The Maryland Association of the Deaf (MDAD) recently announced that Hillary Clinton will not be attending this weekend’s MDAD Conference. I posted a blog last month, “Hillary Clinton to Appear at Maryland Association of the Deaf Conference“, urging deaf and hard of hearing people to attend, so we could make an impression on the current leading Democratic presidential candidate, according to the latest Gallup poll.
Here’s an excerpt from the official MDAD announcement:
MDAD planned to have Clinton speak at their awards luncheon on Saturday, December 2 at a high class venue with top quality food prepared by a well-known chef. However, because Clinton will not be attending, MDAD is returning to the original plan of having the awards luncheon at That’s Amore which currently is close to capacity.
MDAD is negotiating with several reputable guest speakers and an announcement will be made soon regarding Clinton’s replacement. The replacement will not be a politician but rather key leaders in the Deaf community who will speak regarding the past and future of the Deaf community.
A source informed me that Hillary Clinton usually appears at events where attendance is at least $2,300 a plate. In comparison, the MDAD luncheon is a paltry $40 a plate. The MDAD luncheon was scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 1, from noon to 2 pm. According to Hillary’s website, there is a Montgomery County Team Hillary Meeting from 10 am to noon on that same day. There’s no information about plans for that afternoon.
Some mentioned that Hillary’s decision hurt her standing with the deaf and hard of hearing community, at least those involved with the MDAD. The signing community (the bulk of MDAD’s membership) is only a drop in the bucket. In contrast, those who treat $2,300 as if it is pocket change can probably sway the votes of several hundred or thousand people. Whatever “power” luncheons hosted by people with money to burn, that Hillary plans to attend, will more likely have a greater influence on the outcome of the 2008 election than those burning both ends of the candle trying to make ends meet. On the other hand, the Florida and Ohio outcomes in recent elections show that a few thousand votes can make a difference.
Will Hillary Clinton’s rebuke affect your vote? It probably won’t affect mine.
UPDATE:
The MDAD distributed their announcement that Hillary Clinton would attend the Conference through several email lists (including DeafTimes, etc.). To see the MDAD announcement that was distributed through the DeafDC.com email list (which is the same one distributed through other email lists), go to:
http://www.deafdc.com/emailbla…..nique.html
At the end of the email is the following message, in italics:
*MDAD is expecting Hillary Clinton’s appearance based on current discussion with her campaign manager and team. Hillary Clinton’s appearance is not guaranteed and her schedule is subject to change at the time of the conference.
© Copyrighted material. This article cannot be copied, reproduced or redistributed without the express written consent of the author. As with every blog on this website, this blog does not reflect the opinion of DeafDC.com.
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s rebuke and ’snubs’ MDAD conference DEFINITELY affect my vote and support for her.
When I first heard that she is planning to present MDAD’s conference, and I was very, very impressed that she would take away from her very busy schedule to give a speech before the largest segment of Deaf community (in MARYLAND which is close to Washington, DC), and now my thoughts of her recent ’snub’ blew me away.
Have MDAD consider of asking Barak Obama to take Clinton’s place? I know it is a last minute, but who knows that Obama who is Hillary’s strongest opponent may want to do that?
I am still dismayed, knowing that we have a LOT of work to do to make ourselves heard through political channels.
Amy Cohen Efron
FYI –
I am not too surprised.
I reckon that the democrats advertently are looking for *MORE* competition on the $$$$ per plate for the fundraising purpose. Perhaps, the republicans, too.
Of course, I am dismayed with all the greed that the politicians are making for their winning games. Cats vs. Mouses.
What a selfish example.
Have you noticed that the democrats and republicans have never visited the cancer patients, low-income people and so forth?
I think not……
White Ghost
It won’t affect me since I’m never voting for her anyway. I do NOT want the Clintons back in the White House.
It is all about money.
Yes, I agree with Amy Cohen Efron that it a dismay feeling knowing that we (DBC) have a LOT of work to do to make ourselves heard through political channels which AGBell have no problems as they have millions of dollars.
