Giffords discusses her successes during state tour

SIERRA VISTA Herald/Review ^

[SandRat]

BISBEE — Traveling around Cochise County for three meet-and-greets, Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spoke about what she sees as successes during her two terms.

Not facing any primary opposition, Giffords has the luxury to tailor her events for use as building blocks for the November general election. She will face competition from one of the five Republicans running in the primary and a Libertarian, who has no primary foe.

She started her Saturday county tour in Benson, went to Sierra Vista and then to Bisbee, before going to Douglas for a private event.

In Bisbee, nearly 40 people listened to her outside the Bisbee Coffee Co., where Giffords said the difficulty of the nation’s economy continues to hurt Americans.

“It’s incredibly tough on millions out of work,” she said, adding that signs of a recovery are growing, “but not fast enough.”

As for a recent GOP member of Congress saying the $20 billion BP will put in escrow was a shakedown — which was quickly taken back under pressure from fellow GOP congressional leaders — Giffords said it is important for the company to reimburse the people and the government for the cost of the Gulf oil spill cleanup and lost income.

The congresswoman didn’t miss a beat in mentioning her support for renewable energy, solar and wind, noting it is time for the country to recognize it cannot continue to depend on foreign oil. This means the oil produced by the U.S., including that collected from off-shore sites, must be sufficient for its needs.

When it came to the immigration issue, Arizona’s 8th Congressional District representative said the issue went off the radar screen in 2006 but now it is back, and people, especially those in border states, and particularly Arizonans, are seeking relief because of the federal government’s inaction.

However, she said the recently passed state Senate Bill 1070, which goes into effect on July 29, was the wrong way to handle the problem.

The passing of the state bill has led to boycotts of the state and some large groups are pulling conventions.

The proper avenue for border security and immigration issues is the federal government, Giffords said.

She said she has pushed to address hard political issues and will continue to do so, but it takes more than one member of Congress to get things done.

“I can’t guarantee anything,” she said.

But she added she will continue to work on issues even though some are not popular.

When it comes to members of Congress working together, “it’s all about having political will,” Giffords said.