Shot congresswoman's GOP foe: Can I run again yet?

[meegbear]

As you might expect, if you visit the website of Jesse Kelly, the ex-Marine Tea Partier who challenged Gabrielle Giffords in last November's election, you will find a simple message expressing sympathy for the congresswoman and her family. And, also as you might expect, if you ask Kelly's spokesman, as the Los Angeles Times did, you'll hear that he's interested only his former opponent making a full recovery.

But behind the scenes, the story appears to be a little different. Per Ben Smith, Arizona Capitol Reports, a subscription-only insider newsletter, reported this week that:

Attorney Lee Miller, who serves as legal counsel for the Arizona Republican Party, told our reporter Kelly’s campaign contacted him earlier this week to find out how the seat would be filled if Giffords couldn’t serve.... Likewise, Dem sources say a handful of people in the minority party began looking at their options in the immediate wake of the shooting....

That item apparently caused a stir in Arizona political circles, because the newsletter followed up the next day with this:

"Yesterday’s item about Jesse Kelly exploring a special election for the CD8 seat in the wake of Giffords’ shooting created waves in Tucson political circles, one source from south of the Gila said today. 'I think Jesse Kelly has more problems than just dealing with a Yellow Sheet story. It’s probably going to be picked up by Politico,' said the source.

Kelly, if you don't already know, has been taking heat since Giffords' shooting for sponsoring a campaign event last year in which supporters joined him in shooting a "fully automatic M-16. "Get on target for November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office," the event's announcement read.

<snip>

http://www.salon.com/news/gabrielle_giffords/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/01/21/giffords_jesse_kelly

[Lint Head]

1. This cynical asshole is common jerk!

[krispos42]

2. Oops.

Pssst! Hey, Jesse, your psychoticness is showing!


:facepalm:


It's one thing if she's in a coma. She's not. She's awake and aware, ambulatory, and in all likelihood will be able to be back on the House floor in a month.


Cool your jets, Jesse!

[somone]

3. Let's hope Arizonans send that fucker a message

[delightfulstar]

4. What a jackass opportunist.

Jesse is a sore loser.

I have to side with Mark Kelly here - I think she is determined to come back, and she's already proving it with the progress she's making in her recovery. There have been many representatives who have served while receiving medical treatment. We in Arizona don't need a special election, and this Teabagging fool doesn't speak for us. Even Jan Brewer is against a special election, so that says something.

[CTyankee]

8. Yes. I was nearly in tears when I read that she was taken outside and felt sunshine on her face

I'm sure there are LOTS of people around the country, complete strangers to her, that feel the same way.

I guess Jan Brewer isn't totally crazy if even SHE got the message...Giffords is now America's hero...

[tblue37]

9. If shooting their opponents could enable the hard right to get into

their seats, no Democratic office holder would ever be safe again!

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. One other thing -

- could we drop the "ex-Marine" thing?

I don't give flying $%8# what Kelly was in his past life - right now he's conducting himself like a typical Teabagger IDIOT.

[justiceischeap]

6. Nah, he's acting like a typical douche bag -- forget party affiliation. (eom)

[TacticalPeek]

7. Fuck that noise.

And its emitter.

[SpiralHawk]

10. Republicon Family Values. Again. So low. So sick.

Lacking in all honor...

[tanyev]

11. Tacky.

But then that is the GOP SOP.

[Permanut]

12. Hard to describe how tacky this is...

Barbarian? Zero on the class scale? Uncivilized? Uncaring, psychotic wacko neocons. Man this is creepy.