John McCain blows off supporting the Community Choice Act at Town Hall Meeting
By John Amato Tuesday Jul 08, 2008 12:30pm
A women from the group ADAPT asked John McCain at his recent Town Hall meeting for his support of the Community Choice Act, a bi-partisan bill sponsored by Harkin and Specter. ADAPT is very active in getting their message out and raising awareness of treating people with disabilities with dignity and respect. The Community Choice Act allows people who require significant caregiving the choice of staying in the community instead of being forced by Medicaid and Medicare restrictions into nursing homes and other institutions.
Obama supports it. It looks like a good piece of legislation.
Q: Will you sign on to join the Community Choice Act?
McCain: I will not because I don't think that it's the right kind of legislation. I'm proud to have been one of the many people who was involved in the original Americans for Disabilities Act. Now we will continue to update it and upgrade and improve it as needed. Community Choice Act is not a piece of legislation that I support...
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Here's some background about the protest.
The office of Senator and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain was occupied by the disability-rights organization ADAPT this afternoon. The protesters-the vast majority of which had disabilities-were seeking a meeting with McCain to ask for his support for the Community Choice Act. The legislation reforms Medicaid payments by allowing those with disabilities to use their benefits for community-based care instead of nursing homes. Approximately forty ADAPT activists participated in the protest.
McCain never says why he's against it in his answer. He holds up the ADA as an example of legislation that he does support, but that goes to issues of accessibility and accommodation, not care. The ADA has nothing to do with providing long term care of disabled people. And he had to be aware of the legislation, as the ADAPT people had a protest at his office just a couple of months ago.
Heather says:
His pretty blunt answer is no and that he supported the Americans With Disabilities Act. From press reports, a number of wheelchair-bound participants left the meeting after McCain made his statement. I guess not everyone has a Sugar Momma like Cindy to take care of them and doesn't have to worry about ending up in a nursing home like John does.
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"Americans for Disabilities Act?"
WTF is that? Idiot.
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McCain will be sorry. It's not too long before he's one of those old sickly frail people who will need just this sort of legislation. Oh, never mind. His gazillionaire wife will take care of his sorry ass.
what do you expect from an elitist.....
Many McCain supporters will be in nursing homes in the next decade. Nice to see the old elitist stab such a big percentage of his base in the back.
This would be great if anybody was hearing about it. The only place I have seen these remarks by McCain is on the Blog Thingees. We've got to keep pushing this out to the rest of the Conventional Media.
Get your John McCain NOPE T-Shirts & Stickers today!
Another aggressive no-nothingism from a Political Party hack that might actually succeed in killing itself off.
Mc Lamo should have just passed out a pair of bootstraps to everyone as the introduction to the new Republican managed care program saying--here you go people! Have fun pulling your own a-- up just like I did! And as noted in the preface here, Mc Senile should take note that ADA is not related to this issue. Or maybe he doesn't really care anymore if he appears competent or not.
well, for neocons and the rar right, the name alone is a non-starter. you see, it has the word "community" in it. and for the right wing ideology that means that it is bad.
community = communism
"Wheel those begging losers out on to the street!" Cold hearted bastard.
And why is it that Obama is painted as an elitist and McCain is just "regular folk?" This guy takes the freaking cake. Not a day goes by where he doesn't do or say something stupid, and what do we hear from the supposed "liberal media?" Crickets, that's what.
He might be singing a different tune if he didn't have a multi-millionaire 'wife' to cover his ass. Hopefully she throws him out without a dime after he loses the election and his Senate seat.
RancidVenison @ 1:
The transcription is wrong. He said "Americans WITH Disabilities Act".
Just under a third of the Senate, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, supported an amendment proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., that would have stripped immunity from the bill. It was defeated on a 32-66 vote. Presumptive Republican nominee John McGrampa did not vote.
Stepping on the necks of the disabled will get the Jonah Goldberg fascist vote, but might not play well with humans.
I saw this on tv when it happened. The way he said no to that lady was breathtaking. He wasn't the least bit kind but very matter of fact. I felt so sorry for the lady because she had just poured her heart out to him about her cause and his response seemed like a verbal slap in the face to her.
What mccain really meant
1) not as long as we are getting ready for another war , sorry no money .
2) we might have this in about 10 yrs , sorry that wont help you now . Which parking do you stay in I'll have my people contact you .
3) those damn baby boomers stole all the money .
so all you grey hairs and ( me ) no hairs remember to vote .
Mark @ News Corpse @ 5:
No wonder he like Town Halls. Unlike debates which get nationwide, only a small group of people end up hearing his stupid comments. And he can count on the MSM not running a story about such incidents.
Now it's personal! My crippled ass doesn't require significant "caregiving" but now you've crossed the wrong people Senator McCain. the Wheelchair Mafia does not play games. WE WILL DESTROY YOU!
This is very familiar to me. I had a bit of face to face time with McCain just before the beginning of the Iraq war w/ a small contingent of about a dozen activists. The only thing that McCain said over and over again was that unemployment was high in Iraq and that he was "worried about unemployed Iraqis finding trouble." (becoming terrorists) He asked us if anybody else had anything to discuss. I told him that I was worried that my Firefighter's Pension and Disability had been torpedoed by a corporate scam(WorldCom ;the 6th largest contributor to Shrubya's campaign) He told me that "...your pension board needs to be more carefull." I asked him how it is possible to be more careful since this corporation was allowed to engage in fraud under the euphemism of "aggressive accounting" as WorldCom did. John McCain turned away from me and began talking with someone else. My blood still boils when I think of it. I am disabled in the line of duty - it's not like I can just go get another job in my field - or much else for shite sake..