But DBC and the Deaf Community will prevail.
How to start?…. Support your Deaf business in the community.
John Egbert
Somehow I doubt Amy Cohen Efron was thinking about the DBC when she said “We have a LOT of work to do to make ourselves heard through political channels.”
Yes I agree with you John Egbert …. It all about power of MONEY and How to make it start to help deaf community to build stronger in some way find the path!
That make me keep thinking BIG PUZZLE where to Start off with big Jack pot in bingo! to defend nasty AGBell.
Yep My understanding that deaf people is so small to compare with hearing people out there making funds so rich $$$$ as that is main problem to block what deaf people need in better way!
I try to think of the “KEY” how!
Davy
The signing Deaf community in America may not be a large enough of political currency to the politicians on a national level.
Since the majority of the Deaf are democrats anyway, Clinton may think that we are safe in their pocket and don’t need to court us for our votes.
Until this changes or we make a large stink about it, politicians won’t take us seriously and continue to brush aside the Deaf.
Agreed.
I am not holding it against Hillary.
Money talks… and that’s something that we don’t have in large numbers, unfortunately. :( And Jared’s right.. the majority of us are Democrats, therefore no need to court us for our vote in her eyes.
I think that though, if enough of us get out there and vote, and make some noise, we’ll make a difference. As for my personal vote, it’s not for Hillary.
Bravo, Amy Coehn Efron for all your wisdom on the matter of Hillary’s snubbery of the MDAD and the rest of signing community!
All pols ought to treat all their present and future consitutents regardless of their socioeconomic and income status, John Ebgert!
I NEVER trust or support Hillary Clinton at all. She is a symbol of the tiresome establishment, period!
No surprises about Hillary Clinton snubbing the Maryland Association of the Deaf or the signing community! She is on the AGB advisory board?
Hillary Clinton is definitely an audist. No questions about it!
Let’s ask all GOP and Democratic and Independent presidential candidates to see if any of them are available!
It’s time for us to shake up the 2008 presidential race within our growing deaf political and economic power! I know that ours are not really the biggest, but ought to be really politically savvy.
I always am sick of Hillary Clinton’s own hyprocrisy every time I seen her at the televised debates. Hillary thinks that she is a clever one with her dominanrix personality giving *dart* looks at Obama and charm the lesser threats from Biden to Dodd.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
Oddly, I can picture Hillary Clinton clad in leather and whipping Obama. I’m sure she gets a kick out of whipping a former president and stuffing a Big Mac into his mouth to pacify him.
Like *I* was gonna vote for Hillary anyway….
To be honest,
I don’t want another Clinton in office even though it would be great to have a woman president. Another woman who isn’t related to Clinton that is.
Try Obama… if he is for diversity like he has been saying.. he might go and blow you guys away.
I am just tired of Bush and Clinton… Please Please someone wake me up when the election is done with and hope for a better future.
As a Canadian, I have never supported Hillary Clinton but I always liked Bill Clinton even though his personal life was terrible but as aa excellent manager. Hillary Clinton is not a natural leader like Bill Clinton. She smells powers and money rather than her principles and beliefs. She made many mistakes during her tenure as a Senator. She supported the invasion of Iraq and other poor choices such as cancelling MDAD’s invitation.
Deafchip
I’m not voting for Sen. Clinton but to put supporting Iraq and cancelling on MDAD in the same sentence is losing perspective.
DeafChip, I agreed with you about Bill Clinton’s leadership skills. However, I have not seen any Presidential candidates to visit our deaf community to persuade us to vote and to support with their goals and visions to become an offical President in years such as deaf clubs, coffee social, festivals, etc. Mostly, we learned from the media outlets and decide whether to vote one best candidate to run. I understand Gallaudet University students, who are majoring in Government, tends to attend the Democrats/Republicans conventions to share the journals in order to earn the college credit and share their following through the presidential candidates.
