Biden's comments on special needs kids c

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Biden's comments on special needs kids c
20
Wed, 09-10-2008 - 3:52pm
Biden's comments on special needs kids called 'new low'


  • Story Highlights
  • Biden says GOP advocates for special needs kids should support stem cell research

  • McCain camp says Biden "sunk to a new low" with comments

  • GOP VP pick Palin has a son with Down syndrome, opposes stem cell research

  • Biden spokesman says vice presidential nominee did not target Palin

  • http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/09/biden.special.needs/index.html


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2003
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 10:27am

this is the sort of coverage i find misleading and very frustrating. there are important facts here, but reported and emphasized in the wrong order. in order of importance:

"Before her run for the vice presidency, advocacy for special needs programs had not been a central part of her political campaigns or during her administration"

"Palin signed a bill this year increasing special needs funding but frustrated some of the bill's co-sponsors by stepping in only at the last minute. Sonya Kerr, an Anchorage attorney specializing in disability rights, filed a lawsuit against the state and Palin, alleging that there are not enough services for kids with special needs, specifically a child with autism."

"Palin, an evangelical Christian, opposes stem cell research because it involves the use of human embryos, but her running mate, GOP presidential nominee McCain, does support stem cell research." even though"During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Palin told parents of children with disabilities that she would be "a friend and advocate in the White House."

"During a campaign event in Columbia, Missouri, Biden did not mention his Republican counterpart by name but said, "I hear all this talk about how the Republicans are going to work in dealing with parents who have both the joy ... and the difficulty of raising a child who has a developmental disability, who were born with a birth defect... Well, guess what, folks? If you care about it, why don't you support stem cell research?" asked Biden, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama."

"Sen. John McCain's campaign rebuked Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday, saying the Democratic vice presidential nominee had "sunk to a new low" by raising a debate over who cares more for special needs children."

because my point would be: who has consistently supported legislation to provide services to families with disabled children? let's look at the record. and who supports research that could make a huge difference in the quality of life for thousands of people?

and the more i type this, the more i am outraged that the Republicans have taken motherhood, lipstick, the disabled, pregnancy before marriage all hostage so that no one else can comment on it without being accused of a smear. especially when the Republicans have pushed those issues to the back of the bus for years.

personal note: my father died of Parkinson's Disease. a long slow lingering loss over many years. my almost grown children say they don't remember what he was like before. stem cell research was never going to improve his life - but i am against locking away the potential answers to a remedy to people faced with his suffering in the future. and i am against slamming science and innovation because of an unsupported belief system.

Bea

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 10:33am

and the more i type this, the more i am outraged that the Republicans have taken motherhood, lipstick, the disabled, pregnancy before marriage all hostage so that no one else can comment on it without being accused of a smear. especially when the Republicans have pushed those issues to the back of the bus for years.


This is so true.


As far as Biden's comments, again, another non-issue.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 10:35am

<>


Yup!!! It's so frustrating that people are continually fooled by this nonsense.

 


 


I disagree with you, but I'm pretty sure

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 10:37am
Much ado about nothing...again.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-31-2001
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 12:01pm

As a mom with a severely disabled child, I didn't even think twice about his comments. I agree that if stem cell research can help even one disabled child, we should all be behind the research, and I wouldn't be surprised if Gov. Palin's views on this change as her son ages.. living with a disabled baby is much, much easier than living with a pre-adolescent with a disability (or,I imagine, even more difficult as they are even older, but I haven't gotten there yet). Frankly, some pundits needs to "take a chill pill".

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VJ-Sig
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-15-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 3:31pm

Hi CL,


Hasn't been much in the news recently about Sen. Biden, aside from the captioned story.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2008
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 4:02pm
Biden is an idiot who continues to stick his foot in his mouth time and time again. After what he said about Obama...why on earth is he the VP candidate? What a bozo!
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-2007
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 4:02pm

I was thinking this myself.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 4:14pm

Too late to drop him for Hillary.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 09-11-2008 - 4:16pm
Of course Biden's son is being investigated for some type of fraud.

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