Conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt says the “casual cruelty” in Barack Obama’s Special Olympics quip was hurtful toward people with intellectual disabilities and their families. He calls on the president to make amends, urging solid action in support of the disability community. An excerpt:

The good news is that President Obama is a very bright politician, and will quickly recognize that his gaffe was much more than that — it was an insult to a very large community that has been dealing with such insults for a very long time. The president thus has a lot of reasons to work overtime to repair the damage and to do so in a much more meaningful way than a Rose Garden photo op.

If the president’s embarrassment propels him to elevate the subject of the intellectually challenged in the public discourse, if he launches an initiative for them similar to the White House Council on Women and Girls he initiated last week, then the sting of the “joke” will dissipate, to be replaced with genuine appreciation.

Podcast: Hugh Hewitt’s interview with Mark Leach, a member of the board of directors of Down Syndrome of Louisville, Inc.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 6:16 am and is filed under Obama Special Olympics remark, Obama administration, humor, intellectual/developmental disabilities, language. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.