Gabrielle Giffords' Revolutionary Role

[evelynwordsmyth]

Young, highly educated and ambitious, Giffords has represented the brightest future of women in American politics

BY REBECCA TRAISTER

"Who, besides Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, might the country look to in coming years when considering the future of women in American politics?"

That’s a question I was asked approximately 10 times a day this fall,

Comments

[suzermagoozer]

i feel like Democrats have given up gun control as a core issue.

i predict it's coming back.

[nikoel]

Yeah, I still feel like it's a subject no one really wants to touch because the supporters are so rabid about it. It really seems like a losing battle.

[simona_zetsubou]

Something about this article bothers me, and I'm not really sure what it is. It's like the writer tried to take the focus off the tragedy to make a point about Giffords' political views and to give herself a soapbox to bring up points about her own. What does it matter if she was a "blue dog" Democrat? What does it matter? People are dead. People are dying. Ideology of the victim(s) should have no bearing on this.

Maybe I'm just misinterpreting this article, but it just bugs me.

[akashasheiress]

I disagree. She only mentions how Giffords's view differ from hers twice.

[simona_zetsubou]

I dunno, I might be misinterpreting it, but it just rubs me the wrong way that people (not just this writer- lots of others as well) feel that they need to bring their politics into this. I believe we should be focusing on preventing things like this from happening, not causing even more division.

Again, like I said, I may be misinterpreting this, but that's just my take on it.

[akashasheiress]

Ah, OK. This is really the only article I've read on this event, and I think this writer in particular is not trying to be divisive at all. It seems more like a call for unity than anything else, as she makes sure to highlight the aspects of Giffords's policies that she actually agrees with.

[serria]

Is there any word on her condition? I don't want to say "will she be okay" but...

[heliotroped]

Here's an article from the BBC on her condition at the moment: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12147588

In summary, she's responding consciously to some stimuli but is still very much in the danger-zone for a lot of complications or further damage. And nobody's saying anything about the extent of any recovery she may make (it would be irresponsible to, and impossible right now). They think because the bullet travelled straight forward through her forehead and did not cross brain hemispheres (it cut through the left one, not the right one), the situation is far better than it would have been if it had been side-to-side or diagonal, for instance.

I heard about this at 1am this morning, GMT, and it's been on my chest ever since. All those poor people, and shot while attending to their democratic rights and responsibilities, how horrifying.

[azetburcaptain]

Yes! I hoped for at least this. I hope she makes a full recovery, or at least better than they expect. I hope she will be able to talk and resume her duties.

[azetburcaptain]

Here for the Gabrielle Giffords tag. I don't know if the differences between the article writer and the congresswoman are relevant right now.

[haruhiko]

It's an editorial. The differences were only mentioned in passing in the beginning of the article, and the second mention towards the end of the article is wholly relevant because the author is admitting that despite the many ways in which Giffords' "centrist" views prop up the status quo, the very fact that she is who she is makes her a sign of substantive positive change in our politics.

[azetburcaptain]

Whoops, didn't check if it was an editorial, this changes things somewhat. IDK I'm still really distressed, although I'm so happy that the congresswoman is alive and responsive.

I'm all for positive change in politics everywhere. (pertaining to making it work in different ways regarding countries, cultures, languages etc)

[romp]

This was hard to read.