Congressional leaders promise members security review after shooting

Three Steps to a More Civil Congress?
Third Way, the Centrist Democratic group, sent a letter to Congressional leaders on Monday outlining some suggestions to help promote civility in Congress and perhaps help moderate the nation’s overall political discourse. The letter was in response to the shooting rampage in Arizona over the weekend that killed six people, and gravely wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who is an honorary chairwoman of Third Way. The proposed steps include mixed, Bipartisan seating in the House cham...

Centrist group seeks to turn down the temperature, foster bipartisanship
Domenico Montanaro writes: In the wake of the shootings in Arizona, the head of the Centrist group Third Way penned a letter to congressional leaders with suggestions of ways to turn down the temperature on political Rhetoric and build more Bipartisanship. 1. Mixed (Bipartisan) seating at the SOTU, to avoid the spectacle of one side jumping up to applaud and the other sitting glumly. 2. A bipartisan retreat for each house of Congress. 3. Regular visits to the district/state of a member of a diff...

The Speaker, Since Saturday
For House Speaker John Boehner, the tragic news came fast. Shortly after 1 p.m. est on Saturday, while he was relaxing at home in West Chester, Ohio, Boehner was notified by his Chief of Staff, Barry Jackson, about the shooting involving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D., Ariz.) in Tucson. Boehner quickly alerted his staff then reached out to the House Sergeant at Arms, Democratic leadership, and other Republican leaders. While the story continued to unfold on television, he spoke directly with Democr...

Dem plans bill banning use of threatening imagery against politicians
© unknown In the wake of the tragic Arizona shooting, Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA) says he plans to introduce a bill criminalizing the use of certain forms of threatening imagery against lawmakers and judges. "You can't threaten the president with a bullseye or a crosshair," Brady told the New York Times. He explained to CNN that his bill would also ban symbols or language that threaten "a congressman, senator or Federal Judge." He was referring to a map published last year by Sarah Palin in w...

More Clyburn Asininity
This calls for the clown.  Ah, there he is. A top House Democrat said the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) should change how members of Congress are screened at airports. “I really believe that that is the place where we feel the most ill at ease, is going through airports,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who serves as assistant Minority Leader in the House, said on “Fox News Sunday.” Clyburn called for the Transportation Security Administration, which admin...

Left-Wing Democrats Use Giffords Shooting to Raise Funds
Here is a screen capture of a letter sent out by 21st Century Democrats on the night of the shooting. If someone clicks the "Click here to share your thoughts" link, They are taken to a page with a duplicate of the letter, comment box and donation button. 21st Century Democrats claim to be "Building A progressive Majority" and, claim in the letter, to have helped reelect Giffords in 2010. Their 2010 Candidates page features Barbara Boxer, Russ Feingold, Keith Ellison and Alan Grayson among other...

Calls for Civility After Ariz. Shooting
(The Wall Street Journal) - Saturday's shooting of a U.S. congresswoman while she was meeting constituents sparked outreach between Party Leaders and talk of stepped-up security, against the backdrop of a nascent debate over inflammatory Rhetoric in politics, the Wall Street Journal reported in its Monday edition. A day after a gunman in Arizona killed six people including a Federal Judge and gravely wounded the Democratic congresswoman, House members from both parties, led by Speaker John A. Bo...

Criminalizing Politics Delay Sentenced to Three Years for Money Laundering
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been sentenced to three years in Prison for a Money Laundering conviction. Ralph Reed explained last week how this is a case of criminalizing politics. The facts surrounding DeLay’s conviction are a yawner for those operating in the world of political Fundraising. Texas, like 22 other states, prohibits corporate contributions to state Candidates, though political committees can use those funds (known by the shorthand of “soft money”) for adminis

McCarthy, Lautenberg seek to ban high-capacity ammo magazines
Source: NBC/MSNBC Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., with the backing of Gun Control groups, are drafting a bill that would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines such as the one that was used allegedly Saturday by Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of murdering Federal Judge John Roll and trying to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., according to two Gun Control Activists working with McCarthy's staff. Gun control proponents are hoping to move rapidly ...

Colorado Dem rethinks some public events after Arizona shooting
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) is mulling whether or not he should continue with a series of public meetings billed as "Government in the Grocery" events.  In light of Saturday's shooting in Arizona that killed six people and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in critical condition after being shot in the head, a spokeswoman for Perlmutter said the congressman is weighing changes to the constituent meetings he has held in Grocery Stores in his district since 2006.  "We are going to be talk...

House Dem To Introduce Bill Banning Speech About Congressmen That Could Be Perceived As Threatening
The Hill: Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce Legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress. Brady told CNN that he wants federal lawmakers and officials to have the same protections against threat currently provided to the president. His call comes one day after Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was shot, along with 19 other people, at a ...

Tucson shooting alters congressional agenda
WASHINGTON - This weekend's shooting in Tucson that killed six and wounded 14, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, hasn't just shaken Washington emotionally -- it's also shaken up the congressional agenda. The new Republican leadership in the House had planned an ambitious agenda for the first days of the 112th Congress, following up its adoption of new Budget rules last week with a vote to Repeal the Health Care bill this week. But on Sunday, Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent o...

Colorado legislators see hope for bipartisan efforts
In what might otherwise be one of the most partisan years in memory, leaders on both sides of the aisle say the 2011 session of the Colorado General Assembly — which begins Wednesday — could turn out to be one big group hug. The ingredients for a brawl are certainly there: It's a redistricting year; Republicans, back in charge of one chamber after six years out of power, want to reverse Democratic policies; and some bitterly divisive issues like Immigration and Civil Unions are expec...

