(no subject)

[coldblossom.livejournal.com]

That's my governor!

Ordinarily I would be against such behavior as it disrespects the office of the President, but during his visit here today Gov. Brewer gave President Obama a letter (reminder of her open invitation to join her at the border) and he chose that moment to whine to her about how he disliked how she portrayed him in her book. He's entitled to his opinion, but there is a time and place for it and given the treatment Arizona has recieved from this adminstration (they're suing us, they're framing our citizens, they're allowing our citizens to be murdered, and they're sticking us with the bill while simultanously forbidding us to take any action ourselves to resolve the situation), this was definiately not appropriate. He needs to learn to have a thicker skin, for one, as well as learn to be more professional.

In other Arizona news, Rep. Gabby Giffords finally stepped down. I don't have anything against her personally, but she left her constituents unrepresented for over a year. That is ridiculously unfair to them and selfish of her. I am glad that she has made the right decision and now we can move to fill her seat. It will go Democrat, so nobody get excited.

Comments

[dreadfulpenny00.livejournal.com]

He's entitled to his opinion, but there is a time and place for it... -- What a minute, what? There's a time and a place for people to make complaints? Where and when is that, because the last time I checked, the free exchange of conversation between two people on an airport tarmac is hardly controversial. It also doesn't need a formal meeting.

Your comment about Giffords is incredibly insensitive. The woman was shot and working on her recovery! To say it was selfish of her just because no one stepped in and took over her position is ridiculous under the circumstances.

[acethepug.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about Giffords, but the comments about a time and a place for criticism seem fair.

The sitting President DOES need a thicker skin. For someone who told his opposition that he won and they should get over it, for his sitting back and letting people savage Arizona, it's pretty galling to hear him whine about his portrayal in someone else's book. IMHO, he should just act Presidential (as you said, professional) -- it'll never happen, but it should.

Did GW Bush whine while he was being attacked almost daily for years? And he had far more cause than our current President, who gets defended and covered for by the media.

I really don't know if it's personal bias on my part, but he (President Obama) always comes across as incredibly smug when he feels he's got the advantage, and extremely petty otherwise.

[rightsaidred.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, nobody COULD really step in for Giffords, without her willingly resigning.

[coldblossom.livejournal.com]

There is such a thing as time and place, yes. Gov. Brewer handed President Obama a completely innocuous and polite letter and he didn't even read it before he insulted her. She said "welcome to Arizona" and he said "I don't appreciate how you portrayed me in your book." I am sure Brewer was taken aback that the first thing that sprang to his tongue was not "I'm glad to be here," or "I look forward to learning about how Arizona went from the bottom to the top 10 in job creation," but rather a complaint about her book. President Obama brought it up, not Brewer, and given that he subsequently walked away from her before she was finished speaking to him--something that is rude and insulting all on its own--shows that he got off the plane with a chip on his shoulder and had no intention of being respectful to our Governor. Everyone says "we must respect the office of the President." Yes, this is true. But does that mean the office gets to walk all over everyone else, just because its the President?

Giffords should have resigned her seat long ago. It is an elected position so no one can just "step in" unless she vacates and even then a special election must be called. She held the seat for over a year and denied her constituents their Constitutional right to representation. Further, she has been making the rounds in the media granting interviews, doing photo-ops at soup kitchens and charity marathons, but she couldn't find any time to tender her resignation? Locals in Tucson feel that she and her husband have been using all of this for political and personal gain since (as I have found here) they are immune from criticism while she recovers. The icing on the cake here was the serious speculation that she would run for re-election to job that she currently isn't able to perform, leaving her constituents unrepresented potentially for years. I understand she had a traumatic injury, but she also had a responsibility to her constituents to resign so they could have their voices heard in government.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

... since (as I have found here) they are immune from criticism while she recovers.

I haven't kept up with it so I have no opinion on them using the situation for personal gain. But as far as any criticism, that is so true. Any sort of personal injury or trauma renders someone automatically immune from any sort of criticism about anything they do or say.

(Well, unless you're a Republican.)

[jessm78.livejournal.com]

Huge props to your governor! I wish mine had balls like that (unfortunately I have to deal with the Cuomo spawn here *sigh*). His behavior was ridiculous and he deserved it.

Totally agree that Giffords did the right thing in stepping down.

[lazypadawan.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Obama, you just helped Jan Brewer sell more copies of "Scorpions For Breakfast." I believe this and increasing gun sales are the only things you've done for the economy.

What a thin-skinned punk.

As for Rep. Giffords, I believe it should be the law that any member of Congress who is permanently or long-term incapacitated due to illness, accident, disappearing, etc. must vacate the office and special elections be held. That applies also to stroke victim Sen. Mark Kirk. If he can be back in the saddle in a couple of months, great. If not, he needs to be replaced by someone else. While Rep. Giffords has come a long way in a year, that's too long for constituents to be without effective representation.

[coldblossom.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Obama, you just helped Jan Brewer sell more copies of "Scorpions For Breakfast." I believe this and increasing gun sales are the only things you've done for the economy.

I think Amazon reported that her book sales increased over a million percent (wtf?) since the photo. I have to wonder, though, how well (or not) it was doing before.

[kabiosile.livejournal.com]

He's a typical Columbia brat. I spent four years there; I'd know.

They're all the same - pompous, self-righteous loudmouths who couldn't debate their way out of a paper bag. Their idea of "winning" an argument involves wailing, pouting, and cries of "elitism," if not "racism" or "sexism."

It was a miserable four years, let me tell you.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

That's what Obama does, lecture people. Glad to see it out in the open for all to see.