While one reader here at TMV reflected that Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s last night’s courageous and emotional appearance on the House floor to vote on the debt limit bill may have been “ political theatre and showmanship, maybe even a little arm-twisting to drum up support for the bill,” others are speculating that it may be the start of her run for re-election in 2012.
According to the Washington Post, Giffords spokeswoman C.J. Karamargin rejected speculation that Giffords’ support for Monday’s debt deal was the launch of a 2012 campaign: “’Congresswoman Giffords is focused on her recovery,’” she said. “’No decision has been made about 2012.’”
The Post also reports that, according to the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), no decision on Gabrielle Gifford’s political future has been made.
Wasserman Schultz, on CBS’s Early Show this morning, “We are confident that she is going to come back to help us full time,” acknowledging, however, that Giffords “still has a long way to go in her recovery.”
More from the Post:
On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Wasserman Schultz added that Democrats were helping Giffords prepare for 2012: “We’re certainly getting her ready to make sure she can run for re-election at the point that they’re ready to decide on that.”
“As you’ve seen, she’s got the heart of a lion, made remarkable progress,” Wasserman Schultz added. “But her supporters in Arizona and across the country, her colleagues, are making sure that she doesn’t have to start from scratch when she makes that decision.”
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Aides to Giffords have tried to tamp down speculation about their boss’ political future in recent months. Pia Carusone, the congresswoman’s chief of staff, told the Arizona Republic in June that Giffords struggles to form longer words and was nowhere close to returning to work.
There has also been speculation that Giffords’ husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, would run for the seat. Kelly has said that he is not interested.
It was gratifying to see the reader quoted earlier conclude the remarks with these words: “… but all that is OK with me as it was great to see her back. Many kudos to Rep. Giffords.”
It is great to see our humaneness trump, or at least temper, our political disagreements.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.