President Barack Obama observes a moment of silence for the victims of the Arizona shooting. | AP Photo
Arizona lawmakers hope President Obama floats above the blame game when he visits the state. | AP Photo Close
By MATT NEGRIN & MJ LEE | 1/11/11 6:36 PM EST
Arizona Democrats and Republicans agree: President Obama needs to rise above the blame game.
Obama will speak in Tucson on Wednesday to pay tribute to the six killed and 14 injured in a shooting spree on Saturday. While Washington figures debate rhetoric, gun imagery and “vitriol,” party leaders in Pima County hope Obama floats above it all, keeping the mud-slinging out of their bereaved state.
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“The grieving process is not helped by the talking heads yelling at each other,” said Adam Kinsey, the executive director of the Pima County Democratic Party. “[Obama] has been a calming, soothing voice of reason in this instance, and I imagine he will continue to do so,” Kinsey said.
Brian Miller, the chairman of the Pima County Republican Party, shared the sentiment.
“Now is not the time to castigate people and blame people, because the reality is, nobody knows the motive and won’t know for a while,” Miller said. “I have all the confidence in our president to do what’s right tomorrow.”
The White House hasn’t released Obama’s remarks, but he’s expected to stick to the themes he’s expressed after the shooting: that Americans should come together and pray for the victims and their families. Nick Shapiro, a White House spokesman, said Tuesday that Obama believes “the main thing we should be doing is offering our thoughts and prayers to those who’ve been impacted and making sure that we’re joining together and pulling together as a country.”
In one way, the national dispute over who’s to blame for the country’s sour political environment began in Arizona itself, when the Pima County sheriff said shortly after the shooting that the “vitriol” pervading the country’s political dialogue had contributed to the attack. Since then, Sarah Palin has been blamed for circulating a map with crosshairs on Democrats’ districts, talk-show hosts have been faulted for turning up the temperature on political statements, and the news media have been criticized for using violent terms to describe political disagreements.
But Arizona politicians in the state are trying to shield the discourse from the national tenor.
A Democratic Tucson council member, Paul Cunningham, called finger-pointing over political rhetoric “inappropriate,” at least now. And David Schapira, the state House minority leader, called for the country to unite and begin “healing” together. “This young man wasn’t firing at a Democrat; he was firing at democracy,” the Democrat said.
Rep. Trent Franks agreed, calling the moment apolitical.
“This is a time to eschew politics completely,” Franks said, “and be of one voice … in solidarity with the families of the victims.”
“Grief is particularly deep, and it’s difficult to think clearly,” said Karin Uhlich, a Democratic council member in Tucson. “Any of us and all of us want to be sure that as we look back on this time, any action we take, any policy that we derive, any change that we shape from this, that it was — that it’s right, that it really is a path that will improve the course of the community and the country, and that requires a pacing and measured movement.”
That message has been embraced by both parties in Arizona. “I think the most important thing President Obama can do right now is to continue just what he’s been doing – provide comfort for the families directly impacted by this tragedy by letting them know that the thoughts and prayers of the entire country are with them,” Rep. Jeff Flake, a Republican, said in a statement.
State lawmakers predicted that Obama’s presence alone will help the torn city help recover.
“It’s always comforting to those of us who are hurt and dealing with such a tragic situation to have our nation’s leader at our side, mourning alongside us, praying alongside us,” Schapira said.
A host of local officials are expected to be at the memorial service on Wednesday, including Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Rep. Raul Grijalva, Franks, Flake, others in the congressional delegation, Tucson city council members and the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Schapira confirmed that state lawmakers from both parties will attend, and that members are coordinating rides to Tucson.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47456.html#ixzz1Amzs84Ob
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