Gabby Giffords Trades A Pat On The Head From The Cattle Growers Association For Latino Voters

Yesterday we were poking around Arizona Blue Dog Gabrielle Giffords' unprecedented decision to deflect criticism from herself by trying to throw a principled Democrat, Raúl Grijalva, to the mob in the media market they share. Her excuse: "I'm fighting for my life." It's not worth sacrificing someone like Grijalva for that questionable goal. After I had written about how ethnic-cleansing fascists in Arizona-- following the precedent of ethnic-cleansing fascists in Germany-- were making it impossible for Latinos to teach in public schools, I watched a segment on CNN that made me think of Giffords and her shameless pandering to the far right.

The story was about 7 especially heroic Special Forces soldiers getting silver stars at Fort Bragg, NC. I'm no big fan of this indefensible and unwinnable war against Afghanistan but I can still feel a sense of pride at the individual achievements of the selfless men and women stuck fighting it. And that sense of shared pride in my countrymen is exactly what I was feeling as I watched Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Gonzalez, Sgt. 1st Class Mark Roland, Staff Sgt. Mario Pinilla, Staff Sgt. Daniel Gould, Master Sgt. Julio Bocanegra, Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Clouse and Sgt. 1st Class David Nunez being singled out for their valor. It didn't even dawn on me that most of these guys had Hispanic names until I heard one, Mario Pinilla, pictured above, speaking.

Pinilla was born in Colombia. His Hispanic accent is heavy. The law in Arizona to prohibit people with accents-- I'm sure they didn't actually have Albert Einstein or Enrico Fermi in mind-- was meant to send a message to Latinos that they are unwelcome in the state of Arizona. Gabrielle Giffords had nothing to do with passing that law and I'll bet she's not a fan. But by coddling right-wing terrorists and refusing to stand up to them, she and her Blue Dog buddies validate them and enable them. There's no place in elective office for craven cowards like Giffords-- certainly not as Democrats.

Pinella lived in Colombia until he was 18 and the character and selflessness he showed in saving a wounded soldier on the battlefield-- thrusting his own body between the Taliban and his downed comrade (and yes, he was severely wounded in the process)-- was enough for him to get one of the highest decorations the Army gives out... but not enough for the bigots in Arizona who don't want "his type" teaching in their schools. Two weeks ago Time looked at the political situation in Arizona, well-before Giffords had decided to target Grijalva with her anti-Latino opportunism.

In her reelection bid in southeastern Arizona, Giffords is trying to frame the issue as one of border security. Arizonans are very aware that more than half of all illegal crossings over the U.S.-Mexico border happen in their state. Elected in 2006, Giffords likes to remind audiences that her first speech to Congress was on border security and that she pushed for a deployment of National Guard troops to her district and its 114-mile border with Mexico, where the rugged desert is a major crossing point for illegal immigrants. The President is deploying the National Guard at the border and they arrive Aug. 1. Giffords points out that Arizona will receive 524 of the 1,200 troops, more than any other state. Additional funding for border security ran aground in the Senate last Friday as deficit hawks, including Arizona Republican Senators McCain and Jon Kyl, voted down a request for $701 million in additional border security funding. Giffords, Krikpatrick and Mitchell supported the measure when it passed the House July 2.

The stance has paid some dividends. Last weekend, the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association presented Giffords with its public service award for her work to stop illegal crossings and target violent gangs smuggling drugs. In a Giffords television ad, one of the ranchers stares into the camera and says, "Gabrielle Giffords gets it" about border security.

"Security has to come first," Giffords said in a recent speech to Tucson community leaders. "Until we show serious improvement with border security, we won't have the political and bipartisan will necessary to fix our immigration laws." She said she opposes SB1070, saying the new law "does absolutely nothing to secure the border." At the same time, she cast the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to try to stop SB1070 in the courts as a "waste of resources." Echoing Mitchell, she says SB1070 is a cry for help and that President Obama needs to act.

Giffords' possible challenger is not impressed. Jonathan Paton, who must first win the Republican primary, voted for SB1070 in the Arizona Legislature. "Giffords has ignored the border and done nothing," says Paton campaign manager Daniel Scarpinto. He says that Paton will make illegal immigration and border security the number one issue of the fall campaign. If he does get to run against her in November, it will be a contest not just based on issues. When they were much younger, Paton and Gifford once dated. Now they are implacable political foes.

She's making a lot of enemies lately. Please help Raúl Grijalva fight her-- and her ex-boy friend's party-- off. When the angry Glenn Beck mobs come after the rest of us, we want a Grijalva at our backs-- not a cowering Blue Dog. Blue Dogs like Giffords know exactly how to get the money they need for their campaigns (see below); that's not Raúl's game. He needs us.



UPDATE

My old pal, Jorge Hernandez sent me this today. Take a look at what a world filled with Republicans like McCain and Democrats like Giffords leads to: