Democrat Compares Republicans to Special Olympics Children

Tennessee Democrats Compare Republicans To Special Olympics Children

October 12, 2004 – Democrats in a race for a state House seat in District 82, are circulating a flyer that shows a child with disabilities with President Bush’s face running in a track race. The headline says: “Voting for Bush Is Like Running In The Special Olympics: Even If You Win, You’re Still Retarded.”



The flyer is being distributed by Democrat Craig Fitzhugh. His opponent, Dave Dahl has issued a call to Fitzhugh to stop distributing the flyer.

According to Dahl, “Hard-ball politics is one thing and everyone expects tough battles, but using those who are born with mental disabilities for political fodder is disgusting.”

Dahl says the flyers have been distributed for at least two weeks from Fitzhugh’s campaign office in Ripley, Tennessee. It also serves as the Kerry-Edwards headquarters. “At first, I really did not believe that Fitzhugh and the Democrats would stoop to such gutter politics, but then people started bringing the flyer to me at the end of last week. I was shocked and disgusted.”

“This kind of reckless disregard for those who suffer from mental disabilities is much larger than any state representative race. This act is so atrocious and indecent that my campaign will be sending a copy of the Fitzhugh flyer to the United States Special Olympics Committee, the Special Olympics International Group and state and national advocacy groups who work with and support special needs children and adults.”

This most recent attack on Republicans as mentally handicapped is not new. On October 28, 1994, while in Virginia, then-Vice President Al Gore attacked Oliver North's Senate bid supporters as "the extreme right wing, the extra chromosome right wing." Advocates for those with Down's Syndrome, caused by an extra chromosome, were outraged.

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And the Special Olympics reacted:

http://www.cnsnews.com/....4b.html

Anti-Bush Political Flyer Draws Wrath of Special Olympics
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
October 14, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - Leaders of the Special Olympics say they are "astounded and appalled" by an anti-Bush political flyer being distributed in Tennessee.

It shows the head of President Bush superimposed on the body of a Special Olympics athlete; and it reads, "Even if you win, you're still retarded."

"We see this communication as an egregious, gratuitous insult to our almost 2 million athletes in over 150 countries around the world and a stunning affront to the more than 200 million people in the world who have intellectual disabilities," said Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics chairman and CEO in a statement.

"We cringe at the thought that any one of these capable and courageous athletes would ever have to endure the agony, embarrassment, pain and suffering that this flyer would certainly cause."

The Special Olympics said it hopes the people responsible for the "outrageous political advertisement" would come forward and "explain to the people of Tennessee and everywhere else why they would choose to denigrate the spirit, courage, and accomplishments of the Special Olympics athletes."

Shriver's statement noted that ignorance about mentally disabled people is common - among comedians, on America's playgrounds, and in society at large.

"Our commitment in this political season and in every other is to reverse this ignorance and bigotry and to replace them with the stunning realization that many people with intellectual disability are, in fact, among the most gifted within our communities," the statement said.

"There is no reasonable and legitimate defense of this hateful material," it concluded. "We would expect those responsible to make an abject public apology and a sincere, determined effort to clear the public domain of this offensive material."

Shriver is a nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.