U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' new book indicates that while she was weighing the idea of running for U.S. Senate in 2012, she was also considering waiting until 2014 to run for governor.
As a Democrat from Tucson, she knew it would be hard for her to win, husband Mark Kelly writes. " 'I don't know that I could win the governor's race or a Senate seat,' " Gabby told me. " 'But someone has to do something for the sake of Arizona. Maybe I'm the someone. Maybe I have a duty to run.' "
While the book says she isn't ready to decide on her future, it makes it clear she will advocate for better health-insurance coverage for people with brain injuries.
In the interim, her staff this week pushed for cuts to congressional salaries, spearheading a letter to the dozen members of the bipartisan supercommittee, urging them to cut salaries in their efforts to reduce the deficit.
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Just two days before Giffords was shot, she introduced a bill to cut salaries in the House and Senate by 5 percent, saying Congress should make sacrifices in tough economic times.
The members of the House and Senate are paid $174,000 a year, with leadership making more. A 5 percent cut over 10 years would save $50 million, her office estimated.
The supercommittee has a Thanksgiving deadline to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions, or automatic spending cuts will take effect in 2013.
Here's to betting those salary cuts are right at the top of the list.
Keep eye on CafePress
After Republican National Committeeman Reince Priebus came to town this week, talking smack about President Obama's job performance, the local Democratic Party chairman could find little area of agreement.
Although Priebus said there's no way Obama can win Arizona, Jeff Rogers begs to differ. "Bill Clinton won this state and that wasn't so long ago," he said, noting the strongest Republican seems to be former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who doesn't seem to be catching on.
"As for the president not being able to accomplish as much as he could have, the fact is that Republicans have stood in his way. They've made it clear they're willing to throw the economy down the hole just to beat Barack Obama."
He did concur with one area - a lot of people are tuning in to watch the GOP debates. Including him. "It's like watching 'Saturday Night Live.' I find them to be hilarious. I think Americans are watching them for fun."
With both sides duking it out, there's a third group holding itself up to be an accurate gauge of voter sentiment.
CafePress, an online retailer that sells political T-shirts and other merchandise, claims it can offer insight about who will win based on its sales. In 2008, Obama captured 50 percent of candidate-driven sales, while U.S. Sen. John McCain only had 20 percent. And we all know how that turned out.
With 351 days until the election, so far 2011 sales to date are running 79 percent anti-Obama.
Eat a Cranberry DAy
Just in time for Thanksgiving, staff for Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett insists he will be celebrating national Eat a Cranberry Day on Wednesday.
He will gear up for Turkey Day by eating a slice of petroleum byproduct, er, sorry, typewriter keys slipped ... canned cranberry sauce. The kind that plops out on a platter with perfect circular indentations. "Who doesn't love this American treasure?" asks spokesman Matt Roberts, who said celebrating the day is also a chance to educate the public about the special fruit that is the cranberry.
So in the interest of doing our part for the greater good, here goes. Cranberries grow in bogs, primarily in New England. Tidbit: While you might have thought the only contribution New Jersey actually makes to the country is bad reality TV, in truth, 95 percent of all the cranberries grown in New Jersey are sold to Ocean Spray, says the American Cranberry Association.
But then again, that's a group that says cranberries are one of only three major fruits native to North America, along with blueberries and Concord grapes. Anytime we get tired of fighting over Wall Street excesses or deficit fixes, there's a sentence ripe for debate.
Contact reporter Rhonda Bodfield at rbodfield@azstarnet.com or 573-4243.
