Will Tragedy Spark National Debate?

The shooting rampage in Arizona on Saturday that killed six people and critically injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has sparked a national debate about incendiary rhetoric and the potential for political violence.

Giffords, who was shot through the head at close range at a constituent outreach event at a Tucson grocery store, survived the attack and was at a local hospital after emergency brain surgery. She was revived from anesthesia briefly and recognized her husband, astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, before slipping back into unconsciousness, a source close to the family told POLITICO Saturday night.

Giffords was the intended target of the shooter, who may not have acted alone, authorities said.

Federal District Judge John Roll was among those fatally shot, along with Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman and a 9-year-old girl. In all, 19 people were hit.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said in a Saturday evening press conference that the suspect in custody — previously identified as 22-year-old Jared Loughner — “has kind of a troubled past.”

Authorities, Dupnik said, have “some reason to believe that he came to this location with another individual and there’s reason to believe that the other individual [may] in some way be involved.”

Dr. Peter M. Rhee, head of the trauma center at the Univeristy of Arizona’s hospital, said Saturday that he is “very optimistic about recovery” for the 40-year-old Arizona Democrat — though he did not say whether he believed such a recovery would be full.

The rampage shocked the political and law-enforcement communities in Arizona and Washington — not to mention Americans around the country, who sat glued to television sets waiting for definitive information among inaccurate early reports that Giffords had been killed.

In Washington, Capitol Police were on higher alert regarding lawmaker security, and the House schedule was postponed for the week.

Even as new details trickled out Saturday night, the story played out on television, Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere, quickly turning into a referendum on the state of American political discourse and igniting a heated discussion about the line between passionate anti-government anger and something more sinister.

Dupnik, the local sheriff, confronted that argument with startling directness and emotion in his news conference. He drew a line between the shooting and “unbalanced people and how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government.”

He addeed, “Unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Members of Congress expressed shock at the shooting and concern for their own safety.


“One of the most critical requirements of a free nation like the United States is free and enlightened public discourse,” Michigan Rep. John Dingell, a 55-year veteran of the House, told POLITICO Saturday night. What happened in Tucson “is hardly consistent with the principles that you and I believe in,” he said.

Someone using Loughner’s name expressed anti-government opinions in YouTube videos, one of which, posted on Dec. 15, begins with the words, “My final thoughts: Jared Lee Loughner.”

In one image from the video, these words appear onscreen: “If I define terrorist then a terrorist is a person who employs terror or terrorism, especially as a political weapon. I define terrorist. … if you call me a terrorist then the argument is Ad hominem. You call me a terrorist. Thus, the argument to call me a terrorist is ad hominem.”

Another video calls the residents of Arizona’s 8th District – which Giffords represents – illiterate.

The suspect was “tackled” at the scene by “two brave individuals,” the sheriff said. Another official, Pima County Deputy Rich Kastigar, said that the weapon used was a pistol with an extended magazine — meaning it was equipped to fire more bullets than a standard clip.

As victims continued to be identified late Saturday, their profiles painted a portrait of the humble business of congressional district work. One of the dead was Giffords’ 30-year-old community outreach director, Gabe Zimmerman, who was engaged to be married. The 9-year-old girl, active on her student council, tagged along with a neighbor. Another, a 75-year-old pastor, was standing in line to talk to the congresswoman when he was hit.

Sources said Giffords’ district director Ron Barber was among the injured and was in critical condition.

Lawmakers have become increasingly concerned in recent months about the potential for political disagreements to turn to violence, particularly in the wake of volatile town hall meetings during the debate over the nation’s new health care law and campaign-year remarks by some candidates that were construed as tolerant of violence.

Then-Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who represents a neighboring Arizona district, fled a similar “Congress on Your Corner” event in 2009 when some of her constituents became verbally aggressive in demanding that she answer their questions about the health care overhaul.

On Saturday, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) told MSNBC that “angry” constituents can be unsettling to lawmakers.

“I have to say honestly there are times when sometimes it’s frightening,” Pingree said. “It can be a somewhat nerve-wracking experience.”

In a televised address, President Barack Obama called the incident a “tragedy for Arizona and the entire country” and said he had sent FBI Director Robert F. Mueller to the scene.

Obama spoke with Speaker John Boehner, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Saturday afternoon. Boehner and his staff stayed in close contact with congressional leaders in both parties, as well as House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood.

Partisan finger-pointing began quickly, with some liberals pushing the idea that 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had encouraged violence against Giffords by putting her on a “target” list for defeat in the mid-term election.


Palin issued a statement Saturday offering her “sincere condolences” to the families of Giffords and the other shooting victims.

“On behalf of Todd and my family, we all pray for the victims and their families, and for peace and justice,” she posted on her Facebook page.

While “target” lists are a staple of congressional electoral politics, remarks by other candidates, including Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, have come closer to encouraging violence outright.

During her campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Angle discussed the possibility of finding “Second Amendment remedies” if Congress did not become more responsive what she believed to be the public will.

Media reports about the shooting were often conflicting on Saturday, and Giffords aides were forced to push back against news outlets that reported early on that the congresswoman had been killed.

Lawmakers expressed outrage at the shooting spree.

“An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve,” Boehner said. “Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country.”

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), speaking on MSNBC called the shooter a “monstrous degenerate.”

In the wake of the shootings, Capitol police warned that “all members and staff are advised to take reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal security.”

It was the first such attack on a member of Congress since Leo J. Ryan was killed when he led a delegation to Guyana to investigate cult leader Jim Jones. A Congressional Research Service report from 2002 identified 60 lawmakers who had died of reasons other than natural causes while in office — though most were the victims of transportation accidents or suicide.

Assassins have gunned down several sitting members of Congress, including New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, who was campaigning for president in Los Angeles, and Louisiana Sen. Huey Long in 1935.

Capitol police officers Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr., and John M. Gibson, died in the line of duty in July 1998, when armed assailant Russell Weston stormed past a Capitol security checkpoint outside the office of then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas).

Giffords was a target of intimidation efforts during the health care debate: A brick was thrown through her district office window.