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Published July 25, 2008 Gabby Giffords 0 Comments

Giffords Blocks “All of the Above” Energy Plan
Refuses to Listen to Voters Asking for a Real Energy Solution

Washington- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) joined arms this week with Democrat Party leaders to block a vote on the American Energy Act, which is an “all of the above” proposal to expand American exploration, promote energy efficiency and conservation and unleash the power of American innovation.

Giffords and the Democrat-led Congress have adjourned every single week this summer without passing a single bill to reduce energy costs.  And after three failed attempts to pass sham energy bills in order to provide political cover for vulnerable Democrats like Giffords, the leader of the “most open Congress in history,” House Speaker Pelosi, is refusing to hold an open vote on energy bills.  As today’s Washington Post editorializes:

“Instead of dealing with the issue on the merits, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a staunch opponent of offshore drilling, has simply decreed that she will not allow a drilling vote to take place on the House floor.” (Washington Post, 7/25/08)

Gabrielle Giffords has once again failed to get the job done by choosing to side with Washington’s Democrat establishment instead of the people of Arizona who feel the effects of the Democrats’ do-nothing approach.  Giffords’ vote to block H.R. 6566 The American Energy Act (House Roll Call 524) has told the people of Arizona that she is dedicated to standing in the way of: 

  • Opening the Arctic coastal plain and our deep water resources to drill for oil and natural gas;
  • Allowing development of our nation’s shale oil resources;
  • Easing refinery restrictions to increase domestic production;
  • Promoting coal-to-liquid fuel technology;
  • Permanently extending the tax credit for alternative energy production;
  • Eliminating barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production.  

“Gabrielle Giffords has continuously rewarded herself with long weekends this summer instead of delivering relief to the people of Arizona calling for a real energy solution,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. “Republicans have introduced a sensible and effective energy policy, but Giffords is more interested in standing with her do-nothing Democrat leadership than backing a real solution to one of the country’s most pressing issues.”

Republicans in Congress proposed a 21st Century energy package that would move America toward energy independence and energy self-sufficiency.  Meanwhile, Giffords and the Democrat Majority in Congress have failed to pass one single bill to help solve the energy crisis that the American people are dealing with each and every day.  This fall, Giffords can expect the people of Arizona to vote for someone who will actually represent their needs and interests. 

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Not Authorized by Any Candidate or Candidate’s Committee.

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Published July 14, 2008 Gabby Giffords 0 Comments

Will Giffords Return Rangel’s Wrangled Cash?
Rangel Reaps Benefits of Sweetheart Deal, Passes Savings to Colleagues

Washington– Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) has lined her campaign coffers with donations either from Charlie Rangel’s re-election campaign or his political action committee. Giffords ran with her Democrat leaders who promised the American people a “New Direction,” but with this latest story about Rangel grossly underpaying rent for four apartments, one of which violates city code by using it as his campaign office, she finds herself mixed up in the same old culture of backroom deals.

Gabrielle Giffords has become ensnared in this heated story as Arizona voters are wondering whether or not she will stand with Charlie Rangel or give back the thousands in campaign cash she accepted from him. To date, Giffords has accepted $16,000 in campaign contributions from Charlie Rangel.

“Gabrielle Giffords should put personal party loyalty aside and do the right thing by giving back the campaign contributions she took from Charlie Rangel,” said NRCC Spokesman Ken Spain.  “Gabrielle Giffords won’t be able to claim that she’s trying to move America in a ‘New Direction’ on the one hand, while defending the politics of corruption on the other.”

The question is simple:  Will Gabrielle Giffords live up to her promise of holding elected officials to a higher standard or will she run and hide from her campaign promises once again? 

Sources: CQMoneyline.com, FEC.gov

Gabby Blocks Energy Bill

Published July 10, 2008 Gabby Giffords 0 Comments

Washington- While families in Arizona continue to struggle with record high gas prices, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) voted again today to block the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Act (HR 2208) so that the Democrat-led Congress could designate a 227-year-old historic trail from the Revolutionary War (House Roll Call 480).  This was Giffords’ second vote in two days to block this energy proposal, which is a bipartisan bill that would help reduce the price of gasoline by encouraging the use of clean coal-to-liquid technology to produce alternative transportation fuels.