For instance, Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, I forgot her name) travled with Presidential candidate, George Bush (before became the offical position of United States) across the United States in the year of 2000 and had accompanied with him on the plane to get him to know his personal and professional life. I watched them on HBO documentary. To my ponder, why don’t anyone in our community delegate to follow one of these candidates all the way toward the election day? It will convince one of the candidates to know what the Deaf/Hard of Hearing person like and it will increase the rapport of relationship. That way the prospective President will endorse our community cause as example of Early Invention of Language (ASL) in development to encourage before learn to speak or to hear. Otherwise, we can share our concerns and issues in our country which is extremely important to improve our needs to access in the public, communications, etc. Like Amy Cohen Enfron mentioned in her vlog comment, AMERICA IS DIVERSITY!
Have MDAD receive any requirements from National Democratic Organization to invite any presidential candidates to attend at particular events with more funds and people?
In fact, I am frustrated with any candidates or Presidents in the past that they never come to support our community with various causes and more visible of our people except President Clinton, who attended Gallaudet University Graduation ceremony.
That’s something we need to do before it’s too late.
Shane, thank you for sharing with us and the comments are greatly expressed various opinions and concerns for our behalf of deaf and hard of hearing community.
Nick
I support Obama, period. With a Clinton in the White House, we’ll be faced with another four plus years of scandals, manufactured or real. I think it’s high time we bypassed that and directly addressed our nation’s problems instead of the marital/political Clinton dynamic duo played out on the national stage.
He’s human.
While Clinton was in office,
The economy was robust.
Diplomatic relations were good.
Unemployment was lower.
We have to see beyond the female status. Margaret Thatcher led peaceful years as Prime Minister in Britain, as did Golda Meir of Israel. Further back in history, there are examples successful female rulers.
Hillary Clinton is still a great candidate. I think we’re treating her too harshly.
Honestly, Deaf people don’t have a clue when it comes to voting or getting involved with politics. Their idea of voicing their opinions is to take over a campus by force and go on hunger strike. The protestors were very lucky tear gas and pepper spray weren’t used to disperse them because they are deaf and God forbid we take their eyesight away.
First, stop buying stuff from hearing people. Buy from deaf-owned businesses.
Second, host $2,300 a plate events and sacrifice some of your life savings to attend this. Great sacrifices come with great rewards.
Third, when you die donate your nest egg to an organization with a good cause. That organization can build an endowment and have perpetual wealth like AG Bell. That organization then will have the power to woo politicans.
Finally, stop changing your minds. Pick a candidate and stick by her all the way. I’m sure the conservatives were displeased with Bush many times but they stuck by him through 2 terms.
Whether Hillary Rodman Clinton showed up or not, I still will NOT vote for her, period! She is a very
dishonest person. Very calculating, she has approved of
Bush’s bills and has won the BRAIN of Karl Rove. Yes.
you read me right — KARL ROVE the Brain of Bush.
Wow…all these negative comments about Hillary Clinton make me wonder if Gallup is receiving accurate information for their polls (see link in my blog). Obama may have a fighting chance!
What about the silent majority, Shane? The people most likely to speak out on any piece of news are the ones most displeased by it. I’d take the sentiment here with a grain of salt.
It’s a shame she backed out of this event, but we are admittedly small fry. I don’t blame her for her priorities *shrugs*
Josh Allmann,
Actually, the anti-Clinton crowd in the deaf community are probably pleased with her decision to back out of the MDAD Conference.
The recent poll at http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1393 provides an interesting angle on the popularity of Senator Hillary Clinton when she is compared against some Republican presidential contenders.
Joseph Pietro Riolo
josephpietrojeungriolo@gmail.com
Public domain notice: I put all of my expressions in this post in the public domain.
Joseph Pietro Riolo,
Interesting link, according to Zogby.com, Barack Obama has a slightly better chance of defeating a Republican candidate than Hillary Clinton.