Obama to lead moment of silence after shooting
WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Obama steps out on the South Lawn of the White House Monday morning, the thoughts of the nation will turn to Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other Victims of an Assassination attempt against her. Mr. Obama will lead the nation in a moment of silence to honor the congresswoman and the six people killed and 13 others wounded in Saturday's shooting outside a Tucson Supermarket. "It will be a time for us to come together as a nation in prayer or reflect...

Congressional staffs weigh security concerns after Gabrielle Giffords shooting
District offices for members of Congress are sometimes in federal buildings or Courthouse complexes guarded by police officers. Most, however, serve the public in places that are easy targets for a shooter: a strip mall, a storefront, an Office Building. They are run by Staffers, many of them young, who encounter constituents far from the security cocoon of the member's Washington office. Many of these aides, including Gabriel Zimmerman , Rep. Gabrielle Giffords 's (D-Ariz.) community outreach ...

Reconsidering congressional security
RECONSIDERING CONGRESSIONAL SECURITY.... After Saturday's events in Tucson, it's understandable for members of Congress to take a fresh look at their security arrangements. I can only hope they resist the urge to go overboard. While representatives of the United States Capitol Police and the office of the House sergeant-at-arms told lawmakers that the attack on Ms. Giffords was not part of a wider threat, they are urging them to review their security arrangements, make contact with local law e...

Hes on a Roll Rep. Clyburn: Congress Deserves Special Treatment by TSA
He’s on a Roll - Rep. Clyburn: Congress Deserves Special Treatment by TSA And yes, he has had local Law Enforcement guarding his own home since the Arizona shootings. (The Hill) — A top House Democrat said the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) should change how members of Congress are screened at airports. “I really believe that that is the place where we feel the most ill at ease, is going through airports,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who serves as assi...

How Georgia congressmen view security in wake of Arizona shooting
WASHINGTON -- Law Enforcement officials have scheduled a security briefing for all members of Congress on Wednesday, and congressional leaders are considering changes to try to provide more protection to members in the wake of the Arizona shooting. Ga. Politics news, helpful links PolitiFact Georgia » Ray McBerry: "You’ll find blacks in almost every regiment throughout the South who fought right alongside white Southerners," during the Civil War. The moves come as some me...

Rep. Giffords on so-called hit list of Dems 'targeted' by Sarah Palin
© unknown Telling voters to 'reload' and 'aim for' Democrats was perfectly fine, Sen. McCain argued in March Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot Saturday during a public event in Tucson, was among 20 other members of Congress who were on a so-called Hit List published by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Palin, who has never publicly advocated violence against fellow US politicians, has often employed rhetorical attacks that leverage imagery and terminology familiar to gun ow...

Utahs Chaffetz says hell carry his gun
US House Representative Jason Chaffetz-R, Utah says he plans to take advantage of his Concealed Weapons permit, and will carry his gun more often. He made the decision following the weekend shooting in Tucson that critically injured Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords-D, killed six and injured 13 others. Representative Giffords was shot in the head, but is reportedly "holding her own." Chaffetz says he has a Glock 23 and has carried the gun in Utah but has yet to do so in Washington DC. Ho...

In Wake Of Shooting, Two Members Of Congress Now Saying Theyll Go Armed
As I posted yesterday, outside of the deaths and injuries, the biggest tragedy of the shootings in Tucson yesterday could be further isolation of members of Congress from their constituents. Some members of Congress will use the shooting as an excuse to distance themselves, unfortunately, but it’s hard to blame any of them for wanting to take security precautions. Several lawmakers are already changing their security arrangements in wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)...

After shooting, some members reject calls for more security at events
In the wake of Saturday's shooting rampage in Arizona that killed at least six people and critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), some members of Congress said they have no intention of asking for extra security at public events in their districts.  Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he's never felt threatened during his time in Congress and that he doesn't want any added security.  "I wouldn't anticipate, unless this becomes more of a pattern, that an...

Washington Week
The Senate and the House convened the 112th Congress, passing and adopting mostly routine housekeeping measures and conducting leadership Elections. The Senate opened to a bit of acrimony when the two leaders differed on whether the Senate rules should be changed and how to go about these rules changes without trashing 200-plus years of Senate history. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made an impassioned Speech about how the Senate Democrats have abused their power by how they have legislated over t...

Sen. Lieberman decries 'tribalism,' hopes for tipping point
Helping to empower elected officials in Washington to break free of the "tribalism" that is currently dominant there is one of the biggest things that those who are fed up with hyper-partisanship can do to benefit the country, according to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I), of Connecticut. Speaking in a weekly No Labels leadership Conference Call Monday, the senator said the counter-pressure and mood of the voters "could hit a tipping point in a very good direction. You can feel it happening to some of the...

Tucson Shooting Suspect Loughner Held Without Bail
Jared Lee Loughner's mugshot The suspect in the Saturday shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and many others, which left six dead, appeared in court today. Jared Lee Loughner, 20, was held without bail and apparently smirked in court. His mugshot was also released, and it showed the young man with a big smile. Giffords was apparently the target of the shooting outside a Safeway in Tucson, AZ, where she was holding a constituent event. Among of those who died were Federal Judge John Roll and G...