Continuing her “do-nothing” approach, Gabrielle Giffords has also failed to sign a discharge petition, which would force a vote on the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Act:

 “House Republicans are circulating the latest in a series of discharge petitions to force floor votes on energy legislation. But this time they are pushing a bill offered by a Democrat.”

“‘A handful of fossil-fuel Democrats, if given the chance, could vote for this,’ said Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who has worked with Boucher on the bill. ‘We’re just waiting for them to come out of hiding.’’’

“The petition is the GOP’s latest try at forcing House Democratic leaders to bring legislation aimed at boosting domestic energy production to the floor before the House leaves for its August recess.”

“Republicans, confident that the soaring price of gasoline has handed them an issue they can use in the fall campaign, say that majority Democrats have consistently blocked attempts to boost domestic oil and gas production and that the public is becoming increasingly aware of this.” (Congressional Quarterly, 7/9/08)

Gabrielle Giffords may have to remain in hiding as she heads back to her district to face her constituents who are waiting to ask she why she left Washington today without allowing a vote on one single piece of energy legislation. 

“While Gabrielle Giffords is ‘busy’ in Washington designating trails, her constituents are still waiting for relief from record gas prices,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain.  “At the rate Gabrielle Giffords and the Democrat-led Congress are operating, it looks like her constituents in Arizona will have to wait another 200 years before Democrats in Congress decide to take action on America’s energy crisis.”

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Gabby Voted Against Fully Funding Border Security

Published July 6, 2008 Gabby Giffords 0 Comments

Giffords VOTED NOT to send the bill back to committee to provide all the funds for building the Boarder Security Fence, along with the necessary roads, lights, cameras, barriers and sensors(Roll Call Vote 490, June 15, 2007).

Hardcore Liberal: The story of Gabby Giffords

Published June 30, 2008 Gabby Giffords 1 Comment
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Ontheissues.org, a non-partisan voter awareness group rated Gabby as a moderate-liberal in the Spring of 2007.

Now in the summer of 2008, On The Issues has changed their mind about Gabby’s so-called “moderate” positions. Now, she is rated as a HARDCORE LIBERAL.

Hardcore Liberal

So how does the incumbent, Ms. Giffords explain this one? She can’t. The fact of the matter is that when she is in Arizona, she talks about Arizona’s libertarian and conservative values, and tries to fool people into believing that she is a true Arizonan. But as soon as she steps one toe off of an airplane at Dulles or Reagan National, she is not an Arizonan. She is a politician who stands rank-and-file behind the most liberal officials in Washington.

If Gabby continues to keep pretending that she is a moderate then she obviously thinks her constituents are dumb.

Tax Increase Called “Mistake” by Fellow Dem

Published June 30, 2008 Gabby Giffords 0 Comments

Giffords Supports Tax Increases over Cutting Wasteful Washington Spending
 

Washington- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08) fulfilled her role as part of Washington’s tax-and-spend society today when she loyally sided with her Democrat leaders in passing an AMT “patch.” The bill was chocked full of tax increases, including $13.5 billion in tax increases that would stifle American efforts to produce domestic energy, while exempting Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez from these same tax increases (House Roll Call 455).

Unable to find a single spending cut in the interest of sparing Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars, Giffords voted to kill the amendment which would have eliminated these burdensome tax hikes from the AMT “patch” (House Roll Call 454).

“Gabrielle Giffords has once again failed her constituents in Arizona by voting for tax increases that only weaken our economy by reaching into her constituents’ wallets,” said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. “Taxpayers in Arizona deserve a representative who will be a good steward of their money instead of throwing it away on wasteful Washington spending.”

