Disabled Politico

McCain makes the night's second reference to people with disabilities

Disabled Politico — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:35:00 GMT

McCain gave a brief mention in his speech about how he plans to fight for people with disabilities:

"I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Jake works on a loading dock; coaches Little League, and raises money for the mentally and physically disabled. Toni is a schoolteacher, working toward her Master’s Degree. They have two sons, the youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. They matter to me."

Pictures from McCain's Speech

Disabled Politico — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:29:00 GMT

Here are a selection of pictures from the final night of the Republican National Convention:

Code Pink causes ruckus during McCain's speech

Disabled Politico — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:20:00 GMT

During the first part of McCain's speech several people were causing commotion behind McCain and to his right. Twitters are attributing this to Code Pink. The ruckus-raisers were quickly ushered out while McCain made a light remark and got a big cheer from the crowd.

(from FOX News)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Anti-war protesters briefly interrupted John McCain’s acceptance speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention.

One male protester and two female protesters wearing the traditional CodePink colors were removed from the hall by security officers. The male demonstrator had a sign that read “You can’t win an occupation” on one side, and “McCain votes against vets” on the other side.

The crowd tried to drown them out with chants of, “USA, USA.”

“My friends, my dear friends … please, please don’t be diverted by the crowd noise and the static,” McCain said. “I’m going to talk about it some more, but Americans want us to stop yelling at each other.”

Rosario Marin gives nod to Sarah Palin and special needs families

Disabled Politico — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:37:00 GMT

Rosario Marin, Secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency, starts off John McCain’s night here at the Republican National Convention by recalling Sarah Palin’s speech from last night and giving another nod to individuals with special needs and their families. Pertinent excerpts follow:

Like her, I have been underestimated.

Who would have thought the girl who came to this country from Mexico when she was 14-years-old without speaking English would become the first immigrant to serve as Treasurer of the United States?

Like her, I have been the mayor of a small town. I served Huntington Park - in the glorious state of California!

But most importantly - like her, I have had the privilege of raising a son with Down Syndrome.

Eric, my first-born, is now 23. He has been and will always be the Wind Beneath My Wings. As a matter of fact, my desire to impact government and make a positive difference in my community started, almost immediately, after Eric was born.

When I was running for office, I was criticized as Sarah Palin has been. And while painful, I knew that was the price I'd have to pay to leave this country a better place for Eric and others like him.

I know I speak for the millions of families that have a child with a disability: Who better than Sarah Palin to understand the daily challenges of raising a family while holding a job, working on a career or managing your own business?

Who better than her to understand our fears, our hopes and our dreams for all our children but especially those with disabilities? [emphasis added]

Sarah Palin will serve alongside John McCain as a passionate advocate for Americans with special needs - breaking down both physical obstacles and false perceptions of people with disabilities and ensuring that all of our children have access to the jobs, education, and privileges that Americans enjoy.

Palin Captivates Crowd at RNC, Says She’ll Advocate for Children with Special Needs

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:26:00 GMT

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin burst onto the stage in captivating fashion at the Republican National Convention last night, with a speech in which she stressed her record as an agent of change and her commitment to small-town, family values. Most importantly to those in the disability community, Palin spoke with candor about her personal experience with disability.

In April Mrs. Palin gave birth to her fifth child, Trig, after pre-natal screening confirmed the fact that he had Down Syndrome.

“Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge,” she said. “To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

Despite criticism that her experience as a small-town mayor and one-term governor of Alaska is not enough experience for the vice-presidency, Mrs. Palin did not shy away form taking swipes at Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

“I guess a small-town mayor is soft of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities,” Palin said, adding that in small towns people prefer, “candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.”

She also stressed the experience and leadership of Senator John McCain.

“I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions ... and met far graver challenges ... and knows how tough fights are won,” she said about McCain.

Palin will be a friend of special needs families

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:37:00 GMT

A couple of choice quotes from Sarah Palin:

“To the families of special needs families all around America...I pledge to you that if we are elected you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”

“The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lip stick.”

Huckabee Laughs it up at the RNC

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:43:00 GMT

"John McCain helped me have a school desk," says Mike Huckabee at the end of his speech. He adds that he'd like to help McCain get a desk of his own and that the one in the Oval Office would fit just right.

The desk reference is the end of a poignant anecdote about a teacher who taught her children a creative and valuable lesson about the importance of puting "country first" by taking away their desks. Eventually, she brought in veterans who were carrying their desks.

It's a damn complicated narrative to follow, but Huckabee--with his classic Southern charm--pulls it off perfectly. A sharp contrast with Romney's more militant tone, Huckabee plays the role of a humbler, more gentler Republican. He talks about growing up poor in Hope, Arkansas and how his family could only afford "lava soap."

