Monday, January 16, 2006

Giffords and Arizona CD8

The growing ranks of Gabrielle Giffords supporters point to her record of preparation for the current run at the Democratic nomination for the Arizona CD8 seat. It’s interesting to take a look at the Giffords resume, which indicates the breadth of her political preparation and solid record of recognition for support of progressive issues. (link)

Political Leadership

Aspen Institute
Aspen-Rodel Public Leadership Fellow 2005-2007
Democratic Leadership Council
National "100 to Watch" 2003
State Legislative Advisory Board 2001-present
National Council for State Legislators
Environment and Natural Resources Committee
National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
Arizona Representative
The German Marshall Fund of the U.S
Manfred-Wšrner Fellow, Germany and Belgium 2004
American Swiss Foundation
Young Leaders Conference, Switzerland 2004
National Committee on United States-China Relations
Young Leaders Forum Fellow, China 2003
National Center for Policy Alternatives
Flemming Leadership Institute Fellow 2002
Atlantic Association of Young Political Leaders
International Bureau, Vice President, present
Delegate to Italy 2004
Delegate to Bulgaria 2003
Delegate to Turkey 2002
American Council of Young Political Leaders
Host for Argentina and Uruguay 2002
Delegate to Vietnam 2001
American Jewish Committee/ Project Interchange
Delegate to Israel 2001
Arizona Democratic Party
State Committee and Precinct Committee Person 2000-present


Awards

Tucson Business Edge Top 40 Under 40, Woman of the Year 2005
YWCA of Tucson, Women on the Move Recipient, 2005
Arizona Small Business Association, Eagle for Enterprise Award 2005
Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Arizona, Golden Eagle Award 2005
League of Arizona Cities and Towns, Award of Distinction 2005
Sierra Club, Most Valuable Player at the Arizona Legislature 2005
League of Conservation Voters, 100% Rating 2005
Mental Health Association of Arizona, 2004 Legislator of the Year
Gannett News Service, Top 8 Young Leader Worth Watching 2004
Scripps College, Outstanding Alumna 2004
Arizona Coalition to Prevent Homelessness, Legislator of the Year 2003
Arizona Technology Council, Top 10 Tech Award 2003
Arizona Planning Association, Legislator of the Year 2003
Arizona Family Literacy, Outstanding Legislator 2003
Hadassah, Lifetime Member 2004



The Data Port’s Ironic Afterthought

Ms Giffords has ‘always had an interest in the news.’ If her run for Congress fails she can apply for the job of news reader at KVOA.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

To bad she's not progressive and wants to stay in Iraq.

Art Jacobson said...

Dear Anonymous Annie,

Solidly endorsed by Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Coalition to Prevent Homelessness, Arizona Family Literacy,solidly pro-choice and not progressive? Give me a break, sweetie.

On the Iraq issue she does not believe we should withdraw without acknowledging some of the misery we've caused, and planning ways to set it right.

Do you think we should cut and run without acknowledging our moral responsibilities?

Anonymous said...

The match of civil war was struck yestersday. To bad the media didn't report it. The leading Shite will not vote to change the current constitution which need some work. This will cut out the Sunnis and now, you do the math.

Giffords and Weiss both wish to stay and stabilize. Funny one has no kids and the other has never had any that would go. Maybe if Gabby really wanted to serve the country, maybe she should go and pay her dues. I get very frustrated when I hear the same old song and dance from those who haven't been shot at or lost any children and basically take the side of W.

Art, she's not progressive. She thinks that Wal Mart is OK, thinks China is the "best" and I really don't think that she really understands the lower middle class. If you've ever read "What's the Matter With Kansas" you can identify her with the typical DLC chumps that the people have been driven to the Republicans by.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with you. I don't think Gabby is smart enough to figure this one out because she lacks the essential experience necessary. Don’t you get it, it’s people like Gabby that got us in this mess to begin with. She also lack vital background in many other areas; healthcare, labor issues, family and, education issues (no kids), national security. I can go on forever. A friend of mine is a Sierra Vista DFA member. He told me that a lot of the things she discussed were pro corporate and pro China, i.e. Wal-Mart. She’s lost any credit from me and I’ll vote for any of the others first. She appears to have neither real vision nor conviction. She panders to public opinion and lacks a stand on any issue. Roger, you should keep your mind more open to other candidates; there are a couple much more deserving and genuine and better in the leadership area. I want my US rep to fight not only the conservative agenda, but also fight for what’s right, even if it’s against the party. Gabby will not do that, look at her record (if you can find one).

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous Who Thinks Giffords Lacks Experience. She is the only candidate with meaningful political and business experience. She's intelligent, has a world view and most importantly can get elected. The way left progressives you mention will never win the general. Then you're stuck with Randy Graf. If that is what you want then vote for Weiss or Latas. If you don't want Graf in Washington then I suggest you vote for Giffords. I know I will.

Anonymous said...

Could you post her voting record? That would tell more than the resume because it reflects actual stances on issues and action and not just fillers on a resume.

I found out some very interesting things in researching today and to say she has an overly inflated resume is an understatement. As a former hiring manager for a fortune 100 company, we are trained on weeding out people who look good on paper versus actual leaders.

I read today she used to be a Republican and is running as a centrist and pro-big business. She also supports expansion of the bases and military buildup, which even Latas--who knows more on the subject thinks is the exact opposite of what we need to do.

If people support her, fine. She is a Hillary Clinton type of Democrat and some like that.

She is not a progressive, however. A progressive puts citizen interests over corporate handouts and uses creative solutions like negotiation versus military force.