Thank you, Joseph, for sharing the information on the Zogby poll. Hillary Clinton may have been eclipsed by March 2008. Senator Barak Obama may be a Democratic candidate that will receive most endorsements through the influence of Oprah, who has endorsed Mr. Obama. Oprah is one of few most trusted, inspired, loved, and honest among the influential people by Americans of all ethnicities. She is a true humantarian. Before or after Oprah’s endorsement, Americans are frustrated with Clinton’s being constantly evasive. They also feel frustrated with Congress and Bush (85% of disapproval rating for Congress and 70% for Bush. Obama is brilliant in logic. He says he does not support the Iraq war because it is a stupid war. If the war was justified, he would by all means have supported Bush. Many African-Americans in the South want Hillary, but Edwards may help Obama win them if he is asked to be Obama’s running mate.
May I suggest all of you to go to this website:
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/help/contact/
And write your piece of mind with Hillary and her staff about her actions to Maryland Association of the Deaf?
I just did mine and the more of US to send their comments… someone has to listen!
Let us exercise our political clout now!
Amy Cohen Efron
Comment »
We will see what happens what Hillary has to response to the MDAD.
I was hoping that MDAD could provide a copy of the letter in their website.
Nothing happened.
What was going on with the letter? WTF.
Darn.
White Ghost
Send her with 2300 pennies to educate her about the passion in the Deaf communities.
Do you mean 230,000 pennies? That would require several boxes…
I am disappointed in Hillary Clinton. So much courtesy and respect for the Deaf community by backing out at the last minute. I wonder if it is really because of $40 per a plate. Hope she has a good reason for this!
Like someone above, I do hope MDAD would consider asking Barack Obama with an explanation why it is important as it wouldn’t hurt.
Before I forget, I can’t put my finger to where I read about this, but I remember someone mention about Hillary’s connection with Alexander Graham Bell (AGB) organization. Is it possible that AGB has influence on her about going to places such as MDAD Conference? AGB organization surely do have $$$.
AGBaD is a not for profit organization and they are not allowed to endorse or donate to a political candidate unless I am wrong.
Actually, it is my understanding that ANY organization that advertises itself as “501ck” (or something like that) *cannot* endorse or donate to political candidates.
And I believe MDAD and NAD are both 501ck organizations, unless MDAD has changed its status recently.
Michele,
The statement about 501(c)3 organizations is accurate. The NAD and MDAD are still 501(c)3 organizations.
Search for “501″ at:
MDAD
http://www.mdad.org/anmviewer.asp?a=11&z=9
NAD
https://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=foINKQMBF&b=105716&en=juINI1NOKkLRK0MLJgLPJ1OLKlL7JcPNJiJVJ5PKKhJ1JaPSKyE
501c4 are lobbys, so they can donate to political candidates.
To clarify what 501(c)4 can do, here are couple of quotes from irs.gov:
To be tax-exempt as a social welfare organization described in Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 501(c)(4), an organization must not be organized for profit and must be operated exclusively to promote social welfare
To be operated exclusively to promote social welfare, an organization must operate primarily to further the common good and general welfare of the people of the community (such as by bringing about civic betterment and social improvements).
Seeking legislation germane to the organization’s programs is a permissible means of attaining social welfare purposes. Thus, a section 501(c)(4) social welfare organization may further its exempt purposes through lobbying as its primary activity without jeopardizing its exempt status.
The entire URL is: http://www.irs.gov/charities/n.....78,00.html
Maybe NAD and the state associations of the deaf need to consider changing its 501c status so they can start making a real difference on the political landscape?
I’m a staunch liberal and in my opinion,
Hillary Clinton is Republican Lite. She goes after money too. For example, I understand that she isn’t pushing universal healthcare because her major campaign donors include medical corporations. It was unlikely I’d vote for her, but this just turns me off.
jen,
All of the serious 2008 Presidential candidates have gone after money. Perhaps you could examine each candidate’s platform and make an educated vote?
