McCain Camp: Biden "Sunk To A New Low" On Stem Cell Research

CNN:

John McCain's campaign hit back hard at Joe Biden Tuesday after the Democratic VP candidate appeared to suggest Republicans who do not support stem cell research -- like GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin -- are lacking in their support of children with disabilities.

"Barack Obama's running mate sunk to a new low today launching an offensive debate over who cares more about special needs children," McCain-Palin spokesman Ben Porritt said. "Playing politics with this issue is disturbing and indicative of a desperate campaign."

The sharp response, indicative of the increasingly heated rhetoric from both presidential campaigns as the election enters the final stretch, came shortly after Biden said advocates for people with disabilities should support stem cell research.

Read the whole story: CNN

Comments

[harriscrl3]

Biden is the one that has sunk to a new low. John McCain has sunk so low that you need to dig to find him. He has got some nerve accusing people of being being unfair in their politcis.

Carol

[MissingAmerica]

It is not sinking to a new low. It is what it is. With Bush vetoing the research, even Ireland is ahead of us in this area! IRELAND! We need to advance, and vetoing science is not advancing. If she wins she is against contraception and abortion -- that is not advancing. She is for teaching creationish -- that is not advancing. The truth is that if McCain and Palin win, we might as well burn the houses, move to Death Valley and form tribes, because that's the era we will be approaching if those two idiots are elected. So, please, Senator -- keep telling it like it is.

[rhodesk]

How is pointing out the republicans' hypocracy on the issue of stem cell research a personal attack? That is a policy issue that effects thousands of americans - not just one governor of alaska. So because she has a special needs child - there's no policy talk allowed about special needs. Because she has a pregnant teenage daughter - there's no talk of proper sex education in school. BEcause she wears lipstick - no jokes about anyone wearing lipstick...ANd any criticism of her, and any real investigations into who the hell she is and what she stands for is sexism. BOY This sure works in the Republican's favor doesn't it? ANd they have the nerve to call the obama camp whiners???

[LightSword]

lol, politics is more interesting than anything ive ever seen. wow...

[lboucher]

Biden, won 3% of the popular vote in the Democratic presidential primary in his home state of Delaware, and 1% or less in every other contest he entered, is ballot-box poison.

[neurologymatters]

An open challenge to Senator McCain regarding your VP choice:

You, not Senator Biden, has sunk to a new low. Your VP candidate, Sarah Palin, could not get a job in the public sector. Not because she is a woman, or her stance on guns and pro-life, family values, hunting, and lying about eBay. Palin is not ready to be VP. And you have yourself to blame as much as she does for accepting.

Palin will not answer questions unless she hand picks the interviewer. Cut to the real world:

The public sector requires background checks, drug testing, tests, verbal questions which you have to answer when asked, to be considered for a job. Sarah Palin would be refused a job at a hardware store chain. This is where I interviewed for a job, and these were the requirements. Palin does not answer questions, but attacks and slanders other candidates.

Sometimes, silence is deafening. What are you and Palin hiding from? If you had to choose over again, would you make the same colossal blunder? If you can't pick a VP who is ready to be interviewed, you are not capable of making decisions which affect American People.
The RNC is a lose/lose ticket on the land to nowhere.

[patianneb]

My understanding is that there are over 300,000 children in this country with Downs....this doesn't even begin to take into account the numbers of children with other serious birth defects.
This suggests to me that there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of mothers (and fathers) who just might have and be entitled to their own voice regarding stem cell research.

This simply isn't about Ms Palin......except as ONE of many.
Period.
If we allow the people crafting the Bush Sidekick Campaign to seduce us into forgetting this simple fact, we DIShonor all parents, suggesting they are irrelevant.
Clever? Yes.
Dishonorable? Absolutely.

[patianneb]

For G*d's sake: First you've got McC who seems to think he's the ONLY POW
Now what: Sara the one and only MOM?
Joe: The "correct" response was: "This isn't about SP, not everything is about HER".
I've got nothing against healthy egos, but this rampant narcissism is truly disgusting.

