Disabled Arrested At McCain Office
20 Protestors, Many In Wheelchairs, Seek Senator's Support Of Expanded In-Home Care For Medicaid Recipients
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Photo
A group disabled activists, most in wheelchairs, from the group ADAPT wait to be processed after they were arrested in Washington, April 29, 2008, in Washington, by Capitol Hill police outside Sen. John McCain's offices. The activists were refused a meeting with McCain over a bill to expand Medicaid coverage to more people who want in-home care. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Photo Essay
John McCain
Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?
"If he should be president, it would be ironic that he comes from a party that talks a lot about family values," said Bob Kafka, national organizer for ADAPT, a group advocating for passage of the bill. Without the legislation, many disabled and elderly people don't have the choice to apply coverage to anything other than institutional care, he said.
"Families are devastated because they don't have a choice to keep people at home," Kafka said.
McCain was not in his office during the protest. He was campaigning Tuesday in Florida on his health care plan.
The bill, S. 799, stuck in committee since last year, would amend the Social Security Act to allow people who are eligible for Medicaid coverage of nursing home costs to spend it instead on home-based, or community care.
Sponsored by Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., it also would grant extra money to states that participate in the program, according to a summary of the bill.
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, are co-sponsors of the bill, but McCain is not.
If he should be president, it would be ironic that he comes from a party that talks a lot about family values. Families are devastated because they don't have a choice to keep people at home.
Bob KafkaMcCain's Senate chief of staff said the protesters turned down an offer to meet immediately with McCain's aides. Mark Busey said he didn't know McCain's position on the legislation but would ask. The chances are slim, however, that the senator himself would be meeting with members of the group.
"We are more than happy to let them know when he will be back in the Washington area at public events, town halls and the like," Busey said in a telephone interview. "Right now we do not know when he's going to be here for a meeting."
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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See all 63 CommentsMcCain is an incompassionate ***.
"Get these feebs outta here"!!!,...."I''m tryin'' to do President stuff in here, dammit"!!!...."Now where did I put those "Nuke Iran Now" buttons I was gonna hand out"????......dammit ta he11,......(unintelligible)...
GggFFFtttt,....ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
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Posted by KEITHGARDNER at 04:11 AM : May 01, 2008
+ report abuse
LOL Yeah right! So he starts warming up on a bunch of people in Wheel Chairs? He''s just Bush Warmed over and you know it! Sieg Heil Bush
They''re not wealthy? Throw them out.
NO, wait...let''s have some FUN with them!
Call in the police and have them arrested. Always wondered how we could load that many wheelchairs up if my mentor George declared Martial Law before the election.
McCain''s staff are the Brain dead ones if they think THIS kind of action looks good and "reflects well" on their candidate.
THANKS james12341 and mbcsmith for showing us all what irresponsible, tyranny loving Slimeballs sound like.
This is doublespeak for: These disabled people are welcome to attend public meetings, but McCain WILL NOT meet with them as a group because he doesn%u2019t want have to to explain why he is against the bill.
At least now the issue is being aired. It will be interesting to see if any reporters question McCain about the issue and/or his refusal to meat with the group.
I suspect the damage to his image will be more severe because he refuses to meet with this group of disabled folks, than it would if he were to address the issue
More Conservative Christian values pushin disabled out of the home, - get rid of them - put them in institutions so they dont have to look at them.... GOP=Anyone not part of the Republican Aryan race, must be eliminated!! thats their motto.
A- not able to tout any American Humanity,
B- not taking care of anyone in need
C- being run by despots worse than any 3rd world dictators or communist nations
D- have slavery back as a way of life in America and E- send all the poor people to war all year every year as long as they''d be in power to keep those in power there.
This is the good ole USA? Please explain how a group such as this can unlawfully assemble????? King George II at it again????
It is just going to be a blood bath come November for the neo con party.
Talk big boys we know you realize what is going to take palce.
CANADA 2,326
SAUDI ARABIA 1,686
VENEZUELA 1,382
MEXICO 1,322
NIGERIA 1,271
ALGERIA 600
ANGOLA 439
IRAQ 378
VIRGIN ISLANDS 369
RUSSIA 287
ECUADOR 201
UNITED KINGDOM 179
BRAZIL 178
KUWAIT 158
LIBYA 138
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Posted by makeitso928 at 09:57 AM : May 01, 2008
What''s your point LIB.
Use your brain. The police decided to arrest the protestors, not McCain or anyone else in the Republican party. If you had actually read the story, you would know he wasn''t even there.
"Senator Mc.Cain cut short his Florida trip and flew back to Washington to meet with disabled veterans at his office."
"Senator Mc.Cain and his staff had 20 disabled veterans arrested yesterday for blocking the corridor outside his office."
I guess he didn''t have any choice - if he''d used the first the GOPigs would have accused him of being liberal.
Posted by mbcsmith
I''m so glad that I''m not like you - it must take practice to be that much of an a$$hole and sleep at night.