Whoops - I meant that her backing out of the MDAD conference is a turn off, though yes, her changing what she stands for due to money is repellent as well.
I think the Clinton campaign never actually confirmed her appearance. I think the campaign told MDAD that they would consider it given her proximity on the same day. So they went ahead and jumped the gun by announcing her appearance.
Also…
It’s kinda funny for MDAD to announce that the food and location have been downgraded. Were they actually going to get a top-level chef for $40 a head?
If there’s actually a change in location and the quality of the food, then why is the price of admission still the same?
I think it’s just a ploy on MDAD’s part to get more participants.
The food and location was not downgraded. Since MDAD’s original plan was to have the awards luncheon at That’s Amore, the $40 price reflects the price of the food and location and the combo package already includes the awards luncheon.
With the expectation that Hillary Clinton would come to the MDAD conference, MDAD started planning a larger venue with upgraded quality of food. Combo ticket holders would benefit from this while people who bought individual tickets later or through the door would have had to pay more than $40. The sponsorship money would have defrayed some of the costs.
However, Senator Hillary Clinton changed her plans and MDAD had to adjust their plans accordingly. For someone as high profile as her, nothing is 100% guaranteed and MDAD made sure to set this expectation when MDAD first communicated this to the public.
Oh no, I never trust Hillary Clinton. Clinton family has a long list of corruptions for about 30 years. Everyday the increasing numbers of many voters will be became tired of hearing Hillary Clinton’s political missteps or blurred remarks Hope that the dynasties of Bush and Clinton since 1988 come to an end when the next non-Clinton president will be elected in the 2008 election. I almost forget to add my comment on Hillary that she is a board member of the Hearing Care contains 12 different medical-oriented organizations that are hostile to both ASL-supporters and Deaf Culture supporters.
I usually don’t comment on blogs but after reading this poorly written blog I just had to say something. I am really disappointed in Mr. Feldman’s writing. From what I had gathered from other people after you succeeded Mr. Stone, I had expected you would be at least as prepared and knowledgeable when it come to blogging on an issue.
First off it is ridiculous that you bring up your “source” that she wouldn’t attend this dinner since she attends 2,300/plate dinner. What is stupid about this comment is that instead of figuring out that 2,300 is actually the limit someone is legally allowed to donate directly to a presidential campaign you dropped this line as if it were a potentially legit reason for her not to show to a non-profit’s dinner. So yes 2,300 is how much she can get out of a single person but to imply that she isn’t attending this event because it isn’t a 2,300/plate event is like pulling a rabbit out of your ass, it doesn’t mesh. MDAD is not the Clinton campaign so she has no need to be dropping an event because it doesn’t charge much because she won’t see a dime of that money if she showed up. And to be honest when you first blogged about MDAD and Clinton I was skeptical. Hillary campaigning in MD… in DECEMBER, nearly 4 weeks before the first caucus? That is quite a story. First, MD is not one of the first few primary states and second, December is very close to the first caucus and she needs to be spending every waking moment in Iowa and NH. I have no idea where you got the schedule for Hillary’s appearances next weekend but I highly doubt she is going to be in MD when the race is this tight and she has listed upcoming events but reading the details nearly all of them outside of NH and Iowa are being attended by surrogates.
But really what irritates me is that some people assume they are entitled to attention by the Clinton campaign when the fact is that she is in a hot campaign to represent over 301,000,000 million people so of course many smaller groups will demand attention but she needs to focus on Iowa and NH. Obama, John, Bill and the other first tier candidates are practically living in Iowa right now so I am 101% sure that MDAD would not be able to get ANY first tier candidate if they really tried. They might be able to get fifth tier candidate Mike Gravel or Dennis aka the guy who claims to have seen a UFO, but that is it. I also know the amount of energy it takes to get a contact in a first tier campaign and there is no Deaf person in this country that can get the type of access to a national candidate with the exception of Judy Stout. I am not sure if Ms. Stout helped out in getting in touch with the Clinton campaign but the truth is that at this stage of the campaign, it would be hopeless for anyone to get a national first tier candidate to speak at an event outside of Iowa and New Hampshire in December.
