Pascrell said he wants to tone down the heated political rhetoric he believes may have contributed to the shooting in Tucson
Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. in this 2009 file photo.TRENTON — In the wake of Saturday’s shooting that left six people dead and an Arizona congresswoman critically injured, a member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation is calling upon the region’s clergy to help people put aside their ideological differences during a "week of solidarity."
"I’m looking for some of the churches and the synagogues and the mosques, the places of worship, where they can come together and talk about what solidarity means at this moment for the nation," said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th District).
Pascrell said he wants to tone down the heated political rhetoric he believes may have contributed to the shooting in Tucson, Ariz., which left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, in critical condition.
Pascrell will hold a press conference this morning at the Hamilton Club at Passaic County Community College in Paterson to formally announce his proposal.
The shooting is sparking an intense debate over whether incendiary political talk across the country — punctuated with references to guns and the blood of slain politicians — is a real danger, or merely vivid political rhetoric.
The Rev. Leona R. James of Paterson’s Thankful Baptist Church agreed that clergy have a role to play, including preaching the golden rule to people who would hate others of differing political beliefs.
"They need somebody to guide them," James said. "Somebody has not been teaching them the right way, and the right way is, you treat people the way you would like to be treated."
Pascrell blamed the angry, unchecked rhetoric of some on-air personalities, including Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, for fanning partisan flames, and contributing to the kind of hostile environment out of which the shooting may have grown.
"They are entitled to their opinions, but they have consequences," Pascrell said.
A spokesman for Beck did not immediately respond to Pascrell’s suggestion.
Meanwhile, Gov. Chris Christie’s office issued a statement today saying "there’s no making sense of" the shooting.
"The governor’s thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her family and the other victims and their families," the statement said.
Within New Jersey’s congressional delegation, expressions of sympathy and solidarity have come from both sides of the political aisle. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee with Giffords, said their service together has included, "partnering on critical Air National Guard issues that affect both our districts and our nation’s security."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement today, calling on both parties to, "stand together, at this dark time, as one body."
But Pascrell said it was not only elected officials who need to come together, which is why he is calling on clergy to help still the water.
"I don’t think the two parties can resolve this," he said. "We’ve got to have leadership in the Congress, but the Congress also needs to hear leadership in our nation."