“Are you afraid? Are you fearful today?”
“You know, I’m not. We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of protesters over the course of the last several months. Our office corner has really become an area where the Tea Party movement congregates. And the rhetoric is incredibly heated. Not just the calls, but the emails, the slurs. So things have really gotten spun up. But you gotta think about it. Our democracy is a light, a beacon really around the world, because we effect change at the ballot box, and not because of these outbursts — of violence in certain cases, and the yelling, and it’s just … you know, change is important, it’s a part of our process, but it’s really important that we focus on the fact that we have a democratic process.”
“I think it’s important for all leaders, not just leaders of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party … community leaders, figures in our community to say, ‘Look, we can’t stand for this.’ I mean, this is a situation where people really need to realize that the rhetoric, and firing people up, and even things … For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the thing is, the way she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district. And when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there’s consequences to that action.”
“In the years that some of my colleagues have served, twenty, thirty years, they’ve never seen it like this. We have to work out our problems by negotiating, working together, hopefully Democrats and Republicans.”
–Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, March 25, 2010.
Update | Comments closed.
17 comments
January 8, 2011 at 6:10 pm
Terrorism in Tuscon
[…] “For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the way she has it depicted has th… […]
January 8, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Violent Political Rhetoric: AZ Tragedy - Religious Education Forum
[…] […]
January 8, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Arkay
Small quibble Angus, but this transcript doesn’t exactly match what she said. It’s just a handful of word choices but seeing as people are linking to it it would probably be a good idea to correct it.
January 8, 2011 at 6:44 pm
murmur55
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords sounds lovely…
January 8, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Angus Johnston
Thanks for the heads-up, Arkay. I did it on the fly, and I thought I’d gotten everything right, but you’re correct — I mistyped a few things. Fixed now.
January 8, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Top Posts — WordPress.com
[…] Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Violent Political Rhetoric, March 2010 “Are you afraid? Are you fearful today?” […]
January 8, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Angus Johnston
[comment deleted]
Not today, Farmboy. Not on this post. Sorry.
January 8, 2011 at 9:14 pm
farmboy
what a total lying hypocrite coward you are..like all on the left..like this weasel krugman..laying blame with NO basis..shame on you
January 8, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Angus Johnston
I didn’t write anything about who was responsible here. I didn’t write ANYTHING here. All I did was post a call for civility and decency in politics, written by a woman who was just nearly murdered in the course of public service.
A few dozen people gathered at a Tucson supermarket today for a meeting between a member of congress and her constituents, the most wholesome, decent gathering I can imagine. Tonight thirteen of those few dozen people are hospitalized, and six — including a nine-year-old girl — are dead.
And yes, I’m with Congresswoman Giffords. We can’t stand for this. We can’t stand for this. We can’t stand for this.
It’s not normal. It’s not ordinary. It’s not just politics.
It has to end.
January 8, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Norman Roberts
Yes, Gifford speaks for herself quite well.
January 9, 2011 at 4:55 am
foo
Sarah Palin’s list is still on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/dont-get-demoralized-get-organized-take-back-the-20/373854973434
January 9, 2011 at 6:26 am
Silence is Compliance | Arizona University Watch
[…] cross-hairs to denote her “targets,” three of them within Arizona and one of them being Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Instead of her gun and violent rhetoric being charged as “promot[ing] the overthrow of the […]
January 9, 2011 at 9:39 am
Just stumbling. Articles, links, quotes: the Shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords | blue cheddar.
[…] “I think it’s important for all leaders, not just leaders of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party … community leaders, figures in our community to say, ‘Look, we can’t stand for this.’ I mean, this is a situation where people really need to realize that this rhetoric, and firing people up, and even things … For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the way she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district. And when people do that, they’ve gotta realize that there’s consequences to that action.” Congresswoman Giffords’ full statement following the March 2010 vandalism of her office: StudentActivism.net […]
January 10, 2011 at 10:39 am
The Midmorning Refill: Is rhetoric to blame for the Arizona shooting? « CitizenVox
[…] as Rep. Giffords herself stated in March 2010: “Our democracy is a light, a beacon really, around the world because we affect […]
January 12, 2011 at 4:49 pm
In the Wake of the Giffords Shooting, Civility and Self-Reflection Should Be Our Guide « Clearly New Mexico
[…] office door was smashed in the wake of a contentious partisan debate over health care reform, she told MSNBC: “Our democracy is a light, a beacon really around the world, because we effect change at the […]
April 18, 2013 at 8:53 am
Just stumbling. Articles, links, quotes: the Shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords : blue cheddar
[…] “I think it’s important for all leaders, not just leaders of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party … community leaders, figures in our community to say, ‘Look, we can’t stand for this.’ I mean, this is a situation where people really need to realize that this rhetoric, and firing people up, and even things … For example, we’re on Sarah Palin’s targeted list, but the way she has it depicted has the crosshairs of a gunsight over our district. And when people do that, they’ve gotta realize that there’s consequences to that action.” Congresswoman Giffords’ full statement following the March 2010 vandalism of her office: StudentActivism.net […]
December 19, 2014 at 1:16 pm
- Sazon Completo
[…] As Congresswoman Giffords herself has noted: […]