I also want to point out that the Deaf community needs to take a proactive role and get involved in presidential campaigns instead of complaining that we don’t get enough attention at a MDAD convention. It isn’t that hard to get a glimpse of Clinton. I have seen her speak a few times before and any Gallaudet student who is interested can definitely get the chance to see her and the other top tier candidates speak by simply finding out when the College Democrats of America have big events or simply pay attention to what is going on in DC. I still remember seeing Bill Clinton speak at Georgetown back in 2002 and only 3 people from Gallaudet volunteered to go get front row seats to see him speak and after the event I came away with a picture of Clinton shaking my hand. A lot of Gallaudet students said they wished they knew about that opportunity and I was like are you crazy, Campus Activities sent out at least 2 e-mails advertising the event and only 5 people responded. Then I advertised the opportunity to have “breakfast with Senate Leader Tom Daschle” which was really just some muffins on a table and watching Mr. Daschle speaking in a small room with about 30 people. And once again only 2 people came and one of those two people was my roommate who I had to push out of bed to come because I thought no one would show up even though at least 15 Gallaudet students had told me they would meet me at Benson Circle to make the trip to the Democratic National Committee for the event. Imagine if 15 Gallaudet students had actually come then the Senate Leader would have been impressed to see that a third of his audience is Deaf. The only time I have seen more than 3 Gallaudet students set their foot off campus for a political cause was for the 2004 campaign in FL when 31 Gallaudet students got an expense paid trip to FL to go door to door for John Kerry and US Senate candidate Betty Castor. Any alumni of that trip can tell you how fun it was and I hope those alumni will do something similar again in 2008 to show campaigns that Deaf people are genuinely interested in being active on national campaigns.
Get out of the rut mentality and start going to events, it isn’t expensive to get a chance to meet a presidential candidate, it takes a lot of patience and waiting but it can be done and also don’t forget that there is usually a lot of free food at fundraisers for candidates so if you can volunteer at a campaign event in DC then you can get some tasty jumbo shrimp while getting the chance to meet a future senator or future congress-member.
Pepe, are you in any way involved with the Maryland Deaf Democratic group (established by Judy Stout)?
I was involved with that group for a while until I moved out of the state. Do you know if it’s still running?
Hi Michelle- No I am not involved with MD Dem Group, are you talking about the 2004 Deaf Dems for Kerry? I am involved in another project with Ms. Stout and the project is very exciting and it will definitely help the Deaf community in a big way in getting us into more influential positions in politics. I haven’t had the chance to really talk to her about MDAD so I have no idea if she’s involved with the planning or whatsoever. I am actually a CA resident so I am very active in the county Democratic Party over here in San Diego and Ms. Stout is very active in the statewide MD party. She is very active and one of the most politically connected Deaf people I know of when it comes to national politics.
You’re right. Judy Stout IS one of the most politically connected Deaf people I know, as well.
No, I wasn’t talking about 2004 Deaf Dems for Kerry.
It was an entirely different group…its intent was to not endorse a specific Democratic candidate, but rather to try to get together all Democratic Deaf voters and make itself a viable organization in Maryland.
After Judy stepped down, Larry Pearce was their Prez for a while, and at that point I moved out of the state (I’m in Indiana now) so was hoping for a bit catch-up news.
But as you’re in California…oh well. Thanks though. :-)
Pepe C.,
Fair criticism. The MDAD distributed their announcement that Hillary Clinton would attend the Conference through several email lists (including DeafTimes, etc.). To see the MDAD announcement that was distributed through the DeafDC.com email list (which is the same one distributed through other email lists), go to:
http://www.deafdc.com/emailbla.....nique.html
At the end of the email is the following message, in italics:
*MDAD is expecting Hillary Clinton’s appearance based on current discussion with her campaign manager and team. Hillary Clinton’s appearance is not guaranteed and her schedule is subject to change at the time of the conference.