Just as the House voted on the AMT bill, fellow Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper said that it was a “mistake” to pass the bill with these tax increases, stating that because the Democrats couldn’t find a single spending cut, this bill would “punish” the wrong people: 

“The first choice should always be spending cuts.  Now, if anybody thinks that there is no program in government that couldn’t be cut, I think they are mistaken.  But, we’re not very good at finding those cuts.  Because, the way that the system works here in Washington is that you only get rewarded for adding spending, because whoever benefits from that individual program that should be cut, they’ll scream like crazy and complain.”   (CSPAN, 6/25/08)

 

The truth about Giffords and the 2nd Amendment

Published June 27, 2008 2nd Amendment , Congress , Gabby Giffords , Gabrielle Giffords , Politics , SCOTUS 1 Comment

This is what Congresswoman Giffords wants you to believe:

“As a gun owner, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. In February, I was proud to sign the Amicus Brief in District of Columbia v. Heller asking the Supreme Court to uphold the lower court ruling that overturned the long standing DC gun ban.

This is a common sense decision that reaffirms the Constitutional right—and Arizona tradition—of owning firearms. I commend the Court for ruling in favor of restoring our right to bear arms.” Congresswoman Giffords on the Supreme Court Ruling on Heller.

This is the truth:

-Giffords is a director of a group that opposes the right of Americans to own firearms.
-Giffords’ legislative record is one that has opposed gun rights.
-Giffords has taken positions on gun rights that are unconstitutional.

Giffords has a record of opposing gun rights for Americans. In fact, while she mentions her support of gun ownership, she didn’t mention that she is a member of the board of directors of the Anti Defamation League (ADL), which filed an amicus brief arguing against the right of Americans to own firearms so states can retain the ability to keep guns out of the hands of “violent bigots.” They go on to say, “Gun violence and the caching of dangerous weapons are commonplace among extremists.” Giffords has never called upon the Anti Defamation League to retract their hateful statements that gun collectors are extremists. Nor, did she resign from the board in protest of their statements.

Giffords legislative record also proves that she was never a friend of gun owners. As an Arizona legislator, she voted against restricting municipalities who wanted to impose restrictions on the sale of firearms and ammunition (2003, HB 2319). Giffords also voted against HCR 2025 (2003), which called for protecting gun shows from additional regulation or elimination.

Her record in Congress isn’t any better. Giffords chose not to be a co-sponsor of HR 1399, which would specifically guarantee Second Amendment rights to DC citizens and repeal the gun ban, that was just declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, even though the majority of Representatives did sign on as a co-sponsor. This raises an embarrassing question, why did Giffords praise the Supreme Court’s ruling, but refuse to co-sponsor a bill that would have done the same thing?

Giffords has opposed other measures that protect law abiding gun owners. She decided not to cosponsor H.R. 4900, a bipartisan bill that will reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE). The bill would limit disclosures on firearm data, ban a centralized electronic database of dealer records, and make other changes that will limit BATFE abuses that have been documented in the recent past. There are over 100 sponsors and co-sponsors of HR 4900 from both the Democratic and Republican parties. But Giffords is strangely quiet on this pro gun owner legislation.

Giffords has also taken public stands that are unconstitutional and at odds with American’s rights under the Second Amendment. In 2000, she favored banning the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting (2000 Arizona State National Political Awareness Test Nov 1, 2000). In 2006 she said she favored reauthorizing the Assault Weapons Ban.

But, both of these positions were found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court found that arms, “in common use at the time,” are protected by the Second Amendment (554 U. S., pg. 53 (2008)). And, semi automatic firearms (including those covered in the Brady Assault Weapons Ban) have been in common use for over a century. In fact, Giffords says she owns a 9 mm Glock, which would be illegal if semi-automatics were banned as she wanted (AZ Daily Star, 3/24/08, pg1).

Giffords opinion limiting semi-automatics to hunting purposes is also unconstitutional. The Heller ruling made it quite clear that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own a firearm for traditional lawful purposes of self defense (554 U. S. pg. 56 (2008)). Therefore, her view that the government can limit a class of gun only to hunting purposes is unconstitutional.

So, don’t be fooled by Giffords’ talk that she supports the Second Amendment right of individuals to own firearms. As a director of the ADL, she allowed an anti-gun rights amicus brief to be filed. In Congress and the Arizona Legislature, she has failed to support bipartisan bills that supported the right of lawful citizens to own firearms. She has supported restricting the ownership of semi-automatics, even though she owns one. And, she espouses unconstitutional positions that restrict the right of Americans to own firearms.

Maybe it’s time to defeat Giffords so she can come back home and rediscover the Arizona tradition of owning firearms.

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