"It is well past time for the republican party to grow up." Sen.John McCain (R-az) May 2001

[psych101]

Okay to those who keep saying Bush is not against stem cell research he is just against embryonic stem cell research haven't been paying much attention to the debate on this issue.
First, while scientists are making steady progress with adult stem cells there is vast literature that suggests adult stem cells lack the plasticity that embryonic stem cells provide, even though they can be induced to differentiate into a variety of cell types. That being said, even if adult stem cells can provide cures to a variety of illnesses the usefulness, or potetnial superiority, of embryonic stem cells cannot be fully explored without a broad research effort that could be made possible with federal funding.
Second, let's not kid ourselves, Bush and the Republican platform are using this issue to support the anti-abortion stance because their argument would be moot if they acknowledged that embryo's can be destroyed. This is simply a case of ideology vs medical advancement.

[Dianekkdi]

Palin had an easier decision than most parents about having that kid because she will have taxpayer paid health care for the extent of that child's life and it will be the best health care we taxpayers can pay for. You know, it's kinda like one of those chronic welfare moms republicans hate, only different.

[dnegri]

This is going to be a "message war" from here on out, and the Republicans are loaded with money for Ads and mailers. Obama has to be able to equalize in both. We need to help even more than we have.
I know, I've said it before, but if everyone who hangs around this site, and Kos and TPM, were all
giving a couple of hundred dollars, or even less, a couple of times, we'd be better off.

[Richard22]

What point is the McCain camp trying to make here? That Biden cares more about special needs children? Or that they care less?

[Grunty1]

Both? Seriously, who KNOWS what point McCain is trying to make MOST of the time.

[ALibertarian]

Biden was asking for it though mentioning kids with disabilites...I mean have you heard McCain talk about "the black vote"? Exactly. Because if he did headlines like these would come out. This is just like why Obama doesn't directly talk about how old McCain is, because doing so is bound to just piss certain people off - and some of these people that it will piss off tend to vote and what's the point in pissing off potential constituents?

[foxbat]

I've said this before, but it's one thing to say "People with disabilities will have an advocate in the White House," but quite another thing to have policy of HOW you are going to be an advocate.

Before Palin broke onto the scene or before anyone in the nation knew she had a child with disabilities, Obama put out his policy stance. He's not playing to heartstrings, he was the original in the race talking about disabilities along with Clinton. A few sources below will show that this isn't something that Obama came up with for an introductory speech and not because he has a direct reason Matter of fact, Obama's already gone to bat for Palin's son, and many others, already. He's the co-sponsor of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Palin might want to curb that "he hasn't done anything" talk a little.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/DisabilityPlanFactSheet.pdf
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/22/disability_and_democracy/

I hope that it's not going to be the case that no one can ask her to talk about specific disabilities policies that she would back/promote/fight against. We're getting to the point where we aren't going top be able to ask her or anyone anything.

[mbadc]

When you parade your kids around as props and mention one of them specifically in your speech in order to try to win people over to your side (i.e, when she said to parents of special needs kids, "You'll have a friend.."), you can't cry foul when someone calls you out on your views. It's absolutely fair.

[retreadite]

No "props". Were Obama's children props when they were on the stage? Of course not. Why would the governor exclude her only special needs child? I assume she loves and supports all of her children equally.

[cnobody]

i think the point is that Biden is being criticized for "politicizing" children with special needs, but in mentioning her new-found advocacy for special-needs kids in her convention speech, Palin is also "politicizing" the issue.

[BabsfromKansas]

The GOP are NOT pro-li fe, they are pro-bi rth. There is a huge difference!
What they do not advocate is the real pro-l ife issues: child care, w omen's rights, health care, education, clean energy, and ending the w ar.
The reli gious right are wrong. They stand for the false mantra that every con cep tion should result in a birth - even in the case of r ape or in cest.
If they were truly pro-li fe, they would not have squandered over a trillion dollars on the wa r.
If they were truly pro-li fe, they would not support tor ture or ki lling animals at close range from a helicopter.
If they were truly pro-li fe, 46 million Am ericans would not be without health insurance.

[OlderBudWeiser]

Don't you just love the smell of true hypocrsy?

[BabsfromKansas]

mmm.. moose sh!te in the morning!!!

[Yuma]

The GOP are Pro-life for Pro whites

[BlueBoomer]

Babs, You've got it spot-on.

As I have been saying for years now, we have GOT to stop using/allowing the use of the term "pro-life" as the opposite of pro-choice... the opposite of pro-choice is ANTI-CHOICE.

I for one will never use the term "pro-life" when describing the fundies ever again...
I will NOT let them establish the rules any more.