Democrats Look to Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona US Senate Seat … Isn’t it a Bit too Soon for This & Exploitive?

IS THE EXPOITATION OF A HORENDOUS EVENT CONTINUING …

As Arizona US Senator John Kyl has announced that he will not run in 2012 and will retire at the end of his present term, all Democrat eyes are onUS Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-D) to possible run for the seat.  Yes, the same Gabby Giffords who is recovering from an assassination attempt after being shot in the head in the Tuscon massacre. However, is this really what DDemocrats should be focused on, or her health and recovery? Following the Tuscon mass shooting, many looked to capitalize on the heinous event making accusations and putting blame where there was none. The question remains, is the assasination attempt still being exploited?

The race for Arizona’s open Senate seat has quickly focused in on one question: What will Gabrielle Giffords do?

The Democratic congresswoman, who survived an assassination attempt in Tucson last month, is still undergoing rehabilitation in Houston for a gunshot wound to the head. Physicians have warned that her recovery will proceed at its own pace.

But even though questions about her health remain, Giffords’s astonishingly rapid recovery has left Democrats in Arizona and Washington looking to her as a potential candidate to replace retiring GOP Sen. Jon Kyl.

Obviously, Gabrielle Giffords was an up and comer in the Democrat party and has a future for furthering her political career. However, the bullets of an evil man,  Jared Loughner, have certainly put any immediate political career plans on hold. However, that did not stop the powers that be in the Democrat hierarchy to put her name out there as a potential candidate for the retiring Kyl’s seat, as reported at the Politico.

Giffords was mentioned as one possible contender for the 2012 race during a closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats on Thursday, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said.

In Arizona, strategists continue to view Giffords as a compelling candidate for higher office. That’s a distinction few Democrats in the state can claim after last November, when Republicans captured two U.S. House seats and won every statewide office on the ballot.

“Congresswoman Giffords’s name was clearly at the top of the list of potential candidates against Sen. Kyl, or if Sen. Kyl stepped down, over the past couple years. Given that, a lot of people of course thought immediately of her for this seat,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny said.

My immediate reaction is, could these folks be a bit more exploitative and less concerned about an individuals health rather than Democrats gaining a pick up in the US Senate in 2012? There is an uncomfortable “ick” factor to individuals who seem more concerned with using Gabby Giffords’ assassination attempt for political gain rather than the concern for her complete recovery, health and well being. We have all prayed for Gabby’s recovery and wish her the best. Giffords is a mom and a wife, one would think that those titles are more important that US Senator at this point.

We hear stories of Gabby Giffords recovery and they all seem to be very positive; however, how long will it take for an individual to fully recover from being shot in the head and near death to being able to run for a US Senate seat? The 2012 elections are less than two years away. Would not one think that Gabby’s health and recovery are more important than any election? She is only 40 years old, she has quite a bit of time ahead of her to run for office, if that is what she chooses to do with her future.

Honestly at this point, all should be more concerned that Gabby Giffords is able to make a full and complete recovery back to how she was prior to the shooting, if possible. Not running for office in 2012 for US Senate so Democrats can retain power … the notion that the US Senate office is more important than good health, recovery and life is rather disturbing to say the least. Don’t forget Gabby’s husband, Mark Kelly, stated  he probably wouldn’t want Giffords to return to Congress.

The whole idea of prematurely adding Gabby’s name to a list of Democrat US Senators to challenge the GOP open Arizona seat seems rather unseemly at best.

UPDATE I: Gabby Giffords recovery update, has been mouthing the words to songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

If this does not prove my point I do not know what does. Giffords has a long way to go in her recovery and there is no guarantee if she will ever get back to where she was before being shot in the head. We certainly wish her a speedy recovery to full health. However, from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to running for US Senate in 2012 … Really? Her health and family are more important.