(I will “update” the blog with this information)
Back to your comment, Judy Stout is very well connected and helped me find a “seat at the table”. However, I believe that there are other deaf people who are just as well connected or even more connected than Judy. Judy is unique because she does an excellent job creating and finding opportunities for others. She is a pleasure to work with and is extremely committed to her vision.
You may want to check out an excellent blog written by David Evans, “The Ground Floor of 2008″ along with the ensuing discussion:
http://www.deafdc.com/blog/dav.....r-of-2008/
It is closely related to the conclusion of your comment. Since comments are closed in that blog, perhaps you could contribute by posting your thoughts on the discussion that took place.
It wasn’t fair criticism, I was too harsh and I apologize. Most people failed to read the fine print and realize it was a “expectation”, not a confirmation that she would indeed be speaking at MDAD. I checked out that blog and it was interesting. I also disagree with you, there is no one else as well connected as Judy Stout, maybe there are well connected deaf people on the local level but when it comes to MD and the national level Judy is the only one that is connected. Just my thoughts.
I had to laugh when I read this blog, and Amy’s response. It’s obvious these people aren’t too enlightened when it comes to politics and more specifically, running for President. As of today, the Iowa caucuses is less than 36 days away, and the New Hampshire Primary is less than 40 days away.
My point? Senator Clinton AND Senator Obama will do just about anything they can do to get votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, even if it means “snubbing” a very very small and minor group (MDAD). Why? MDAD won’t get them votes where it counts. Let’s be honest. Maryland is not a state Democrats care about during the primaries. Why? Not enough Delegates. Maryland is not California, New York, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada.
Not everything is about being Deaf. Just because Senator Clinton decided she had to use her time on things more important to the campaign does not mean she is snubbing us. And yes, there are things more important than Deaf issues, no matter what Amy, Joey Baer, David E., Ella, etc says. Iraq. Health Care. The economy.
This is a non issue - I feel - is being made into an issue to demand attention, yet again.
**Disclaimer - I work for the Clinton campaign**
Howie,
It’s good to see deaf people involved in the Clinton campaign (I agree with you though, not everything is about being deaf).
It’s not impossible that Clinton would be in the vicinity and thus have the opportunity to attend the MDAD Conference. It would have been nice if it happened.
Howie-
It is good to hear that you are volunteering on a presidential campaign again! Hopefully Hillary can pull this off!
I think this is a WONDERFUL comment. It brings up many good points and honestly, MDAD didn’t even confirm her appearance.. stop acting so butt-hurt deafies
oooohhhhh boy lol ha lol Hillary Clinton want so bad to be President of USA lol ha lol ….. She learn the lesson from her Husband did have a affair other woman and NOW Hillary is working on search young handsome other man to have affair if Hillary make it in the President of USA …. watch out lol ha ha lol Hillary want revenge back to her husband ….. lol haha lol
Davy :)
I say NAY to Hillary. Never liked her and never will. I have my reasons, which most of you wouldn’t understand anyway, so I’m not going to bother spelling it out. I just simply say no to her.
Something does not smell right with MDAD. When did they find out Hilary would not be able to attend? You mean to tell me they had a hall reserved (which usually requires a non-refundable deposit) and last minute they canceled to instead hold the lunch at an Italian chain restaurant? This is somewhat hard to believe. Shane, I am also surprised at your logic regarding the price of the luncheon. When Hilary speaks to a group where the price of a lunch is $2300, it is a fundraiser. Was this $40 lunch billed as a fundraiser for her campaign? I don’t think so. Unless it was, the price of the MDAD lunch is irrelevant to the issue of why she canceled. Who knows why she canceled, but let’s face it, deaf people tend not to vote in high numbers.