"I was in college before I knew that taking a bath wasn't suppose to hurt," he says.

Always the funny man, Huckabee also decries the "elite media" for their coverage, saying, "Their reporting over the last few days has proven tackier than a costume change at Madonna concert."

Mitt Romney Throws Down

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:25:00 GMT

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney just rocked the crowd with an impassioned and declarative speech, during which not a single tuff of his hair moved. He began by taking a shot at Eastern intellectuals and publications such as the NY times and the NY Post.

“If America really wants to change, it is time to look for the sun in the West because it’s about to rise from Arizona and Alaska,” Romney proclaimed.

Romney went on the offensive against the Democrats and pulled few punches when criticizing liberal philosophy. “I know that liberals don’t have a clue, they think our economy is strong because of our government," he said.

Later he took a swipe at former Vice President Al Gore, stating that one of the ways to improve the environment would be to “keep Al Gore’s private jet on the ground.”

Romney stressed the importance of family values. He pointed to pornography, drugs and single-parent families as moral problems that are harming America’s cohesiveness as a nation . He also emphasized military and economic threats abroad, saying that China was “acting like Adam Smith on steroids."

Lastly, he claimed that John McCain is the only who understands and can fight the violence of Islamic Jihad.

Michael Steele Takes the Podium

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:01:00 GMT

"We need John McCain, " says GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele. Steele begins his speech by asking the crowd, "Is there are a party in the house tonight?"over and over again. The refrain feels more appropriate for a concert than the GOP convention

Steele hits hard on the "Country First" theme, unleashing numerous rhetorical questions in some sort of odd call and response act. "Do you want to put your country first?" he asks numerous times. Then he answers his own refrain with "then drill, baby, drill, and drill now." The crowd picks goes wild and begins to chant "Drill, baby, drill themselves.

Funk and Rebellion in the Air at Ron Paul Rally

Disabled Politico — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:20:00 GMT

Yesterday's Ron Paul rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis was a spirited affair to say the least. Over 10,000 supporters paid the admission price of $15 to see Paul and a host of other conservative/libertarian speakers. So what were the highlights?

Well, former Governor Jesse Ventura unleashed a passionate and borderline seditious speech. Barry Goldwater Jr.--whose father is often credited for the genesis of the conservative movement--lambasted today's politicians as being blood-sucking ticks.

Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico, rallied against the War on Drugs--stating that 90% of the drug problem is related to prohibition and that drug use is a health care problem and not a crime problem. He also boasted that he vetoed over 750 bills while in office--more than the other 49 governors of the nation vetoed during that time combined.

Congressman Paul criticized U.S. leaders for their foreign intervention and for overstepping their constitutional authority when it comes to federalizes education and other parts of government. He advocated for abolishing the Federal Reserve and spoke passionately about the importance of personal liberty. "There's never a reason to give up one ounce of freedom," Paul said.

Paul stated that he believed if pilots had been able to carry guns that 9/11 may have been prevented. He also stated his explicit opposition to the Patriot Act, saying "just naming a bill the Patriot Act and voting for that doesn't make you a patriot. The true patriot will repeal the Patriot Act."
Lastly, he called the War on Drugs a complete failure and mocked the hypocrisy of lawmakers who advocate for stiff prison sentences for drug possession. "They have no hesitation to imbibe in that drug called alcohol, a more dangerous drug," he said.

Paul brought the house down, but he may have been one-uped a bit by a previous act. Pop singer Aimee Allen's set was capped off by a song with the lyrics, "Ron Paul, we need a revolution, Ron Paul, protect the Constitution." It drove the crowd into an insurrectionary frenzy so intense that they demanded it played again as an encore, which it was.

Governor Sarah Palin Wins Miss Congeniality Alaska in 1984.

Disabled Politico — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:06:00 GMT

That's Governor Sarah Palin, who is also Senator John McCain's running mate, on the left in the sparkling blue gown, winning Miss Congeniality at the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant. The lovely woman in red to Palin's right is Pam, the wife of DL Byron, who shared this photo and blogged about Pam's Palin connection here. Amusingly enough, Byron is also connected with Disaboomer Naomimimi, who shared the link to this photo with the Disabled Politico team. Move aside, Kevin Bacon, we're playing "Four steps to Sarah Palin!"

So, now's as good a time as any to poll our readers: Can this Miss Congeniality become Mrs. Vice-President? Will Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy harm her on the campaign trail? Will her son, Trig, who has Down's Syndrome, affect her position on disability rights? Can she pick up votes for the Republican ticket from former supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton? Most importantly, do you feel that Sarah Palin is ready to become president, should the need arise?

