greet last year. Ms. Giffords, who will officially resign to Congressional officials later this week, will also attend [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/o/barack_obama/index.html?inline=nyt-per"]President Obama[/URL]’s [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/state_of_the_union_message_us/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"]State of the Union address[/URL] on Tuesday night in the House chamber. On Sunday, Mr. Obama released a statement that read in part: “Gabby Giffords embodies the very best of what public service should be. She’s universally admired for qualities that transcend party or ideology — a dedication to fairness, a willingness to listen to different ideas, and a tireless commitment to the work of perfecting our union.” [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/john_a_boehner/index.html?inline=nyt-per"]John A. Boehner[/URL], a Republican who became House speaker only days before the [URL="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/arizona_shooting_2011/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"]shooting[/URL], said in a statement on Sunday: “I salute Representative Giffords for her service, and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed.” [I]Reporting was contributed by Ken Belson and Ford Burkhart from Phoenix, Marc Lacey from New York and Marisa Gerber from Tubac, Ariz.[/I][/release] [URL=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/us/politics/gabrielle-giffords-says-shes-leaving-the-house.html?_r=2]NY Times[/url]
She's pretty pretty hot.
Hope she keeps making progress, she looks to be doing pretty good.
After living in Arizona and seeing her in person and the shit she had to deal with from her opposers, this makes me pretty upset.
She should have stepped down a long time ago, her recovery is going to take years.
I wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her return to Politics if able. The fact she stayed in Congress and continued to represent her constituents attests to her strength of character.
If any other kind of institution contained the kind of nutters that seem to populate the Republican party (or at least it's supporters) they'd have been shut down a long, long time ago. I mean you have this shooting (even though it took place a year ago), and a Democrat's murdered cat with the word 'Liberal' written on it on the 1st page here - they're not exactly painting a very nice picture of the Republican party.
[QUOTE=sltungle;34370521]If any other kind of institution contained the kind of nutters that seem to populate the Republican party (or at least it's supporters) they'd have been shut down a long, long time ago. I mean you have this shooting (even though it took place a year ago), and a Democrat's murdered cat with the word 'Liberal' written on it on the 1st page here - they're not exactly painting a very nice picture of the Republican party.[/QUOTE] The shooter was mentally ill. He wasn't even necessarily politically motivated.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;34370593]The shooter was mentally ill. He wasn't even necessarily politically motivated.[/QUOTE] Oh. Did they never find out why he did it? It seems kinda statistically unlikely that of everyone you'd wind up killing they'd be a politician unless politics was somewhat involved in the decision.
[QUOTE=McSkinny;34367249]After living in Arizona and seeing her in person and the shit she had to deal with from her opposers, this makes me pretty upset.[/QUOTE] As a Tucsonan, the way I see it I'm glad she's stepping down. She couldn't represent us the way she'd want to in her current state, and I'd much rather have her focus on getting even better so eventually, if she wanted to, she could run for Senate or even Governor. She'd be fucking untouchable, as shameless as it is to admit. I love the woman and hope her recovery is swift, it was so painful watching her go through this whole process that I wish her nothing but peace and happiness... <3 Gabby. Probably the most heartfelt thing you'll ever see me post on FP.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;34370593]The shooter was mentally ill. He wasn't even necessarily politically motivated.[/QUOTE] He was quite politically motivated, it's just that his politics were a bit on a crazy side of whacko. As you and everyone reading this knows, just being mentally ill doesn't mean you can't engage in politics. Look at the <opposite party to your ideals>! [editline]24th January 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=sltungle;34370619]Oh. Did they never find out why he did it? It seems kinda statistically unlikely that of everyone you'd wind up killing they'd be a politician unless politics was somewhat involved in the decision.[/QUOTE] tl;dr he hated the government and she pissed him off so he went to kill her IIRC [editline]24th January 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=ewitwins;34370623]As a Tucsonan, the way I see it I'm glad she's stepping down. She couldn't represent us the way she'd want to in her current state, and I'd much rather have her focus on getting even better so eventually, if she wanted to, she could run for Senate or even Governor. She'd be fucking untouchable, as shameless as it is to admit. I love the woman and hope her recovery is swift, it was so painful watching her go through this whole process that I wish her nothing but peace and happiness... <3 Gabby. Probably the most heartfelt thing you'll ever see me post on FP.[/QUOTE] She could be in a coma and still be as good as the average senator/congressman and this is probably the most heartfelt thing you'll ever see me post
[QUOTE=Contag;34370626]He was quite politically motivated, it's just that his politics were a bit on a crazy side of whacko. As you and everyone reading this knows, just being mentally ill doesn't mean you can't engage in politics. Look at the <opposite party to your ideals>! [editline]24th January 2012[/editline] tl;dr he hated the government and she pissed him off so he went to kill her IIRC[/QUOTE] He claims he took inspiration from the Tea Party. What's even more fucked up is the local republican party had an auction a month later for the same type of gun that was used by Lauphner. The whole situation was horrible, but in the long run we as Tucsonans came out more united and stronger in community. I went to the run they had for raising money for victims of the shooting, it was incredible how many people were there, it was tearjerking. I never felt so moved by a crowd of people I didn't know in my entire life.
[QUOTE=sltungle;34370521]If any other kind of institution contained the kind of nutters that seem to populate the Republican party (or at least it's supporters) they'd have been shut down a long, long time ago. I mean you have this shooting (even though it took place a year ago), and a Democrat's murdered cat with the word 'Liberal' written on it on the 1st page here - they're not exactly painting a very nice picture of the Republican party.[/QUOTE]That is no more evidence of widespread nuttiness in the GOP than that liberals are immoral crazies because some people pissed on holy symbols at an Occupy Rally. Now, the [i]ideas[/i] the GOP, that's a different story.
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