Article: Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, Palin criticized for polarizing political move

Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition, Palin criticized for polarizing political move
          by Zachary Chin

January 12th, 2011

     Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords suffered a shot to the head on January 8th, when an assailant targeting the representative killed 6 and wounded 13 outside a grocery store. Doctors are optimistic about Giffords’ condition, but the same cannot be said for one of Giffords’ staffers, a federal judge, and four others murdered by the shooter identified as Jared L. Loughner.
     Critics like Kathy Henn and opinionated blogs attacked the Tea Party and Sarah Palin for their “targeting” of various democrats across the nation. One of Palin’s pamphlets included a map with a spot that resembles crosshairs over Arizona with Gifford’s name indicated on the bottom, illustrating Palin’s desire for Republicans to overtake the political pendulum and stop the healthcare bill.

Palin's advertisement features spots that look like crosshairs
over Arizona and lists Giffords four from the top on the left column.

     Kathy Henn continued by claiming that the polarizing political move used by Palin breeds hate and lack of understanding between people of various political parties, and the crime committed by Loughner illustrates the need for that kind of propaganda to end. Henn expressed her frustration about Palin’s advertisement and what she believed to be the former Alaskan governor’s feigned sympathy by saying “shame on you [Palin]”.
     Giffords was sworn in to office on January 3rd, 2007 as a congresswoman. She is known for her support of a stronger boarder between the United States and Mexico, her support of renewable energy, and her willingness to increase the minimum wage. She is a self-proclaimed “Blue Dog”, and is viewed as a moderate democrat by many of her colleagues.
     Comment contributors on CNN’s online article on the story expressed their deepest wishes for her health, but also a lot of confusion about why Giffords was the target of one of Palin’s ads. As a moderate, Palin and Gifford share similar views on strengthening the borders of the United States as well as increased funding for the military, as Giffords voted for the Iraq Emergency Supplemental Spending bill in May of 2007. With such critical issues like these that the two political figures agree on, it seems odd to bloggers and comment contributors that Palin would direct her attention towards Giffords.
     The shooting was confirmed as an attack on Giffords, and is suspected to reflect the state of political tension between Giffords and her constituents. Whether or not Palin’s ad ever reached Loughner is unknown, but critics claim even if the influence was not direct, the general contribution by Palin to the country’s large-scale polarization of parties is very dangerous and should be recognized as a misdeed.