Leave a comment here, or talk about it in the Sarah Palin thread in Discussions!

Watch the RNC live from this Post!

Disabled Politico — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:35:00 GMT

Free video streaming by Ustream

Jesse Ventura Questions 9/11, Calls for Civil Insurection, and Threatens to 'Give Em Hell in 2012'

Disabled Politico — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:43:00 GMT

"I'm not a Democrat and I'm not a Republican and I'm very proud to say that because I think that those parties are destroying our country," said Jesse Ventura at the beginning of his speech. The former governor of Minnesota and author of the book "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me,"just gave a rousing address here at the Target Center.

Ventura lambasted the two-party system for working together to exclude third-party candidates from the presidential debates. He accused former President Bill Clinton and Senator Robert Dole for making an agreement to exclude Ross Perot from the presidential debates in 1996. He also hammered both Democrats and Republicans for passing FISA and the Patriot Act, claiming that the "Democrats gutted the 4th amendment."

"Today, the Democrats and the Republicans couldn't give a damn less about the Constitution," Ventura said as he urged those in attendance to take the country back. He also stumped for gun rights, despite confessing to not being a gun enthusiast himself.

"The right to bear arms is there because if our government gets out of control we have the right to get up and change it," Ventura said to screams of elation from the crowd.

Ventura went on to question the official version of what happened on 9/11 while many in attendance screamed "inside job" and "Bush did it."(video below)

Lastly, he hinted that he might run for president in 2012.

"Chanting and yelling isn't going to do it," he said to the crowd. "I need to see action. But if I see action, we'll give them hell in 2012."

Diabetes and Cake?

Disabled Politico — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:56:00 GMT

This morning the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly held a lunch to highlight diabetes outreach. According to organizers, Eli Lilly first introduced insulin in 1923 and has continued to be a leader in creating medications that offset the effects of diabetes. Currently, 24 million Americans suffer from diabetes, a 14% increase over the past 3 years. The annual cost of the illness is 174 million dollars.

One of the most interesting facets of the lunch was the focus on the international battle against diabetes. Worldwide diabetes kills more people than HIV/AIDS and an unnecessarily large amount of children die from the disease as well. Eli Lilly is focusing much of their philanthropic efforts on international outreach and showed a documentary featuring Nepalese residents with diabetes at the lunch.

Also speaking at the event was Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. Winner of 10 Olympic medals, Hall was diagnosed with diabetes in 1999 at the age of 24. He continued to perform at a peak athletic level, winning a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. He now works extensively in diabetes outreach.

Lilly officials emphasized that childhood diabetes is on the rise because of the increase in childhood obesity. They suggested that the increase of "joystick" exercise such as video games amongst children in lieu of real, physical exercise is one of the biggest problems

So, in the midst of cautions about obesity and unhealthy eating habits what were attendees feasting on?

Ironically, a decadent chocolate cake with a GOP elephant wafer-- washed down with icy, cold diet Coke

RNC: Diabetes Luncheon and Tuesday Speakers

Disabled Politico — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:51:00 GMT

Disabled Politico is LIVE here in dreary and humid St. Paul. One of us is at the beautiful St. Paul public library, right next to the Xcel Energy Center, and the other is at the Ron Paul Rally in Minneapolis at the Target Center. It should be an exciting night. Later this evening (after the main programmes) we will likely head out to see Gov. Huckabee's band play at a local club. That should be very interesting.

So far today we tried (unsuccessfully) to attend a health care roundtable sponsored by Cerner. We were denied entry. After that we went to a Diabetes luncheon put on by Eli Lilly. We were admitted there and say part of a film being released by the Creative Coalition in conjunction with Lilly about the impact diabetes is having in the 3rd world. Very interesting stuff. Eli Lilly's CEO, Joh Lechleiter, opened by saying that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and amputation. He also said that there are 24 million people in the US with diabetes and that that number has grown by 14% in the last two years. Ironically enough, each seat at the luncheon was accompanied by a rich slice of chocolate fudge cake (seriously).

Now that my laptop is charged I'll be heading into the Xcel Center to take in the night's events. The press seating area doesn't have internet access, I'll have to move to the press filing area for that, so updates won't be real time (especially since the battery on my iPhone is almost capput). Tonight's lineup is as follows:

President George W. Bush (via satellite)

First Lady Laura Bush

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.)

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.)

U.S. House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio)

U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.)

Robert M. "Mike" Duncan, Chairman of the Republican National Committee

Jo Ann Davidson, Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Chairman of the 2008 Republican National Convention Committee on Arrangements