Not mad at Obama.

I haven't really ever done a post in response to another, and not a lot on specific political events. But here is my take on the recent Obama Special Olympics comment.


First of all, let me say that yes, it was inappropriate for him to compare his lack of bowling skills to the Special Olympics. I think we all know that, and there's no need to start a flame war over that. And his comparison was quite off the mark- there's been several posts about athletes in the Special Olympics who bowl MUCH better than he does, my uncle-in-law being one of them. If anything, he should have compared himself to my friend Joanna, who regularly scores in the 20-50 pt range if not using bumpers (love you Jo!).

I read Chris's post, and he is understandably upset about the fact that someone in a leadership position would make a disparaging comment about a disability group. But I cannot condemn Obama for the comment, nor do I believe that this is revealing his "true world-view" and I also don't extrapolate this to how the administration will respond to disability issues. Why not? Because I have said stupid things too. I can think of several times that I said hurtful things to people who were my close friends because I just said the wrong thing. These statements didn't cost me those friendships because it wasn't a long term pattern and wasn't indicative of how I routinely treated them.

I don't think that this slip of the tongue, inappropriate and regrettable though it was, is evidence of the overall disability policy. The quick turnover in news cycles has turned every comment and minute action of politicians and celebrities into major news, which is great news for Jon Stewart, but a pain for those seeking sanity. At this point, I think it's more logical to wait and see how Obama acts on disability related policy than to rush to condemn him for one off comment. I would think that the recent stem cell decision fits into that column. Actions speak louder than words, or at least they should.