Specter proposed an amendment to require a district court judge to assess the legality of warrantless wiretapping before granting immunity. It failed on a 37-61 vote.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., proposed that immunity be delayed until after a yearlong government investigation into warrantless wiretapping is completed. His amendment failed on a vote of 42-56.
It's no secret that Republicans (the family values party) hate disabled people.
Congress has never fully funded ADA as it promised. Instead the responsibility falls on the states.
Mickxotic @ 19:
Damn that sucks! My heart goes out to ya...
fuckin McBain don't give a shit about nothin but McBain.
I wonder...if McBain and the Neo-Cons are actively trying to lose this election...and they fuckin win anyway...I'd fuckin lose my mind.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 5:
God-damned NPR this morning was busy selling the "McCain is a friendly, regular guy; and his positions are really not that different from Obama's" bullshit this morning.
Its always good to wake up yelling at the radio.
"Will you support this?"
"No, I supported the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Oooooo-kay.
"Would you like coffee?"
"No, I drive a BMW."
??????
Old Billy Hussein @ 25:
I heard that horsecrap today on NPR too--who is fast becoming another yellowbellied syncophant of the failed status quo-- yelling can do you good especially if laced with expletives.
This from a veteran who doesn't support veterans and a handicapped person who doesn't support handicapped people. Safe to say that this guy is out of touch, an empty vessel who spouts words, but has no compassion or empathy.
wheeee @ 21:
The mentally challenged hating the physically challenged. Nice-- from the party of de-values.
Weren't town hall meetings supposed to be McCain's strength? So much for that theory.
the town halls are a gold mine of material, why doesn't the MSM cover these comments made in town halls about his position on issues?
this week's town hall alone were a gold rush by themselves
John McCain blows
off supporting the Community Choice Act at Town Hall MeetingThere, I've fixed the headline.
Can you say BIG PHARMA and BIG INSURANCE? Of course he won't sign it. Nursing homes make lots of $$$
Dr.Acula@32 : Thank-you.
Mickxotic @ 34:
You're very welcome!
What a heartless prick. Nothing new, just ask the first mrs.Mcbush.must be nice to fall back on the millions of his trophy
wife, who just wracked up 750,000 on a shopping spree.
What, him worry or care? Bastard.
Dnurse
McSame, like Bush, is distancing himself from the press http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/09/mccain-freezing-out-press_n_111...
...exept the right wing bloggers and the lapdog press of course. Those will always a seat on McCain's Air Force One. Just like they do on Bush's Air Force One. Didn't we just have 7 1/2 years of this? A lapdog press that never asked or got straight answers from a conservative president? And look what it got us: wars, debt, a recession, tramped civil liberties, a trashed environment and record profits for big oil and other Bush insiders. No, McSame is nothing like Bush, he just plays from the same handbook.
Old Billy Hussein @ 25:
Left&Left @ 9:
that is basically what is going on
Woman: "We are members of a group called Adapt. We were in Washington in April. And 40 people with disabilities were arrested. We came to your office to ask you to support .... The Community Choice Act..."
...
McCain: "I'll will be glad as we did when you came to my office and many of your friends came as well, and I will continue to communicate with you... BY HAVING YOU ARRESTED AGAIN!!!!"
Why isn't it "the right kind of legislation"? He was glib.
He supports disabled Americans like he supports the troops. NOT at all.
Dr. Acula @ 32:
Thanks for fixing it.
Here from the same town hall meeting is McLame's response to a Vet as to why he opposed Sen. Jim Webb's recent veterans health & benefits legislation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzr3pdXqZ98
If this is what the "straight talk express" is, I'd hate to see what a 'curve in the road' looks & sounds like.
Once again the conservative shows exactly how "compassionate" they really are.
People are not listening carefully. McCain has said he's focused on America. He has not mentioned Americans.
He will spin his position when he is given one, by his speech writers, or whomever.
John W @ 31:
Keep those Town Meetings coming Li'l Mac. As long as they don't sanitize the audience like W did and people are willing to ask simple, fair, and pointed questions, the Town Meeting format will expose him for what he is.
Nice snub Mcbush! High-five!!!....oh wait...you're disabled as well....
lmab @ 29:
He also thinks it's disgraceful that young workers have to pay into Social Security to support those of us who are collecting it now. We who are collecting it now paid into it for those that went before us. Is he so out of touch that he doesn't realize that's the way it's supposed to work or does he just not know that millions of us rely on our monthly checks to just get by? It's incredible that he has the support of so many seniors and these comments of his need to be repeated loudly and often.
cant wait till 1000 disabled run this old fart over in their wheel chairs
its been proven that community based care not only is better for the disabled person, but costs less
why wont he say why he is against the legislation?
he is against it because it goes against the corporatist agenda
what an absolute fuck
I realize this doesn't matter to John McCain, but there is a substantial amount of research showing that this program saves money because the assistance provided is less expensive than nursing home care. It also allows disabled individuals to maintain higher self-esteem and a greater sense of independence thus a better quality of life. There's some evidence that it even prolongs life. How can anyone oppose this unless they're just completely sadistic? There's no down side to this legislation. What kind of monster opposes something like this?
Republicans HATE the disabled. Anybody that's ever worked with the disabled can tell you that. Whenever and wherever the republicans have an administration costs will be cut for disability programs.
pissed off patricia @ 16:
A little of that conservative compassion comming out. If the aristocracy can't steal it, or turn it into a tax cut for themselves, then the repukes are against it.
TOWN HALL MEETINGS are all set up before the question and answer period. Did you notice that McCain didn't stammer once, nor did he say "my friend"!!
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