Democrats avoided a second election loss in as many weeks Tuesday as Democrat Ron Barber defeated Republican Jesse Kelly in an Arizona special election for the House seat previously held by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Giffords resigned a year after she was shot in the head while meeting with constituents at a Tucson shopping center.
Barber, a former aide to Giffords, defeated Republican Jesse Kelly, a former Marine who narrowly lost a House race to Giffords in 2010.
The 66-year-old Barber was seriously injured in the same rampage in which Giffords was shot. Six others were killed.
Both the GOP and the Democrats were using the race to hone and test their political arguments for the November elections, when everything from the White House on down will be on the ballot.
This is great news for the Democrats! After what happened in Wisconsin this victory feels really good.
Personally I think it's clear that the deciding factor in this race was Gabby Giffords. She may be one of the most effective campaigners on the Democrats side right now.
Still let's give some credit to Arizona for keeping yet another Teabagging asshole away from Washington.
Gabby Wins.
ReplyDeleteSarah Loses.
Any questions?
What an inspiration Gabby is. PLUS, she dresses like an adult woman. I have never seen her look inappropriate, or even speak in an unladylike fashion. Let us hope her recovery is complete and she is soon back to doing what she does best - represent her constituents. Many in DC seem to have forgotten WHY they were elected. Abby has a great, loving husband too. What a team they make.
ReplyDeleteAs a Canadian, I am so happy that the republicans did not win this seat. Those idiots cause enough problems for you folks but believe it or not it disrupts things up here for us too. So any Democratic win for you is a win for us as well !
ReplyDeleteMy Canadian wife is constantly amazed at how dysfunctional our political system is that allows screeching imbeciles like Palin, Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Santorum, etc., ad infinitum to strut across our national stage.
DeleteNo shit, if McCain had won, I would now be writing this from somewhere other than the U.S. I have had the same thoughts if - God (or fill in your appropriate deity/non-deity here _______) forbid - Romney wins.
The tea baggers look FAR too much like the nascent brown shirts and fascist thugs that ran amok in Germany in the early '30s - except with more walkers, Dentu-Creme, and Depends. If those assholes get their nose under the tent with a Romney win, this country is headed the way of the Nazis. I sure as hell don't see anybody in the GOP that would be willing to stop them. THAT is how fascism begins. THAT is how the terror starts.
I feel quite at home in Canada and could assimilate very easily. I know about back bacon (even though I'm vegetarian), Tim Horton's, Don Cherry (the Technicolor Buffoon), and the metric system.
Not bad, eh?
Hey, you can do like me: live in Canada yet still vote in USA elections by absentee ballot. I expect a number of friends and family to call me if Romney wins. They will be asking, "How do I apply to emigrate to Canada?"
DeleteBet you a two-four you'll move here as well if t R-money wins. Eh?
Gasman,
DeleteCanada's political system is just as dysfunctional. In fact it is probably a synonym for "politics". Just as one example, look at Quebec and their desire to secede and become their own country. They want to take all the government money and military and none of the debt. Yeah, that should work out well.
However, Canada's political dysfunction is far less Naziesque than that of the GOP. I might not restrict myself to Canada. I think I could be quite happy in several European countries. Economic woes be damned, the fascist lust of the American right is frightening and I don't see near enough people on the political stage that are willing to call the right wing extremists out as the threat to democracy that they surely are.
DeleteI am well aware of Canadian politics as I have travelled regularly to Canada for nearly 30 years and have many Canadian family members who keep me filled in. The internet also allows one to keep up with Canadian politics even way down here in New Mexico. I never said Canada represented any kind of political utopia, it's just that their conservatives aren't quite as crazy as ours and they certainly aren't as well armed.
As for the Québécois, they are nuts. They remind me of the dog who chases cars but hasn't the slightest idea what to do when he actually catches one. They will always yearn to be La France de l'ouest, but would not attract the support of mère France and could not survive on their own. Let them bark en francais.
Your comments likening the GOP to fascists ring true. I can't deny that. Certainly, Canadians are far too polite to behave that way. As for the Quebecois (where the hell is the accent mark on my keyboard?), I think they are more like the dumb dogs who chase cars AND try to bite the FRONT of the tires in the process.
DeleteCan you imagine a woman as classy and graceful as Gabby saying anything like "man up" or "cajones" or refer to someone's manhood as "limp"? Can you imagine Gabby dressing like a hooker, wearing shoes too big for her, wearing Belmont girls or roadkill wigs, or stroking her thigh while being interviewed? No, I didn't think so, but we all know who fits that picture, don't we? Hooker Palin and PimpDaddy Todd are well-suited for each other but not for a public life unless it is pole dancing.
