Well Sarah Palin
showed me. My last post about her candidacy fretted that she seemed to
have allowed her baby son, who has Down syndrome, to be associated more
with her pro-life stance than with disability rights. What you always
seemed to hear when the subject came up was that her having her
youngest son in April -- though she knew ahead of time about his Downs
-- was proof of her pro-life credentials. It seemed like the idea that
she might have some special insights into the community of people with
disabilities never came up.
I doubt that she had read my
blog. And it's even more unlikely that if she had that it would have
influenced what she decided to say in her speech to the Republican
convention this week. But when I heard the following I almost thought
it had:
"And children with special needs inspire a special love.
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."Overall, I thought that the tone of
Palin's
speech was tiring, all the snipping and bragging. But I have to admit I
have heard very few politicians make such a straightforward and
explicit pledge to the community of people with disabilities. It alone
doesn't qualify her to be vice president, but it was a refreshing
change.
Perhaps after this start, such an appeal -- and
some real action to back it up -- will become a staple of convention
and stump speeches from both parties for years to come.
