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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