ReplyDeleteThe Sarah supporters like to spin this as "jealousy", but IMHO, it's embarrassment.
DeleteNinety-five years ago, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman in the US Congress. I love this fact, because she was a pacifist (voted against entering WWI and WWII), a feminist, and a suffragist, just to name a few...
And she was a Republican. Oh, how things have changed.
Ninety-five years have passed, and what is Sarah Palin doing to advance women in politics? She puts on a titillating display, uses inappropriate sexuality to sell herself, and caricatures the "screechy harpy" that professional women have had to distance themselves from in order to compete in a predominantly male arena.
I look at politicians like Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher, Gabby Giffords, any number of current Republican congresswomen... and yet I don't see any them dressing in such an unprofessional manner as Ms. Palin.
However, I have to be honest here -- Ms. Palin isn't running for any office, and most likely never will. Unfortunately, she has placed herself in the position of being a "political force", and IMHO, she should dress the part. The "sexy librarian" look might work on a few lonely bloggers, but it doesn't work if you're trying to gain respect for your political agenda.
Jealous? No. Embarrassed? Definitely.
Once her political career is over, I would not be surprised to see her on "Keeping up with the Palins" or a GoDaddy commercial.
Whenever I think of Gabby Giffords, the perp always comes to mind, which is sad, because Gabby is and was always more classy, beautiful, and truly a servant of the people than "blood libel" Sarah ever was.
DeleteCan you imagine Gabby saying "Punch them in the neck?"
I do understand where the emasculating fetish Sarah has comes from. Look at who carries her purses?
Mazel tov! However, it doesn't appear that Gabby Giffords actually did have much of a direct effect. She didn't do any campaigning until the eleventh hour and it turns out that Barber actually LOST the vote on election day. However, he offset that by winning big in early voting.
ReplyDeleteI heard Jesse Kelly speak and he is just a tea bagger dumbass. He spent al his TV time trying to somehow link Barber to President Obama - not that that is a bad thing, but Barber was a staffer, not a Representative - with lots of scary, ominous sounding music. It really makes me wonder if Kelly's intent was to tap into incipient racial animus among the white voters.
Kelly, who lost to Giffords in 2010, appears to be ready to run again against Barber in the fall. However, that district has been redrawn in a way that favors the Dems, so if Barber does a decent job, Kelly might just be looking at his third defeat in two years.
I wonder how the cousin humping morons in the tea bagger tribe are spinning this as a victory for themselves?
You know, even if Gabby didn't appear until the end, people knew that Barber was her aide. Come on...the man would have no name recognition without her, why can you not give her credit? And Jesse Kelly is a bought and paid for disciple of the Kochs and Arpaio and the NRA...I am thrilled that a GOP district ses through the muck and votes wisely. Pray that the entire country follows suit in November.
DeleteAnon @ 7:48,
DeleteYou have misinterpreted my point. I am not trying to deny Gabby Giffords any credit, however, her active involvement did not produce any demonstrable bump at the polls on election day. That is not an editorial comment, merely a statement of demonstrable fact.
I am well aware of the connection between Barber and Giffords and don't deny its importance. However, let's not forget that Barber was ALSO shot on that day. He has shed his blood for that district and I think the voters were well aware of that fact as well.
It amazes me that with all the money the Kochs have, they sure can't buy better candidates. It seems as if all they can get when they go shopping for pols are dumbasses like Kelly.
It would seem that the Kochs have FAR more money than brains.
DJLO - thanks for your comments. It is important for people to realize that our elections have consequences for our countries.
ReplyDeleteHow is the conservative movement faring in Canada? Has it been emboldened by the rise of the Tea Party mentality here?
I hope Canada never has to go through the turmoil we have and never allows people with such limited intellects to take power.
Thanks for caring about us.
Gryph: I notice in the previews of the Tripp show that Willow is holding a Trig with light brown hair, but we've seen pics of a cross-eyed Trig with dark brown hair, what is up with this family and the shape/color shifters?
ReplyDeleteA BIG thumbs up for Arizona!
ReplyDeleteW set the bar really low for the presidency. Now any moron with an (R) behind their name thinks they can qualify. Well, the repub. party agrees with them!! Jeb is biding his time until his son, George 111 is old enough to run. The roiyal Bush family will strike again. Jeb is supposed to be the smart Bush, I think he is just as dumb as W, just not so outspoken. Neal and Marvin seem to have come out of the shallow end of the gene pool, also. Romney scares me. A grown man who wears a state trooper uniform and puts a red light on his car has some serious issues, don't you think? Didn't some serial killers use that method to trap victims? Romney is very strange, and not too bright.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news in so many ways. Romney just can't win this election. It can't happen. So happy for Gabby, talk about inspiration. Hi Sarah, fuck you.