You did note in the story that the protesters were invited to meet with staff members right. You should also realize that everyone knew he was in Florida.
Why, unless you were trying to make headlines, would you go to meet with someone you knew wasn''t there? HMMM?
No answer? Just going to blame McCain for being where he said he was going to be?
Seriously, if this is the worst dirt you can find on him, the Dems are in big trouble. Because this had nothing to do with him at all.
Posted by smiley676
Who called the police then. The GOPigs in the office maybe?
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Posted by USBrit
No, smarty, the police patrol that area.
Read the story before you post. If you don''t know any of the facts your opinion means nothing.
McCain wasn''t there. This wasn''t his decision.
NO ONE can just go sit/stand in the halls on capital hill and not expect to be arrested.
Posted by smiley676
The guy (well his wife) owns a plane - it''s around 2 hours to fly from anywhere in FLA to DC. For that amount of good press I would have thought it was a no-brainer to fly back and meet with these unfortunate people (who would be labelled war heroes if they''d been wounded in Bush''s war). So instead he proved conclusively that either he''s the no-brainer or he just doesn''t give $h1t (or both).
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Posted by USBrit
I would have thought it a no-brainer to go meet with him on a day he was actually in his office.
I also would have thought it a no-brainer to get a permit before assembling in the halls of the capitol.
Two things here; how come Mc.Cain''s chief of satff does not know his boss''s position on this bill, when his disapproval of it has been in the news for days.
Also the second half implies he wouldn''t meet with them even if he wasn''t in Florida.
Nice guy all around.
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Posted by USBrit at 10:20 AM : May 01, 2008
Typical LIB.
Nice guy all around.
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Posted by USBrit
The second half implies that the chief of staff isn''t sure what McCain would do. It also implies that McCain doesn''t meet with groups who just show up unannounced.
It is clear that these people knew he wasn''t there. They knew they would be arrested. They had a chance to go meet with someone and get out of the hallway, which they turned down.
It is clear that they wanted to "be arrested outside of McCain''s office." Because they knew that a number of people would only read the headlines and assume it was his fault.
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Posted by USBrit at 10:29 AM : May 01, 2008
Do you pay taxes in this country?
Use your brain. The police decided to arrest the protestors, not McCain or anyone else in the Republican party. If you had actually read the story, you would know he wasn''''t even there.
Posted by smiley676 at 10:06 AM : May 01, 2008
Why don''t you ever hear stuff like this from the Dems ? Some Repugs would say it''s cuz they''re Liberal - besides what harm is there, in accomodating these folks, ensuring they''re not harrassed by the police and setting up a meeting with McCain. A simple conference call to schedule a meeting directly by McCain could have taken him just 2mins - and to imagine that these were Repugs that tried to be heard by their own party nominee otherwise they could have been at Obamas or Hillarys'' - and you know they would have been catered to and heard out. Being Lib is actually looking very good. Cheers!
It is clear that they wanted to "be arrested outside of McCain''''s office." Because they knew that a number of people would only read the headlines and assume it was his fault.
Posted by smiley676 at 10:32 AM : May 01, 2008
You obviously don''t know ..... But McCain doesn''t have to be physically present to meet with this group - He could have been placed on a conference call, if there''s no way to use a live video feed. Remember, this senile 72yr old is trying to be POTUS and obviously has no time for these disabled that are just looking for a chance. Cheers!
Do you pay taxes in this country?
Posted by mbcsmith
Yes I do and you know what - I can even vote!! - scary huh?
Actually I''ve lived in this country since 1979 and have been a dual citizen since 1993.
You don''t just go to Capitol Hill and expect to meet with someone. Especially when you know that person isn''t there.
Posted by smiley676
I can''t believe you haven''t blamed a Clinton yet. Actually they probably wish they''d thought of it, but it takes a GOPig to be that devious.
Seriously though, what''s wrong with "The senator is in Florida right now but I can get him on the speaker phone in 20 minutes if your representative would care to wait." Good press, no arrests, everyone''s happy. Even "I''ll make you an appointment for when the senator''s back in town" would be better press than "Bugger off or I''ll have you arrested" like it sounds now.
Seriously though, what''''s wrong with "The senator is in Florida right now but I can get him on the speaker phone in 20 minutes if your representative would care to wait." Good press, no arrests, everyone''''s happy. Even "I''''ll make you an appointment for when the senator''''s back in town" would be better press than "Bugger off or I''''ll have you arrested" like it sounds now.
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Posted by USBrit
Obviously I wouldn''t blame Clinton. That''s just stupid.
And what''s wrong with them making an appointment before going somewhere they KNOW they will be arrested?
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Posted by USBrit
But that isn''t what happened. They were invited in, remember?
Anyone loitering in the halls would be arrested. I''m sure the police warned them to leave. It wasn''t the Senator''s staff that called the police. The police are already there.
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