Despite dramatic Dole appearance, Senate rejects disability treaty

[proud2BlibKansan]

The Senate today rejected a United Nations treaty designed to protect the rights of the disabled across the world.

The vote was 61 to 38. Two-thirds of the Senate (66 votes) were needed for passage.

The measure failed despite a dramatic visit to the Senate floor by 89-year old Bob Dole, once the powerful majority leader and a GOP candidate for president. Dole was seen in a wheelchair accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, herself a former senator.

Just last week Dole was in the hospital.

He made no remarks during the debate, although several senators paid tribute to his support of the measure. Dole, who lost use of his right arm during World War II, has long been an advocate for the rights of the disabled.

"We owe it to Bob Dole...to stand up for the rights of the disabled," Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said on the floor. He also said the disabled community deserves to see the measure pass.

But his support for the treaty could not overcome the objections of some senators, who thought the treaty would threaten U.S. sovereignty.

Among those voting no -- Kansas Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt also voted no. All are Republicans.

Sen. Claire McCaskill voted for the treaty, known as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.



Read more here: http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/despite-dramatic-dole-appearance-senate-rejects-disability-treaty/#storylink=cpy

[Kelvin Mace]

1. What did he expect?

Despite the fact that in his day Dole was pretty extreme, he is now considered a traitor and a liberal, pinko, commie, pansy, fascist, Marxist, etc, etc, by today's GOP.

[madinmaryland]

2. Hard to believe the GOP has gone so far to the extremes in less than 20 years.

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Hard to believe how extremely rightwing

the Dems are that the president is considered a "liberal".

[madinmaryland]

10. Ain't that the truth...

I find it ironic that the teabaggers and other repubs call him a socialist, when he in effect is a corporate DLC democrat.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Even Kansas senators voted against him

I'm not at all a Dole fan but I feel sorry for him today.

[atreides1]

3. To be honest it was the Republicans in the Senate.

We have to read between the lines...when Republicans make statements like Senator Inhofe...

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) argued the treaty would infringe on U.S. sovereignty, an argument echoed by other opponents.
“This unelected bureaucratic body would pass recommendations that would be forced upon the United States if we were a signatory,” he said.

What we need to realize is what's really being said, is that the Republicans will repeal the Americans with Disabilities Act the first chance they get!

Truly a group of self serving evil people...who lack the empathy of a rock.

[kelliekat44]

6. Bet the media won't run this story every night for seven nights. nt

[KamaAina]

11. Rachel's on it

at least online.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/12/04/15675104-senate-gop-kills-disabilities-treaty?lite

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. total black helicopter insanity

and the GOP is run by types who agree with those lunatic militia members who think the UN plan to take over the U.S. was spelled out on a box of Kix cereal

No, really - some conservatives were dumb enough to actually believe that:
http://www.publiceye.org/rightist/dj_mili.html

[KamaAina]

12. You don't even need to read between the lines

Rand Paul has already taken care of that.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/05/17/97499/rand-paul-ada/

Paul was asked whether he supports the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark 1990 legislation that established a prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. Paul said he advocates local governments to decide whether disabled individuals deserve rights. Requiring businesses to provide access to disabled people, Paul argued, isn’t “fair to the business owner.” Later in the interview, when asked if he believes Americans have a right to use the 2nd Amendment to violently overthrow the government, a Paul staffer physically intercepted the recording and shuffled Paul away:

PAUL: You know a lot of things on employment ought to be done locally. You know, people finding out right or wrong locally. You know, some of the things, for example we can come up with common sense solutions — like for example if you have a three story building and you have someone apply for a job, you get them a job on the first floor if they’re in a wheelchair as supposed to making the person who owns the business put an elevator in, you know what I mean? So things like that aren’t fair to the business owner.

[Frustratedlady]

4. They should be ashamed of themselves. They don't have a shred of decency anymore.

Instead of telling them, "I told you so," if they become disabled in any way, I think, "Payback is a bitch" would fit better.

[kentuck]

5. edit

delete -wrong post

[radonc]

13. Lawrence O'Donnell Rewrite of Shame of Senate

Lawrence also made a very good summary of the shameful situation in the senate last night.

at one point, I thought he was going to shed tears.

reminded me a bit of the good old Olbermann rants, except I think O'Donnell keeps a bit more of his dignity and doesn't loose his head as much.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/05/odonnell-rewrites-the-senates-day-of-shame/

except after you watch the video you want to cry and tear someones eyes outs.

I liked the point that one day Dole will no longer be with us and those same GOP senators will say all of those nice things about Dole in the senate, but the day it counted, the Day ex-senator Dole needed their help, these posers screwed Dole with a simple NO.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. And they voted no because of their UN conspiracy theory nonsense.

It's positively shameful.

[Octafish]

15. How Roberts and Moran could walk by Dole and vote 'No' says it all.

A number of Kansans weigh in at the Kansas City Star:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/04/3948960/vote-for-un-disability-rights.html

[radonc]

16. can't read too many of the comments there

making my head explode.

these posters say the senators who have voted for the treaty have not read the treaty.

I wonder how many bills these commenters really have read themselves.

and they are so willing to throw Dole under the bus.