ReplyDeleteO/T Sick and tired of bible thumping cons acussing liberals of having a monopoly on hateful speech, Michelle Malkin is the vilest of hate stirrers, she has a post about "Bristol Palin tweeter hate-fest", she chose some tweets people about my age, well I don't talk like that neither do my friends, this sucks not all of us are like that hellooo people it isn't only liberals that despise her (hate is such a strong word). My mom has the stomach to go to con sites says we must keep an eye on those people well I can't and don't want to know what they say or think of liberals anymore. Sorry had to vent somewhere, mom loves this blog. I can't stop crying I don't want to live in this country anymore but there is nowhere else for me to go. :-(
ReplyDeleteChristina ~ If all the noble people, such as yourself, move out of the USA, who will be here to fight the good fight?
DeleteYour tears break my heart. I want to comfort you and tell you that everything will be OK. Never lose your compassion ~ just focus it on what's right.
On the other hand, it does the rest of us bleeding heart liberals no good if you go screaming into the crowd beating your chest and carrying a sword. As you grow older, grow smart; choose your battles.
You, Christina, are the hope of America :)
Hammer and a Feather-Thank you so much for your kind words, I wish there were more people like you in this world..maybe there are but the noisy mean ones make it seem otherwise..I laughed when I read about going marching into the crowd screaming beating my chest because many times I have felt like doing just that!..too much injustice, too much animosity and ugliness but also love, compassion and just plain humane behavior also abound in this country, thank you again for reminding me that we do need all hands on deck, I promise to stay positive and always do my best. Be well :)
DeleteChristina,
DeleteI feel very much the same way you do regarding the U.S. It is something that has been growing since the Reagan years. I have Canadian relatives, so that is an obvious choice. However, I speak four languages relatively well, so many nations in Europe are also on my list. I am traveling to Italy this summer and it really wouldn't take much for me to decide to stay. The racism, homophobia, and xenophobia that seems to be at decades high levels pisses me off beyond measure. That and our irrational attitude toward guns makes me wonder why I am here. Add to that the moron fundagelical buffoons that want to teach creationism as science and I really wonder what the allure is.
I have simply grown weary of apologizing to my international friends as to why my country is so mean spirited and so bullying when it comes to the rest of the world. Who the fuck are we to assassinate whomever we want and anybody that happens to be in their vicinity? Who the fuck are we to detain people indefinitely without charges, trial or access to a lawyer?
No place is perfect, but goddamn, but at times we are pretty stupid, arrogant, and hateful and I'm getting tired of it. Let me know where you'd like to go.
I'm leaning toward either Lago di Como or Cinque Terre in Italy. Italian wine, Italian food, opera... did I mention the wine?
Amo il vino italiano.
Hooray!! This is great news to wake up to today. Score another one for the good guys. Sarah and the AZ Teabaggers can jump on their scooter chairs (Sarah will be wearing a helmet, ALA Michael Dukakis) and ride off into the sunset -- whining all the way ...
ReplyDeleteGreat news for Arizona!!!
ReplyDeleteNow you need to clean up the garbage of Jan--the unbelievably stupid, uneducated, ignorant, pin-headed "governor-in-name-only"--Brewer. How and Why the heck did anybody vote her in anyway?
Brewski and JoJo go goofy... SO, Brewski issues orders for the Arizonie cops - all of them - to go buy new bullets for when the Supreme Court says that SB1070 is Okee Dokee... If you don't believe, go read it in the Arizonie papers... Astounding....
ReplyDeleteFinally, some good news! After the Wisconsin win for Walker, I was so discouraged that I had to step away from even reading anything political for awhile.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it still scares me when I think of the power and influence that Fox News, the Koch brothers and other big money has with the Republican party. It also scares and discourages me knowing that most of their base actively and knowingly will stay ignorant of anything other than GOP talking points.
I love seeing Gabby smile. She's a kingmaker, unlike what's her name and her husband vienna sausage.
ReplyDeleteMark and Gabby are an inspiration
Let's give her a reason to smile in 2012!
Tawdry has to be shittin' a brick that a description of his 'asset' is out there on the 'net tee hee.
Delete"Democrats avoided a second election loss in as many weeks Tuesday..."
ReplyDeleteONLY on Faux News! Congrats to Ron AND Gabby! May she continue to do well and thrive.
A Democrat with brain damage is smarter than any hundred Republicans.
ReplyDeleteGo and prosper Gabby!!