Emmy,
The announcement distributed by the MDAD did not indicate that it was a fundraiser, but rather, an “awards luncheon”. See:
http://www.deafdc.com/emailbla.....nique.html
In fact, there are laws that prohibit a 501(c)3 from hosting a “fundraiser” for a political candidate. However, 501(c)3 organizations could ask political candidates to speak at an event, as long as they invite other candidates to speak as well. More information available at this link (PDF document):
http://www.saul.com/common/pub.....f_1176.pdf
An excerpt:
When MDAD was contacted about the possibility of having Senator Hillary Clinton attend the MDAD conference, an invitation was extended to other politicans. MDAD was not able to get anyone else to come from other parties.
MDAD does not endorse or fundraise on behalf of any political candidates. When MDAD made an announcement, it did not discuss any political issues or mention anything about Senator Clinton’s platform.
The food and location was not downgraded. Since MDAD’s original plan was to have the awards luncheon at That’s Amore, the $40 price reflects the price of the food and location and the combo package already includes the awards luncheon.
With the expectation that Hillary Clinton would come to the MDAD conference, MDAD started planning a larger venue with upgraded quality of food. Combo ticket holders would benefit from this while people who bought individual tickets later or through the door would have had to pay more than $40. The sponsorship money would have defrayed some of the costs.
However, Senator Hillary Clinton changed her plans and MDAD had to adjust their plans accordingly. For someone as high profile as her, nothing is 100% guaranteed and MDAD made sure to set this expectation when MDAD first communicated this to the public.
I’ll just go right out and say it.
Jane Fernandes.
Saying what she thought we wanted to hear, where we clearly knew that deep down she wasn’t telling the truth.
I would love a female president, but Hillary Clinton is far too Jane Fernandes for me. Too secretive, too willing to triangulate and say what people want to hear, only to pursue her goals once she becomes President despite the input of the people.
Too much up in the Ivory Tower, too close to the corporations [her campaign contributions has the most $2,300 donations, as opposed to grassroots $100 donations].
What sort of confirmation did Hilary Clinton give MDAD that she would come? Can somebody from MDAD comment? Could it be that we’re being a bit too judgmental — did the MDAD event ever appear on her public calendar?
Politics and Money supplement one other. I perfectly understand Hillary Clinton’s decision not to attend the MDAD conference. Of course, why would Clinton need to attend the MDAD conference when Maryland has constantly voted a Democrat to be the President? Maryland is a blue state. Clinton is safe with Maryland. Sure, Barack Obama or John Edwards may give a scare to Clinton (even Richardson) for the primary votes, but Maryland is already woo-woo over Clinton and she knows that. Maybe, the naysayers will say, there is a good chance that a different democratic nominee will get primary votes or a republican nominee will win Maryland. Maybe in the future, but not for the year of 2008.
So, it is a no-brainer that Clinton would say, hey, let’s make a good use of my time and focus on attending power lunches or dinners where people pay at least $2000 or greater per plate. Even, some have paid at least $10,000 per plate. $40 per plate is a joke.
Clinton will definitely make sure that deaf people will have support, access and equal rights in a variety of areas. So, I wouldn’t worry about that. Obama, Clinton, Edwards and Richardson probably harbor similar views on civil rights, health care, disability rights and so on. Maybe, you beg to differ. Help yourselves, but for this time being, I do not blame Clinton.
badger duo,
Not all of the Democratic candidate priorities for people with disabilities are the same. A good website for more information is the American Association of People with Disabilities 2008 Presidential Election Action Center:
http://www.aapd.com/News/election/070804comp.htm
(None of the Republicans responded to the AAPD questions)
Quick question. If the organization’s name is Maryland Association of the Deaf, why is the acronym MDAD? What does the first D stand for?
Tom Willard,
MD is the acronym for Maryland.
Thanks for the explanation. Silly me for not thinking of that, eh? I noticed on the NAD website (http://www.nad.org/sadirectory) that most state associations don’t do it that way, but I guess Maryland did not want to be MAD.
Also, I could not find the MDAD announcement anywhere, and Saturday is December 1, not December 2.