<p>I thought her return last night was inspirational. And we could all use some inspiration right about now.</p>
<p>Go Gabby!</p>
<p>laurendog - I’m the one who mentioned not doing a google search. If you’ll note, my post was very late at night, and I was too tired to do the search, but my half-functioning brain was recalling a similar story of an elected official from SD with a brain injury.</p>
<p>And yes, a gunshot wound from close range is very different from a brain bleed, but it is not unheard of for people who suffer strokes to become non-functional, forever. So it was not a huge leap for me to wonder if Senator Johnson had made any sort of similar recovery, as Rep. Giffords had. </p>
<p>I just saw video of Giffords’ visit last night and am even more impressed. You could tell she knew exactly what she was doing, and that this was not a publicity stunt. She was very quick and deliberate in her movement of shaking hands with people, and watching her mouth move the words, “Thank you,” you could tell she was not struggling with articulating her thoughts.</p>
<p>Now this is far from the minimum cognitive abilities someone her position should be demonstrating, but seeing the video was far more impressive than reading the story last night.</p>
<p>I know it’s not the sentimental view, but I think Ms.Giffords should have resigned as soon as the extent of her injury became apparent. Her district has been without a voice in Congress for many months. I do admire her and wish her the best, but the truth is she hasn’t been able to do her job. Positions aren’t held open indefinitely in other workplaces; why should Congress be any different?</p>
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<p>Actually, they can be and people can take a medical leave of absence. They may not be paid while they are on leave, but their job (or an equivalent) can be held open for them upon their release to return to work.</p>
<p>^^What Teri said. I do not how this works in the public sector, but in the private sector many employers still provide short an long-term disability policies for their employees.</p>
<p>Given that her injury was sustained “on the job,” it seems even more important that she be given every chance to resume her position.</p>
<p>But when an employee takes long-term medical leave, someone steps in to cover their job, and often the returning employee is offered another position because their own has been filled. Giffords job isn’t getting done (apart from the usual constituent services that her staff no doubt continues to handle). She isn’t serving on her committees, engaging in debate, listening to her constituents input, etc. (Showing up for a single vote doesn’t mean much.) The structure and function of the House assumes all districts will be represented. It’s simply inappropriate that hers is not. It’s very sad, given her commitment, competence, and love of the job, but I think the right thing for her to do is to step down.</p>
<p>MommaJ - what you initially said was this:</p>
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<p>So BunsenBurner and I responded to that remark. You didn’t initially say that elected officials are different. You made the comparison that one (other workplaces) shouldn’t be different than another (Congress), remarking that positions are not held open for other workplaces. BunsenBurner and I disagreed based on that comparison.</p>
<p>Whether or not Congress (or any elected official) should have a different set of rules is an entirely different question. And probably not appropriate for this forum as it would get political.</p>
<p>I too was amazed at her recovery. Just because she was shot in the head does not mean she is cognitively impaired. It depends what area of the brain was hit. It could be she has physical impairments (it looks as though she was not using her right hand/arm, although she did walk in and was standing). She might have emotional difficulties. She could have difficulty communicating. She might have memory issues. She might also have cognitive difficulties. But we can’t know that from the brief images we’ve seen. In any event, I think we can all agree that her recovery is amazing.</p>
<p>It would be nice to see Gabby Giffords make a full recovery and get re-elected.</p>
<p>As the saying goes, don’t retreat, but reload.</p>
<p>(I hope it is clear, I am not making a political statement, I am talking, of course, about her battle against her injuries.)</p>
<p>I would assume she is out on Long term disability under federal workers comp. Give her a chance to continue to heal and the decision about her ability to serve can be made when the time is right. I imagine her constituents are behind her. She is quite beloved.</p>
<p>It is amazing and inspirational. At the same time, cynical me wonders what a coincidence: all part of the ‘optics’ that politicians like to manage. As others have rightly noted, it IS a nice moment to get perspective and (take media attention?) away from the discordant dysfunctional political atomsphere. So I just hope she was truly ready for this and it was coincidental timing, and she wasn’t driven to play this role now for any reason other than she was healthy enough and wanting to participate.</p>
<p>starbright - an article I read said she had been watching the debates every day and was sort of on stand-by, that when the time came to vote, then she would travel.</p>
<p>When press secretary James Brady took a bullet in the brain on the job during the Reagan assassination attempt, Pres. Reagan held his job open for him. And Brady kept the job title for the remainder of Reagan’ two terms in office even though he was never able to return to his duties.</p>
<p>It’s the same with Rep. Giffords. No one is going to be heartless enough to force her out of office under these circumstances. And unlike Brady her term will be up after the constitutional two years. At which time it will be up to her whether to run and then up to the voters in her district whether she is capable of adequately representing them.</p>
<p>Brady was a different case. Functionally, other people were doing his job, and his retention of the title was just cosmetic. No one else can do the job of a member of the House while he or she is disabled. Giffords’ district has been deprived of representation for almost this entire session of Congress. Perhaps there’s no mechanism to force her out, but it’s not right that she hasn’t resigned, and I’m surprised she doesn’t see it that way. Her constituents haven’t had a voice on the subject, so it’s impossible to know how they feel and absurd to make them wait another year to express themselves. As frustrating as Congress is, I do take our system seriously and believe it should function as intended. (BTW, this isn’t political–I’d have voted for Giffords myself if I lived in her district and would feel the same about any member of Congress, regardless of party.)</p>
<p>CCreader–I saw that Mark Kelly film clip at a recent U2 concert also. I think pretty much all 90,000 fans in the audience teared up when he read the song lyrics and then ended with the Bowie quote. It was a beautiful moment (apparently, during recovery, Gabby Gifford wakes up every morning to “Beautiful Day”–which is also my absolute favorite song.)</p>
<p>If congress is not in session, then this gives her more time to continue her rehab. This is a decision for her constituents, and I haven’t heard anyone complaining (my SIL lives in Tucson, so we talk) about lack of representation. I imagine her staff is still communicating with others on the hill and acting as spokepersons. Her absence may not be all that diffeent from others who are running for office and rarely show up for votes.</p>
<p>MommaJ–you may feel that way, but that’s not how the system works. Other elected officials have sustained serious illnesses or injuries and stayed in their position while recovering. Such as the one referenced who had a stroke. </p>
<p>And yes, her constituents have a voice–it’s called free speech. googling, I could only find a few very fringe statements that she should resign–made my people who also blamed her for the shooting because she’d received death threats. I’m guessing they weren’t voting for her in any case. Other than these self-described very conservative boards, I see no call for resignation from her constituents. And of course, it’s not at all clear that even these few voices come from her district.</p>
<p>I imagine that the hope of returning to Congress is a major motivating factor in her recovery. She has been working very hard to regain capabilities that we all developed during very early childhood. No matter how miraculous her recovery, she will be left with many losses. The loss of the hope of resuming her career would be a major blow. </p>
<p>The House is usually missing a few people for various reasons. At the moment, the constituents of Weiner’s district are without representation. And the residents of Washington, DC, are permanently without representation!</p>
<p>Other Congresspeople, in both parties, have been disabled and have not resigned. Seemingly, they stay in office until they recover or die.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with this system, but Giffords is just doing what others in her situation have done.</p>