I had been considering Gabby as I have voted for her in the past. However, after 8 hours of research today, I can't support her. I want a change from Kolbe not someone who openly aligns herself with him and his platform.

Anonymous said...

Roger, didn't you go to the DFA forum? She specifically said we need to stay in Iraq. She had by far the worst answer on the border issues for someone who spent all this time in these other countries and on committees dealing with the border. At first I thought she just wasn't that bright but now since she has admitted it, she wants to run a Kolbe campaign.

In the past she has not disagreed with the war, only 'how we are fighting it'. Who does that sound like?

Seriously, you all need to research your candidate better and not just jump on the bandwagon because she is the front runner. Try Google.com. It is amazing what you can find.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
You are correct. She does not understand the working class. She has never had to do it. Her Price Waterhouse job was a summer stint that she couldn't even handle. It was an entry level job in the finance world. My sibling is a broker and laughed when I sent her a copy of Gabby's resume. She agreed it was inflating. If Gabby had a lucrative career, she would have stayed in one place and not jumped all over. She was going nowhere.

She helped out her father, yes. He helped her out too. The business was failing, she got sales up some, but by her own admission, ended up selling after only 4 years because they could not compete with the bigger franchise. So she sold to a big franchise. She took the money and opened her commercial real estate management firm. Again, a dime a dozen. She became CEO of the company after only 4 months of changing tires and entry level sales. What woman (or man) gets to become CEO with no experience? Come on. If it weren’t her father she never would have been CEO and clearly wasn’t successful enough at it to grow it to the 5-year mark which is the golden standard. Has anyone here ever run a company? I have. And I have been an executive at several major corporations. Giffords is a lightweight.

When has she every really labored? Especially for a woman, she has really had a cushy life while women work their fingers to the bone and go nowhere. Weiss at least earned her career by working hard while raising kids. As did Latas.

Giffords whole life from business to politics has been based on who she knows; the networking. That is why you see that long list that art posted. It’s like that 20 something Bush hired recently for a major position who then had to resign when it was discovered he inflated his resume and had no relevant experience. Looks great on paper. I can give a list of 100 people in Congress who are horrible Congressman that have an even bigger list of orgs and honors than Gabby. They are meaningless. We need someone with a passion for public service, not an ego tripper who doesn't want to or lacks the ability to do real work.

You think the Republican challenger isn't going to be able to find the same things I did and poke holes in her story?

Anonymous said...

Gabby supports having our hard earned taxpayer dollars go to Wal-Mart and other corporations’ welfare. Check her voting record people!!!! She is repub-lite on the biggest issues that impact most of the working class. I am an independent and if the Democrats cannot come up with a better candidate, I will vote for the Republican or independent. This is why people think progressive are so stupid. You can’t even judge your own candidates properly.

Anonymous said...

Roger,
Weiss has a solid record on social issues. Are you ignoring all her community involvement for any particular reason? She isn't a career politician, but that is different from saying she has no experience. She has a lot more than Gabby ever did before Gabby ran for office. Not to mention life experience. And she has a more progressive stand on the issues. Unlike Gabby, Weiss wants to pull out on a timetable. Gabby will keep us there for another 10 years while she considers the 'complexity'. Everything to that girl is complex. Maybe it is her way of admitting she isn't the brightest on the block.

The Fulbright Scholarship is not based on intelligence or GPA, it is based on interest in political and cultural issues. What was Giffords GPA at Scripps? If she graduated with top honors (which is pretty easy to do) I would think she would have that posted on her site. Notice how she only went to private schools? Same with Cornell. I got into Stanford because I had the GPA. My scholarships and work paid for it.

wearetribal said...

I see lots of attacks here...all of them lacking the ring of truth. Not a single one tells us where they found this or that evidence against Gabby.

Look, Gabby is just 35 years old. Sure, there may be some person out there who is 35 and has a better resume. But they are not running in District 8. No one who is running has a better resume, regardless of age.

Who is this anonymous and why are they anonymous? Clearly they are with one of the other campaigns, posting the same smears all over the blogosphere, and clearly they are dishonest. Gabby only went to private schools? She graduated from the same high school I did, and our family of six lived on less than $10,000 a year. Pretty sure I was never at a private school. By the way, that high school was University High where you have to test as top 3% just to get in. So she is actually known to be "one of the brightest on the block." Her older sister, a friend of mine in high school , is plenty bright also.

So, she is great at making connections and anonymous thinks that is a bad thing? That is one of the main skills she needs to get things done when she is elected. Clearly she has more of that crucial skill than her opponents.

And please folks, remember that there is a general election. I am not suggesting that you vote for the candidate that "can win." I have never believed in crystal balls myself. I am noting that a wise candidate who is planning ahead might very well avoid saying things that alienate the slightly more than 50% Republicans in the district. Maybe that is why Gabby is avoiding extreme statements.

I am a Green Party member and a volunteer for Gabby. I am a lifelong activist and a supporter of Gabby. I co-founded Students Against the Gulf War, owned the store Peace Works on 4th Ave, and I presented an academic paper at the Symposium on the Psychology of War despite not having a college degree (I was too busy doing activist work in college to finish). Gabby has read my paper. I could list twenty more examples of my progressive credentials...free clinics for migrant farm workers, a new neighborhood park, the bike racks on 4th Ave...etc.

I do not just support a candidate on a whim. I volunteered for Wellstone in '88 and Harkin in '92, as well as Nader in 2000. Now I volunteer for Gabby. If you think Gabby is not "progressive" enough for you...well are you more progressive than me? Really?

Think for yourself, always, but please ask yourself why this anonymous has to come here and lie to you. Get your own facts and then decide.