Walla Walla's Walsh Makes News Again

Even after it's emergence as a premier wine destination, it's extremely rare for my hometown of Walla Walla or it's politicians to make national news.  However, Republican Senator Maureen Walsh has done this twice  with her speeches.
Walsh made headlines this past week with a speech in support of an amendment to a bill that intended to shorten hours and mandate breaks for nurses in the state.  Walsh said that nurses in smaller hospitals get breaks where they probably spend a considerable amount of the day playing cards.
Social media picked up on that phrase and before you know it, it spread throughout the country.
The backlash from her remarks were considerable, as shown above, her office received about 1700 decks of playing cards.  On a more serious side, an online petition received about  750 thousand signatures to have her "shadow" a nurse to see how they spend their days.
A few days later, she apologized for making the remark.
In 2012,  Walsh first got national attention as a member of the state house of representatives.  Her folksy speech supporting marriage equality.  The fact that she bucked her own party, made her popular with many Democrats and progressive minded people.