COMMENTARY | As the nation hopes for the full recovery of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after her shooting on Saturday, the concern naturally turns towards the safety and security of other members of Congress.
Giffords has received numerous threats throughout the recent past. While there were not apparently threats specific enough to warrant extreme caution, the fact is that at any time, particularly during difficult economic times, the safety and security of elected officials and their staffs has to be of the highest concern.
While it is not realistic, logistically nor financially, to provide the kind of extreme security that the president of the United States is provided, the sad part of Saturday's shooting is that it may inhibit other members of Congress from moving about as freely in public and among their constituents as they may have otherwise.
Calif. Rep. Dennis Cardoza said on Saturday that he, along with other members of Congress, had received multiple email messages from Capitol Hill police. Cardoza said, "They told us to increase our vigilance, and to have more security at our public events."
Naturally, elected officials want to have as much assurance as possible that they are safe from the small but dangerous element in the world that would do them harm. But, a key part of governing effectively, and, candidly, being elected to office, is the ability to meet with large numbers of people to impart something of a personal connection and relationship. In many ways, the personal contact between lawmakers and elected officials is a cornerstone of a democracy.
While the motive behind Saturday's shooting of Giffords is not yet fully known, in some ways it is irrelevant. Whether it was a politically motivated attack or crazed gunman (and it is believed to be a gunman at press time), an attack on the safety and security of any elected official is an attack at the underpinnings of the American system.
Hopefully Giffords will fully recover and through the lens of history it turns out to be simply an aberration. But in the near term, the country faces a delicate balancing act between providing primary contact for the public and politicians and security for all involved.
Ron Hart is a political observer living in New York City. Having volunteered on several political campaigns, for both Democrat and Republican candidates, he brings a moderate's perspective. He is following the 2012 presidential campaign in its nascent stages
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