Bush Mocks Wheelchair User
He walked around giving handshakes and hugs to those who rose for his entrance, and greeted a man who remained sitting in a wheelchair with, "You look mighty comfortable."
Pres. George W. Bush out and about among the seniors, shilling for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit [sic], in Florida. Read story Bush In Florida To Pitch Prescription Drug Benefit (AP).
Thanks to Lisa Small for the tip-off.
If a stranger came up to my wheelchair and spoke to me in such a way...
Posted by: imfunnytoo | May 12, 2006 10:17 AM
Tacky indeed. But I was more fascinated with another story on the same page: "'Paraplegic' Leaps from Wheelchair, Flees" --
http://www.local6.com/news/9203711/detail.html
Bad press. Bad, bad press.
Posted by: Evonne | May 12, 2006 10:25 AM
Thanks for the coverage on both of these. President Bush's act was a rather tacky one, I think more than anything it very clearly depicts how uneducated the entire country is about disablitiy rights and disablism. It's the little things that will always tell how much progress needs to be made, you know?
Posted by: Matt | May 15, 2006 01:04 PM
big deal, your all to touchy and take stuff badly.
Posted by: kelly | May 15, 2006 02:29 PM
no one's getting overly emotional...just noting that it's unfortunate our President continues with the annoyances like this that many of us encounter everday. I guess it could've been worse....with "How fast does that thing go?" or "How many tickets you got in that thing?"
Still....had he issued an equally tacky comment connected to race, I likely would have heard about it before now.
Posted by: Kara Sheridan | May 16, 2006 03:24 PM
Ignorance... pure ignorance. I guess it could have been worse... Bush could have said, "Man! I wish I had one of those things!" or my other personal favorite, "Hey, ya wanna race?" He makes me sick.
Posted by: Sapph | May 18, 2006 08:20 PM
The man is an idiot, plain and simple. A man who does not mind making thousands of young soldiers disabled in a trumped up war certainly isn't going to be attuned to the patronizing effect his patter will have on those who use chairs.
Posted by: Eileen | May 19, 2006 10:49 AM
Reminds me of reading "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich. She was writing about working at Wal Mart and she said that she was jealous of one of the workers who used a wheelchair "because at least she got to sit down." So much for folks who are considered liberal and progressive to "get it." No wonder Bush said such a stupid thing.
Posted by: Lizzie | May 19, 2006 12:29 PM
Your President is an idiot! I agree with Eileen.
After his inappropriate comment to a reporter with vision impairment at the White House, I think he needs educating about disability issues....and alot of other things besides!
Posted by: Chris | June 18, 2006 07:46 PM
Regarding the comment of President Bush said of the person in the wheelchair, Big Deal. He said it in a gentle humor. I would have said a humorous remark back. I think sometimes the disable get unreasonable touchy. I have to deal with people signing and rolling their eyes whenever I am rolling around in my wheelchair.
Posted by: Mary | June 21, 2006 10:49 PM
Once again, I guess it would be too much for us to ask that our president think before he speaks. What he said wasn't even clever. he could have, if he were at all intellegent, have asked what the carbon dioxide emmissions were like with that chair.
Posted by: J Mercer | June 27, 2006 01:23 PM