The “Most Exclusive Club in the World,” the United States Senate took to the floor yesterday for the purpose of ratifying a United Nations treaty on the rights of the disabled that is modeled after the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
The treaty states that nations should strive to assure that the disabled enjoy the same rights and freedoms as their fellow citizens.
The treaty was first proposed by George W. Bush. It has been signed by 155 nations and ratified by 126 countries including France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia. Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator John McCain spoke in bi-partisan support of the treaty. Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, confined to a wheelchair, offered his support. The disabilities community and veterans groups also voiced their support for passage.
Sounds like a no-brainer! Right?
Wrong!
The ratification fell five votes short of passage, 61-38, with Republicans casting the 38 “No” votes on the convoluted notion that “the treaty could pose a threat to national sovereignty.”
Senator Kerry referred to the vote as: “one the saddest days I’ve seen in almost 28 years in the Senate.”
Republicans continue to do everything they can to destroy the “Republican” brand in the eyes of the American people.
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