Should Gabrielle Giffords have been allowed to vote on the debt ceiling bill?

Throughout several of the posts concerning the debt ceiling bill, I noticed that a few members mentioned Gabrielle Giffords' presence for the voting process. This brought to my mind one serious question: Is Gabrielle Giffords capable of making a responsible decision on this very serious subject?
As the wife of a TBI survivor, I have my doubts to her ability to make a sound decision. My husband was shot in the head 25 years ago. Even after years of rehabilitation, he struggles making decisions. This is normal for this type of injury.

Nina Zeldis, PhD, taught rehabilitation medicine at Israel's Tel Aviv University for more than 20 years. She notes that people who, like Giffords, have suffered damage to the left side of the brain tend to have: * difficulty speaking and understanding speech * difficulty reading * increased impulsivity * lack of emotional control * decreased problem-solving ability * diminished long-term planning * problems with hand/eye coordination

Pictures of Ms. Giffords taken prior to the vote show her looking frail and really anything than ready for such a big undertaking. I have pictures of my husband after returning home from rehab looking that same way. She appears worn out and not fully with it. How could she be? She is most likely learning to be able to take care of herself right now. Many times, the head injured have to start from square one re-learning how to do simple tasks such as brushing their teeth. They often make hasty decisions based on what helps them get out of a situation quickly. Often they require constant motivation by their caregivers, as they will not motivate themselves.
Every tbi recovers differently, but one thing is for certain, she is not the same individual she was before being shot. I wonder what agenda was satisfied by bringing her in to vote on this particular bill. One would think that she would have waited to return in a more private and less publicized vote considering her condition. If she was brought in "to never let a good crisis go to waste", I feel for her and her family.

reply to post by Komaratzi11


In all honesty no, but most won't like that answer. Her appearance was more symbolic than anything and I'm not gonna lie it kind of cheered me up seeing the pictures. Anyways, her vote wouldn't have made a difference in this case so I wouldn't give it much thought, that is until she votes on something close

even if giffords was in perfect health wouldnt have made one bit of difference.

wasnt a single congressman that voted and continue to vote that knows what the hell they doing.

at least she had an excuse.

Like it makes any practical difference. You might as well worry about whether your hamster should have been allowed to vote. They're not working in our interests anyway. WTH difference would it make even if she'd been a zombie wheeled in to vote?

It's funny you should post this because just a little while ago I was asking my wife this very question. I believe that she should not have been there as I can say with reasonable certainty that she has not yet read the bill that she voted on. Of course, I would guess that 75% of the people who voted for it haven't read it either.

My main concern though, is the same as yours. I am just not convinced that her decision making process is anywhere close to what it was before the shooting. I just find myself asking, why trot her out like this now? What's in it for her and her party? Wish I had some answers on this, I just for the life of me figure out why it was important.

"Should Gabrielle Giffords have been allowed to vote on the debt ceiling bill?" Yes and no. If "half her brain" still functions, there should be no harm in allowing her to perform her duties as an elected official. While I disagree in having her present due to her medical condition, she has symbolically shown to us that there is still hope after a downfall.

reply to post by cdnutz44


I'm pretty sure that she isn't able to make a good decision right now and may never be. But like others have mentioned, the "able-minded" members can't make good decisions either.

One thing that does bother me quite a bit, is that some tbi survivors are very easily manipulated. Anyone could sell my husband anything if they made it sound good. I have to make all the important decisions in our household because he is so easily swayed by others. I don't think I would want my congressperson being this type of a thinker. It really doesn't matter on a vote that isn't close, but on one that is, it would be a really big deal.

???? If half her brain were functioning,she would know to stay away from the vote, and be not be a part of the whole charade. It would have really been in her best interest long term.

I applaude her returning. But it was used as a political ploy.

Which side of her brain DIDN'T she use to get in on that vote?

And I mean zero disrespect.

Originally posted by Komaratzi11
reply to post by cdnutz44

 

I'm pretty sure that she isn't able to make a good decision right now and may never be. But like others have mentioned, the "able-minded" members can't make good decisions either.

One thing that does bother me quite a bit, is that some tbi survivors are very easily manipulated. Anyone could sell my husband anything if they made it sound good. I have to make all the important decisions in our household because he is so easily swayed by others. I don't think I would want my congressperson being this type of a thinker. It really doesn't matter on a vote that isn't close, but on one that is, it would be a really big deal.

Yep. It occurs to me that she is now effectively silenced. Whatever she "knew" or was made privy to, as a member of congress and the wife of a NASA astronaught, about inside government secrets, that may be connected to NASA or another contracted secret project, has probably been "washed" from her brain. Whatever pet project she was working on, that may have offended TPB, is abandon. She is ineffective.

I really haven't been following the "conspiracy theories" around her shooting, but your post and her sudden appearance for the imfamous vote, made me think. She is a perfect patsy now. And if her astronaught husband gets in the mood to talk,??????? Makes me think, something wierd is afoot.

Had she voted against it, I wonder how many others would have done the same. Nobody knows if she even seen the bill. I think she was used as a distraction. So there wouldn't be any focus on the crappy bill that was just signed into law.

Her recovery is an ongoing miracle. Instead of exploiting her for political gain, she used be seen as an example of inspiration. The power of humans to overcome great tragedy.

I honestly don't think it matters one dam bit. When the country is on the threshold of default and the President is telling Harry Reid to "just get me something to sign", I think Mr. Bean would have been sufficient.
The entire thing is a giant joke.

this will probably be removed but frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, even with a TBI, still has a hell of alot more working brain cells in her head than most members of the tea party caucus. one perfect example; Michelle Bachmann. ~~~ more importantly and even more on topic Gabby Giffords is NOT your ordinary person. she never was. most would not have survived what she did. the lady has courage, conviction & strength of character most will never understand. from what I understand, the groundwork is being laid for Congreswoman Giffords re-election campaign should she choose to continue to serve her country. I hope she does. we need more people like her. she's one of the "good ones". one more thing; any attempt by the right / GOP / teabaggers to block Gabby from voting would have surely sealed their fate.

reply to post by LooksLikeWeMadeIt


I hope her recovery is as close to a full recovery as a tbi survivor can get and that she is able to go back to her life as much as possible. I don't care what party she is with, I wish her only the best. No one deserves to be shot and have to go through what these poor people go through to recover.
You are correct in saying that only a special kind of person can make a come back from such a terrible event. I know, I'm married to one. But because of what I know from being married to a brain injured person, I understand the fact that the tbi survivor is rarely the same person they were prior to the injury. The issue I have is whether or not her decision making skills will be adversely affected by her injury. Sometimes, it's just not possible for the brain injured to function at the same capacity as they once did regardless of what type of person they are.
My husband was the smartest of his siblings and probably still is, but his intelligence doesn't help him when he is faced with making a choice and all his brain can tell him is to do what will get him through the problem the fastest with the least pain to himself. Everyone recovers differently, but some issues are known to occur with these types of injuries. Even with time, the brain evolves and some things change for the better and some for the worse.
I really hope Ms. Giffords will be able to function in a capacity that will allow her to continue on with her life, but I will say that some of the posts on here have shown me that most people really don't understand what tbi is all about. I hope I'm not offending anyone, that is not my intention. I only hope to educate.