Sierra Vista Herald endorsement: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Sierra Vista Herald has endorsed Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for reelection. Our View: Giffords is the pick in District 8:

Substance over style.

That’s the essence of the Giffords-Kelly race.

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America’s problems, according to Kelly, can be solved in two ways — by less government and by giving corporations and the super-wealthy as many tax cuts and breaks as possible. And his demeanor suggests that if any of his constituents don’t fully agree with that premise, they are going to be shown the door.

Democrat Gabrielle Giffords does not think along the same lines. She has been our Congressional District 8 representative through probably one of the more economically difficult times in this nation’s history.

These times mean hard decisions, and Giffords has shown she can make them. That has made her, at times, unpopular with those who wish things could be solved as easily as Kelly’s broad visions would suggest.

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Kelly exhibited almost no knowledge of our area’s most important issue — the linkage between the San Pedro River and Fort Huachuca. Kelly’s answer to what he would do to help preserve the fort was that it’s a great place, it’s needed, we’re proud of it and I’ll protect it.

Giffords, on the other hand, knows the fort-river linkage. She knows the fort’s missions and described in detail the heavy lifting it requires to keep selling the fort’s mission and importance to our national defense to not only Congress but the Department of Defense, as well.

In listening to most of the answers to the questions at the forum, whether about illegal immigration, education or taxes, that dichotomy was ever-present in their answers — superficial versus informed.

When asked about bipartisanship, Kelly’s answer basically was he’d be interested in crossing the aisle and supporting anyone as long as that person’s position was for smaller government, less federal intervention in our lives — in other words, only if the person agrees with him.

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Giffords has served the southern part of her district well. Despite Tucson’s much larger population base and therefore much stronger political power, she has been to our area many, many times. She has become involved with and addressed local problems and has been much more visible than her predecessors.

We think Giffords brings grace under fire and measured thinking to the problems facing our district and the nation. Kelly offers slogans and a “me against you” philosophy.

Congressional District 8 voters would be smart to elect Giffords to a deserved third term in the House of Representatives.